discovering missions - Southern Nazarene University

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245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 190 190 Mobilizing the Local Church burnout in which high levels of stress cause deterioration in both ministry and personal spiritual life. Missionaries sometimes need help with housing during deputation travels or with finding a car to use on home assignment or in locating special supplies or equipment for their ministry. Individual believers can help with all kinds of logistics problems, such as collecting and getting materials to missionaries, driving a vehicle to a shipping point, or pulling together a meeting of potential supporters for a meal when a missionary is in town. A well-functioning local missions committee is a plus, but even when there is not one, individual believers can provide global mission flavoring for a congregation by what they do with music, in children’s ministry, with the youth program, or by material put up on bulletin boards. Individuals can pass on copies of missionary e-mail letters to Sunday School classes or Bible study groups, helping a missionary communicate with entire congregations. Members of churches where the rest of the congregation is not giving much to missions can still get very involved in funding global outreach. To be sure, they must guard against feeling superspiritual when other believers do not share their passion or do the same things they are doing. World Christians must understand their need to be cheerfully giving in sacrificial ways regardless of what others do. People also can get very involved in praying for specific missionaries even if there is not a lot of prayer support for global mission in the rest of their church. Helping missionaries may mean supporting them as they go through reentry upon coming home. Missionaries often need someone to talk to, whether they are simply coming back in for a time of home assignment or are returning permanently from the field. Sometimes missionaries need someone they can open up to without fear that what is said will be repeated. Believers will do well to sense when something is amiss for a missionary and be willing to listen without telling the whole world things for which a missionary just needed a listening ear. As I traveled around and saw whole nations of people where there were only 50 or 100 believers in the whole country, what I saw was it’s either God’s will for it to be this way (and we know that’s not true) or it’s somebody else’s fault. 13 Goals for Local Churches —Keith Green Some local churches set very audacious global mission goals for themselves. An example is the West Covina (California) Christian Church, whose leadership came up with the following goal statement:
245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 191 “Because our blessings have brought equal responsibilities, we therefore set the following goals: • World evangelization permeates church life throughout the year. • Every member expects to have some role in the global harvest. • God’s heart for the nations is heard in almost every service. • Church leadership continually challenges couples and singles to consider going overseas. • Going on short-term mission trips is the expected norm. • The average lay member of this congregation, knowing God’s heart for all nations is a major theme of the Bible, can name several scripture passages about world evangelism. • Global mission needs will be met even before the local church electric bill is paid. • Most members will know the church’s adopted missionaries, where they serve, and what their needs are. • Mission information and prayer times are mainstream. • The church aims to give no less than 25% of its income to world missions. • World evangelization is seen as half the reason that local church exists.” Because the essence of the gospel—the Good News—is such that it must be shared with all people everywhere, mission cannot be left to a few missionary-minded people. Because global mission is on the heart of the triune God, it must be on the heart of the local church. Questions for Reflection Mobilizing the Local Church 191 1. How can a local church move beyond just having only a sprinkling of missionary-minded people involved in world mission? 2. What are some ways a church can educate its members about mission? 3. What additional thing—such as more knowledge, more love, more dynamic, greater conviction—do you think would cause believers you know to respond to world need? 4. What are ways a pastor can assist his or her congregation in developing a new vision for mission? 5. What are ways a healthy church can maintain a clear mission vision? 6. Suppose your local church hired you as a consultant to help them improve or develop a mission program, what would you say to them?
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