Churches have increasingly recognized that the Great Commission was not given to sending agencies, or individuals, but to the local church. Agencies have their place, and those we send need to have certain qualifiers about them, but the locus of initiative, energy, and vision needs to be the local church. After all, the goal of the Great Commission is to plant local churches. Disciples are a wonderful first step, but the goal is to see observe all that Christ has commanded (Matt 28:20) … to see a church planted! How the disciples lived out their understanding of the Great Commission is a wonderful testament to this truth.
So, the two big questions church leadership needs to address are: “Whom do we send, and how do we prepare them before we send them”? Let me offer two points of encouragement in how to identify these potential missionaries, and two points of encouragement in how to train them.
As vanilla as it may sound, you must ask the question: Do they love their local church? Do they cheerfully serve in childcare/youth programs, work in the parking lot, carry sound equipment, or serve dry turkey to the older saints at the church Thanksgiving dinner? In short, do they love their local church, warts and all, before you send them?
Most potential missionaries find a zeal for missions during their college days. They hear of the overwhelming need and the challenge to lay their life down for the Savior’s. The problem is that they see their local church – sometimes slower to react – is an impediment to this new-found zeal. Pastor, don’t quash that zeal. Help them channel it to regular, faithful service among the body before they are sent to the field. Identify those who love the local church more than the perceived adventure of missions.
Not everyone who wants to be a cross-cultural church planter should be. One of the more troubling things that I have observed in missions is that too often, “interesting” people find their way into missions. The church would never make them greeters, let alone elders, but the logic is that their “uniqueness,” while unhelpful in their home context, will somehow make them a great fit for overseas ministry. This is bad logic. If someone is unskilled with people, lazy, or poorly suited for their home country, a long plane flight is not going to change that.
Remember that as the Spirit set Paul and Barnabas apart in Acts 13:2, he selected quality men and gifted leaders. Paul spoke 3 languages (Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew), and probably a fourth (Latin). He was born a Roman, and well-educated as a Jew. Barnabas’ discernment was such that the Jerusalem church sent him to evaluate the early Antioch church. He was also a natural complement to Paul, as he was likely Paul’s elder and the one who vouched for Paul when Paul converted. He was a natural encourager and the complement of the two personalities was likely evident. These were gifted, disciplined men set apart for the work of missions.
It stands to reason that if we are sending out missionaries to plant churches as the fulfillment of the Great Commission, they should know intimately what makes up a local church prior to their departure. The local church is the laboratory where good ecclesiology is not just learned but put into practice.[1] Potential missionaries should go on visitations with pastors, talk through message preparation and service review (a valuable tool that is too often ignored), sit in on elder meetings and church discipline meetings where appropriate. They should know the ins and outs, the nuts and bolts of what makes a church…. a church.
The church, as well, should know potential missionaries well before their departure. Does their marriage/singleness have the marks of longevity? Are their children well behaved, are they able to model what a Christian family looks like on this side of the ocean? Does the church vouch for their life and doctrine? This level of “knowing” is important as so much happens once missionaries leave their home confines. Carl Trueman has said “Missions is the cutting edge of heresy”, and everything I have witnessed over 19 years of missions on the front lines and in the training world vouches for the truth of this statement. Delve deeply into their lives, and make sure they have drunk deeply from the well of good ecclesiology.
If church members are being trained to be bush pilots, teachers at MK schools, or doctors in remote contexts we all would expect them to receive some level of additional training to what the church can provide. The same rationale should hold true if churches are sending missionaries to church plant among peoples/languages where no gospel witness or church exists.
Most churches are unaware that the average cross-cultural church planter typically receives 6 weeks of training before heading overseas. If the potential missionary is wanting to church plant among an unreached language group he will likely need to learn two languages (the national language and then the language of the unreached language group), have some understanding of the culture he is stepping into, possibly run a business if it is a “closed access country”, possibly translate the scriptures, think through security and contingency issues, visa issues, and church planting specifics for his region, and all the while keep his marriage intact and parent wisely. It seems a lot to handle on 6 weeks of training!
Additional training is not only helpful but tremendously wise on the part of the sending church. There are schools that do well in K&R (kidnap & ransom), most agencies will do a quick intro to language learning and some specialty schools will do a few more weeks, and there are good individual schools where translation skills can be honed. At Radius International, it is our joy to come alongside those who have been identified by their local church as qualified for overseas missions, to help complete their training. Some of the services offered at Radius International include vetting candidates for churches; exposing them to what life is like in a cross-cultural environment before they choose an agency to go with; and giving them nine months of robust academic, linguistic, and church-planting training.
One of my favorite theologians,[2] Martyn Lloyd Jones, says this: “You will always find that the men whom God has used have been those who have studied most, known their Scriptures best, and given time to preparation. The Spirit generally uses a man’s best preparation. It is not the Spirit or preparation; it is preparation plus the anointing that the Holy Spirit alone can supply.”[3]
May God give wisdom to church leaders who seek to send their members wisely to the nations, and may the King be honored to see more centers of gospel light, churches, established among language groups where no church currently exists.
[1] Nine Marks of a Healthy Church is still the best resource I have found on what a healthy church should look like.
[2] The biography of Lloyd Jones is a top 10 read of my life.
[3] Iain H. Murray, The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, (The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, UK, 2013 ), pg. 102
The post How To Identify and Prepare Missionaries That Will Reach The Ends of The Earth appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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So, the two big questions church leadership needs to address are: “Whom do we send, and how do we prepare them before we send them”? Let me offer two points of encouragement in how to identify these potential missionaries, and two points of encouragement in how to train them.
Identifying them:
1. Do they love the local church?
As vanilla as it may sound, you must ask the question: Do they love their local church? Do they cheerfully serve in childcare/youth programs, work in the parking lot, carry sound equipment, or serve dry turkey to the older saints at the church Thanksgiving dinner? In short, do they love their local church, warts and all, before you send them?
Most potential missionaries find a zeal for missions during their college days. They hear of the overwhelming need and the challenge to lay their life down for the Savior’s. The problem is that they see their local church – sometimes slower to react – is an impediment to this new-found zeal. Pastor, don’t quash that zeal. Help them channel it to regular, faithful service among the body before they are sent to the field. Identify those who love the local church more than the perceived adventure of missions.
2. Do they possess some level of gifting and discipline?
Not everyone who wants to be a cross-cultural church planter should be. One of the more troubling things that I have observed in missions is that too often, “interesting” people find their way into missions. The church would never make them greeters, let alone elders, but the logic is that their “uniqueness,” while unhelpful in their home context, will somehow make them a great fit for overseas ministry. This is bad logic. If someone is unskilled with people, lazy, or poorly suited for their home country, a long plane flight is not going to change that.
Remember that as the Spirit set Paul and Barnabas apart in Acts 13:2, he selected quality men and gifted leaders. Paul spoke 3 languages (Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew), and probably a fourth (Latin). He was born a Roman, and well-educated as a Jew. Barnabas’ discernment was such that the Jerusalem church sent him to evaluate the early Antioch church. He was also a natural complement to Paul, as he was likely Paul’s elder and the one who vouched for Paul when Paul converted. He was a natural encourager and the complement of the two personalities was likely evident. These were gifted, disciplined men set apart for the work of missions.
Training them:
1. Make sure they know the local church, and the church knows them
It stands to reason that if we are sending out missionaries to plant churches as the fulfillment of the Great Commission, they should know intimately what makes up a local church prior to their departure. The local church is the laboratory where good ecclesiology is not just learned but put into practice.[1] Potential missionaries should go on visitations with pastors, talk through message preparation and service review (a valuable tool that is too often ignored), sit in on elder meetings and church discipline meetings where appropriate. They should know the ins and outs, the nuts and bolts of what makes a church…. a church.
The church, as well, should know potential missionaries well before their departure. Does their marriage/singleness have the marks of longevity? Are their children well behaved, are they able to model what a Christian family looks like on this side of the ocean? Does the church vouch for their life and doctrine? This level of “knowing” is important as so much happens once missionaries leave their home confines. Carl Trueman has said “Missions is the cutting edge of heresy”, and everything I have witnessed over 19 years of missions on the front lines and in the training world vouches for the truth of this statement. Delve deeply into their lives, and make sure they have drunk deeply from the well of good ecclesiology.
2. Make sure their training matches what they are being sent to do
If church members are being trained to be bush pilots, teachers at MK schools, or doctors in remote contexts we all would expect them to receive some level of additional training to what the church can provide. The same rationale should hold true if churches are sending missionaries to church plant among peoples/languages where no gospel witness or church exists.
Most churches are unaware that the average cross-cultural church planter typically receives 6 weeks of training before heading overseas. If the potential missionary is wanting to church plant among an unreached language group he will likely need to learn two languages (the national language and then the language of the unreached language group), have some understanding of the culture he is stepping into, possibly run a business if it is a “closed access country”, possibly translate the scriptures, think through security and contingency issues, visa issues, and church planting specifics for his region, and all the while keep his marriage intact and parent wisely. It seems a lot to handle on 6 weeks of training!
Additional training is not only helpful but tremendously wise on the part of the sending church. There are schools that do well in K&R (kidnap & ransom), most agencies will do a quick intro to language learning and some specialty schools will do a few more weeks, and there are good individual schools where translation skills can be honed. At Radius International, it is our joy to come alongside those who have been identified by their local church as qualified for overseas missions, to help complete their training. Some of the services offered at Radius International include vetting candidates for churches; exposing them to what life is like in a cross-cultural environment before they choose an agency to go with; and giving them nine months of robust academic, linguistic, and church-planting training.
One of my favorite theologians,[2] Martyn Lloyd Jones, says this: “You will always find that the men whom God has used have been those who have studied most, known their Scriptures best, and given time to preparation. The Spirit generally uses a man’s best preparation. It is not the Spirit or preparation; it is preparation plus the anointing that the Holy Spirit alone can supply.”[3]
May God give wisdom to church leaders who seek to send their members wisely to the nations, and may the King be honored to see more centers of gospel light, churches, established among language groups where no church currently exists.
[1] Nine Marks of a Healthy Church is still the best resource I have found on what a healthy church should look like.
[2] The biography of Lloyd Jones is a top 10 read of my life.
[3] Iain H. Murray, The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, (The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, UK, 2013 ), pg. 102
The post How To Identify and Prepare Missionaries That Will Reach The Ends of The Earth appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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