A Next Generation Viewpoint
Helping Churches fulfill the Great Commission must to be seen through a different worldview than our patriarchs/matriarchs saw missions.
In today's world one can cross social, racial, and religious barriers (i.e. Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth), if they are intentional, just by surfing the internet, playing in the neighborhood park, or becoming a community servant in and around the city where they live in a city like Chicago.
And as for beginning in Jerusalem, the apostles hailed from Galilee not Jerusalem so Jesus’ challenge to them to begin in Jerusalem meant to begin at the urban center of THEIR world and move out, not merely looking at their hometown and hoping something happens there first. When we think of missions why are our urban centers at-most scary 5-year pilot projects and not mainstream to all our ongoing missionary endeavors as they were for Paul?
The real question when it comes to helping churches fulfill the Great Commission in their context is, can we help churches no matter what their limitations cross barriers to achieve world impact in their own back yard and to the ends of the earth?
It begins with a different view of missions.
A case in point for me is a local congregation in our association who struggles to have seventy-five for morning worship but currently sponsors new work among 3 different language/people groups, has sent out 42 directly to missions or full-time Christian service since 1995 and is opening the first doors in 700 years for an unreached people group yet still sees itself as a struggling congregation. Meanwhile I travel to other churches much older and much larger that have yet to send out their first missionaries and see themselves as successful.
It is truly a tale of two churches not two cities:
Are our churches going to become like the Antioch church, which modeled a Great Commission vision by beginning at its urban center with a diverse leadership team, crossing all the barriers within their community and sending out missionaries from the start to the ends of the earth?
Or will we, by default, become the church at Jerusalem, which struggled to move beyond its ethnic, social and religious roots until persecution hit and the Lord scattered them to share the Gospel as they went?
The Great Commission of our Lord is as challenging and as uncomfortable for us today as it was for the early church in Acts.
Across Associations I want to be the one to challenge us to help our churches connect with others so that they can go and experience a Pentecost Sunday in which thousands are added to the Kingdom regardless of the current barriers that now exist.
What would this look like today?
How about helping an old Bible buckle church reach into Poland by connecting with a Polish work in a North American city and going together.
Or helping an established church with a heart for China go together with one of our city churches who sent out the missionary they are connecting with to reach a city for Jesus Christ.
The big question is how do we best connect them to go rather than just sending our representatives to do missions? And how do we work with the agencies of our denomination to get the job done, if at all? And, sadly, many are bypassing them all.
I believe no one is better positioned to connect and to help churches go experience life-changing missions than Associations. But, truthfully, no one is more stuck and struggling to add value to our churches than our local associations. Will we need to die and be reborn or can we make the changes necessary to help our churches fulfill the Great Commission in their context? What do you think?
In today's world one can cross social, racial, and religious barriers (i.e. Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth), if they are intentional, just by surfing the internet, playing in the neighborhood park, or becoming a community servant in and around the city where they live in a city like Chicago.
And as for beginning in Jerusalem, the apostles hailed from Galilee not Jerusalem so Jesus’ challenge to them to begin in Jerusalem meant to begin at the urban center of THEIR world and move out, not merely looking at their hometown and hoping something happens there first. When we think of missions why are our urban centers at-most scary 5-year pilot projects and not mainstream to all our ongoing missionary endeavors as they were for Paul?
The real question when it comes to helping churches fulfill the Great Commission in their context is, can we help churches no matter what their limitations cross barriers to achieve world impact in their own back yard and to the ends of the earth?
It begins with a different view of missions.
A case in point for me is a local congregation in our association who struggles to have seventy-five for morning worship but currently sponsors new work among 3 different language/people groups, has sent out 42 directly to missions or full-time Christian service since 1995 and is opening the first doors in 700 years for an unreached people group yet still sees itself as a struggling congregation. Meanwhile I travel to other churches much older and much larger that have yet to send out their first missionaries and see themselves as successful.
It is truly a tale of two churches not two cities:
Are our churches going to become like the Antioch church, which modeled a Great Commission vision by beginning at its urban center with a diverse leadership team, crossing all the barriers within their community and sending out missionaries from the start to the ends of the earth?
Or will we, by default, become the church at Jerusalem, which struggled to move beyond its ethnic, social and religious roots until persecution hit and the Lord scattered them to share the Gospel as they went?
The Great Commission of our Lord is as challenging and as uncomfortable for us today as it was for the early church in Acts.
Across Associations I want to be the one to challenge us to help our churches connect with others so that they can go and experience a Pentecost Sunday in which thousands are added to the Kingdom regardless of the current barriers that now exist.
What would this look like today?
How about helping an old Bible buckle church reach into Poland by connecting with a Polish work in a North American city and going together.
Or helping an established church with a heart for China go together with one of our city churches who sent out the missionary they are connecting with to reach a city for Jesus Christ.
The big question is how do we best connect them to go rather than just sending our representatives to do missions? And how do we work with the agencies of our denomination to get the job done, if at all? And, sadly, many are bypassing them all.
I believe no one is better positioned to connect and to help churches go experience life-changing missions than Associations. But, truthfully, no one is more stuck and struggling to add value to our churches than our local associations. Will we need to die and be reborn or can we make the changes necessary to help our churches fulfill the Great Commission in their context? What do you think?
Keith Draper, DoM
Chicago Metropolitan Baptist Association
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