The Church and World Mission

Missions

Not only is the church called to multiply itself in a local, evangelistic, person to person approach (Matt. 28:19-20) but the church is also commanded to go and reach others to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The church reaching the ends of the earth and other places with the Gospel can happen in 3 unique but very important and effective ways. The first way the local church can reach lost people throughout the world is by connecting with and building relationships with other local churches in different places. A local church can connect and form a relationship with another local church in a different foreign location and through that relationship, encouragement, support, and equipping can take place between these 2 churches for the glory of God. The church in America is very financially well off and the churches throughout the world reaching the lost in their areas are not doing as strong financially, so a partnership and affection between these 2 faith communities can and will equip other churches to reach the lost. Another benefit beside the financial support would be a learning and growing relationship between the 2 churches, showing how God is using each church in each of its unique and specific culture to meet the need of the lost and hurting in that given culture (Acts 11:27-30)

Another way the local church can reach the lost around the world with the Gospel is by supporting and sending out missionaries to go, live, plant, and reach the foreign culture with Jesus. This could be the local church helping support a missionary through a mission organization, it could be supporting the mission organization in general without a specific missionary in mind, or it could be the church fully supporting one of its own members to go and live for a time in another location while only being connected to that local church (Acts 13:1-5).

The third way that the local church can support and reach the lost around the world with the Gospel of Jesus, is by doing their own short term missions trips. Mission trips are a great opportunity where a larger section or portion of the church can go into another culture and reach the lost by love in action and love in word. Mission trips done by a church can be work trips with given time to go out and reach the lost, they can be evangelism trips where the entire time is spent reaching out and trying to connect with locals in need of Jesus, and short-term mission trips can be a connection with a local sister church, supporting them by loving them for a time through service and word. Either way, getting the local church out into another culture in another part of the world not only is commanded by Jesus and is good in reaching the lost for Him but it is also very stretching for the faith community in the new culture on the trip.