I have forgotten more than I can remember as a pastoral leadership student in college. Still, one quote that stands out to this day is from Rick Warren, who said, “The greatness of a church is not in her seating capacity but in her sending capacity.” Ever since I saw that on my professor’s slide in class, I haven’t forgotten it.
“Sending capacity” sounds great and packs a punch, but what is it, and how can we increase it? Look no further because we are going to unpack it all right here.
In the simplest terms, sending is everything it takes to move someone from one point to another. As ministers of the gospel, our job is to help people take their next step with Jesus. Paul in Ephesians admonished the early church leaders to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, (Eph. 4:11-13).” I submit that the “work of ministry” that Paul talks about includes not just ministering to our local communities, but cross-cultural ministry, too.
So, how do we go about helping people cross geographic and cultural boundaries for the sake of the gospel? It starts in your church. Here are three ways your church can equip the saints for cross-cultural ministry. It requires the pulpit, a pipeline, and people.
Pulpit
Let’s talk about the pulpit. As a former college and young adult pastor, I found it challenging to cover everything I felt I needed to cover in a given school year. For years, I preached every Sunday to our students, and it felt like the preaching calendar got shorter and shorter with each semester. I wanted to equip our students with a heart for missions, but realistically, I couldn’t spend several weeks unpacking that topic (terrible – I know). Alternatively, I decided to pack it all into one Sunday – made a few mission-related announcements, showed a recap video of a previous mission trip, prayed, and then got to the passage we needed to cover. That was my strategy.
Later, we realized that this really didn’t grow our students’ hearts for missions. We gave them a commercial, and what they needed was a compelling reason from the Scriptures about how the mission of God is of utmost importance. That’s when I realized that as a pastor, if I wanted my people to cultivate a heart to go, it had to start from the pulpit. The people in the pews must hear their pastor expound from the Scriptures what the mission of God is and how we all play a role in that mission, not one Sunday but consistently. As my perspective shifted and I began to reason from the Scriptures this overarching theme from Genesis to Revelation, things began to change.
The mission of God deserves more than an announcement and more than a video one Sunday out of the year. It requires the Word.
If you’d like additional resources, visit vianations.org/churches to learn more about introducing God’s heart for the world to your church.
Pipeline
As you leverage the pulpit more, consider what a pipeline would look like. What would you do if someone came up to you on Sunday and said they felt called to be a missionary? Does your church have an intentional plan to prepare potential missionary candidates? Is there a group they can join? A class they can sign up for? A mentor they can meet with?
Develop a multi-step discipleship plan to deepen their biblical understanding of mission and equip them with opportunities to utilize their gifts. I have met with churches who all do this differently – some have their people sign up for a local Perspectives class (more about that here) and then conduct an interview for readiness. Some churches form their own curriculum and establish a multi-faceted application process; some take six weeks, and some take six months to complete. Do what works for your church, but have a set plan. Behind every successful sending church is a well-thought-out pipeline that they utilize to prepare their people for candidacy. Contact me if you’d like to develop a tailor-made pipeline for your church! I’d be happy to help you think this through. There are plenty of great, free resources out there.
People
Last but certainly not least on this list is people. Invest in your people. It can be easy and much less cumbersome to give to national organizations that equip people in their own culture to reach their communities. It’s attractive, it’s less expensive, and it’s a lot less messy. I am not advocating that churches not give to national organizations; my wife and I give to some great ministries doing amazing Kingdom work overseas. I am just asking you to consider that not being your church’s only mission strategy.
Healthy churches reproduce, multiply, and grow. As your people grow and form into the image of Christ, you will have a handful led by the Holy Spirit to go beyond your walls and take the gospel across cultural and geographic barriers. This should be celebrated and praised because it is evidence of a church on the move!
Take, for example, the church at Antioch in Acts 13. This was a church that was growing and making an impact in their surrounding community. The Scriptures tell us that “while they were worshipping and fasting, (Acts 13:2)” the Holy Spirit set apart Barnabas and Saul for their missionary work. What I love about this text is the word “while.” It suggests normalcy, that this was just what the church did – they worshipped, fasted, and sent. Out of that faithful normalcy and commitment to be the church where they were, the outcome was to send two men who would go on to take the gospel to the rest of the known world.
Invest in people, your people. Gather your church around them and support them faithfully as they go. When you do this, you join centuries of other churches that have done the same and have seen God do extraordinary things.
At the end of it all, people matter to God. God uses people, your people, for His purposes. We’d be wise to put our greatest investment where God gave His greatest love – people. I love how E.M. Bounds stressed God’s use of men (and women) when he said,
“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use – men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not anoint plans, but men – men of prayer.”
Your church, no matter how big, small, or vast your budget, has sending capacity and potential. You have the power to leverage your pulpit, implement a pipeline, and commit to investing in your people. Together, for His glory, we will see billions reached!
Note from the Author: Thank you for reading! If you have questions or would like to talk more about how your church can be better equipped to send cross-cultural workers, please contact me at q.thompson@worldventure.com.
Discussion:
On your social media, write out an answer to one of the questions. Or you can post a comment here.
- How is your church reaching your community and sending missionaries?
- If you are a pastor, how are you challenged by this article?
- What did you learn the last time your pastor or missions team talked about missions?