A Biblical Philosophy of Missions

 We praise God for His many faithful servants who have been sent out from their home churches to serve as ministers of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and for those of the Body of Christ who, corporately and individually, are faithful supporters of those on the front lines in missions ministry.

At the same time, we believe that much of today's missions ministry is unbiblical and consequently ineffective in fulfilling the mission mandate given to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Preparation for missions ministry in many of the best churches and seminaries involves training in the socio-liberal arts in lieu of a solid grounding in the Scriptures. The modern missionary often has impressive academic credentials, but may lack the thorough knowledge of the Word of God which is absolutely imperative for effective missions ministry.

Missions ministry has become the special province of "missions professionals" and "parachurch" organizations instead of being a vital, integral part of each local church ministry. These missions "experts" provide strategies, goals, and guidelines for the local church which often go beyond facilitating the local church ministry and may subvert the authority of the biblically sanctioned church leadership by transferring the responsibilities of the local church to other entities.

Jesus said, ". . . All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20) What is the church's biblical response to Christ's command?

In many of the churches we contact, we receive responses similar to the following:

1. "God's command is not to the church as a body but is a personal command to a few missionary entrepreneurs who then 'beat the bushes' for support."
2. "If you are incapable or unqualified for ministry here at home, you can always go to the mission field."
3. "I want to have a cross-cultural experience. I think I will go to Africa for two years before I assume my real career."
4. "We are deeply involved in missions. We have an annual missions conference and send our youth group overseas each year as summer missionaries."
5. "Missions is not paying for itself. If we do not receive more designated funds, we will have to cut our missions budget."
6. "You have a family problem or a ministry problem on the field. We recommend you see our missions committee chairperson, Miss Jones. She will bring your concerns to the missions committee for action."

These responses are convenient rejoinders employed by many to avoid the commitment and sacrifice required by a biblical response to the commands of Christ. Biblical missions is nothing more or less than obedience to the command of Christ to go and make disciples of all the nations. A biblical missions philosophy is that which will execute this mandate in a manner consistent with all of God's revealed Word.
 

We believe that the local church is the body entrusted with fulfilling the great commission. Therefore, the local church must make fulfilling the great commission a priority for its members (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:45-48, Acts 1:6-8).

While the "mission mandate" was given explicitly to the eleven apostles (Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:2-8), by implication it applies to all believers. New Testament ecclesiology demands that all believers function within a local church led by biblically qualified men (Titus 1:5-14). The biblical pattern for missionaries-ministers of a local church who are sent out as witnesses to places remote from that church-is that they are called by the Spirit of God, with that call confirmed by the local church leadership (Acts 13:1-2).

The local church must identify, train, and confirm those called and qualified to be mission ministers from their number, as they do with local ministers and other church leaders.

The local church must encourage parents of potential missionaries to support their children in the ministry to which they have been called. The lack of parental support is one of the main inhibiters to obedience in young people to the ministry of missions. Sometimes parents fear that the Lord might send their children to be ministers of the Gospel in another country or culture. Parents should consider God's command seriously when they dedicate their children to the Lord and encourage them to be obedient to the Lord's direction in their lives.

The local church must not support unqualified mission ministers. This does a disservice to the Gospel and to the unqualified missionary as well. The church will share the responsibility for the sins of the unqualified (I Timothy 5:22).

The local church must send out their missionaries with the understanding that the local church leadership will be involved in the accountability, support, and discipline of their missionaries. The local church leadership must deal with their missionaries in a manner appropriate for dealing with fellow church leaders.

Missionaries should be considered as staff of their local sending churches and should be involved in the local church ministry, commensurate with their gifts, when home from the field.

Local church missions committees, other than committees composed of pastors and other elders, must not direct or have oversight of mission ministry or missionaries. Such committees should act in a purely supportive role helping to meet missionaries' physical needs, organizing and planning fellowship and conference activities, informing the church body of its missions program, and encouraging the believers to be involved in missions.

The leaders of many churches have delegated their leadership functions in mission ministry to committees composed of those who are not biblically qualified to "rule" the church (I Timothy 5:17). Because of the remote nature of mission ministry, the delegation of certain communication and support functions to non-elder ministry committees may be appropriate, but the extent of their involvement must be limited. Perhaps the role of non-elder ministry committees could be clarified by assigning all members of the church leadership, near and remote, to their care. If it is appropriate for a non-elder ministry committee to determine salary levels for missionaries, let them determine them for the entire church staff. If it is appropriate for non-elder ministry committees to be involved in the discipline and direction of missionaries, let them also discipline and direct the staff and elders. The New Testament demands that elders provide leadership for the ministries of the church and makes no provision for the delegation of those leadership functions (I Peter 5:1-5, Hebrews 13:7, 17).

What is a Missionary?

The modern church has many categories of mission ministers. We define a missionary as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is called by God to a lifetime of service outside of the immediate vicinity of his local church, and who is committed to making disciples, baptizing converts and teaching them all of the revealed Word of God. Today the person fulfilling this role is often referred to as a career missionary.

Those desiring to become missionaries must recognize their responsibility to be faithful to the Lord in ministry within their local body. They must also be actively involved in ministry in a church of like faith and doctrine during extended periods of time when they are absent from the home church (college, seminary, military duty, etc.). The call to ministry is evidenced by a desire to fellowship with other believers and to reach out to the needs of men wherever a person finds himself. While all believers are called to ministry, ministers of the Gospel must be proven in ministry.

Potential missionaries must have a desire to serve the Lord out of gratitude and obedience to the Savior. They must not be motivated by a sense of guilt because of their personal opportunities, or by a desire for personal prestige and position within the church body. They must maintain personal purity so that they meet the requirements for leadership if the Lord chooses to use them in mission ministry.

Missionaries must, without compromise, be committed to the authority of the infallible, inerrant Word of God. They must demonstrate an accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the Scriptures. They must have complete confidence in the Word of God so that they can live out its principles in their individual lives, communicating all of the revealed Word of God to those to whom they minister regardless of the differences between their particular cultures (Matthew 28:19-20).

Missionaries must not be weak in their understanding of the whole purpose of God (Acts 20:27). They must accurately declare the whole counsel of God so that they do not teach a "sanctified tradition" (Isaiah 29:9-14).

Missionaries must meet the biblical qualifications for leadership in the church. If a missionary is to be effective, his family relationships must be strong, stable, and biblical (I Timothy 3, Titus l, I Peter 3).

Missionaries must be called to ministry by the Holy Spirit and must be led by the Spirit, taking into consideration the counsel of godly men (Acts 13:2). A missionary called from the local church to minister to another locality will evidence that call by his work and ministry first in his local church. Godly men will see the evident work of the Spirit in that person's life and will confirm the call to which the missionary has testified.

One of the most important attitudes for anyone called to ministry in missions is the recognition that it is a privilege to serve the Lord. A lazy missionary is a reproach to the Person and Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul often dealt with those who lacked diligence in caring for their families and in meeting the needs of others. Ministry should be entered into with joy and gratitude toward God. There must be a willingness to work hard, demonstrating a godly work ethic which almost invariably leads to many opportunities to minister the Gospel.

Because of America's Judeo-Christian heritage, many Americans understand the function of the pastor/teacher in an established church. His primary responsibility is to equip the saints of his congregation for the work of the ministry. This requires him to devote a major portion of his time to the private study of God's Word with much of the remainder of his time spent preaching and teaching. The Word of God is verbalized to the unreached not by the pastor/teacher, but by individual members of the body of Christ, who model the principles of Scripture in their daily lives. The ministry opportunities afforded to those members are usually the result of their integrity and diligence in the workplace.

Because he has no community of believers to share in the ministry, the missionary to the unreached must not only verbalize God's Word, but he must concurrently model the principles of God's Word in his life in ways that will win him a hearing with those to whom he desires to minister. He must have a family that is strong, stable and biblical, and he must demonstrate a biblical work ethic by laboring diligently six days a week (Exodus 20:9, 11).

The apostle Paul at times was supported financially in the ministry by churches who contributed to his needs. At other times he labored diligently with his hands to provide for himself and his companions (I Thessaloni-ans 2:5-9). The bond-servant of Jesus Christ must be willing to put his hand to whatever menial task necessary for his support and the furtherance of the Gospel.

On some occasions Paul supported himself and his companions by working at the tentmaking trade. It is appropriate in certain circumstances for a missionary to financially support himself in the ministry; however, the missionary must still be accountable to the leadership of a local church.

The missionary who supports himself in the ministry must also be careful not to enter into agreements with host governments which forbid him from sharing his faith with the people. When he abides by those agreements he is disobeying God; when he violates those agreements his integrity is compromised.

Because many countries forbid a non-national from holding a wage-earning job in the host country, it is usually necessary for a missionary to be supported by other believers in his home country.

A missionary must understand that he is a partner with many others in the ministry to which the Lord has called him. It is normative for the missionary to get his living expenses from his sending church and from other friends whom God has called to participate in that ministry (I Corinthi-ans 9:14, Philippians 4:15-19, III John 2-8).

The missionary must have as his primary objectives the teaching and preaching of God's Word, the discipling of believers, and the establishment of local churches. While some missionaries may have good technical skills, and may spend the majority of their time in support roles, all missionaries should have as their primary goal the fulfillment of the great commission.

Are the Categories of Support, Youth, and Short-Term Missionaries Biblical Concepts?

Another modern category of "missionary" in the modern church is the support missionary. These are individuals who may not be qualified or equipped to serve as church leaders but who are sent out to provide supporting services for others.

Many support missionaries are biblically qualified elders and do have biblical ministry priorities. Though they do not function as "pastor/teachers," they proclaim the gospel whenever possible, teach the Word of God, and model lifestyles essential to every local body. Because of the primacy of ministry in their lives, we would not make a distinction between such support personnel and other career missionaries.

Support missionaries who are unqualified for leadership in the church often assume, or are given, a leadership role in new or young churches that lack qualified leadership. This leads to weak churches with poor leadership standards. Sometimes the support missionaries may be unqualified because of personality traits, lifestyle, or lack of submission to authority. They may be abrasive to foreign nationals in church and secular positions and thus hinder the spread of the Gospel. Support missionaries are sometimes unprepared to handle the stresses of mission work. This may lead to their spiritual, emotional, and physical breakdown.

Use of support missionaries sometimes delays the localization of leadership in the church. In addition it is often cheaper to pay nationals for supporting work.

A third category of "missionary" in the modern church is the youth missionary. These young people are not missionaries, and when a church makes no distinction in terms between youth group members on a summer trip and church leaders serving in mission ministry, our young people are sent the wrong signal about missions ministry. They often perceive missions to be an easy career, accessible to anyone, which requires minimal qualifications and little preparation and training.

Perhaps it is only a matter of semantics, but is it appropriate to use the same designation for both a young person of unknown spiritual maturity and for a qualified minister of the gospel? Certainly all believers are qualified to witness to others of the grace of God, but would we be comfortable designating these same young people as "summer pastor/teachers" while they are witnessing within their home communities?

Youth missionaries desiring a "cross cultural experience" use up limited ministry resources which should be reserved for career missionaries.

Youth ministers who want to involve their young people in ministry should make use of local opportunities in their home community and country. Local opportunities take fewer financial resources, the young people can be more effective where there are few cultural and language barriers, and young people can be better protected from activities and situations with which they are not equipped to deal.

One possible exception would be for the church to assist young people of limited means to visit the mission field prior to their ministry training to better know how to prepare themselves. This opportunity should be limited to those who have demonstrated an obedience to the Lord and who have been faithful in witnessing to others. The young person should visit only missionaries known to the church leadership, who are willing to provide for and safeguard the young person.

Another problem involved in the concept of youth missionaries is that some youth may be unable to handle the stresses of the mission field (living conditions, cultural barriers, relationships, occultic practices, etc.) and may suffer spiritual, emotional, and physical breakdown.

Another category of "missionary" in the modern church is the short-term missionary. Scripture gives us no examples of a call of God being for a limited time; we are called to a lifetime of service. We are not to dabble in ministry; we are to fulfill the ministry (II Timothy 4:5-7).

When we speak of short-term missionaries, we are not speaking of those who change geographical locations in ministry or even certain ministry emphases. We are also not addressing local church members who pay their own expenses to the field to visit their missionaries who can be invaluable in encouraging them and assisting them in the work for short periods of time.

When we speak of short-term missionaries we are speaking of those who are sent out as ministers of the gospel who return to their homeland after a few years to once again pursue their secular occupations. These are those who simply want to try ministry to see if they like it or who want to serve the Lord for a couple of years and then get on with their careers. Some have an earnest desire to serve the Lord in mission ministry but may not be biblically qualified or sufficiently trained and equipped for the ministry.

The lack of commitment to mission ministry, as evidenced by the high turnover rate of personnel in most modern mission endeavors, borders on the scandalous. The financial cost of modern missions is high. Faithful stewardship of God's resources demands that the local church send out only those whom the elders have determined are biblically qualified and suitably prepared for the ministry over the long haul.

It is unlikely for a missionary, working in an area where the Gospel is not known, to have a fruitful ministry with those of another culture during a short term. It takes time to win the confidence of the community and develop a platform for the message of the Gospel. It takes time to "teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," especially when the one teaching cannot speak the language of the ones being taught. It takes time, often a lifetime, for a missionary to establish a New Testament local church governed by biblically qualified men.

It is true that the apostle Paul, our primary missionary model, was often able to establish churches in relatively short periods of time; however, we must recognize a number of advantages available to Paul which we do not have.

Paul was an apostle, and was able to perform the "signs of an apostle" to validate his message. Missionaries are not apostles.

Paul had the advantage of the Pax Romana, the Roman Peace, which allowed him to travel freely from one ethnic region to another. Missionaries must obtain various government visas and permits to travel into unreached areas.

Paul had the advantage of a universal trade language, Greek, with which to communicate in all parts of the empire. Missionaries must learn a foreign language before they can begin to communicate.

Perhaps of greatest significance, Paul usually preached Christ to those who were already familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, which told of Israel's, and the world's, coming Redeemer/Messiah and King. Unlike Paul, today's missionaries must preach Christ to those who do not already have the "schoolmaster" of the law to show them God's righteous standard and their desperate condition apart from Christ.

Finally, while it is true that Paul left the believers in each location after a relatively brief period of ministry, he entrusted the work in each place to faithful, qualified elders who continued to minister in that place indefinitely (Acts 14:23). It is certainly appropriate for pastors and evangelists to minister for short periods of time in various locations; however, for the establishment of a New Testament local church in an unreached area, it is imperative that a missionary be devoted to that local body for the extended period of time necessary to disciple and appoint qualified elders. This often requires a lifetime of ministry.

It is unfair to castigate short-termers without noting that much critical work would be undone without their services. However, it is lamentable that in the forefront of the battle we have replaced seasoned career veterans with short-term recruits.

The missions mandate was not given to seminaries and parachurch organizations, but to New Testament local churches for implementation under the guidance of the Spirit of God.

Missions agencies are autonomous organizations which are comprised of member missionaries from a number of autonomous local churches. Member missionaries usually work with foreign local churches which are also autonomous.

The primary purpose of the missions agency is to facilitate the fulfillment of the Great Commission by both the sending and the receiving local church. Missions agencies must minister within the framework of the local church.

As an organization comprised of members from several local churches, the missions agency must prevent any local church from exerting undue influence over other autonomous bodies or non-member missionaries. They must protect all their members from unilateral decisions by any one church that might jeopardize the ministry of other member churches and missionaries.

Missions agencies can encourage the local church to fulfill its responsibilities in missions by providing information on various opportunities for mission service. Missions agencies can provide a broader base of counsel to local church leaders who are developing the missions ministries of their local bodies.

Missions agencies can help the church evaluate young people qualified for leadership who are active in ministry and feel called of God to serve as ministers of the Gospel around the world.

Missions agencies can provide training in the special skills (water systems, mechanics, carpentry, etc.) that are necessary in establishing and maintaining bases of outreach around the world. These practical skills can also increase a missionary's effectiveness in their areas of ministry.

Missions agencies may serve as the conduit between sending and receiving churches in different countries. They provide a legal entity as a missionary "employer" for governments and churches.

Missions agencies can provide the necessary administrative support and guidance for overseas missionaries.

In order to effectively fulfill the mission mandate, a biblical field strategy is required.

A biblical field strategy will entail local churches sending out and supporting qualified, Spirit-filled, Spirit-directed ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who will preach the Gospel, disciple believers, and establish New Testament local churches governed by elders. Those churches will then, under the direction of the Spirit of God, fulfill the ministry entrusted to them.

It is naive and unbiblical for churches, seminaries, and parachurch agencies to believe they must plan effective outreach strategies for implementation by local churches of Jesus Christ in other countries. While outside entities may provide counsel to the local church, the ministry of each local church is to be determined by spiritual, biblically qualified leaders of that local church under the direction of the Spirit of God.

Too often the sending church has unilaterally decided that they have "the system" for ministry that the foreign church needs. It is easy to understand why foreign local church leadership does not appreciate this usurpation of their authority to determine ministry strategy for their local body.

A biblical field strategy entails faithfulness to the Word of God. The whole counsel of God must be taught without compromise regardless of any cultural hostilities to particular teachings of the Word of God. God's Word applies to, and judges, every man in every culture.

A biblical field strategy will stress the importance of teaching a biblical theology. The mission minister must not succumb to pressures which encourage him to "culturalize" the Scriptures and present a false understanding of God. There is no place in the Church of Jesus Christ for an "American theology," an "Asian theology," an "African theology," a "Caribbean theology," or any other theology that adds to what God has revealed to us about Himself in His Word.

A biblical field strategy will not limit a New Testament local church to reaching only one people group or geographical area. The mandate to the church was all the world, and the leaders of each local church must be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit within their local body and must be willing to obediently fulfill that portion of the Lord's ministry entrusted to them.

A biblical field strategy will not divide the church of Christ. As missionaries work to establish local New Testament churches in other countries they must stress the universal hopeless condition of the children of Adam and the hope for all men found only in Christ. While we must acknowledge cultural distinctives, we must not divide the body of Christ into "indigenous" bodies composed of specific tribal groups based on different cultural or past religious traditions. We must not erect new "dividing walls" in the Church of Jesus Christ. In a true local body of Christ, missionaries, expatriates, and nationals will all exercise their spiritual gifts in that assembly. Newly established local churches must not promote tribalism, and missionaries must function as active leaders, not as impartial advisers.

The Church must abandon its reliance on the resources of men and minister in obedience to God, as directed by His Word, through the enabling of His Spirit. The Church must abandon the quest for magic mission methods, such as signs and wonders, and return to the faithful preaching of the Word and the careful teaching of the whole counsel of God. We must not substitute grandiose "mission strategies" for personal obedience to the Savior. We must abandon our reliance on the resources and methodologies of secular sociology, psychology and anthropology, which are inconsistent with Scripture; we must rely instead on a thorough familiarity with the Word of God to provide us with a proper understanding of the problems of mankind. We must do more than present an emotional appeal to the lost; rather, we must proclaim the Gospel while demonstrating its reality through a disciplined spiritual life that results in personal righteousness that can be an example to the unbeliever in word and in deed. The Church will accomplish its mission mandate only if it returns to doing God's ministry God's way.