We were saved in a Missions minded church. We heard about local & world missions constantly. We had a yearly Missions conference and pictures on the wall in the foyer of our many missionaries. We had Christmas in July where presents were wrapped and sent to our missionaries. We regularly had missionaries preach in our church. We had missionaries over to our home for dinner and fellowship. We gave sacrificially to missions. Our children had the opportunity to personally meet some of the greatest leaders in world missions. What a privilege!
When we started planting churches replicating this model was natural for us. It’s part of our purpose for being – it’s in our DNA. However, financing world missions was a huge concern when there were so many competing areas that needed to be attended to and a limited amount of money was available.
Not being part of a denomination required us to make some decisions regarding Missions. Would our Missions effort be simultaneous or consecutive? Would we seek to reach Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest part of the Earth all at once – or should we just start in Jerusalem and work our way outward in time?
Oswald Smith, the founder of Peoples church in Toronto, Canada, said, “The light that shines farthest shines brightest nearest home.” We have approached missions giving both ways. It’s something to be prayerfully considered.
Our church constitution includes the following statement regarding missions…
“We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)”
It’s possible to get so encumbered with the daily struggle for survival that we lose sight of the church’s ultimate purpose. Priorities naturally have to be considered, but make sure you include world missions in your planning. God’s heart is and was always for the nations.
