Missions

Should small churches expect to do less missions work?

9Marks

By no means! While churches with fewer members and resources may not support missions work on the same scale as larger churches, they should still strive to do all they can to engage in the work of missions.

So how can small churches engage in missions work? The same way larger churches can:

How can churches cultivate a culture of missions?

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Preach expositionally. Scripture is filled with instruction to believers about God’s plan of salvation and our responsibility to spread the good news of salvation in Christ to the ends of the earth. Faithful Christ-centered, expository preaching should, over time, teach a congregation to heartily pursue local and international evangelism.

What is success in missions and how do you measure it?

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The Bible teaches several points with unavoidable clarity. 

Who is responsible to fulfill the Great Commission?

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All Christians. In John 20:21, Jesus says to all his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Jesus was sent into the world to become the savior of those who would believe. We are sent into the world to proclaim what Christ has done and call people to faith in him. Therefore, every Christian should evangelize locally and, if possible, support the work of bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth.

What does the Great Commission require of local churches?

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In order to fulfill Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19), churches must:

What activities and goals are properly included under the term “missions”?

9Marks
The mission of the church, according to the Bible, is to worship God and to love the world by calling it to that same worship. The goal of missions, in other words, is to produce worshippers of God by proclaiming the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ:

What are some weaknesses in current missional thinking?

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Historical revisionism. Many missional authors make a far bigger deal out of our culture’s move to postmodernity than a sober biblical assessment warrants. 

What is the local church’s mission according to the Bible?

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According to Scripture, the local church’s mission is to proclaim, preserve, and display the gospel.

What is the missional church?

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The basic premise of the missional church is that mission is the very essence of the church. This is a larger claim than saying that every individual member of the church is a missionary: it is a claim that the church itself is a sign, a foretaste, an instrument, and an agent of God’s kingdom reign on earth.

Why is sound doctrine essential for evangelism and missions?

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Sound doctrine is essential for evangelism and missions because…

Book Review: Churches that Make a Difference, by Ron Sider, Philip Olson, and Heidi Rolland Unruh

Review by Flynn Cratty | 9Marks Journal: Counseling in the Church | 03.03.2010

Sider, Olson, and Unruh seem to think that the mission of the church is to do all it can to evangelize, meet people’s needs, and transform society.

Book Review: Window on the World, by Daphne Spraggett

Review by Tim Cantrell | 9Marks Journal: Missions | 03.03.2010

I know of no other tool that compares with Window on the World for teaching kids and parents to pray together with God’s heart for the nations.

Book Review: Announcing the Kingdom, by Arthur F. Glasser

Review by Robin Weekes | 9Marks Journal: Church & Culture | 03.03.2010

This book’s message that the whole Bible is not just messianic but also missional is a valuable reminder of Jesus’ great promise to all nations.

Book Review: Let the Nations Be Glad!, by John Piper

Review by Robin Weekes | 9Marks Journal: Missions | 03.02.2010

This remains both the best antidote to a man-centred approach to missions and the best challenge to the Reformed community to have a heart for global evangelism.

Book Review: An Introduction to the Science of Missions, by John Herman Bavinck

Review by Andy Johnson | 9Marks Journal: Missions | 03.02.2010

“Answers can be given solely on the basis of Scripture.” That is what sets this book apart from so many modern books on missions.

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