Your "Neighborhood"
When someone asks you Who are the people who have been impactful in your life, nurturing your ministry philosophy?…who are the people you think of? Who are the people in your “neighborhood of influence”? Go ahead, name them out loud. Thank God for their role in shaping you!
Not long ago I read the story of Thecla, the Church’s first female martyr. She was a revolutionary first century Christian witness and martyr. Her participation in the missionary adventures of the Apostle Paul, and his teachings, ignited her passion to live for Christ…and die for Christ. It’s amazing to learn from early church saints like Thecla, Perpetua and Felicitas who paved the way for us to be inspired by contemporary missionary biographies. This type of reading, these ministry shapers in our “neighborhood of influence,” can inspire, teach and shape our worldview and actions!
A former scientist, and resident of Indianapolis, was one of the people in my “neighborhood of influence” that molded much of my understanding of missions mobilization. His name was David Mays, and he tirelessly championed the role of missions mobilization and the local church. Here’s some thoughtful insight from David:
When the reputation and honor and love of God in all the earth is seen as the overarching purpose, then the key role of the Great Commission is clear. The Great Commission is the great task or mission of the Church. The Great Commission is the Church’s marching orders, the primary means for the Church to bring Him glory.
“It is your job to make mission a normal, regular part of congregational life…[so that] mission is both intensive and extensive.”
If the purpose of the Church (the reason it exists) is God’s glory, or worship, or loving others, then the mission of the Church (its primary task) is to give itself toward the realization of the day when He is worshiped, honored, loved, and obeyed by all peoples on earth. A clear understanding of this purpose can bring great focus to a church.
What does the Great Commission require?
The “all nations” of The Great Commission can conveniently be thought of in three major groups:
people like us nearby
people unlike us nearby
people unlike us far away
A major issue for our churches is how much effort we are giving and how much effort we should dedicate toward evangelizing and discipling each of the above categories. Which category gets most of our attention? And are we neglecting any of the three?
In many ways today, our local church needs to rediscover her actual mission as the church. A cacophony of voices are telling us what the purpose of the church should be, look like, teach and program. David Mays acutely summarizes the purpose of the church this way:
If the purpose of the Church is God’s glory in all the earth, then the primary mission or task of the church is to see that He is known, honored and obeyed in the entire world by every group of people. This requires the evangelism and discipling of people unlike us, both nearby and far away, as well as people like us in our communities. Well-crafted church purpose statements clearly communicate this commitment. And church ministries that focus on people unlike us contribute to this task.
If we are going to live and minister as mission-minded churches in the NCD, it involves engaging with our literal neighborhood - “people like us nearby, people unlike us nearby” and embracing our global neighborhood - “people unlike us far away.” In this way, we will truly worship, honor, love and obey God. We will also be raising up workers to passionately go “here, there and everywhere” for the sake of Jesus Christ!
Does your church purpose statement clearly specify a commitment to reach beyond its community (like us) or culture?
How active is your leadership & missions team in developing the missions strategy of your church?
To explore this further, download the “Missions Engagement Assessment Tool” from our Missions Mobilization page for discussion.
Dave Manske
Missions Mobilizer
North Central District of The C&MA