Global Missions at Home?

“Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

— Mark 16:15

Imagine trying to establish a community of believers in another country — without a common language, without transportation or infrastructure, without a Bible anyone there can read. What kind of team would it take to do that work?

Now ask a smaller question: how can you serve in missions right where you already are?

If missions is about giving people access to the Gospel, then “missions right here, right now” is genuinely hard — none of us here speak the language or know the culture of the Unreached Unengaged People Groups (UUPGs) who have no access at all. They don’t live near you. But the people who could work together to reach them do.

Everyone around you already has access. They have you. They have Christians in their workplace, Bibles in a language they understand, churches in their community — even if they haven’t believed yet. Reaching them personally is real, valuable work. But is that missions, or is it the normal, expected ministry of Christians in their own community?

The harder question is about people who live and die outside the reach of any church at all — who have no messenger. That’s where the Body has to function together: the missionary preaching, baptizing, and teaching where no one else can (Romans 10; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4).

The Body

“And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”

— 1 Corinthians 12:21

Where do missionaries actually come from? Someone has to do each of these things, long before a missionary ever leaves:

  • Who passes on the vision to people who might become missionaries?
  • Who disciples them and equips them for the work?
  • Who sends them, and who pays for the transportation, housing, and ministry resources it takes to get there and stay?
  • Who prays for them and the people they serve, over a lifetime?
  • Who supports the churches that get planted once the work is done? (Romans 15:23; Acts 15:36, 16:4-5)

These are normal, ordinary activities of a healthy, thriving Body of believers. Christ’s command is to teach people to obey everything He commanded (Matthew 28:20) — which means building long-term relationships and giving people access to God’s word so they can grow and teach others in turn. Doing that as an outsider, somewhere people have no other access to the Gospel, means doing together what none of us can do alone (Romans 10:13-17).

Building for the Mission

“…I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”

— 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Even Paul — who received about as direct an instruction from God as anyone ever has, on the road to Damascus — didn’t leave for the mission field the next week. He spent three years in Arabia, six in Tarsus, and two in Antioch before the church sent him out.

Even knowing God’s purpose clearly, a person normally spends time learning, growing, and serving others before being sent out as a career missionary. If you want to be part of God’s work around the world, get involved with the local Body now. Do you want co-workers on the mission field ten years from now? Lay the foundation for missions in the minds of the children, youth, and leaders around you today.

Things You Can Do Now

There are a lot of practical ways to support missionaries, assist your church, and prepare people to engage in missions — depending on your skills and gifts:

  • Fix missionary cars, or fund a specific need — flights for church-planting missionaries, a helicopter for a remote people group.
  • Find people willing to lay down their lives to share hope with people who have no access to the Gospel.
  • Raise awareness of global missions and unreached people groups through social media, articles, and photos.
  • Organize a group to attend a missions retreat like Wayumi.
  • Read and discuss missionary biographies together.
  • Help your peers understand the difference between ordinary ministry and missions to the unreached.
  • Host a missionary at your church, or take one out to dinner and ask real questions.
  • Organize prayer teams around specific unreached people groups.
  • Be an advocate for the least-reached.

Neal Pirillo’s book Serving As Senders is full of more ideas along these lines.

Some Key Areas to Develop Now

How can you grow, right where you are, before you ever go anywhere? Practicing evangelism now builds four things you’ll need later:

  • Experience — you won’t suddenly be skilled overseas at something you’ve never practiced at home.
  • Knowledge — a good way to find out what you don’t know is to try explaining what you do know.
  • A clear message — can you say plainly what people need to know to be saved?
  • Heart transformation — sharing the Gospel with people around you cultivates a heart for people you haven’t met yet, and grows your dependence on the Holy Spirit rather than your own persuasiveness.

(The only step you can take by faith is the next one.)