“Missions” is outreach where the Church does not exist. Some call it “global outreach.”

Many Christians seem to confuse the ministry of the Church with the mission of the Church. Missions and ministry are complementary, but ministry can occur without accomplishing God's mission of preaching the Gospel where Christ is unknown. We can help heal the sick, dig wells, and care for orphans without ever once communicating the Gospel of God's grace through Jesus Christ.

Wherever Christ's followers seek to glorify God, there will be the ministry of the Church. People will be working to care for the widows and orphans, to help the poor, to heal the sick, to reach out to people in prison, to stand as salt and light in the world, to evangelize the lost, to disciple believers, to equip the saints for ministry, to prepare people to lead according to Biblical qualifications, and to send messengers to people where Christ is unknown. Where the Church exists, outreach includes ministry.

Where the Church has not yet reached these things are not happening. Our mission is to reach the people who have no access to the Gospel, preach, baptize, and teach obedience. This mission of the Church is often lost in mission conferences as believers focus on local ministry.

God's global intent is unambiguous in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 13:10, 16:15, Luke 24:46-48, Acts 1:8, 13:47, Romans 10:13-17, 1 Corinthians 15:34, and 2 Corinthians chapters 4 & 5.

The Great Commission is primarily about going where the Church has not yet reached to preach, baptize, and teach. By going where the Church has not yet reached to teach people to obey Christ, we will establish communities of Christ-followers who may proclaim God's glory beyond the edge of the global Church.

How are we preparing each other to accomplish God's mission?

  • Are we spending time communicating the glory of God, the enemy's role in hiding God's glory, or the role of believers in revealing God's glory?
  • Are we talking about places where God's glory is hidden?
  • Are we teaching how a local church prepares and sends laborers to the ends of the earth as ambassadors?
  • Are we discipling children to proclaim God's glory?
  • Are we teaching about the work of sending and supporting global church planters?
  • Do we know the end objective in sending missionaries?
  • Do we talk about how we will know when we will have completed the missionary task that we have set out to accomplish?

Ministry is the Body of Christ working to glorify God in the world through evangelism, discipleship, and outreach. Missions involves establishing ministry where the Church has not reached by establishing Christ-followers and teaching obedience.

The Church works together as a Body, under Christ as the head, to proclaim God's glory throughout the whole world by evangelism, discipleship, equipping, sending, and sustaining fellow laborers until there are thriving communities of Christ's witnesses in every language and people group.

In those places where Christ is still unknown, we would like to see thriving churches of Christ-followers, rooted in their identity in Christ, seeing themselves as part of His global Body, led by Biblically qualified leaders, glorifying God in the way they live, practically applying God's word to their daily lives, exercising faith in God's word as they are reaching out to the lost, and intentionally preparing people through discipleship to be sent to proclaim the glory of Christ where He is yet unknown.