Something as simple as a different view of the definition of a single word can lead to great misunderstanding. One of those times is when we use the word mission in the context of the local church. We have heard the phrase, “every Christian is a missionary,” and there is no doubt that good intentions motivate the use of that phrase; but is it valid to teach that every one of us should be a missionary? Before we can answer that question we must ask another question, which leads me to my first point:
What is the difference between mission and missions?
The word mission is used to describe the over arching objective that an organization desires to achieve. In the case of Christ’s church, our mission is best summed up in our Lord’s great commission as recorded in the book of Acts, to be witnesses for Jesus from our homes to the ends of the earth.
Missions is the term used to describe the activity and work of a missionary, a person that is specially called out and equipped by God to perform the work of going out to the nations.
Now that we have a working definition of mission and missions we can address the original question:
Should every Christian be a missionary?
No, not every person who names the name of Christ should be a missionary. A missionary is a person who is specially called out and equipped by God to perform the specific work of Word and prayer across geographic and/or cultural boundaries in places where is name of Jesus Christ in largely unknown, if known at all. Every Christian should however be mission minded, that is to say that we should all be working in support of the mission of the Church.
This principle could is best illustrated by looking at our United States Marine Corps. Even thought the infantryman in the backbone of the Marine Corps, not every Marine serves in the infantry or even in a combat arms job. These “support” Marines, while not directly performing the mission, are performing vital tasks that support the overall mission of the organization.
Christians seem to confuse being a missionary with being mission minded, which leads to either the extreme of “every Christian a missionary”, which is ineffective, or the fatalistic belief that we need not carry the message out, because God will take care of it somehow.
Good point. I think the term missional would be better. We are ALL called to be missional.
ReplyDeleteI recently read and reviewed a book by John Dickson entitled, The Best Kept Secret of Christian Missions. It is a great read regarding this very topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on that Jeff. The term missional has more to do with a mind set and motivation. Most people seem to be more concerned with what they do, rather that why they are doing it. That mindset is what has led a large number of Southern Baptists, who were historically one of the most missional denominations, to adopt the attitude that I don't have to do anything because I send a check. We must remember that while man considers the outward appearance, God considers the heart. God is more concerned with our motives than out methods.
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