Missions on Point

This episode continues the biblical case for the centrality of the local church in missions - as the beginning and the end, the progenitor and the purpose, the cause and result of missions to all people groups of the earth. The conclusion of this episode is that:

This is a truth that has long been missing in our Western missions mindset. Everyone has been so busy and so hyped on evangelism and humanitarian issues that the heart of the biblical goal of missions has been overlooked. It is right there in Scripture for those who seriously care about what the Bible has to say, without truncating or embellishing it for their own purposes. The interpretation and application are clear to the clear-minded! Have a listen to this "best of" episode.

This "Best of" replay of Episode 2 takes me back to 1974, when the Lord opened my eyes to interpretive keys to Ephesians 3 and burned it into my heart as my missionary calling. The centrality of the local church in missions practically explodes out of Ephesians 3 and should NEVER be neglected in teaching and preaching the passage, including its connection to missions. We said it before; we say it again: "Once you see it, you cannot UNsee it!"

Celebrating five years of the Missions on Point podcast prompts us to reflect on "the best of Missions on Point." This episode marks the first in a series that revisits and replays podcasts featuring key concepts for Propempo International and the biblical, local-church-centered missions philosophy.

This first one is an explanation of the biblical word, from Greek, "propempo." It demonstrates how the biblical concept of the local church qualifying and sending missionaries evolved throughout the first century to become the standard, even today.

We pause to reflect on God's grace and goodness to and through the Missions on Point podcast as we complete five years of weekly episodes (without missing or repeating!). We are grateful to God, to our listeners, and my associate, Joel Hollins, for making it possible to produce this podcast. 

We ask that you, our listeners, help with getting the word out to share this great content to missions-minded people everywhere :-)

This retrospective may get you interested in hearing or sharing some of the past episodes and series. We've covered a lot of territory, by God's grace!

Thanks for listening!

In this step of elevation, we expand the learning and exposure of local church-centric missions to the entire congregation. This is a crucial step, both in humble learning and in accelerated growth in the area of missions for your church. We share specific resources and types of resources to increase ownership and participation throughout the entire congregation.

Practical and widespread communication and teaching of your church's paradigm to become a Sending Church will be key to your entire body of members embracing the biblical vision of a sending church.  It will take some energy and enthusiasm to help your church grow to be committed to whole-church mobilization for missions. Lord willing, it will result in well-qualified missionaries sent to fulfill your missions strategy and see cross-cultural churches planted through your church!

Now we get to the Elevation Phase. Elevation is where the church and missions leaders begin to bring the whole church along into this new biblical awareness of what it takes to be a sending church. The leaders may be running down the track, excited about where they are going. The church members are probably still in the starting blocks, waiting for the gun to go off.  Teaching is a big part of it: for the church as a whole, as well as smaller subsets. Organizationally, you are aware that new structures and roles need to be created and launched. An Annual Mission Event can empower momentum toward everyone in the church growing in understanding and involvement. Recruiting mentors and other new roles for the Barnabas Team or Care and Prayer Team for missionaries will come here. Do something to intentionally put new missionary candidates on your church's radar for future development. Lastly, but not least, build prayer for missions, for missionaries, and for a strategic focus on missions.

Yes, it will take some effort and study to become a good sending church. There are deficits in learning this biblical role, and you'll need to exercise discernment. Even some excellent sources of information and inspiration may be influenced by their own biases and historical context. So listen to our recommendations to help you get started.

A huge part of educating your church to grow in becoming a Sending Church is taking the initiative to ask for help! Key life lessons apply here: 

Find the Church Missions Profile on SendForward.org or Propempo.com