District Newsletter
September, 2008

Many of you resonated at District Conference last April with the vision to become a movement of healthy churches.  One of the six vision targets God has laid on my heart is to increase our participation in global missions.  

I dream of the day when every district pastor has visited an Alliance mission field, each church has a strong year-round missions focus, dozens of churches engage in partnerships with Alliance missionaries or fields, we fully support all of our 34 district missionaries and their ministry ($1.5-1.7M), and we have 25 new missionary candidates coming up within our churches. 

In just a few weeks most of you will be leading your annual church missions conference.  Dave Manske and our Missions Mobilization Task Force can point you to some great resources to help you. 

But as you get ready, stand back for a minute and consider the fundamental question: “Why?”  In 2008 in the church of America, why do missions?  Let’s not assume the answer is obvious to everyone. 

If missions is explained as a good denominational program that the people at the national office try to get us to promote and support, that will not capture hearts.  If missions is promoted as an occasional short-term trip, despite the best of intentions it comes up short.  Or, if missions is portrayed as us regulars here paying for a few zealots over there, how will that appeal to the next generation?

As a little refresher, some real answers are found in key New Testament passages such as Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and Rev. 5 and 7.  Some years ago the Holy Spirit connected those dots for me and it literally transformed my preaching and teaching.     

God loves lost people and wants them saved.  He opened one way of salvation through His Son Jesus, because He took our place in death and rose again as victor over sin, death, and hell.  Those who repent and believe in Jesus receive eternal life.  They are then responsible to tell this good news to the others on earth.  As they communicate to each group, some will receive Jesus.  He will come back one day and gather all His family members to be with Him forever; the rest will be justly separated forever. 

Is the “why?” of missions that simple?  I think it is.  And that leads to a suggested definition for our people: missions is God’s method for making followers of Jesus from every people group on the planet who will join together around Christ’s throne in heaven to offer eternal worship. 

Jesus said that the Church (universal) is commissioned in the power of the Holy Spirit to get it done.  That means my church (local) owns a piece of the action.  Missions is not merely a human obligation laid on my congregation.  What I call “missions” is nothing less than joining the King in His ultimate purposes!  It is the highest response a church can make in obedience to God Himself. 

So, pastors, get your people ready.  Please don’t expect the missionary to fire them up unless you have taught them the basis for missions.  If it’s been a while, give them some straight answers from the Word.