Stewarding God’s Mission

May 29

We live in an age, particularly in the United States, where there is almost an excess of opportunities and kinds of ministries of varying scope and scale that are categorized under “missions work” of the church. And add to this fact the spectrum of various theological convictions, there have been throughout history (and there are still today) unfortunately, bad examples of Christian missions. From the prosperity gospel, to a western salvation complex and cultural superiority, there are many dangers of doing missions without deep and clear biblical roots. So as I prepare to embark on a summer mission project this summer, clarifying and understanding the role of missions is imperative to being a good steward of our faith and the opportunities we have in going or sending others on missions.

What is Missions?

No matter the scope and scale, every mission that is labeled “Christian” needs to align with the way God intends to fulfill his mission, namely through the Word of God.

Through God’s Word, we see that missions is first and foremost in God’s nature. From the beginning of Genesis, God reveals himself to be a missional God. In his book “Christian Mission,” Edward Smithers roots his definition of missions in the Missio Dei, or the mission of God, by recognizing that God was on mission and “sent” himself towards Adam and Eve after the fall in Genesis 3:9. And God did this not only to clothe them but to give them a hope and a future in the promise of a Savior. Expounding on the Missio Dei, Smithers points out that the “narrative of Scripture abounds with God’s initiative to send people and groups of people - Abraham, Israel, prophets, Jesus and the church - to announce his ways, his Messiah, and his message of redemption and reconciliation” (p. xiv). So while we often engage in good and very necessary works, such as caring for the physical needs of people just as we see from Jesus’ example, the heart of the Christian missions must involve the proclamation of the gospel.

At the core of missions is the gospel and all the practical ways of fulfilling God’s mission stems from the gospel. A study of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ through the Scriptures reveals that the primary way God fulfills his mission is through the local church. The local church is essential to missions because the aim of every form of evangelism, discipleship and missions is not only for people to be saved from hell, but to be saved to be the church, the body of Christ. A good primer to recognize a biblical case for the role of the local church in missions is Andy Johnson’s book, “Missions.” And to recognize the significant role of the local church in missions, it’s helpful to see missions not as something we do in addition to “doing church” as much as being a Christian is not defined as someone who is merely “doing church.” Just as we are called to be the church, the body of Christ, the kingdom of God, missions is very much a part of God’s design in our identity as Christians.

Thoughts on Short-Term Missions

One of the greatest criticisms of modern day missions can be traced to the fact that our motivation for missions is at many times in the wrong place. In that sense, I agree with Darren Carlson’s view that we can do without most short-term missions. I encourage you to check out the series of articles he’s written for the Gospel Coalition regarding the failures and faults of short-term missions as well as his suggestions for how we can do short-term missions better. Another helpful article is by Ramon Lull on reframing and expanding our perspective of short-term missions to align with God’s long-term vision in missions. Both of these articles are a helpful step towards stewarding our energy and resources well as we fulfill our God-given task of sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth.

There was a clear moment of revelation of missions for myself as well when I realized just how self-centered I was in my approach to missions during my time in East Asia. In 2008, I committed to spend a full year reaching college students in East Asia and was very motivated and zealous to reach as many students and share the Gospel, which I am very grateful to have been a part of. However, a few months in as I began to disciple students who were new Christians and building relationships with others who were responding to the Gospel, I realized how selfish and shortsighted my passion for missions truly was. I began to think about the future of these new believers and I realized that I didn’t really consider the fact that I would be leaving these students after the year was over. Who would care for their spiritual wellbeing? Who would continue to disciple them in the whole counsel of God? How would they continue to grow in their faith when our team would leave the country the following year? This is when I recognized the importance of the role of the local church in missions.

Unfortunately, the country we were doing ministry in did not allow us to connect with churches in a safe way so we had to trust that our Christian friends would guide these new believers to healthy churches. But the experience made a lasting impression on me.

I strongly believe that our short-term missions would serve God’s kingdom best if we were to help build up the local church in the countries that we visit. If missions is first and foremost of God and his primary means of fulfilling his mission is the local church, it stands to reason that by building up the local churches in the countries we visit through our short-term missions, we would be stewarding our time and resources in the best way possible. And by doing so, we would be able to combat a majority of the pitfalls of and criticisms of modern day missions.

Stewarding God’s Mission

A lot of times, missions teams enter a town or a village and host a variety of events and services such as a children’s program, medical services or skits and dance presentations and in doing so, teams feel fulfilled with what they’ve been able to prepare and bless and provide a community. But by connecting with and building up local churches on missions, our short-term missions can avoid becoming self-focused events where our wealth and skills and talents are highlighted and really pull the focus towards the day to day kingdom work of local church leaders and missionaries who are there doing life together with the locals for the long-term. The hope is that by being intentional in building up local churches, short-term missions teams would listen carefully to help fulfill the specific needs of those who are planting and sowing the gospel for the long-term.

In this way, short-term missions can become less about our own personal testimonies and what we accomplished during our time overseas, and make it more about what God has been doing and is continuing to do in the missions field. At the same time, there is ample room for us not to discount short-term missions testimonies and all the unique experiences of going on a short-term missions trip. If we train Christians who join short-term missions trips to have a biblical and long-term view of missions and orient our missions trips to be more engaged with the local church, it will help us towards having a humble view of our time overseas rather than feeling the burden and pressure to experience a supernatural testimony. The test and measure of the success of a short-term missions trip would not rest in a number of “decisions made for Christ” or the kinds of experiences we had but rather in the testimonies of the local church in the cities and villages we visit long after we are gone.

Involving the local church and building up the local church need not stifle the various kinds of missions trips we have. Whether it’s medical services or a children’s program or even reaching college students on college campuses, having a strong relationship with local churches can be even more beneficial to short-term missions teams. Working alongside the church, missions teams can reach even more people because of the local reach of the local church. The connections made during short-term missions will be able to continue through the local church. Missions teams may even have more access to more facilities and local resources than by doing things alone or with a sole missions organization. If we have greater partnerships with local churches, we will certainly make a greater kingdom impact in a city or village much more responsibly than when we will without it.

Final Thoughts

I am going to Tanzania in a little over a month with 5 other people from my church. Our senior pastor has been leading teams to Morogoro for over a decade ever since his previous ministry at Grace Community Chapel and has known Missionary Choi for over 15 years. Over the years, short-term teams have partnered with many local churches and seminarians from the Bible College to evangelize and reach families and children in surrounding villages. Graduates of the Bible College have returned to their villages to plant churches and there are churches in America that sponsor these church plants. Over the years, many missionaries were raised up and sent to help in this work long-term as well. This is what I will get to be a part of as I play a small part in supporting what God has been doing and is doing in Tanzania. I consider even the opportunity to participate in this trip an immense privilege and honor.

I am certain I will experience many difficult and wonderful things and I know I will be blessed by going this summer. But as I recognize the dangers of short-term missions just ending there, I want to be accountable to all my supporters who have been so generous with their time and resources. I want to steward God’s mission, especially short-term missions, thoughtfully and seriously and most of all, biblically. I hope these thoughts have been helpful for you in these ways as well.

I’m so glad you are joining me this summer as we are being sent to Tanzania! Let’s continue to strive together in every way we can proclaim to all the world the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)