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Five Common Pathways to Missions

Five Common Pathways to Missions

Today’s world gives us five common pathways to missions. Missions-minded churches can create strategies for each one. Along with encouraging Sending Church members to journey toward that which God has specifically gifted and prepared them for. Through their life experiences and prior ministry involvement. Have faith that if He asks us to participate in local and global outreach and mission work, He has a plan. He has a reason.

Here are the FIVE as outlined in God’s Mandate for The Church: What it Takes to Become a Missions Minded Church Today, plus three ways how you can be involved as a Sending Church:

Pray

Perhaps the “easiest” and most accessible of all the mission-minded strategies and activities, prayer can be done by any believer anywhere. And it should be! But as a Sending Church, it is the leadership’s job and duty to equip its prayer warriors with all they need to be informed and motivated to pray well, specifically and often for partner ministries and those serving on the mission field. Equipping those who pray can include some of the following:

  • Prayer Guides and Prayer Calendars
  • Prayer Meetings
  • Prayer Walks
  1. Give

Missions cost money. Thankfully, when God gave the mandate for His Church to make disciples in all the world, He also chose to bless some people with material resources and the spiritual gift of giving. Find people who can play their part on mission teams by making intentional financial investments to power mission strategies with the necessary capital. This is a valuable role, without which nothing would get done! The poor and downtrodden of this world need fiscal help. Equip people to give- this is one of the top ways how technology is changing the church with the capability of online giving, email, social media platforms, etc. There are those who can provide this help. How?

  • Ask them! Make clear asks of those who have financial resources to fund mission efforts in the church. Present dollar amounts, specific programs, and expected outcomes. Report back to them on the return on their investment.
  • Involve financially gifted people in the stewardship of mission funding. Engage them in the creation and management of the mission’s budget.
  • Matching gifts that will help inspire others to give to missions.

Go

Going on mission trips or becoming a long-term missionary is the traditional role people think of when the word missions come to mind. Consistent with the clear instruction in Matthew 28, God has therefore gifted and equipped some of His people to be the “go-ers.” Regardless of the location, being WITH the people being served is a crucial element in building relationships that matter and in accomplishing great things for God’s Kingdom. Developing people to GO is important. Here are some things the Sending Church can offer to those who are willing:

  • Training and education, both formal and informal (i.e., professional skills, culture training, psychological preparation)
  • Short-term experiences/vision trips to partner ministries
  • Financial and other material support

Mobilize

The Sending Church plays a huge role in providing workers to fulfill God’s directive to go and make disciples of all the world. Yes, there are para-church organizations that specialize in mobilizing believers toward missions, but the true genesis of mobilization begins in the home church. Being a missions-minded church and having a robust mission strategy will produce people who develop a worldview shaped by mission thinking. It will be a part of who they are, who they’ve become, and who they want to be in the future. They will not be able to imagine an existence without answering God’s call to live missionally. Mobilize your members toward missions: 

  • Create a children’s ministry curriculum about the importance of missions and how even at a young age, children can be involved in God’s heart for the nations.
  • Offer short-term mission trips for people of all ages- there are many outreach ideas for churches in your local communities and beyond.
  • Provide culture fairs to train interested people in the cultures of the world.

Welcome

What a beautiful time in which we live. America is home to so many cultures of the world. We are a land that receives refugees and foreign workers, and immigrant students, all of whom feel out of place and lonely, missing their own loved ones. They are looking for a community and a place to fit in. Being missions minded as a “Sending Church” may not mean actually “sending” anyone anywhere. It can simply mean welcoming the nations who are on our doorstep. The ways the local church can welcome those from other nations in the name of Jesus are endless. Here are a few intentional suggestions to add to your outreach and church communication plan through which congregation members can be the welcoming hands and feet of Christ to those arriving anew in the United States:

  • Reach out to international university students. Host them for special dinners, especially around holidays.
  • Provide supplies for immigrant mothers and babies and open a food shelf for those who may need extra nutritional help.
  • Encourage families at the church to “adopt” an arriving family from another country to build a relationship with them, be their friends, spend time with them, and help them in any way needed.

Conclusion.

Now that we, as Sending Churches, know WHAT to do to be missions minded, we can turn our efforts into employing strategies to get those things done. Congregation members can be encouraged and motivated to get involved to the level of their interest and calling. Church leaders can challenge their people to move beyond what they believe. They can do on their own and trust God to do the rest. 

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God loves the World and has a huge, compassionate heart for the nations. God’s Mandate for The Church: What it Takes to Become a Missions Minded Church Today unwraps the privilege of the Church to join in His work. Building His Kingdom by using our resources, our people, our expertise, and our passion to complete the assignment of making disciples in all the earth. Loving our neighbors means we need to be equipped from the inside out. Don’t miss any Church Growth Resources to continue in this good work and church growth strategy! Sign up to receive our ministry blog posts straight to your inbox.


Build a Global Mission Strategy

Build a Global Mission Strategy on Any Budget

After reading God’s Mandate for The Church: What it Takes to Become a Missions Minded Church Today, you’ll:

  • Understand the biblical basis for missions.
  • Learn about the good missions accomplishes in the world today.
  • Discover five ways your church can join in God’s mission today.

So don’t wait any longer!


As the Vice President of Marketing for ACS Technologies, John is responsible for Marketing’s overall corporate strategy and direction. Storyteller, promoter, and problem solver to churches of all sizes and shapes. John has traveled the world working with prominent non-profit ministries. He also serves on the board of directors for Dayspring International.

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