M-Moments: Mobilization Pt 3

A View From The Church: Preparation

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
—Matthew 28:18-20

Mobilization is a word missionaries use. And if you read our last post, you understand why they do so with passion! From their view... now my view in North Africa... the fields are truly white unto harvest, and the need for laborers could not be any more profound. And yet, the churches back home are not blind to that need. Pastors understand the "missionary supply chain", and are working hard to provide not just laborers, but those who can indeed be effective in the work.

The pulpit is one of the most significant responsibilities a pastor can have. Our role is to handle the Word of God accurately and plant it deeply into the hearts of His people. All of us have preached the Great Commission... multiple times. At its most foundational essence, it says, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth… therefore… make disciples." For the pastor, making disciples is the call of Christ. It was the heart and purpose of His mission on earth. (Luke 19:10)

Most of those who come to faith do so in a relationship where someone has been faithful to this command. These new disciples are then baptized into a local church where they can learn how to grow in Christ. Our prayer is that as they mature, they will then "go" into their world and repeat the process. But please understand that the Great Commission does not work without the church baptizing, the church teaching, and the church sending. I can assure you that this resonates with every pastor of every church.

I want to affirm that pastors believe in missions and are passionate about mobilization. Like the missionaries of our previous post, they understand that vast parts of the world lack the gospel, knowledge of Christ, or a church to cultivate and harvest the fields. They recognize that the call of Christ in Matthew 28:19 is to go and begin the work. Every missionary on the field owes their presence to these pastors and their churches. And… if you ever slow a missionary down long enough, they will heartily acknowledge that mobilization requires preparation in and through a local body of believers. I want to take a moment and discuss that process.

Missions As A Body: Strategically Planted

The local church serves as the nursery for the kingdom’s growth. Missionaries do not just pop up like dandelions in an unkept yard. Ambassadors do not go… and stay… without some measure of spiritual maturity. A missional heart is the fruit of a mature life. That takes time, and it occurs in a place. That is why the Great Commission tells us baptism is essential to the process. This is more than just a one-time event with immersion in a pool of water. It is an immersion into the body of Christ, the church.

It is a local church where young believers grow in their relationship with God and one another. Worship, both private and corporate, builds fellowship and creates a heart for spiritual growth. Discipleship molds and shapes their love for God… and their neighbor. In the presence of that love, ministry is both experienced and then expressed. Ministry in the context of lostness leads to evangelism. Seeing those you know and love come to faith creates a burden for lostness and a heart for the nations. By this point, believers are mature enough to hear God's voice and to follow Him into the harvest fields, even if it means sacrifice and suffering.³ Pastors know that missionaries are not superheroes who just show up one day… they are ordinary people who have grown to maturity. Some are called and sent to targeted fields. Most, however, simply live their lives wherever God may place them.

Missions as Discipleship: Strategically Prepared

Pastors also understand that bringing people to this level of maturity takes time and effort. Missions is a process, not a product. Most church programs are not designed to make a massive difference outside the church walls… at least not in the short term. They are designed to make a difference in the lives of growing, maturing believers inside the church. But in so doing, we know that it prepares a life that can and will touch this world in incredible ways.

As a pastor, I have sent many people on short-term mission trips, and my prayer was always twofold. First, they would not harm the field. When done correctly, there was little risk. Second, they would fall in love with new people and cultures. Ministry was always lagniappe, and evangelism would have often been a miracle. Please don't misunderstand; we prayed for the gospel to go forth, but we were realistic to understand that such was often beyond our people's capabilities… at least at that point in their spiritual journey. For us, the mission trip was a strategic part of the process of leading our people to maturity, i.e., preparation, so that one day they could be effective ambassadors for Christ. At times, we found that our missionaries struggled to understand.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season. --Psalm 1:3

Every pastor knows that in any given church, at any given season, there will be people at various stages of maturity. A typical Sunday morning will bring the entire fellowship together. Spiritually speaking, there will be babies in Christ, children, adolescents, young adults, mature families, and those with great experience and wisdom. There will even be a smattering of lost folks.

The pastor also understands that he will be fortunate if half of those present on any given Sunday will even participate in a discipleship event. Half of those might engage in ministry at some level, and only a fraction of those have ever intentionally shared the gospel. Such is the norm for a well-functioning, healthy congregation. For the pastor, it is not that missions is not essential; it is simply that he has a lot of work to do before he can even bring up the topic!

To make things even more challenging, his time to influence these believers is always limited. Many will not remain in his church for more than a few years. Life will call, and they will move on. Most pastors desire to be a part of their spiritual journey to maturity. They pray that their investment in them will one day bear the fruit of missions wherever they may land. In the meantime, however, their goal is to see that member move forward in their journey. Now, if someone demonstrates maturity, an aptitude, and a calling for missions… whether they grew up in the church or arrived six months ago… most pastors will do their best to be a part of the sending process. For most, however, that will be a once-in-a-lifetime privilege.⁵

I was at a conference recently where a speaker made the statement... "if a church is not sending missionaries, then they have little to offer spiritually." I nearly rebuked him out loud... in front of 5,000 people! His statement was so wrong. Almost every missionary on the field owes their presence to a small church that invested deeply in their heart for missions. They may not have sent them out, but they likely played a much more significant role than the church that finally took the credit.

Missions by Design: Strategically Sent

Remember, churches are not the same. In the same way that each member of the body of Christ serves a particular role, the same is true for churches. The diversity of our churches is one of our greatest strengths. Young churches begin by discovering how to do worship and discipleship. Evangelism and missions are fruits that will come in due time. (Psalm 1:3) However, mature churches may have been sending missionaries for years. Some are small and rural, whereas others are large and urban. And while the former serves as the foundational base for preparation and support, the latter tends to get more attention.

These large churches are often positioned in urban contexts where well-prepared, mission-ready believers consistently land. They have the budgets to support their mission trips and underwrite significant projects on the field. They are perfectly positioned to take a maturing believer through the final steps of calling and launching. They are often lifted up as models of missional engagement. They are indeed sending churches. Their pastors will tell you that their position is a marvelous blessing with very serious responsibilities attached. They know that to whom much has been given, much is required.

Remember that many of these large church pastors spent years themselves serving in smaller churches. They fully understand the role that those churches play in the kingdom. Today, most people sent out as missionaries came to faith, began their journey to maturity, and discovered missions in much smaller churches. These large church pastors also know that their contributions, however significant for one church, are dwarfed by the collective sacrifice and giving of these smaller churches. These pastors will be the first to give credit to the tireless efforts of others, knowing that their church and global evangelistic efforts are not the fruit of their own hands. The missionary supply chain is only possible because ordinary churches in ordinary places train and equip their members to be mature followers of Christ.

I plead for caution here. There are those in our age of individualism, such as the speaker above, who are keen to separate the churches and offer judgments based on a subjective standard of missional engagement. Such is not how God views things. May I remind you of the words of Paul…

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

And also…

For the body is not one member, but many… God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired… it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor… and if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:14, 18, 22-23, 26

God has a design for missions, and our pastors understand that plan. The mission supply chain is just that; every link has a purpose and is critically important. We are a part of His kingdom; we are building His church. The missionary and the church are vital in reaching a world with the gospel. We must never forget that each comes at the task from a different angle and may not necessarily understand the others.

Conclusion:

I have had the privilege of pastoring large and small churches in the United States for nearly three decades. I have stood in their pulpits on Sunday and sat at the pastor's desk on Monday. I think I can speak for most Western pastors. For the past ten years, I have served alongside hundreds of pastors (national, immigrant, international) in dozens of countries worldwide. They are not any different. They all have the same heart… to see lost people saved… and to see saved people grow to look like Christ. Such is their passion. In so doing, they know that those mature believers will carry the gospel into a lost world. Like missionaries, pastors embrace the image of Revelation 7:9-12…

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

When we hear those whose hearts are pressing for mobilization with an emphasis on "go," we resonate with their spirits. Pastors want to be a part of sending laborers into the harvest fields. However, to do that, they know that preparation for the "going" is crucial. I urge the mission field not to doubt the hearts of the churches or their commitment to the task. Rather, join them in the work of equipping the saints for the work of service, to build up the body of Christ, to mature to the fullness of Christ. In so doing, there will be abundant laborers for the field.

¹ This was the first church I pastored back in the 1980's. They understood missions, invested in missions, and contributed significantly to my heart for missions.

² "Vacation Bible School - Why It’s a Summer Tradition", Christ Lutheran Church https://www.montroselutheranchurch.org/articles/vacation-bible-school-why-its-a-summer-tradition/ (accessed September 10, 2024).

³ I have written an entire book on this process. Strategically Planted: The Pathway to Spiritual Maturity guides pastors in their search for ways to lead their congregations to maturity. See M. Augustus Hamilton, Strategically Planted: The Pathway to Spiritual Maturity (Denver: M2M3, 2024).

⁴ "7 Tips to Help You Plan for a Short Term Mission Trip", Mission Discovery https://www.missiondiscovery.org/news/7-tips-to-help-you-plan-for-a-short-term-mission-trip/ (accessed September 10, 2024).

⁵ Micah Taylor, 2016. "Missions," YouTube, https://youtu.be/yxo7DdV5pHw?feature=shared.