How Will We Then Serve
Further Reflections and Responses
All who follow Christ as His disciples are called to make disciples in our own contexts. In addition many of us are called to specific areas of service to accelerate the work of making disciples in global mission outside of our immediate contexts. Central to each is the parable of the man with two sons in Matthew 21:28-32 which emphasizes the importance of obedience over words or intentions. The parable explains also why we sometimes find 4 talent people active while 8 talent people remain passive. May each of us be found active in service on the day of Christ’s return.
There are many roles below in which we may take steps to serve to fill the earth with faith in Christ and complete the Great Commission. In several of these below we will suggest areas of exploration followed by small and larger steps you may be prepared to take as you take your place in the ranks of disciple-makers, locally or globally, including:
Prayer mobilizer:
- Learn/explore what this means: find and save prayer bulletins from various sources. Pray through the suggested needs and requests in several of these newsletters. Try to identify the factors involved in why some are more compelling than others. What principles do you learn?
- Small steps: invite a few friends to pray with you for missionaries you or your friends may know. Ask for spiritual breakthroughs, provision, courage and strategic guidance that the lost may be saved and God may be glorified.
- Broader vision and strategy: Ask the Lord how more people might be called, trained and stimulated to pray for breakthroughs of God’s Kingdom more widely and effectively.
- Learn/explore what this means: find and introduce yourself to a church planter and take him or her for lunch to hear their heart. Read a book on church planting which includes planning, practical issues and basic steps.
- Small steps: find and join a church plant or a team about to begin. Begin a home group or house church as if you were going to plant a church to experience some of the dynamics.
- Broader vision and strategy: prepare to plant your first (or next) church. Consider a model with which you may not yet have personal experience but which you believe may be nearer to a model which is more biblical and reproducible. Set a goal to plant or catalyze the planting of 10 or more churches.
- Learn/explore what this means: set out to learn the various means by which practical information can lead to more strategic decision making for the sake of local or world missions. Find and meet with a missions researcher to learn their heart and motivation. As that researcher if there is a project with which you could assist.
- Small steps: Choose a manageable geographic area (your city, county or state; or a state in a less-discipled nation) and contribute to needed strategic information. See what previous work has been done. Ask mission leaders what information would benefit them. Ask an established missions researcher to mentor you through the project. Share the results with mission leaders in the region. Ask them to set or adjust goals aided by your work.
- Broader vision and strategy: Consider joining a team of missions researchers on a part or full time basis. Determine the most strategic role you could play as a missions researcher, or mobilizer based on missions research, for the sake the Kingdom.
- Learn/explore what this means: discover how much your church gives to filling the earth with faith in Christ. How much do you? Are you giving wisely, generously? What changes is the Lord of the Harvest prompting you to make in your giving practices?
- Small steps: consider a conversation with leadership of your home group, church or denomination regarding how mission funds are raised and dispersed. What did you learn? What could you do to encourage other Christians to give more wisely or generously? Consider adopting a least-reached people group or worthy mission project personally or as a family or home group.
- Broader vision and strategy: Some Christians give to a foundation which they trust to ensure finances are used most strategically and accountably. Could you volunteer or work part time for an organization which links major donors with mission endeavours after God’s own heart? Could you begin a business or other endeavour which would raise additional funds to assist others will filling the earth with faith in Christ?
National initiative coordinator:
- Learn/explore what this means: learn about city-reaching projects or the principles behind national initiatives. Find and get to know someone who has experience with such an initiative on either a small or larger scale.
- Small steps: undertake a small-scale project. For instance, determine who are the least-reached in your immediate neighbourhood or city. Share what you learn with other mission-minded friends or Christian leaders. Seek agreement on 2 or 3 small goals which have not yet been undertaken in behalf of these least-reached people. Form a team to steward the project forward and persevere through incremental progress.
- Broader vision and strategy: determine if your nation is being served by a national initiative team and if so how you could help. If not, who could you work with to undertake a national initiative? If your country is adequately served or if you are aware of another country in greater need, how could you move to that country or serve that nation as a non-residential missionary, travelling to it regularly to assist in such an endeavour?
- Learn/explore what this means: arrange for conversations with your pastor, missions committee members and other discipleship leaders in your church. Talk about the needs and opportunities of your church to do its part in filling the earth with faith. What did you learn? What prayer or mobilization needs within your local church are unfilled which may fit with your gifts?
- Small steps: Consider convening others in your congregation to plan more strategically.
- Broader vision and strategy: Work towards reallocating 50% of your congregation’s energy and resources to making disciples locally and abroad.
- Learn/explore what this means: find and speak with a trainer, coach or mentor in at least one of the above areas. (Often it is wise to gain experience in a specific area before assisting others as coach, though some trained in the principles of coaching can serve effectively.)
- Small steps: Ask a local leader in one of the above (seven) areas if they would value sharing the challenges before them and discuss possible ways forward. Following the conversation, ask if it was helpful and if they’d like to do it again.
- Broader vision and strategy: Obtain basic training in coaching by reading a book or taking a seminar. Ask three other effective or struggling leaders if they would share their goals and value regular conversations about finding ways through challenges facing them.
– Murray Moerman – Easter 2013
