Stuff II - More Stuff you need to know about 5

Doing Missions in Your Church

Definitions: What is Missions? What is a Missionary?

“Missions is the worldwide enterprise of making disciples of Missionaries are “those who leave their home areas to take
the nations that falls outside the normal outreach the gospel cross-culturally.” David Harley, Preparing to
responsibilities of the local church.” Church Missions Policy Serve
Handbook, ACMC, 3rd edition
“A missionary is a prepared disciple whom God sends into
“Missions is the method by which, through human agents, the world with his resources to make disciples for his
God extends his kingdom among men until it shall come to kingdom.” Ada Lum, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Missions
be universal.” W. O. Carver, All the World in All the Word
A missionary is “a ministering agent, selected by God and
“Mission is the sending across cultural barriers by Christ His church, to communicate the gospel message across any
through the church evangelists whose primary function is to and all cultural boundaries for the purpose of leading people
make disciples of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the good news to Christ and establishing them into viable fellowships that
about Jesus.” Robert Reeves, What the Bible Says About are also capable of reproducing themselves.” Ray Tallman,
Missions Introduction to World Mission
Missions is “an enterprise devoted to proclaiming the Good “A Christian missionary is a person whose passion is to
News of Jesus Christ, and to persuading men to become His make the Lord Jesus known to the whole world. I believe
disciples and dependable, reproductive members of His that ‘being a missionary’ in the truest sense of the word is
Church.” Donald McGavran, Understanding Church Growth taking the Gospel where it has never been before, or at least
to a different culture or a different language group. A true
“Mission is the intentional crossing of barriers from Church to missionary is someone who will risk everything for the sake
non-church in word and deed for the sake of the of the lost of the world.” Keith Green
proclamation of the Gospel.” Stephen Neill
“Cross-cultural church planting missionaries are messengers
Missions is “the intentional, sacrificial penetration of major
sent by their respective churches to places where there is no
human barriers…to plant communities of responsible
Christian witness. They live an exemplary life and
disciples of Jesus Christ among groups of people where
communicate the gospel in ways their new neighbors can
none have existed before.” David Bryant, In the Gap
understand. Their aim is to see conversions to Jesus Christ.
They teach believers to obey all of Christ’s commandments.
“When a person is ‘sent out’ beyond the borders and
The final goal of their missionary activity is a body of
influence of the local church to make disciples, that is
obedient Christian disciples who are able to carry on the
missions.” Woody Phillips, Let’s Define Missions
work of evangelism and discipleship among their own people
“Missions is a specialized term. By it I mean the sending and who are eager and able to reach other peoples also.”
forth of authorized persons beyond the borders of the New Robert W. Ferris, ed., Establishing Ministry Training, p. 33
Testament church and her immediate gospel influence to
proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in gospel-destitute areas, Crossing barriers to provide access to the gospel. Scott
to win converts from other faiths or non-faiths to Jesus White, Lake Avenue Congregational Church
Christ, and to establish functioning, multiplying local
Missions at College Church shall be defined as ministry which
congregations who will bear the fruit of Christianity in that
fulfills the Great Commission by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus
community and to that country.” George Peters, A Biblical Christ cross-culturally through evangelism, discipleship, Bible
Theology of Missions translation, church planting and church leadership development,
giving priority to the least reached. We recognize the importance
“Missionaries are Christian workers who engage in cross- of meeting physical and educational needs when this serves the
cultural ministries with evangelistic goals.” growth of the gospel. College Church, Wheaton, Bruce Wilson,
C. Peter Wagner, Frontiers in Missionary Strategy September 11, 2007

“When everything is mission, then nothing is mission.” Stephen Neill

David Mays www.davidmays.org rev. 2008

ACMC 770-455-8808 www.acmc.org www.davidmays.org [email protected] rev. July 2002