Shifting Gears- Outreach into Mission

Photo by brownpau

In recent months, I've been in the midst of clergy from a variety of Christian denominations.  Many are serving waning congregations, experiencing frustration, and being drawn into a rediscovery of mission.  While challenging, these are exciting times as we experience God's movement right before us!  

A SHIFT is happening...

I've been a Christ follower since the mid-1980's.  During my time in the church, outreach has been the mission focus of the local church, and mission was done by specially trained personnel who went to foreign fields and was funded by members of the local church.  Outreach was close and Mission was far away.  

The United States is now the 3rd largest mission field in the world.   

OUTREACH is shifting into MISSION

OUTREACH tends to take a congregation-centric approach, where mission expansion is limited to a geographic region around the congregation.   Generally, the congregation’s leaders determine the ministries and areas of focus and recruit congregation members to support and participate in them.  The way most church-goers have been trained for outreach is generally limited to assisting in church-sponsored programs and in inviting people to the church to be discipled by the pastor and certain trained leaders at the church location. 

MISSION tends to take a deployed-missionary approach.  Missionaries have a sense of being sent to help a certain group of people know Jesus.  Before a missionary is sent off to foreign lands, they receive training, develop a network of support, and are prepared to disciple the people that they are serving in the location of the people.  

A Missionary thinks differently,
instead of thinking how does s/he get people
to come and join what s/he's doing,
s/he considers how to join others in what they're doing
and look for opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus.   

In order to approach domestic outreach
in the same way as foreign mission,
two major shifts are necessary

Shifting where activity is focused

preparing everyday missionaries

to join people where they are.

Shifting the responsibility for discipling

equipping and resourcing everyday missionaries to walk 

a journey of discipleship with the people that they are serving.  

WHEN a normal part of the conversation becomes about encouraging God's people to consider whom God is calling them to serve and disciple, the focus for where people spend their time will begin to shift.  

WHEN we celebrate the sending of a domestic missionary, our focus shifts from a sense of loss in the local congregation, to a sense of gain for the Kingdom.  

WHEN we see the local congregation as a hub, a center for worship and a center of discipling, equipping and deployment, the congregation's FOOTPRINT shifts into a
 REACH, and the kingdom begins to expand with renewed vigor!