Can a Small Church Engage in Foreign Missions?

Understanding Global Mission:

Global Mission, often referred to as foreign mission, encompasses the work God is doing worldwide. The term “mission” itself implies a purposeful movement—being sent from one place to another to fulfill a specific purpose.

In Mark 1:38, Jesus exemplifies this purpose-driven movement: *”And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”

Challenges and Misconceptions:

1. Local Needs Are Abundant:
   
   Some argue that there are already more than enough needs to address within local communities.
2. Limited Resources:
   
   Many small churches feel they lack the financial resources and manpower to support foreign missions effectively. They believe foreign mission should better be handled by large congregation only.
3. Resource Allocation Concerns:
   
   There is a common belief that foreign missions might be a misallocation of resources that could otherwise support local initiatives.

Why Engage in Foreign Mission?

When learning to ride a bicycle, it’s common advice to keep your eyes up and not fixate on the pedals, as doing so can lead to losing balance and falling. This simple lesson reveals an important truth: maintaining steady progress requires looking ahead.

In the same way, for a church to experience steady growth and spiritual strength, it must learn to “lift up its eyes.”

John 4:35 (KJV) says, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

This principle encourages us to look beyond our immediate surroundings to maintain balance and direction. Just as a steady flow of clean water from a well or pond requires continuous outflow, so too must a church engage in constant outreach beyond its local context to sustain growth and vitality.

How Can a Small Church Engage in Foreign Mission?

1. Discover a Platform:
   
   Identify and partner with missionary teams or organizations, similar to how the Antioch Church partnered with Paul and Barnabas (3 John 6-8, Romans 10:15). This collaboration allows churches and missionaries to work together to extend God’s kingdom worldwide.
2. Send Out Mission Volunteers:
   
   Not everyone can go, but those who stay can support those who do. Churches can collaborate to raise funds for willing volunteers to participate in short-term missions.
3. Monthly Mission Offerings:
   
   Regular financial support can be organized for ongoing needs such as housing, food, education, and healthcare for missionaries and their families.
4. Prayer Support:
   
   Displaying pictures of supported missionaries or mission areas can encourage congregational prayer, recognizing the spiritual warfare aspect of missions. Missionaries often find great encouragement knowing they are supported in prayer.
5. Educational Sponsorship:
   
   The church can sponsor the education of a child or a pastor in mission fields, providing long-term support and fostering deeper connections.
6. Live Connection:
   
   Hosting foreign worship services via live telecast can connect the local congregation with the mission field, making the global church feel more unified.
7. Hosting Missionaries:
   
   Periodically inviting foreign missionaries to share their experiences can inspire and inform the local congregation about the realities and impacts of their work.

Benefits of Foreign Mission:

1. Church Planting:
   
   Partnerships in foreign missions can lead to new church plants, expanding the global reach of the gospel, as seen in the early churches of Asia.
2. Spiritual Joy and Growth:
   
   There is a unique joy and spiritual fulfillment in participating in the global mission, as seen in Isaiah 53:11, which speaks of the satisfaction of seeing the results of one’s labor in God’s work.
3. Strengthening the Local Church:
   
   Engaging in foreign missions can strengthen the local church in spirit, purity, and mutual love, much like the continuous flow of water keeps a pond or well fresh.
4. All-Around Prosperity:
   
   As the church engages in God’s global mission, it can experience growth and prosperity, aligning with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, which calls for reaching “all nations.”

Conclusion:

The Antioch Church serves as a powerful example of how a satellite church can play a significant role in foreign missions. Their involvement led to a spiritual renewal so profound that believers were first called Christians in Antioch. Small churches today can take inspiration from their success, knowing that they too can make a significant impact.

Royal Missionary Outreach International in the Sahara Desert is eager to partner with global churches to bring Christ to the people groups of the Sahara.

Connect with Us:
Royal Missionary Outreach International
https://royalmission.org/wp_962
Email: contact@royalmission.org