In 1978, historian Michael Hart wrote a book entitled, The One Hundred: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. Translated into over fifteen languages, Hart stirred controversy by giving the honor of Most Influential Person in History to Muhammad. He states, “My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both religious and secular levels.”[1] Who was this man that one out of every four people in the world see as the final prophet of God?[2]
Singleness does not have to be an obstacle to going — it can be your greatest gift in serving.
Sacrificial giving does not have to begin once you have a ‘real job.’ Consider building the habit of giving into your life now!
A mobilizer is someone who has a passion for the world and a passion to pass it on. Mobilization is coming alongside the work of God in someone’s life to transform their heart towards the things of God’s heart. If we desire to finish the Great Commission and see Jesus worshipped among every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, then mobilization must happen.
I’ll never forget Missions Conference my freshman year of college. Several hundred college students gathered in a church as the speaker exposed us to the millions of people around the world without access to the gospel and the Biblical command to do something about it. That weekend totally rocked my world, and I rushed home in disbelief to look up the verses shared just to make sure he wasn’t making it all up. When everything was verified, I knew that I had to share what I had learned with those around me.
When our whole perspective changes and we start living missionally, it’s natural to want to bring others along with us in making a difference in the world. Our home churches are a great community to begin mobilizing others. In fact, one of the church's main functions is to multiply among all nations. However, some of our efforts to mobilize our churches can actually have the opposite effect: we end up turning people away from missions instead of towards involvement. So how can we mobilize our churches well?
After learning about God’s heart for the nations, it can be easy to want to dump every single point or idea that you have learned all at once on your church family. Remember that you were once in the shoes of others in your community, and mobilization is normally a process. Take it one big idea at a time, and simplify what you want to share. A practical way to make sure you’re not oversharing is to ask a family member or friend to go over your outline with you and be honest about the content you have planned. If you’re looking for some simple resources, check out this video of how to share the World Christian Illustration or this article containing the Biblical Basis of Missions.
A common knee-jerk reaction to realizing our responsibility in missions is to ask questions like “Why isn’t my church intentional about this?” or, “Why didn’t they teach me these things growing up?” . Don’t forget that many of these people have helped raise you and held you in the nursery from a very early age, and they deserve respect no matter where they are in their World Christian perspective. Instead of criticizing your church, find the positive things that they are already doing. Look for missionaries that they already support, outreach programs in the community, or Biblical truths that they teach, and begin from there. Encourage the progress that is already happening, and ask and trust the Holy Spirit to convict the hearts of the leaders and members of the congregation in specific ways as you share the new things you are learning.
This is an important action step for integrating change into any community. Look for individuals in your church who already share a similar vision or passion for missions and team up with them. Pay close attention to the leaders of your church—your pastor, missions committee, elders board, or influential members in the congregation—and look for people living missionally. When you find them, be intentional about making time with them to share your heart for the unreached. Ask for their advice about mobilizing your church, and brainstorm together how you can make change happen over time. This will be super encouraging! Once again, be careful that this does not turn into a complaining session about your church’s weaknesses, but instead a time for dreaming about what could happen in the future.
This is the most exciting part of mobilizing your church! Before making lots of suggestions, ask questions to see what the needs of the church are. If given the chance to share, here are a few possibilities of opportunities to grow within the church:
Lead others through MomentumYes study. A free online video study that is easy to lead for anyone.
Organize a group of church members to enroll in a Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class or go through a missions Bible study in small group studies.
Schedule a missions conference: invite The Traveling Team to facilitate a Missions Revolution, or a church missionary to share about their work.
Organize a World Prayer Group using some of these resources:
Joshua Project - access the unreached people group of the day
Finishing the Task- adopt an unreached people group
Operation World- find prayer requests for every country in the world
Share a monthly “Missions Moment” in church announcements highlighting specific missionaries or organizations and their work around the world.
These are just a few of many ideas to get the ball rolling in your home church. The responsibility of mobilizing your church is now in your hands. How cool would it be to see your friends and family gain a heart for the unreached and the ripple effect they could have in eternity? Imagine the global impact your church could make as the congregation begins engaging with the unreached by going and sending!
By Sara Bauer
Each year, no less than 200,000 sincere, dedicated people contact mission agencies asking about possible service. But the heartbreaking news is that less than 1,000 will ever make it to the field. Why? There is no one to nurture and guide and equip them to complete the process. In other words, the workers are plentiful, but the mobilizers are few!
