What is a missionary church?

The term “missional” is almost twenty years old. You will frequently find PCA and Reformed-leaning churches describe themselves as “missional.” If you ask them what they mean by the term, you will find a heavy emphasis on members as ministers, redeeming the culture, and a strong focus on the so-called “incarnational” approach to missions. The desire was to broaden missions beyond narrow definitions of sending out missionaries into foreign countries to evangelize and share the gospel. Personally, I think the term has broadened itself into meanlessness. (See Trevin Wax’s article from 2007) As with any movement, there are good things to celebrate. I appreciated the “missional” emphasis on every member being a minister. This put renewed focus on people’s relationship to their vocation and how that may glorify God and spread the gospel. It also helped believers to pursue their local communities and neighborhoods with the gospel. However, the more the missional model supplanted the traditional model, the emphasis shifted to include under “missional” things like redeeming the culture, arts, and politics. This got me curious: Does the Bible provide insights into what a missionary church should look like? 
If the “missional” model of the church has begun to wane, what is next on the horizon? I would like to see a return to the biblically faithful model of a “missionary church.” The Bible provides several examples of the church on mission. What if we started to glean more from the explicit passages dealing with evangelism and missions, instead of trendy new approaches that often stretch biblical texts to meet a new definition of missions?

A Biblical Description of the Missionary Church

First, we see that a missionary church exemplifies our Lord’s mission. I do not mean the “incarnational” model of missions where we exist among people and hope to model Christian virtues. I mean intentionally engaging in evangelism. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he not only preached the gospel, but he also commissioned others to go out and preach (see Matthew 10:5-23; Mark 6:7-13, 30-32; and Luke 10:1-16). All three texts emphasize the same points. Jesus sent out His disciples to preach, do acts of mercy (all three speak of healing as part of the mission), and be prepared for persecution. The most famous missions text is the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We see that Jesus emphasized Word and Sacrament as the model of missions for His Church.

Second, a missionary church is fueled by the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8, we see persecution grow the church, and the Spirit scatters believers to the nations. In Acts 8:5, Philip goes to Samaria. By verse 25, some of the Apostles and disciples begin to return to Jerusalem. An angel appears to Philip and tells him not to go back to Jerusalem. On the road, he meets the Ethiopian eunuch. This shows that what Jesus prophesied in Acts 1:8 was quickly fulfilled as the church expanded ever outward from Jerusalem to Samaria (earlier in Acts 8), and now to “the end of the earth.” We also see this in chapter 13. In 13:4, it is the Holy Spirit who sends out Paul and Barnabas. The Spirit is at work at the end of the chapter in v. 48, where the Gentiles hear the gospel and “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Finally, in Acts 16:14, we see the Lord open Lydia’s heart to respond to Paul’s preaching. A missionary church will listen to the Spirit, seek Him in the Word of God, and proclaim Him to the nations.

Third, a missionary church provides hospitality in an inhospitable world. Staying in Acts 16 for a moment. Paul accepts Lydia’s offer to stay in her house (16:15). Gratitude for the gospel produced loving hospitality. This is important because things get rough shortly after Lydia’s conversion. Paul and Silas are imprisoned, and when they are released, they immediately go back to Lydia’s house (Acts 16:40). They will also stay with Philip in Caesarea (Acts 21:8). A few verses later, Paul arrives in Jerusalem. Here he is, the epitome of a missionary, and he provides a talk about his work among the Gentiles (21:19). Finally, we have an entire letter on how to assist missionaries, 3 John. Gaius  is praised for receiving missionaries he did not know personally (v. 5). Now he has an opportunity to bless them by sending them out “in a manner worthy of God” (v. 6). Lastly, by partnering with missionaries, Gaius and the church that met in his house partner with the truth, i.e., the gospel. A church that desires to be faithful to the biblical model of missions will welcome and send out missionaries. The latter has become a particular prayer of mine for the Kirk - that the Lord will raise a missionary from our congregation to send out.

Fourth, a missionary church is committed to church planting. The most successful missions movements in history have been church planting movements. William Carey, the Father of Modern Missions, was committed to church planting. Patrick of Ireland, Boniface, and our own Presbytery have the conviction that planting churches is the most successful way to evangelize the lost. Paul was not a missionary wandering around evangelizing and hoping the people who responded to his preaching would find a good church. Paul frequently mentored and appointed elders (Acts 14:23; 19:17; Titus 1:5). This was part of his mission to plant churches, leaving them in the capable hands of elders so that he could continue to plant more churches.

Fifth, a missionary church has a cultural impact. Yes, this means cultural transformation, but not the way missional churches often think it. In the missional mindset, there is a heavy emphasis on the arts and cultural institutions. The gospel has the power to turn the world upside down! The arts, culture, music, and entertainment are nice, but the cultural impact missionaries have on their society is one that redeems lives and souls. Think of the riot in Ephesus. It was fueled by jealous idol makers whose businesses took a hit because Ephesus was becoming Christian. Paul did not do an idol appreciation night, an idol discussion group, or a dialogue with an idol maker. He and the elders of Ephesus preached Christ, and the cultural impact was the giving up of idolatry. The same thing happened earlier, where Paul liberated a girl from both demonic oppression and human exploitation (Acts 16:16-21). One may think of stories of two famous missionaries, Mary Slessor and Amy Carmichael, who had significant cultural impact on their respective mission fields. They both defended the life of the unborn, exploited women, and paganism.

My prayer for the Kirk is that we will embody these five biblical principles and be a missionary church for the kingdom of God.