“I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.” – Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
There are definitely days in which I would love to have a name like Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Then again, it would take way to long to sign my name. But regardless, Count Zenzendorf captures the idea of what it means to have a heart that loves Christ, and wants to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). You can look throughout church history and see a multitude of people who carry the same desire. As the Summit Church puts it, "Put your yes on the table and let God put it on the map." But is that the dominate attitude in our churches today? Do we actively discuss and send people to the nations from our churches. Is the American Church seeking to play an active role in the fulfillment of the Great Commission? Or do our churches look more like people seeking to live a typical American life rather than sacrificing to make disciples of all nations?
According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the United States is the largest missionary sending country in the world, having sent 127,000 people in 2010. I praise God that 127,000 people were obedient to the call to take the Gospel to the nations. However, if we dive deeper we will discover a slightly different narrative in the sending of missionary overseas. According to the CSGC the U.S. only sent 614 people per million church members, compared to Palestines 3,401 per million. Of the 150 million professing to be protestant Christians in the United States, only 0.08% went overseas as missionaries in some capacity.
There appears to be a massive discord in the American Church and it's value on international missions. Charles Swindoll says "Whatever we do, we must not treat the Great Commission like it's the Great Suggestions." But that seems to be exactly what we have done. The American Church treats the Great Commission as a suggestion rather than a command. We love to talk about the second coming of Christ, and yet over half of the world has never heard of the first! Ted Engstrom goes so far as to state, "A congregation that is not deeply and earnestly involved in the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel does not understand the nature of salvation." According to the Traveling Team, the American Christian is more likely to be in a plane crash than be one of the few missionaries to an unreached people group.
What makes the lack of serious regard for global missions in the American Church so shocking is the massive need found throughout the world. According to the International Missions Board (IMB), there are 7,024 people groups that are classified as unreached. That means less than 2% of those people groups are evangelical Christians. Those 7,024 people groups comprise of roughly 4.3 Billion people. Approximately 58% of the world has never heard the Gospel. The top 9 countries that receive the fewest missionaries comprise 25% of the world population, and 34% of the global population that doesn't identify as Christians, these countries combined receive 1.5% of all missionaries (CSGC). The IMB calculates that there are over 220 million people where there is no active efforts to reach them with the Gospel. This shows the desperate need for global missions, and for the church to be faithful to literally take the Gospel to the nations.
So what does that look like for each of us. For someone, we’re going to have to become a living sacrifice for the gospel and engaged these unreached people groups. Maybe you’re part of the team that does, maybe your logistics of the mission. Using your talents, whether it be medical, teaching, flying, engineering, etc. Our talents can be vital for the mission movement, and getting the Gospel into isolated areas. For some, it means we mobilize. We join organizations and churches across the country to prepare and send people overseas. For some, it means we sacrifice parts of our income to allow people to go overseas. If our call is to make disciples of all nations, we can’t sit by and not do anything.
What makes the lack of serious regard for global missions in the American Church so shocking is the massive need found throughout the world. According to the International Missions Board (IMB), there are 7,024 people groups that are classified as unreached. That means less than 2% of those people groups are evangelical Christians. Those 7,024 people groups comprise of roughly 4.3 Billion people. Approximately 58% of the world has never heard the Gospel. The top 9 countries that receive the fewest missionaries comprise 25% of the world population, and 34% of the global population that doesn't identify as Christians, these countries combined receive 1.5% of all missionaries (CSGC). The IMB calculates that there are over 220 million people where there is no active efforts to reach them with the Gospel. This shows the desperate need for global missions, and for the church to be faithful to literally take the Gospel to the nations.
So what does that look like for each of us. For someone, we’re going to have to become a living sacrifice for the gospel and engaged these unreached people groups. Maybe you’re part of the team that does, maybe your logistics of the mission. Using your talents, whether it be medical, teaching, flying, engineering, etc. Our talents can be vital for the mission movement, and getting the Gospel into isolated areas. For some, it means we mobilize. We join organizations and churches across the country to prepare and send people overseas. For some, it means we sacrifice parts of our income to allow people to go overseas. If our call is to make disciples of all nations, we can’t sit by and not do anything.
It is time that we within the American Church take Global Missions seriously. It is time that we take seriously the commands of the One who gave us life and called us according to his purpose (Romans 8:28b). Talk to your local church about ways in which you can go. Get in contact with your church's missions office. If you church doesn't have one, then a serious conversation with the church leadership is warranted. Be faithful to go where he has called you to go, and do what he has called you to do. It is time that we stop treating the Great Commission as the Great Suggestion!
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