On a scale of 1-10, how much of a priority is missions to your congregation? Does your church get excited about missions? Are there specific ways your congregation can participate in missions through praying, giving, and going? Do you celebrate the work God is doing among the nations through missionaries?
I’ve been thinking through these questions a lot lately. Answering these questions helps me know whether or not missions remains a priority at Germanton Baptist. Consistently returning to these questions prevents me from merely assuming that our focus is in the right place.
As a pastor, one of my greatest responsibilities is leading my congregation to be passionate about missions.
But the truth is, even if a congregation knows missions are important, cultivating a healthy culture where there is a zeal for missions is not an easy task. Here are three ways we can help cultivate a passion for missions in our churches.
Talk About Missions a Lot
There’s a joke that goes like this, “How do you know whether or not someone is a runner?” They will tell you. The point is, when someone is really passionate about something, they want others to know about it.
If a pastor never emphasizes missions in their preaching, teaching, or prayers, the congregation learns that missions is not a priority for the church.
Therefore, if we want our congregation to be passionate about missions, the first step might be as simple as regularly talking about missions. Talk about missions in your services, in your church-wide communications, and in your different ministries. Share about different nations and their need for the gospel. Introduce your people to missionaries so they can hear their stories. The more we talk about missions, the more likely it is for our people to become passionate about missions.
Connect Your People with Missionaries
As a pastor, it’s great to share missionary stories and prayer requests with your congregation. But if you really want your people to get excited about what God’s doing all over the world, let them hear the stories and prayer requests from the missionaries themselves. Invite missionaries on furlough to come and preach or set aside time for missionaries to Skype in and share with your congregation on a Wednesday or Sunday night. Encourage your different ministries, Sunday school classes, or small groups to adopt a missionary family and regularly pray for them and write to them. By connecting your congregation to missionaries currently serving the nations, not only are you serving missionaries, but you are also encouraging a deeper involvement and interest in missions.
Challenge Your People to Get Involved
When it comes to missions, too many Christians are like spectators in the stands watching others do all the work. As pastors, we need to explain to believers the biblical mandate for every Christian to be involved in God’s mission, and then, challenge them with practical ways they can participate. At Germanton Baptist, I challenge Christians of all ages to get involved in missions through giving, praying, and going. During the Easter and Christmas season, we challenge every Christian to give sacrificially to the missions’ offerings we collect. When it comes to praying for missions, we’ve hosted many missionaries throughout the years, and now, they are a part of our prayer guide members receive every week. Members can also go on mission through one of our mission trips or drive to the university down the road where many international students need to hear the gospel. These are only a few of the specific ways I challenge my people to get involved in missions. But what about your congregation? What are some simple ways you can get your people involved in missions?
Most of our important goals take time to accomplish. While cultivating—and maintaining—a passion for missions in our churches can be challenging, it’s worth the investment of our time and energy. The church exists for God’s mission. So let’s strive to cultivate a passion for missions among our people.
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