For years, many of us have understood Matthew 28:19 to address foreign missions, giving “lip service” to local community missions and outreach.

There is and should be a strong place for foreign missions. Many of us have served abroad and worked with or supported those who do. We believe in missions! We also support the Missional Church movement and it’s emphasis on the need for the church to be incarnational, having an active presence in the lives of those outside the church world in their community.

One Christian agency we know does this through a program called “Serve the City”, partnering with the local government, churches and other organizations, Christian and non, to offer help in every way imaginable to those in need. They clean up areas that have been lacking care, offer clinics, or caring for other specific needs determined by a collaboration of the city and the church. The point is to serve God while serving others. Many of the people served would never step inside a church. But they will listen to, watch and work alongside those who have embraced the need to be “out there”, not conclaved in a church ignoring the great needs of the world outside their four walls.

A very good friend of mine works through her local church to bring an entire community from poverty to sustainable life, breaking the cycle of their poverty. She has and does work with community leaders and is even developing policies for the government, at their request, on how to teach others to use her development program around the country! And so we are clear, the gospel is there and brought to these people throughout her experience with them. There is so much I could say about what she is doing. That’s another blog.

Some would say that the “Missional Church Movement” ignores the local church and the idea of growing those churches. Perhaps there is a both/and piece of this that we miss. How appealing it would be to meet a Christian like my friend, who really cares about their community and is willing to make an effort to care for those who need help while leading them thoughtfully and carefully to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through words and actions. My guess is that many of those who we would consider unchurched, would love to come to a church that has a missional focus. That’s not a bad way to grow a church!

I love the statement from Reggie McNeal, “People of God partnering with Him to make a difference in the world.”