Missions Program: The Church Reaches Out with a Local Vision

By Elmer Lehman

A small congregation in Latin America has this sign posted in its sanctuary. Our field--15,000. Already won--15. Yet to win--14,985. Here is a congregation that has a vision for reaching out. What does it mean to be a church that reaches out? Is your church saying to people in your community, "Come? Come and hear us. Come and join us. Come and be like us. Come and follow our customs and cultural practices." That is the way it was in the Old Testament. Many churches still operate that way. In the New Testament the church does not merely say, "come." The church goes and proclaims. The church reaches out.

This morning, I would like to focus upon three areas-the reasons for the vision, the resources for the vision, and the response to the vision.

I. The Reasons for the Vision

The population of the United States is approximately 266 million. Of these, 192 million, or 72%, are unbelievers or merely nominal Christians. Every week there are one million more souls in this world who need to know Jesus Christ. Of the 1.6 billion people globally who identify themselves as Christians, more than 705 million, or 44%, do not consider themselves members or frequent attendees of any church. Never has the potential been greater for evangelism and church growth. Myron Augsburger in his book Quench Not the Spirit, put it this way. "A dying church cannot save its own. A static church is one that saves its own. A living church is one which adds to its fellowship persons who are won by evangelistic outreach, beyond the borders of its own families."

Every year in North America, 1200 new churches are opened. However, every year in North America, 3500 churches are closed. A large number of traditional churches close each year, but less structured churches are springing up everywhere. Although four out of five churches in North America are either plateaued or declining, there are churches that are meeting the felt needs of people and that are experiencing outstanding growth. People are seeking a relationship rather than structure. The images of the church used by Christ emphasize relationship. The church is a flock, under the care of a shepherd. The church is a body, with a vital union between the members and the head. The church is a building, a constituted gathering of believers. The church is a bride, with a relationship of submission and adoration to the Master.

Ted Haggard is the pastor of New Life Church, a rapidly growing congregation in Colorado Springs. One day he was in Denver, and met some 14 to 19 year olds who live on the street. He sat down and observed them for about an hour. He tried to strike up a conversation. They merely ignored him. Business executives, college students, and street vendors walked by, but they were oblivious to each other. When a friend walked up, they welcomed him with hand motions, but never with a handshake. When a lover approached, the greeting would have obvious sexual connotations. When the police passed, they were called names. Ted waited for a second hour, trying to break through to these youth, with their rings hanging on them everywhere, their black dog collars around their necks, and their multiple hair colors. Finally, an 18-year old said, "Okay, we will tell you what you want to know." Ted soon discovered that these youth have their own language and their own hand signal communication system. Most do not have a home. Some are prostitutes, both male and female. Most beg for money to survive. The church is a place to get free food, Jesus is a baby, work is a bother, and police are a hassle. As Ted tried to talk to them about their futures, their goals and ambitions, it seemed as if he was speaking a foreign language. He thought in terms of their eternity. They thought in terms of escaping the hopelessness and boredom of the present. He spoke in terms of eternal relationships. They spoke in terms of the acceptance of their friends. Jobs, careers, education, families-these were of no interest. All expected to be dead within a year. How do you communicate the Good News to these youth on a Denver street? After all, we have not been placed into this world to curse the darkness, but to be salt and light. Jesus knew how to communicate the Good News. He spoke about sheep to shepherds, about seed time and harvest to farmers, about judgment to religious, self-appointed watchdogs, about living water to a thirsty woman at the well, about forgiveness to the sinners. We must speak to the people in our world in terms that they will understand. If we cannot communicate with them, they will not be able to receive what we have to say.

Roger Sider is a psychiatrist from Michigan and a member of the Brethren in Christ Church. He had a recent conversation with Tim, a bright, handsome, and troubled 15-year-old. Sider asked Tim, "Are you religious?" Tim replied, "I'd have to say, yes, I am. I haven't chosen a religion yet. I'm searching for the one that's right for me." To Tim, the church is merely a religious club, where people who have the same beliefs hang out together.

"I'm searching for the one that's right for me." That summarizes the assumptions of our modern culture. Tim knows something is missing. He knows something is needed. He yearns for meaning, for purpose, for a spiritual connection. He is looking for it in the way a person would look for an automobile, or an apartment, or a house, or even a girlfriend. "I need to find the one that's right for me." How do we respond to the Tims in our neighborhood? What does our church have to offer Tim in his search? Does he see that our church is more than merely a religious club or a consumer's choice? When Tim asks, "Where is the faith that is right for me?", we invite him to join us as we commit ourselves to a covenant of lifelong love and loyalty to Jesus Christ and to one another.

Some people are very ready to point out what is wrong with the church. John Drescher, in his book Follow Me, responds by listing what is right about the church. First, the church is the only body in the world calling men to God through Christ. Second, the church alone gives guidance and help, warning and comfort, from the cradle to the grave. Third, the church leads in compassion for the world. Fourth, the church is the only forgiving community on the earth. Fifth, the church sets the moral tone of the community. You see, the church begins and ends with God. It is not human; it is divine.

Some may feel, our church cannot reach out because people will see our internal problems and will be turned off and not want to come back. The secret is not in having a church without problems, but it is in how we solve our problems. Someone said, "If a church has settled all the issues, it is probably either in need of a proper burial or it is so heavenly that it needs a reincarnation!" John C. Maxwell put it this way. "Complacent people see nothing wrong. Critical people see everything wrong. Creative people find solutions for what is wrong."

Now, some of us may take pride in the fact that we are a church that teaches the "all things" of the Great Commission. But, we cannot claim to teach "all things" and ignore missions in our teaching and in our practice. A Biblical faith without the missionary dimension is only a partial gospel. The church exists first and foremost as a missionary community and it loses its meaning when it loses its missionary purpose. Some would suggest that a church needs to be either a missionary church or a pure church but it cannot be both. Must we make a choice between being a missionary church and a pure church? The church must be both. A church that is not a missionary church is not a pure church, for missions is at the heart of Scripture.

The purpose of the church is spelled out in I Peter 2:9. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." That tells us who we are (a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation). It tells whose we are (a people belonging to God). It tells us why we are (that you may declare the praises of Him).

II. Resources for the Vision

Win and Charles Arn in the book, The Masters' Plan for Making Disciples, emphasize the importance of the oikos, a word commonly translated in the New Testament as "household." The New Testament refers to Zaccheus and his household (Luke 19:9), the royal official and his household (John 4:53), Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:24), Lydia and her household (Acts 16:15), and the jailer and his household (Acts 16:31). One's oikos is one's sphere of influence. It is the social system of those related to each other through common kinship ties, tasks, and territory. Kinship ties include our relatives, the extended family. Kinship tasks include our associates on the job. Kinship territory includes our neighbors, and those people with whom we share common interests Through our ties, our tasks, our territory, we employ existing bridges rather than destroy them. It means we become friends to sinners, to have meaningful relationships with our oikos. Studies have shown that the average Christian has 7 to 9 unsaved friends. Long-term Christians average four unsaved friends. New Christians average 12 unsaved friends. If your church is made up only of long-term Christians who are veterans in the faith, you have a difficult task. You will need to find intentional ways of building relationships with sinners.

The Grove City, Ohio Church of the Nazarene is located some fifteen or sixteen miles down the beltway from where I live. The church has a program called "The Family Tree." It all began when one young couple came to Christ and the church and later was involved directly or indirectly in bringing 35 other adults and 32 children to Christ and to that church, by using the oikos method. The church continues to use "The Family Tree," and the oikos method to add to its rapidly expanding congregation.

We are called to make disciples, not decisions. The bottom line is, do those who make a Christian profession become a part of the church?Look at Acts 2. Three thousand are convicted, 3,000 repent, 3,000 are baptized, and all 3,000 continue in the fellowship of the church! Now, if your church and my church suddenly get a large influx of new people, it will require some major adjustments. There is a price to pay. For one, we will find ourselves running out of everything, from parking spaces to chairs to paper towels to toilet paper. In one church where rapid growth had been taking place, three elders got into a huddle and complained, "It was much better before. Now all those undisciplined people step on the grass. There is always a line for the bathroom. Meetings are becoming noisy and at times boisterous...Sunday School lessons are constantly interrupted. The new people don't even know how to look up verses in the Bible." Yes, there is a price to pay. Are we willing to pay the price? Ed Silvoso tells about the church in his hometown where this report was given at its annual meeting. "We have good news to share. Last year our congregation numbered 86. This year the Lord has chosen to purify us, and we are now down to a healthier 54. Narrow is the way that leads to salvation. Praise God for this mighty deed." Is that how Christ views it? True, there is no merit in having a church filled with chronically ill and immature babies, but God cares about lost people. In too many of our churches we can teach about miracles, but we have never seen one. We learn about revival and renewal movements, but we never experience one. We study about prayer, but it makes little difference around us. We hear about a victorious, triumphant Christ, but we watch the enemy move boldly all over the place. We become content with survival rather than overcoming the enemy. We are taught how to cope rather than how to conquer. So we conclude, "Hang in there, church. The end is near. We will soon be delivered from all of this." Lois Johnson related this account in the magazine Power House. "I sat in my church and listened to the pleasant sounds-the music, prayers, encouraging words from the pulpit, and songs of praise. It all seemed so comforting. I looked over the faces in the congregation. I knew they loved the Lord; it's just that so many of them did not know how to show it outside the church.

"I got up and walked out. Outside, I stood at the bottom of the church steps and looked out over the neighborhood. I walked across the street and down the sidewalk. I could see the people inside their houses. One man sat with his feet propped up on a coffee table watching TV with a beer in his hand. In another house, a lady with a frazzled look and housecoat about her, washed dishes. The next house was lit up with Christmas lights while a window sticker still proclaimed 'Happy Halloween.' The next house was dark and empty. I walked on, passing house after house.

"I felt as though God was telling me that all of these people had once dreamed of life and joy and love. From the looks on their faces, it did not seem that many had found them. I prayed, 'Jesus, you are the Way, the Truth, the Life! The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy! Don't these people know? Haven't they been told? Look, here is your church next door to them, standing in their neighborhood!'

"Then I looked back at the church. It did not seem to hold out much of life or joy for them. It was just another building on the corner. The neighborhood was completely disconnected from what went on in the church. It had no effect on the lives of the neighbors, on their children, or on their daily happenings.

"I don't think that is what Jesus had in mind when he called the church 'a city set on a hill that cannot be hid', do you?"

Glen Kendall lives in a Chicago suburb. Close by are several churches, Wheaton College, Moody Bible Institute, a Christian bookstore, Christian radio and a Christian TV station. Glen counted 24 homes in his neighborhood. He discovered that there was not one believer among them, not one. Who are the unreached people? Glen Kendall found them in his own neighborhood in a Chicago suburb. How many unreached people live in your neighborhood? The task of the church is to reach the unreached. If they are not in Christ, they are among the unreached. In spite of all the resources around them, they are not very likely to go out and buy a Bible, or attend a church on their own, or tune in to Christian radio, or visit a Christian bookstore. They must meet Christ through believers in their oikos. Yes, we need to continue to send people to the least evangelized people of the world. Let's not use that as an excuse to overlook our unreached neighbors.

Now, let's look at the challenge of the city. The Great Commission begins with a city-Jerusalem, and ends when another city-the new Jerusalem, becomes God's eternal dwelling place with His people. The city of Jerusalem? Why would they begin in Jerusalem? Here is where Jesus was publicly crucified as a criminal. Here is where Peter publicly denied Jesus. Here is where Judas betrayed Him. Here is where the rest of the disciples went into hiding. Here is where there already was a well-established religion. Here is where people made fun of the resurrection. Here is where Paul was arrested and taken prisoner. Here is where the disciples did not have any political, social, or economic clout. After all, people said, "Can anything good come out of Galilee?" Yet, it was not long until the disciples were accused, "You have filled Jerusalem with His teaching." Only a few weeks had passed between Acts 1:8 and Acts 5:28. In those few weeks, the Gospel had gone from one Upper Room to every livingroom in Jerusalem, then from one city to the next-Samaria, Caesarea, Antioch, and on and on. It can happen again today. The power of intercessory prayer needs continued emphasis. I will share one example. In 1990, the Evangelical Covenant Church had 100,000 members. Then people were asked to pray for their neighbors in a serious way. They began a movement called "Bringing Your World to Christ." Churches were encouraged to list names of unsaved persons for whom they were praying, and bring those names to the annual conference. That first year 5,000 names were submitted. That year 1,600 people were added to the church, one for every 60 members. By 1998, churches were submitting 125,000 names of persons for whom they were praying. Last year 8,000 members were added by conversion, one for every twelve members. We talked about prayer all day yesterday. What might happen if we would bring the names to Conference next year of unsaved persons for whom we have been praying all year, and put those names on display? How many names would we have? 100? 1,000? 5,000? Intercessory prayer does make a difference.

Christian Wolfkes of Romania had a deep burden for the Jewish people in need of Christ. He was concerned, because out of 13 million Jews in the world today, only 1/2 of 1% truly know Jesus and believe the gospel message. Wolfkes would pray every day, "O Lord, I pray that I may not die before I have converted a Jew to the faith... Bring a Jew here to me in my village, and I promise I will do my utmost to convert him to the faith."

What might happen if Christians everywhere would pray like this every day-to not die until they have brought a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or a Hindu, or a Communist, or a gang member, or a drug addict,or an alcoholic, to faith in Christ! It might be a Muslim, or a Mormon, or a Moonie, or your own mail carrier!

Many of us here today have seen and are seeing the effectiveness of small groups. The church is called to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. In his book The Purpose-Driven Church, Rick Warren states, "A great commitment to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment will grow a great church." In a society like ours, where thousands of people are disconnected, disillusioned, disoriented, discouraged, and disassociated, the small group provides an ideal setting for face-to-face encounters. Here persons learn to love one another and to give and receive ministry on a personalized basis. In that context, small groups fulfill both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. A common question leaders ask is, "How do you make small groups succeed?"I will try to give a few suggestions for your consideration. Keep an empty chair in your meeting as a reminder of someone you want to bring into the group. Prepare a list of prospective names and pray over that list again and again. Prepare a social event and invite your unchurched friends. Help them establish a relationship with people in the church. We call these "cultivation events." O.J. Bryan refers to "The rule of seven: When a church member has seven close friends in the church, he will never leave it." As new persons show interest, do not lose time. Mingle with them. Don't be pushy, but look for ways to invite them to join a small group. Use acts of kindness to attract persons to Christ and to the Christianity they see in you. Equip those in your group to be able to give leadership to new groups. Noel Santiago, a Mennonite church planting consultant, recently shared this. "Where are most workers today? They're in the barn. It's like we're all in the barn and praying that a great wind blows all the ripe wheat into the barn, instead of going out into the field to harvest it." Santiago continued, "Jesus did not tell us to enter a town, knock on the door, tell them they're going to hell, give them a tract, and explain the difference between a Mennonite and a Mormon, and then have the door shut in your face." In Luke 10:2-9, notice the order that Jesus gives. (1) In verse 5, bless the lost. "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.'" (2) In verse 7, fellowship with them unhurriedly and extensively. "Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you." (3) In verse 9, meet their felt needs. "Heal the sick who are there." (4) Then also, in verse 9, proclaim the Gospel. "Tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'" We don't begin with a verbal witness, but with blessing. Bless them through prayer, and prepare the way to share Jesus with them. Stay in fellowship with them. Get to know them. Start meeting their felt needs. We in our culture tend to jump straight to preaching the gospel, and they cannot hear it, because we have not listened to their stories. The good news is best shared with an unbeliever through an established relationship. The key to Jesus-centered evangelism requires that Christians get out of the church and into direct encounters with the world where people live.

An unusual approach was used by a church in England. It is an example of getting "out of the barn" and into the fields. One of the most accessible places in England is the local pub. These are not only drinking establishments, but places where people go to eat out, to socialize, and to express their sense of community. Two or three pubs are within easy access of almost everyone in England. Many of the people who regularly visit a pub do not have easy access to any church. So, Christians started taking the church to the pubs. One group went to several pub owners and said, "We will give you fifty minutes of traditional background music if you will give us ten minutes to preach the gospel." Surprisingly, some pub owners agreed. They realized that people would stay longer and eat more, if there was good background music. The strategy has worked so well, that 36 new pub churches were started in a six-month period. This does not mean that the church approved of all that took place in the pubs. There is a clear distinction between acceptance and approval. Too often we confuse the two. Jesus came to the earth not because it was a holy place, but because it was filled with sinners. He stayed in their homes. He ate at their tables. He attended their parties. He did not approve of their lifestyle, but He accepted them.

Many of us men have attended Promise Keepers, which lists seven promises. George Verwer calls the seventh one the forgotten promise. It reads, "A promise keeper is committed to influence his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission." As we enter the new millennium, will we hide our heads in the sand in our concern for self-preservation, or will we launch forward with a plan of action? Will we be in forward gear, in neutral, or even in reverse? Or, will we just leave it in park and go nowhere?

Some of you are aware of the Vineyard movement with its emphasis upon servant ministries. Steve Sjogren was challenged as the Lord led him to redefine his message from one of "Come in" to one of "Go out." So, the church prepared a big banner which read, "Free Car Wash-No Donations Accepted." Then, people came to their parked cars in downtown Cincinnati, and found notes saying, "Your parking meter looked hungry, so we fed it."Soft drinks were given away with the note, "You looked too thirsty to pass up." After that first carwash, about two dozen of the volunteers gathered in a circle and prayed and wept, for they suddenly realized that they had touched the lives of more unconverted people within the last two hours than they had touched in several previous years put together. People in the community began to get a positive impression of Christ and the Church. As they saw the love of Christ expressed in practical ways, they began to open their hearts to these Christians and to their message.

Three years ago, one of our members in Hilliard passed our church on the evening of July 4 and saw several cars in the parking lot. Some people had discovered that the church location offered an excellent view of the annual fireworks. Now, although we are loyal citizens, we are not patriotic flag-waving Americans. Yet, we saw an opportunity. Two years ago, we put lettering on our church sign, welcoming people to stop in for an excellent view of the 4th of July fireworks. About 600 showed up, and we had to turn several dozen away. We served free ice cream, soft drinks, and popcorn. There were games for the children. We did not accept donations, although a couple people mailed us an offering afterward. When people asked, "Why are you doing this?", we told them, "The church is here for the community, and you are the community." Last year we were better organized, and we were able to accommodate the 800 people who showed up. This year there were 900. Now we are getting nervous. We are reaching our limit. How many "converts" can we attribute to this event? I cannot name any.

I do know, however, that the word is getting around. "You ought to check out that church on Alton-Darby Road. They do some really unusual stuff over there." And, the church keeps growing. People are coming from somewhere.

III. Response to the Vision

How will the church respond to the needs of the poor, the homeless, the destitute in our world? With four and one-half months left in the year, you might expect to hear something about the Y2K issue. Let me say this. The majority of the people in our world live with Y2K issues every day. Natural disasters and wars wipe out the possessions of thousands every year. There are more refugees in the world today than at any time in history. Children in our cities and communities are abused and neglected. Young and old go without basic medical treatment. The Y2K issues are all they have ever known. When hurricanes or tornadoes or earthquakes or wars wipe out what little they have, they learn to live by eating one or possibly two meals a day. Interestingly, it is not the poor who are talking about Y2K. It is the "haves" who are concerned, not the "have-nots". Even professing Christians display the attitude, "I'm going to defend myself and my family at all costs." So, they hide food and water supplies, blankets and clothing, and even go out and buy guns and ammunition. Yet, the Christian message is that we are to share with those in need. Sure, we are responsible to take care of our families, but what impact would it make upon our society if we would tell our neighbors, "It may be a good idea to prepare for possible Y2K problems, but don't worry if it is worse than you anticipate. Come on over. We'll share our food and the warmth of our homes until it gets better. Jesus loves you and so do we." Let's nurture faith rather than fear. Let's nurture sharing rather than hoarding. Let's nurture relationships rather than a catastrophe that might or might not happen. Let's focus on the church family, the community, the needy in our world, rather than on me and my family, and no one else. Let's focus upon opportunities rather than upon calamities. Whatever happens, the world will welcome Christians that want to help rather than those Christians who are hiding in isolation.

More than Y2K, it has been suggested that we need more emphasis on Y2Pray. That was the focus of our youth program this year. Someone else suggested, Let's focus upon LSY2K. Lost souls in Year 2,000. That should be our concern. Jason Butler gives eight principles Paul used, and they are not that difficult. First was sensitiveness. He was tuned in to the needs around him. Second was responsiveness. He responded with compassion to the needs he sensed,and offered a solution. Third was readiness. He was always prepared to give an answer. Fourth was creativeness. He knew how to bridge the gap between people and God. Fifth was boldness. He was ready to take action. He was not afraid to confront opposition. He knew God would speak through him. Sixth was openness. He reasoned with the people. He did not coerce or manipulate. He knew how to listen. Seventh was soundness. He used the Scriptures. He did not compromise. Eighth was faithfulness. He was faithful to the simple, central truth of the gospel, the message of the resurrected Christ. That was Paul's approach -sensitiveness, responsiveness, readiness, creativeness, boldness, openness, soundness, and faithfulness.

Conclusion

I will conclude with one illustration. As a young boy, I would play church with my two youngest sisters. We had a playroom upstairs in the old farmhouse, where we would set up a church. My sisters would come with their dolls, who were sometimes well-behaved and sometimes not. I was the preacher. I preached my first sermons in that playroom! That is how I got started! One day my Dad was downstairs and overheard our church service. He decided he wanted to hear me preach, so he climbed the stairs and came in and sat down. I was preaching from the Sermon on the Mount, but I quickly stopped when Dad walked in. He begged me to continue, but I was too embarrassed to play church when Father was present. He later heard me preach on a number of occasions before his death, but now it was for real. As a child, I did not want him to see me play church. You see, it's hard to play church when we know Father is present. Listen, church, Father is present! Father is present! This is not the time to play church! This is not the time to pretend! This is the time for action! This is the time to reach out! This is the time to be the church!

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