Stephen Bazely gives his views on Andy Johnson’s book, ‘Missions: How the local church goes global’.
Longing for clarity
Having recently joined AIM after leading a local church, I was intrigued when our Director mentioned this book. There are many Christian books that have shaped me and this is one I wish I had read sooner! Even the foreword by David Platt made me stop in my tracks. Platt doesn’t pull any punches, immediately highlighting the dire need for missionaries and who needs to act: “It’s not primarily the job of mission organisations to address that problem. This is primarily the job of every local church…all toward the ultimate end that the name of Christ might be praised among every group of people on the planet.”
Mission belongs to us all
As I look back at my own ministry, I realise that I failed to see this as our primary duty. It is so easy to think that mission is someone else’s responsibility, when in truth it belongs to us all. It is so easy to make global mission an add-on to church life, maybe a line in our financial reports. I reminded our church of the need to fulfil the Great Commission, but most of the time even reaching our own community felt like enough of a challenge. So, knowing that global mission ought to be a priority too might feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Yet in this book, written for church leaders and members alike, Johnson’s aim is to show how simple it can be to go global.
Helpfully, we are pointed to Acts 13 in the foreword, showing us how one church lived up to its responsibility. “[Here] we see the church at Antioch worshiping, fasting, and praying, and in the context of that local church with its leaders, the Spirit sets apart Paul and Barnabas as missionaries. The church prays over them and sends them out, supporting them as they go.”
If every church followed this example, imagine how God could transform our local communities and impact the world beyond our borders!
Unfortunately, I suspect that when it comes to global mission, many of our churches are closer to the funny, yet painful parody of mission conversations Johnson presents in his introduction. Describing a fictional mission committee meeting, he introduces us to Beth, a reflective member, who needs a strong coffee to recover, wondering why no one can agree on anything. Then we meet Dave who wants them to focus on evangelism not mission, Olivia who “suggested it would be so much better (and cheaper) to pay local pastors than to send out Western missionaries.”
Other characters have their own angles, none of which complement the other, leaving them all frustrated and no further along. Beth thinks, “Surely God must have given more direction about what the mission is and how we should pursue it. But she couldn’t think of where to find that direction or where to start.”
Finding a Biblical agenda
Before coming to AIM I had a rather short-sighted view of global mission too. Andy invites us to, “Imagine a local church where the congregation’s mission to the nations is clear and agreed upon. Members see missions as a core ministry of the church, not an occasional short-term project. Relationships with missionaries are deep, serious, and lasting. Joyful giving to missions is a basic part of the church’s budget. And members actually value missions enough that some want to uproot their lives and be sent out long-term by the church.”
Not convinced? Andy has seen it happen “in numerous churches, large and small. It’s not that hard. It all flows primarily from finding one’s missions agenda and methods in the Bible.”
I wish I had read this book sooner and been part of a church with such a glorious global focus. It is not too late. Andy reminds us that we are Jesus’ church, founded by Jesus “to guard the gospel, proclaim the gospel, and disciple those who respond in repentance and faith to the gospel.” If we follow this pattern then mission can become a core ministry of the church, not just an add-on.
