When we examine the evangelical church in the West, it is clear that there is a low level of financial and physical support for global missions. The average church has many other priorities and missions seems to be largely overlooked. This is particularly true for unreached people groups. In the next post I will share statistics that show the extent of the problem. For now, I will share one; just $1.70 out of $100,000 earned by Christians is spent on missions to unreached people groups, reference below. We must ask ourselves, why is seeking to fulfill the great commission by reaching the unreached such a low priority for the average American church? I believe it is mainly because the church does not have a Biblical understanding of God’s great missional purpose for all of His people (2 Cor. 5). More specifically, the church lacks a clear focus on God’s intent for His people in four specific areas. The first is a love of money and possessions, followed by a lack of sacrificial living, not properly understanding every Christians missional call, and the churches' hesitance/unwillingness to train and send missionaries from their local gatherings.
The four areas listed above explain why there is such a low level of financial giving and why so few people go to unreached areas. All four areas must be addressed and challenged for real missional change. Every follower of Christ must realize they are God's representative to the world. To confuse this undermines our understanding of why God redeems and minimizes a Christians impact in the world. Therefore, it should be impossible for us to separate a Spirit-given desire to glorify God and the willingness to make Him known to all places in the world. So, being faithful to God cannot be separated from a passion to reach the unreached.
The church must ensure a clear understanding of the missionary call in scripture (Acts 1:8, Matt. 28, and 1 Peter 2) and how that applies both corporately and individually to followers of Christ. There must be a willingness to change the way the church is engaged and challenged. So, how serious are you about missions? We must boldly challenge ourselves and our churches to grow in their passion and commitment to reaching the unreached. By God’s grace, we will see change; please help by encouraging others and sharing.
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