Global Missions starts with passionate local leadership. It flows out from local churches that are awakened through intense and ongoing prayer, intercession, and preaching that exalts God and the “mission” to which He has called everyone of his disciples; both locally and to the uttermost ends of the Earth.
I love this video from Verge where local church Pastor John Piper talks about the role of mobilization as first stirring Biblical burden and motivational intensity. He speaks first of “experience”; experiencing the majesty, greatness, and glory of the Global God and then seeing his global purposes for the Church.
This experience leads naturally to burden and passion which in turn leads to research and seeking how a person can be involved. This is the reason that many times great “revival” precedes new missions movements. And what precedes revival? Intense intercession and prayer which brings a group of people closer to the heartbeat of God. Without prayer and preaching that exalts God and his global purposes at the local level, global missions for that church is dead in the water.
From passion that is ignited through prayer and God exalting preaching (the “flame” if you will), a motivated “goer” must learn how to be effective and strategic in their thinking once they make the journey of “18,000 miles.” As Dr. Ralph Winter of the US Center of World Mission would say, “it is the journey of the next 18 inches that is now the most important.”
What do you do, how do you do it once you are on the ground?
This is why the work of key missiological and strategic ministries like the US Center for World Mission is so critical. After the flame is ignited and the power has launched a person to the unreached, the work of the USCWM helps answer the critical question of, “now what”? Some may erroneously think that the answer includes exporting their “brand” of church or ministry oversees. Without realizing it many times, they end up doing more harm than good.
So, all of these elements are not independent of one another. Rather the elements of experience, passion, intercession, searching, going, and strategy all flow together in beautiful succession, for the praise of God’s name among all nations and peoples.
And it all begins with passionate local leadership.
Get started with the right perspectives by taking the Perspectives course. Held in over 200 locations each year, it will stir your passion locally and get your vision pointed in the right direction globally.
