New Ways of Doing Mission

Life has changed and we are changing. God will open up different ways for us to minister his love and his truth in the current culture.

The Bible calls Christians a pilgrim people. We are on a journey. We do not sit well with over-domesticated fixed ways. They work for a time, but need to change to fit new culture and new environments. If we were to look closely at how we already seek to share Jesus, we may find we are being more experimental than we realise. At the same time, as we gain more understanding of the new scene, we shall find ourselves deliberately exploring fresh ways of interacting with the culture. The love of God is the same. The call for repentance has not changed. The cross of Christ still takes central field, as it did and always ill.

Some useful questions to ask:

As an individual what are the ways I am doing mission?

You may be doing things that you have not consciously thought about as mission. The Lausanne equation (1974) was “Mission= Witness + Service”. Practical care, loving character (“fruit of the Spirit”), and specific words about Christ and his message, are all part of fulfilling God’s commission.

Which ways of mission do I feel most comfortable with?

Some people thrive on sharing the Gospel in ways which others are unable to do. Different methods and approaches are more natural to different types of temperament and experience. What works for one will not always work for another, and vice versa. There is no need for guilt or shame, just because we could not make someone else’s approach work! Ask God to work through whom he made you to be. He loves you more than you do, and he will answer you.

How do we visualise the structure of a local church that is doing mission?

Vastly different types of church can grow. The New Testament does not give too many precise “rulings” on how to structure a church or an outreach. To what extent do we see mission as done by individuals acting alone, by teams, by members, or by professionals?

Lindsay Johnstone

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