Zambia Hunt

The Church is primarily tasked with fulfilling the Great Commission. The sending church is critical to the fulfillment of this mission by identifying, training, nurturing, and sending missionaries to the ends of the earth.

According to Don Hall, a sending church (1 Tim. 3:15), is God’s chosen organization for fulfilling the Great Commission, and the vehicle through which missionaries are called, trained, matured and sent. Therefore, the sending church’s integral involvement and informed, active participation and oversight in the missionary’s ministry is critical, not optional.

This mission is highlighted in Acts 13:1-5, where the early church in Antioch launched a missionary team, commissioning them to go proclaim the gospel to the regions beyond.

Central to the task of the Sending Church is the establishment of long-term discipleship teams committed to teaching converts to obey all that Jesus commanded. This is a focus that extends beyond only conversion; it is about the establishment of indigenous, self-sustaining churches (see Acts 14:21-23).

In the book, “For the Sake of His Name,” David Doran writes,

“[T]he true target of the Great Commission is the establishment of local churches . . . . We must win people to Christ, but the Great Commission starts, not stops there. The target at which we aim is the establishment of local assemblies of believers. The true target of the Great Commission is churches planted, not converts won.”(For the Sake of His Name, pp. 109, 112)

The relationship between the Sending Church and its missionaries is multifaceted and involves several essential aspects:

Relationship: The foundation of the Sending Church’s interaction with its missionaries is a deep, personal relationship. This connection is vital for mutual understanding and effective collaboration throughout the church-planting process.

Accountability: Missionaries are accountable to their Sending Church. This accountability ensures that the mission remains focused and aligned with the biblical goals of producing a healthy, repriducing Church.

Prayer: Intercession is a critical element of support that the Sending Church provides their sent ones. The work is a spiritual one, and there will be much opposition by the world, and Satan. Prayer recognizes that the work of God advances in its knees.

Financial Support: The Sending Church takes on the responsibility of providing financial supportsupport to its missionaries. This support is vital for sustaining the mission and ensuring the missionaries can focus on their work. The sending church ought to be the responsible party to recruit partnership with other churches.

Partnership: The concept of partnership implies a collaborative effort where both the Sending Church and the missionaries contribute to the mission’s success.

Communication: Regular and effective communication is essential in maintaining a healthy and productive relationship between the Sending Church and her missionaries. This communication includes sharing updates, challenges, successes, and encouragement and exhortation.

The Sending Church is not just a participant in gospel advance, a bystander, it is the driving force behind the realization of the Great Commission. Through its multifaceted relationship with missionaries, the church plays the primary role in propogating the gospel and establishing healthy, reproducing, self-sustaining local churches worldwide.

(First posted March 22, 2024)