Church-centered Missions

Beloved Kinney,

I just finished a very helpful book called Prioritizing Missions in the Church. It has
become a lost concept in our day that the church is both the means and the end of
missions. To say that “the church is the means” of missions means local churches must
be committed to raising up, equipping, and sending out missionaries. To say that “the
church is the end” of missions means that every missionary’s goal must be to plant or
strengthen a church in an area where Christ is not named.

Here's how the authors of the book state it: “…churches are both the origin and the end
of missions. They are the origin in that churches send missionaries—missions
originates in the local church. Churches are the end in that the goal of missions is
faithful, healthy churches. Therefore, since churches are both the start and the goal of
missions, we consider the local church to be the ‘method.’” (Mentikoff and Singh, 10)

Kinney, would you take a moment right now to pray that God would allow us as a church
to raise up, equip, and send out members from our own church to go cross-culturally to
either plant a church or strengthen an existing church so that there might be a gospel
presence in a part of the world that doesn’t have one? Pray the day would come when
we can rejoice, even through tears, in saying goodbye to beloved members of our
church who have a heart for the nations and are qualified to take the gospel to them.

As of now, the Lord (to my knowledge) is not raising anyone up towards that end. But
perhaps, unbeknownst to me or the other pastors, there is a flicker in your heart. If so,
don’t ignore it. Lean into it. And pray, “Lord, use me and equip me for your work.”

May the Lord raise up many, equip many, and send out many from among Kinney to
take the gospel to the nations by planting gospel churches.

Love,
Pastor Josh