This is Part 2 of a 4 part blog series on the 5 Marks of a Faithful Sending Church.
In the first post, we talked about the first characteristic: a faithful sending church is gospel-centered. In this article, we’ll look at marks two and three: A faithful sending church develops and prays.
A faithful sending church develops
The best way for a church to develop missionaries is to preach the gospel and watch it work on the hearts and lives of those hearing it. At the heart of the gospel is the truth that it is relevant for every person at any time in history. Jesus graciously asks us to come to Him, but then tells us to go! (Matt 28:19, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8)
Being a missionary is the identity of every believer. God will put a desire in the heart of the believer to proclaim His truth to the ends of the earth, and it is the church’s responsibility to evaluate that call and guide the process.
Thomas Hale, missionary to Nepal, says, “The sending church must share in this call; they have the duty to examine the call and modify it as necessary.”
Likewise, Roland Allen rightfully says, “The Holy Spirit forms missionaries through discipling parents, preaching/worshiping/praying pastors, loving counselors, sharpening teachers, questioning coaches, returning missionaries, encouraging/challenging small group members, serving administrators, imagining children, admonishing seniors, persevering sufferers, wondering new believers, and a host of other parts of the body of Christ.”
A faithful sending church prays
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
The success of any ministry hinges on the faithful prayers of those involved. In my experience on the mission field, I felt and benefited from the hundreds of people that daily prayed for me. As I’ve recently received updates and prayer letters from the field, I’ve read many pleas from missionaries for more prayer partners. Contrary to what most people think, they aren’t trying to sound more “holy” or asking for prayer as some kind of veiled request for more financial support. These guys genuinely need more prayer!
The enemy is often more visible in countries where the gospel is being preached for the first time, and every day it becomes more apparent that they cannot accomplish this task in and of themselves. They need the Lord to work, and He works through the prayers of His people. Next time you see a request from a missionary for more prayer partners, sign up to be one! Or better yet, mobilize your church to pray for them!
In the book, “Sending Church Defined,” Zach Bradley notes, “The old adage is true, every Christian can change the world through prayer. But what an individualistic perspective! Medal of Honor recipients may turn battles, but armies win wars. The unified prayer of a church is a force few of us have ever witnessed outside the Scriptures. The church will rally to causes, campaigns, and cantatas, but just try to get everyone together to pray for an hour. Insert cricket sounds.”
What if, instead of missionaries begging for prayer partners, their sending church takes charge of this and raises up at least 100 people who will commit to pray for them on a daily/weekly basis? If you’re reading this right now, I challenge you to do this. You will see God do amazing things around the world when your church is mobilized to pray for His global purposes!