Missiology

What is Missiology?

the·ol·o·gy (n.): rational interpretation of religious faith, practice, and experience

mis·sion (n.): a ministry commissioned by a church or some other religious organization for the purpose of propagating its faith or carrying on humanitarian work

mis·si·ol·o·gy (n.): the study of the Church’s mission esp. with respect to the nature, purpose, and methods of its missionary activity

American Baptists have always been characterized as a people of mission. Mission holds us together. We do not have an official ecclesiastical system, a book of discipline, or a hierarchy that gives us unity. We know that to be faithful to the Gospel we must be faithful to our call to do mission. From the early endeavors of Baptists in the Rhode Island plantation to the sending of missionaries to the great urban centers of the contemporary world, both in America and around the globe, the impulse to evangelism and mission has been the heartbeat of our denomination.

Our Biblical Call to Mission

The two words “come” and “go” throughout the Bible provide the foundation of American Baptist evangelism and mission.
“Come” means invitation, salvation, and evangelism. The first step to doing mission is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said to the disciples. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus said to the multitude surrounding him (Mt 11:28).
The moment we respond to Jesus’ invitation to “come,” the word changes to “go.” Jesus commands us to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15).

We look to the Old Testament for examples of people who accepted the call to go in the name and service of the Lord.

• Call to Liberation (Exodus 9:1). Moses accepted God’s call to liberate the oppressed. This event began with God’s call to mission.

• Call to Personal Sacrifice (Esther 4:16). Esther bravely responded to Mordecai. She did not perish, but was protected by God’s grace. Her mission accomplished life for her people by avoiding a holocaust.

• Call to Witness (Jonah 1:2). Jonah was not concerned about the foreign people of Nineveh, but God cared for them even if Jonah did not.

• Call to Justice (Amos 7:15). The Lord took Amos from tending the flock and said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” God’s call to mission is always a call to justice and righteousness.

• Call to Hope (Isaiah 55:12). Isaiah prophesied, “For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” When God’s people are faithful to the mission, the result is joy and glory.

The New Testament calls us to go into the world as messengers of the living God:

• Call to Serve (Luke 10:25). The connection between discipleship, service, and mission becomes clear in Jesus’ closing statement of the Good Samaritan parable. Jesus commissioned us to “Go and do likewise.”

• Call to Holy Living (John 8:11). Jesus called us to holy living and discipleship, saying, “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”

• Call to Testify (Acts 5:20). The Lord told Peter and the early church to “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.”

• Call to Mentor (Acts 9:15). God directed Ananias to befriend Saul, the new convert to the faith.

• Call to Evangelize (Acts 19:21). Again and again, Paul followed the impulse to go in response to God’s love. Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to go on to Jerusalem.

American Baptists are people of the Great Commission. Each Gospel message clearly states the goal of our mission:

• Call to Discipleship. Matthew’s account of the Great Commission (28:18-20) is based upon the authority of Christ. It highlights preaching, teaching, baptizing, and making disciples of all people.

• Call to Healing. Mark’s account of the Great Commission (16:15-16) focuses on the result of witness to Christ, which is healing and wholeness to broken people in a broken world.

• Call to Service. Luke’s account of the Great Commission (24:48-49) recognizes the sacrifice and suffering that mission may cost.

• Call to Renewal. John’s account of the Great Commission (20:21-23) focuses on the peace and joy that comes from the restored relationship of the disciples with Jesus.

In John 17:18, Jesus prayed, “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” As God said “‘go” to Jesus, Jesus said “go” to us. Our biblical call to mission is to accept the challenge “to go” in God’s name, as servants of Christ, to bring healing, wholeness, and joy to a lost world.

What is American Baptist Mission?

Acts 1:8 defines mission: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Antioch church, where followers of Christ were first called Christians, lived out the Acts 1:8 mandate and set an example for our American Baptist mission (Acts 11:19-30, 12:1-3).
Our mission is Christ-centered. The Antioch church “…began telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus” (11:20). Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses”-not a denomination, not a theology, not a personality-but witnesses to Christ.
Our mission is Spirit-driven. “While they [Antioch] were worshiping the Lord and fasting the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (13:2). Mission is empowered and accomplished by the Holy Spirit and comes as a direct result of worship.
Our mission is for all believers. “When Barnabas arrived [in Antioch] and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord” (11:23). Every Christian has a role. We are either missionaries or mission fields.
Our mission is in our communities, our regions, our country, and other countries. The Antioch church was a mission station and became a local church with strong witness and mission to its community (11:19-21). They sent Paul and Barnabas on a journey. Their itinerary was regional, nation-wide, and global (13:4-14:21).

American Baptist Marks of Acts 1:8 Mission

Our Jerusalem mission is local church mission. Congregations are mission stations in a secular culture. Strong local church mission lays the foundation for all other areas of mission. It is where human life touches the Gospel.
Our Judean mission is our regional mission. Judea was the tribal territory surrounding Jerusalem-the state in which Jerusalem was situated. Local church mission moves into its area or state, doing together what no church can do alone.
Our Samarian mission is our national mission. Samaria and Judea made up a major part of the nation. The ministries of American Baptist National Ministries, and the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board focus on our nation.
Our to-the-ends-of-the-earth mission is our international mission. International Ministries focuses on our global mission, with 126 missionaries in 19 countries overseas.

Missiological Myths

Myth #1 Christ’s missionary agenda for the church is complete.
The work and role of missionaries may be different than in the past but the need for the Gospel has never been greater. Over a billion people in the world have never heard the Gospel. The United States is the third largest unchurched mission area in the world. Philippians 2:10-11 envisions a time when “every knee should bend…and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Myth #2 Mission is what we do to take the Gospel to other countries.
Stories of missionaries who take the Gospel to other countries and cultures are so fascinating and exciting that in the minds of many people “mission” means “overseas.” First, the local congregation is the fundamental unit of mission. Second, Acts 1:8 includes mission in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Acts 1:8 does not give us a choice. Mission is ministry at home, close to home, and far away from home.

Myth #3 The only mission is the mission in our community.
The local church is a mission field in an increasingly hostile and alien culture and must engage in mission to its own community. If it does not, no one else will. Acts 1:8 gives us no choice. Every church has a local, regional, national, and global mission. To ignore any one of these areas is to diminish the desire of Jesus for our witness.

Myth #4 Mission is something we pay someone else to do.
Some people believe you can pay someone else to do mission for you. You and your pastor do mission at home. Area ministers do mission in your region. Missionaries and denominational staff do mission in our country and around the world. We must all share the good news about Jesus with people who have not heard it. Acts 1:8 commissions every Christian to witness for Christ.
For a Christian, living is mission-at home, at work, in the neighborhood, in leisure, in the church. By giving our money, we enable the miracle of mission in places we could never go ourselves. We provide Christian counsel to young gang members in an American city, perform a life-saving operation in an India hospital, help a halfway house for young girls sold into prostitution in Thailand, and establish a new church in an American inner city.

Myth #5 Mission is what western churches do for people in developing countries.
The work of mission has changed radically in recent years, and American Baptists have been at the forefront of change. Acts 1:8 affirms that Christians everywhere have the call to mission. That reality manifests all around the world.
Past traditions portrayed missionaries as English-speaking, white, and western. Today, missionaries are multi-cultural. Missionaries are sent from Korea, Africa, and Latin America to other countries near and far. We are partners with national churches around the world. Such cooperation exponentially expands our mission force. We may expect missionaries to come to the United States to help evangelize this nation.
The great cities of the world have become the focal point of mission because that is where the masses live. New York City, Calcutta, Kinshasa, London, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City, are where the world lives. Cooperation among Christians of every nation will bring the Gospel to this new world. The United States is becoming a missionary-receiving country, as well as a missionary-sending nation.

Blessings of American Baptist Mission for the Congregation

Financial support makes ministry possible, but it also strengthens the congregation and its mission in its own community. A strong congregation has a heart for mission and receives many blessings.

Transformation-from a religious fellowship or a social club into a vital church with the knowledge of what God is doing in the world.

Energy-for community mission, communication and networking between pastors and other congregations, issues relating to mission in the contemporary world, and prayer with specificity about issues, concerns, and celebrations.

Encouragement-of faith and commitment to the local church, sharing of the Gospel with all generations, and young people to be open to God’s call to mission.

Renewal-of the Christian’s role in mission, congregational life, and regional and denominational functions.

Identity-as an opportunity for the church to influence wider mission through regional and general board representation, communication and contacts with the ecumenical church, and a sense of history and theology.