A Model for Modern Missions

by Dave Olson, (1993 Graduate, Missionary to Zambia)

The Bible is the basis of our faith and practice. If we want to know what we should believe about any given topic, we should consult the Bible. The subject of missions is no different. Too many times we accept how churches do things as the Bible way of doing things. We must remember that Bible policy should always outweigh church polity.

The term philosophy should not intimidate anyone. Your philosophy is what you believe, and you will surely live what you believe. If you are uncertain about what you believe, you will be uncertain about how to live. If you do not know what you believe about missions, you will not know how to be involved in missions properly. We need to get a Bible view of missions, not our own view or someone else's view. If our philosophy of missions is wrong, we should not be afraid to change it.

In the Bible we discover many wonderful truths about the subject of missions. God has given us some great examples to follow in His Word. Paul was not necessarily the first missionary, but he was an effective one. Because there is much information on the life and ministry of Paul, he and his co-laborers provide an excellent model for modern missions. It is very important to notice that Paul' s activities are centered on the local church. We will consider several relationships of Paul with the local church.

1. Paul was Recruited

"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas...and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." Acts 13:1-2

Paul was recruited by the Holy Ghost during a prayer meeting at his local church. There are many reasons why God recruited him for this missionary work. Obviously, it was God's plan for Paul to be involved in mission work, but what are some practical lessons we can learn from this? God does not use lazy people; He uses people who are already serving Him in some capacity. Paul was busy for the Lord - "they ministered to the Lord."

Paul was an Example of One with Ministry Experience

Paul had some experience previous to this new endeavor. In other words, he was not a 21-year "rookie" fresh out of Bible college. He had already been preaching (Acts 9:20-22, 28-29), teaching (Acts 11:25-26), and involved with relief activity (Acts 11:27-30). He had already been seeing results from these efforts as noted in Acts 12:24, "...the word of God grew and multiplied." In the next verse, we see that he was faithful and not a quitter. Notice that, "...Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry..."

Unfortunately, some missionaries are sent to the foreign field with little or no idea what the ministry is all about! In many cases, four years of college is not enough training to go to the mission field. Why? With no previous practical experience, a missionary has had limited responsibility and/or accountability in the local church setting. Experience in local church ministries during Bible college is a help, but is not always enough. Some say that only one of a hundred who surrender to missions ever get there. Of those who do get to the field, about half never make it past the first term. A 50% dropout rate after the first term should tell us there is a problem. It is a clear indication that more experience is necessary.

If missionaries had some practical experience in a local church working under the authority of a good pastor, they would better know how a local church operates. A missionary is a church planter, and it is hard to plant a church when one does not sufficiently understand the workings of the local church.

John Mark was an Example of One without Ministry Experience

"...and they had also John to their minister...and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem...And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work." Acts 13:5, 13; 15:37-38

There is clear evidence of Paul's experience prior to his first successful missions trip. We are also given an account of John Mark, a man who failed in his first missions endeavor. It is interesting to note that, differing from Paul, there is no record of previous experience.

John Mark started out serving the Lord but quit after a while. His condition was bad enough that the apostle Paul did not think it wise to take him on the next trip. I think it is wrong to assume that John did not have a heart for the Lord. He must have shown a zeal and passion for the Lord in the first place or he would not have been taken on Paul's first trip. In fact, later in his life Paul said of him, "he is profitable to me for the ministry," and he even penned a book of the Bible, the gospel of Mark. All this proves a noteworthy point: having a good heart does not mean one is ready for service. What was John's problem? Although he had a good, willing heart, he was not ready. He needed more time to mature and get the experience needed.

Elsewhere in the Bible we are warned not to send men off into a position before they are ready. I Timothy 3:6 states that a pastor should not be a novice (beginner). Paul also warned Timothy in I Timothy 5:22, "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure." A pastor who takes responsibility for ordaining and sending someone into the ministry will be accountable for that man's sin. It is no small responsibility when a pastor sends a man out of his church - God holds him accountable! A pastor has every right to decide whether or not a person is ready to be sent out. Too many good men have been hindered because they were sent out without being ready.

2. Paul was Relegated

"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed..." Acts 13:2-4

The word "relegated" simply means authorized or assigned. This is such an important part of a missionary's credentials. He has to have permission and an assignment to go to the mission field. In fact, the above verses mention that "they [the church] sent them away" and that they were "sent forth by the Holy Ghost." There were two sending agents: the church and the Holy Spirit. A man truly authorized by God has to have the blessing of his local church. Holy Ghost approval and local church approval seem to go hand in hand. When a missionary's pastor no longer believes that the missionary should be on the field, then we better question if the missionary really has God's approval to be there. A missionary cannot have the power of the Holy Ghost when he is out of sorts with his local church.

Even the term missionary indicates the fact that he is assigned. Missionary is defined as one sent to propagate religion. If a missionary is a sent one, then somebody must be doing the sending. To be a local church missionary is more than just talk. It means that he is sent by his church to do a work for them. The missionary is just an extension of his church.

What does it mean to be sent out of a Local Church?

A missionary has a pastor.

If a missionary is representing his church on a foreign field, how can he say that he is not accountable to it? If he is a member of a local church, then he has a pastor. Whether he is ten miles or ten thousand miles away from his church, he still has a pastor.

There are reasons why the missionary needs a pastor. First, he needs the pastor's authority. Because he represents the church, he needs the pastor's input on major decisions. The missionary is not acting on his own whim; he needs the guidance and approval of his pastor. Second, he needs accountability. There are too many missionaries who do not answer to anyone so they do their own thing, or maybe even nothing. He has to answer to someone, and that person according to the Bible is his pastor. Third, a missionary needs his pastor for assistance. Missionaries are people and have problems like anyone else. In fact, sometimes their problems may be more numerous at times because they are laboring in Satan's strongholds. Missionaries get discouraged, have family struggles, need encouragement, and may even require reproof. These are just a few things that their pastor can help them with.

A missionary is not a pastor.

The only way you can have a pastor is if you are not a pastor. Baptists do not believe in bishop hierarchy amongst other churches. If a missionary is a member of his home (sending) church, then he has a pastor and therefore cannot be a pastor of another church. Although some missionaries think they are pastors, it is not a Biblical approach. That is not to say that God could not call a missionary to become a pastor; He may do so. The point is that the office of pastor and missionary are two separate offices. There are several points to consider.

First, Paul did not pastor the churches he started. We like to consider Paul as our premier example of a missionary, but fail to follow that example. He won souls, taught the people, and ordained pastors. Practically speaking, if a missionary starts out as the pastor of a church he starts, would the people want him to leave? No. However, if he establishes the fact that he is not the pastor from the onset, people will be working toward getting and accepting a pastor when he has trained one.

Second, Paul's helpers were not pastors. They simply helped the churches that they went to. I have heard many say that Titus was the pastor of Crete, but this is actually impossible. Crete was an island, and a pastor leads a church, not an island. In fact, Titus 1:5 tells us why he was in Crete, "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee." Paul left Titus in Crete to finish carrying out what Paul would have done had he stayed there. The truth of the matter is that there were several churches in different cities and Paul did not have enough time to train and ordain men for all the churches. Titus did this work as a missionary, not a pastor.

Timothy also was not a pastor. Many have said that he was the pastor of Ephesus, but this ignores known facts in the Bible. In I Timothy 1:3 we are told that Paul was travelling on and left Timothy to finish some business. We must remember that previous to this, Acts 20 reveals that the church of Ephesus already had elders (pastors). Paul had warned them in Acts 20:29-30, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." It is apparent that Timothy was left in Ephesus to help straighten out the mess that Paul had prophesied would happen. Timothy was not the elder (pastor) of the church; they already had elders. He was just there to help the elders! Missionaries are to help churches that they have gotten started, not pastor them or abandon them.

If a missionary is not a pastor, what is he? What office does he hold? He is an evangelist.

First, Timothy was an evangelist. The term missionary is not in the Bible; however, what missionaries do is in the Bible. II Timothy 4:5 gives us insight that Timothy's missionary work was really the "work of an evangelist." This is vital for us to recognize because God does not choose words randomly. The life of Timothy provides a guideline for what the work of an evangelist is. He was sent out by his local church in Lystra (Acts 16:2) and went about establishing the churches (Acts 16:4-5). Timothy was as much a missionary as was Paul.

Timothy provides us with one more valuable lesson. Evangelists should meet the same qualifications as pastors. Many say that the qualifications given for the ministry were only given for pastors, but not for evangelists and missionaries. This is absolutely ignorant of the very context where the major qualifications are given. Just after the qualifications for pastors were given in I Timothy 3, we read in verses 14-15, "These things write I unto thee...that thou [Timothy - the one doing the work of an evangelist] mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God." Clearly the qualifications were given for bishops, but this indicates that Timothy (the evangelist) was to be held to the same qualifications.

Second, Timothy is not our only evidence that our modern day missionary is really the office of the evangelist. We must also consider Ephesians 4:11-12, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." This passage lists the gifts to the local church. It is accepted among Bible believers that the first two offices, apostles and prophets, no longer exist. They are not necessary because we have all of the revelation from God that we are going to have in the Bible. However, the evangelist and the pastor/teacher do exist. Where is missionary on this list? The word is not found, but the office of evangelist is. Christians today commonly misunderstand the Biblical office of the evangelist. His main job is "the perfecting of the saints." That is what missionaries are to do. If there truly is the office of a missionary, then it has to be the office of an evangelist.

Third, we should consider what other evangelists in the Bible did. Other than Timothy, we only have "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8) as an example in Scripture. There are four striking resemblances of this evangelist to what we would consider a missionary. First, he was a member of a local church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). Second, he left Jerusalem and "preached the gospel in many villages..." (Acts 8:5). Third, he returned to Jerusalem (Acts 8:25). Fourth, he went out again - to the Ethiopian in the wilderness (Acts 8:26), to Azotus (Acts 8:40), and "...and passing through he preached in all the cities..." (Acts 8:40).

Philip was a member of a local church, was sent out and preached, returned to his local church, and went out again to see more souls saved and to do more preaching. This sounds a lot like what Paul did. It describes what we say a traditional missionary does. It seems conclusive that the office of an evangelist really is the Biblical justification and description of a missionary.

Following the Biblical example of the evangelist/missionary, there is no way that a missionary could be considered a pastor. The office of the pastor is an entirely separate office. Missionaries are not pastors; they need pastors. That is how God designed it. To stray from God's design is to create problems while trying to do His work. His work must be done His way!

3. Paul was Recommended

"And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled." Acts 14:26

"And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God." Acts 15:40

What does it mean to be recommended? The two verses teach two separate ideas about being recommended. First, Paul was recommended to God, meaning to deliver to one something to keep, use, take care of, manage. The church of Antioch realized that they had to commit Paul to God's charge. A local church does this as they regularly pray for their missionaries. There must be a pleading with God that He will take care of and use each missionary.

Second, there is the idea of being recommended to others. It is important for other churches to know that a missionary is equipped and ready. No other church should support a missionary if that missionary is not recommended and in good standing with his sending church. In Acts 15:40 it says, "being recommended by the brethren." This recommendation by the brethren stresses the importance for a missionary to have the support of his local church.

Other churches must look at the recommendation of the sending church before it considers the recommendation of a mission board. Unfortunately, this is not the case among the majority of independent Baptists today. The local church knows the missionary better than a board does. Boards should not even take missionaries who have problems with their local church. This undermines the local church, which clearly undermines the teachings of the New Testament. Many boards supercede the authority of the local church in this area. It is amazing that some boards are so quick to take a church's recommendation and yet so slow to take a church's criticism of a missionary. Many boards adopt the missionary into their "church" family, and they speak for and take the place of the sending church. Because of this wrong relationship, boards often take the side of the missionary instead of his sending church. We must always remember that a truly Biblical recommendation is "by the brethren" of his local church.

4. Paul Reaped

Paul knew firsthand that the law of sowing and reaping never fails. Whenever there is sowing, there should be some reaping. How much reaping is God's business-"God... giveth the increase." It is important to notice that there is very little emphasis on or information about the number of converts in Paul's ministry. The emphasis was not on numbers, but on the power of God. Paul always gave glory to the Lord for any results.

5. Paul Returned

"And when they had preached the word...they went...to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled." Acts 14:25-26

Paul returned to his sending church after much missionary activity. We call this furlough. The issue was not whether or not they should return home. Not returning to the sending church is not right. Let us consider some facts concerning the missionaries' return to their local church.

Where they Returned

Paul and Barnabas returned to their own church, "from whence they had been recommended" (Acts 14:26, 18:22-23). When a missionary comes home on furlough, he should spend most of his time at his sending church. That is the church that has authorized him, and that is where he is to be accountable. Besides, a member of a church should be an active member in his church. Furlough is not an excuse to travel the countryside for pleasure purposes.

When they Returned

We notice that the missionaries did not return home until they finished their work for that trip. This implies that they must have had some goals and that they had a plan to get a certain amount of work accomplished before they returned home. The main point to notice is that they were concerned about doing the job right.

Each furlough may come at a different time; but the missionary must have God's leading on this matter, and through counsel with his pastor, a furlough should be planned.

Why they Returned

The very reason for their return was to report what God had been doing. They reported to their home church. We see that "they rehearsed all that God had done." This was not a one-sided report. There were blessings and there were struggles to report. They were not trying to make a name for themselves; they gave God the credit for what was done - "that God had done."

They reported to other churches also (Acts 15:1-4). This trip was triggered by the fact that Paul and Barnabas had experienced something firsthand that would benefit other churches. Their home church thought it would be good to send them out and tell others what they had heard. Paul and Barnabas did not take it upon themselves to go out and be a blessing to other churches; they were sent out. We see this clearly from the passage, "being brought on their way by the church." The missionaries went through many areas including Phenice, Samaria, and Jerusalem. This is evidence that a Biblical furlough would include going to other churches to report God's doings.

6. Paul Remained

"And there they abode long time with the disciples..."

"...he went down to Antioch. And after he had spent some time there, he departed..."

Acts 14:28, 18:22-23

How long did they remain?

The Bible does not tell us how long Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch after their first missionary trip. It does tell us that it was a "long time." Other than it should be for a long time, we are given no absolute length of time that a furlough should last. Because the pastor of the church is the leader, he should determine the length of the furlough. Many things must be considered: the spiritual state of the missionary, the needs of the people on the mission field, the obligation to report to supporting churches, and the needs of the home church. The traditional one-year furlough after four years of service should be plenty of time to accomplish what needs to be done.

What did they do on furlough?

They were abiding. The first thing we see was that "they abode." The word abide means "to dwell, to continue, to remain." Simply stated, they stayed around and lived there for a while. A missionary should not feel guilty about spending time at his local church-it is Biblical.

Antioch was their home! A missionary must remember where home is. It is great to have a heart for the people you are ministering to, but home is at your local church. Without this realization, many missionaries lose sight of the fact that they are members of a local church. Each member has a part in the body, and we need one another. I Corinthians 12:20-21 says, "But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." The missionary needs his church, and the church needs the missionary. Neither one can forget about the other.

They were active. Acts 15:35 tells us, "Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also." I believe a missionary is entitled to spend time with family and take a normal vacation, but he is not primarily home for "R & R." He is to be active. Paul and Barnabas did not just sit around, they taught and preached. This seems to be what they spent most of their time doing while at home. They had learned some things that they could pass on to others.

7. Paul Was Reassigned

"And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do...

And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God." Acts 15:36, 40

The Lord led the missionary

The Lord will always lead his men. God moved upon the missionary as to what to do next. Because God led the missionary, it does not mean the pastor and church are not involved. A good pastor will understand that God will lead another God-called man. The missionary, however, will not be led to do something that the pastor prohibits. God will not lead the missionary to contradict the pastor. Scripture indicates that God can lead the missionary without undermining the pastor's authority and leadership. The key to this relationship is communication. A good pastor wants to be a help to his missionaries, and he will not want to "micro-manage" everything that he does. However, the pastor must be kept abreast of the missionary's plans and activities.

The church supported the missionary's leading

Again, it was the local church that sent Paul out on this trip. It is interesting that Paul was the one who was recommended by the church, not Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement, and Paul was the one whom the church thought should go out and carry on the missionary activity. This gives clear evidence that the local church reserves the right to send out or not send out whomever it chooses. Because the church recommended Paul, we see much about Paul's efforts in the rest of the book of Acts. Because the church did not recommend Barnabas, he is not even mentioned again. God places a great importance on missionaries needing the approval of the local church!

Churches should evaluate their missionaries before sending them off on another term. A church should not recommend a self-willed man such as Barnabas. Missionaries must remember that, no matter how much God has used them, they are still under the authority of the local church. There is a danger of becoming too independent-minded while out on the field, and that danger is kept in check by an appropriate furlough at the home church.

8. Paul Reproduced

Missions involves training others

Paul invested time in the church leaders. A classic example that best illustrates this is when he was at Miletus and called for the elders of the church of Ephesus. Paul said to them, "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you...For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God...I have shewed you all things" (Acts 20:20, 27, 35). Paul clearly testified that he did everything in his power to train these pastors to do their job. For him to have shown them "all things" he must have invested hundreds of hours into these special men. In the same passage he also charged them to, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock" (Acts 20:28). Paul believed that it was his responsibility to warn these pastors of things in their own lives and in the lives of the people of the church.

Paul also invested time in future missionaries. Most of the time, he had men with him who worked with him (e.g. Silas, Timothy, Luke, Titus, Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Tychicus, Trophimus, Crescens, Silvanus, Sosthenes, John Mark, and Demas). Not all of these men remained faithful, but many did. Some of these men whom Paul had trained went on to help the churches in Paul's absence. Of Timothy it is said in I Corinthians 16:10, "...he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do." He did what Paul was doing. Paul reproduced himself in Timothy!

A missionary should always be working with some young men who have surrendered themselves to the work of the Lord. By taking them along on visitation and soulwinning opportunities, they will gain practical experience in the ministry. The missionary must also spend time teaching them the doctrines of the Bible.

Missions involves training others to train others

Paul later gave the charge of training others to one of his trainees. Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 2:1-2, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." A missionary can multiply his efforts if he takes the time to train some faithful men to do the same thing he is doing. Training men to train other men is the most important task of the missionary! The main task of the missionary is to reproduce himself.