evangelism and home missions

 

The Evangelism and Home Missions Department is dedicated to reaching the lost while building relationships in the church and the community through church planting, church growth and leadership development.

A Christian mission has been widely defined, since the Lausanne Congress of 1974, as that which is designed "to form a viable indigenous church-planting movement." This definition is motivated by theological analyses of the acts required to enhance God's reputation (his "glory" or "honor" in the Christian vernacular). The definition is claimed to summarize the acts of Jesus' ministry, which is taken as a model for all ministries. The motivation is said to be God's will, plainly stated throughout the Bible, including the Old Testament (see below).

The movement must "plant" (start) churches because the process of forming Godly disciples is necessarily social. "Church" should be understood in the widest sense, as an organization of believers. It is not a building. Many churches start by meeting in houses. Discipling is required to grow the number of believers to the largest extent, and maximize their quality and therefore the acceptability of their worship to God and non-Christians.

"Viable" means that it is self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. This is the famous "three-self" formula invented by Henry Venn of the London Church Missionary Society in the 19th century.

"Indigenous" means that fully native members of the culture have all the needed abilities and accept all the required duties. Only indigenes can fully adapt the Gospel to their culture, maximizing both natural, high-quality worship and the number of people that can be reached in that culture.

It must be a "movement," because special organization is required for the task of planting churches. This movement naturally forms cross-cultural missions, when persons who understand and accept church-planting duties go to people outside their culture, as Christ commanded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

However, Christian missions can more broadly mean any activity in which Christians are involved for world evangelization.

"...for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." (Acts 13:41, KJV)

We at Evangelism and Home Missions are dedicated to supporting you -- the pastors and laity of the Church of God -- in winning souls and taking the Gospel to people who have not been changed by the saving power of Jesus Christ. We have an array of ministries and resources to help you accomplish this. More important than this, though, are the dedicated people who are direct participants on our department's daily activities.

Harvester Ministries Newsletter, January 2008