• Know that the greatest hindrance to missions is a weak sending church and put major effort into establishing the church as the Pastoral Epistles direct.
  

• Understand the task of missions is to evangelize strategically, establish congregations by instructing disciples and forming them in the context of the local church, and entrusting them to faithful leaders who will replicate this process.
  

• Support the centrality of the local church in the role of commissioning and sending equipping leaders for church establishment and expansion in mission work.
  

• Identify faithful men who can be trusted with the kerygma and didache with the process of testing, training, and affirming their entrustment.
  

• See multiplication of churches as the form of expansion of the church and the Gospel rather than simply building bigger and bigger churches.
  

• Expect that the bulk of mission work, that the church partners with and supports, agrees and practices these principles. 
  

• Partners in missions should have proved themselves in their local church in character and competency.
  

                        -They should be recognized by their local church as elders if they are going to be engaged in appointing other                                     leaders over the church(es).

                       -They should see their primary allegiance and accountability to their local sending church rather than their mission                          board or organization.

                        -They should be committed to the establishment, growth, and expansion of local churches, and their role as a tool                          that is not indispensable in that process.

                        -They should be diligently working on passing on the baton to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Christ is the Head of the church. He has revealed his plan for the world through the administration of the church, the household of God, according to Ephesians 3.

A local church needs to filter partnership with a parachurch organization through the lens of the household order of the church. Here are several rough guidelines that will follow then in working with parachurch organizations.

·         The parachurch organization must recognize that they are not the local church, cannot function as a local church, or cause the local church to function as a parachurch organization. The parachurch organization is a manmade structure created out of response to a context. It is not an eternal organism as the church is.

·         The parachurch organization must have a strong understanding and commitment to the gospel.

·         The parachurch organization must serve the church as their high calling. This must not just be on paper, but in their practice.

·         The parachurch organization exists to protect the church and its purity of truth and love by providing resources or opportunities that advance local churches rather than stifling them.

·         The parachurch organization defers to the authority to the local church in issues that are the biblical missionary work of planting and establishing churches through evangelism, forming churches, and passing on the deposit to faithful men who will shepherd the local churches.

·         The teams that work under the organization have been commended by the local church and its leadership.

·         The parachurch organization defers to the authority of the local church and the local church, at the same time, recognizes that when the church participates with them, it operates voluntarily under the guidelines of the organization for the purpose of common ministry betterment.

Acts 13:1-3 gives us a window into describing the process of commending leaders in Gospel ministry to ministry within the local church and beyond in planting or establishing other churches.

Acts 13:1 begins with a list of the equipping leaders in the church at Antioch. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, The Holy Spirit lets them know that He has a work to for two the leaders, Saul and Barnabas, and the leaders are to set them apart for that work He had called them to. The rest of the leaders left behind would continue the work of establishing the church at Antioch and Saul and Barnabas would be sent out for the Gospel expansion work of evangelizing strategically, establishing congregations, and passing the baton by entrusting the deposit of the Gospel to faithful equipping leaders.

The leaders, after hearing the message from the Spirit, fasted and prayed, and laid hands on Saul and Barnabas to send them off. This laying of hands is symbolic of the authority of the local church in commending ministers of the Gospel.  The local church is the mediating sending authority, not the mission board, not the Christian college, not any other parachurch organization. If the church is responsible for the realization of the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20) since it is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15), then the church is responsible to send out her ministers.  The laying on of hands that occurred in Acts 13 to send out the ministers of the Gospel, testifies to the significance of the authority of the local church in this action. It is the church accepting responsibility in missions under the authority of Christ.

But not only is the symbolism of laying on of hands to send out ministers symbolic of the church’s responsibility in the Great Commission, it also symbolizes the delegation of that task to worthy individuals under her authority. It is the church that recognizes the call of the individual and trusts and affirms it, because it is the church that recognizes faithful leaders in 2 Timothy 2:2 and invests in them with the expectation that they do the same as they are placed in ministry. The church identifies these leaders, trains them, tests their effectiveness and calling, and affirms them through the laying on of hands. When the church reaches the stage by way of affirmation of laying on of hands, the church is identifying with that individual in their call and ministry and delegating her authority to that person to carry on the task.

The connection of the laying on of hands unites the local church and the one sent forth in the common purpose of evangelizing, establishing congregations, and entrusting to faithful leaders. There is mutuality in responsibility for the task as the minister of the gospel represents that local church and the local church supports them through the various means such as prayer and finances available to them and as necessary. The church goes with them, goes by that person, stands with them, prays with them, sacrifices with them and helps in support as much as she can.

The church assumes great responsibility and authority for the one being affirmed to gospel ministry. The church therefore has the ultimate authority and responsibility as the mediating sending agency, not the individual, mission board, Christian college, or other parachurch organization.

But if this is true for the church’s side of the laying on of hands, then there is a parallel truth for the one who has the hands being laid on them for sending to gospel ministry. The individual who receives this recognizes the authority of the church as the sending agent, has identified with that church body as being part of it, believes in the accountability and authority of the sending body of the local church, and will not forgo his responsibility to be a faithful representative of that church. 

So from the example in Acts 13:1-3, it can be observed that:

1.       “God called the Antioch church leadership to commend Paul and Barnabas. God did not directly call Barnabas as individuals, but worked through the church.

2.       God selected men that demonstrated ability to minister in a local church setting (11:25-26).

3.       Ministry directive came in the midst of worshipping and fasting.”[1]

Michael Griffiths in his book, Who Really Sends the Missionary?, upholds this NT concept and fleshes out the relationship between the church and the missionary in a refreshing NT way in four chapters as he observes that:

1.       “Ministers and congregations have the chief responsibility for the selecting and sending of new missionaries.”

     a.       The local church possesses the responsibility to act as the sending authority and financial base.

     b.      The volunteer missionary practice is suspect on biblical and practical grounds.

     c.       Missionaries selected by local churches are ore able to create and sustain a vital church relationship that strongly contributes to the commitment and financial support of the congregation.

     d.      They are supporting roles that are valuable for mission agencies.

2.       “Ministers and congregations have a crucial responsibility for the retraining and encouraging of furlough missionaries.”

     a.       Home churches have the potential of making strong contributions to the life of missionaries.

     b.      Local congregations should accept a larger share of a few missionaries than a small portion of a larger number of missionaries.

3.       “Ministers and elders have the central responsibility for ensuring that missions are a principle passion of their congregations (and not a peripheral program for the super saints).”

     a.       The missionary calling is the burden of the whole church.

     b.      It is in the greatest interest of the health and obedience of the local church and its members to participate in global missionary work.

4.       “Ministers who are experienced pastors/teachers have a certain responsibility to consider missionary service themselves.”

     a.       Those chosen to be missionaries in the NT churches were ministers already.

     b.      The greatest need in missions is missionaries with church experience.

     c.       Experienced, matured leaders have a responsibility to train up younger ministers with the experience and ability to minster cross-culturally.

Is there a role for organizations outside of the local church to be involved with the expansion of the Gospel if the local church is the mediating sending authority? The answer is yes, with some qualifications.

·         The parachurch organization recognizes the authority of the local church in the roles of identifying, training, testing, and affirming gospel ministers and relates their cooperation in relation to that recognition.

·         The members in parachurch organizations are under local church leadership themselves and those involved in coming alongside the church and assisting the church in Gospel expansion have been affirmed as a minister of the gospel by their local church leadership themselves.

·         They are not looking to replace ministries that are going on in the local church but assist and propel them on if they do exist, or if the organization exists to fill the lack of a ministry that exists in a local church, they operate as a spoke in the wheel of ministry with the local church as the hub of centrality. The parachurch organization is a tool for the local church, not an end in and of itself.

·         If a local church cooperates with a parachurch organization, and a need to operate under the policies of that organization is assumed, then the local church voluntarily places themselves under those policies and guidelines in order to cooperate, but has the freedom to withdraw due to the autonomous nature and authority of the local church.



[1] p. 28 Leader’s Guide for Acts: Keys to the Establishment and Expansion of the First Century Church. BILD Leadership Series.

• Paul’s principles of evangelizing strategically, establishing congregations, and entrusting to appointed elders seems to be the normative process for Christ’s Church for the following reasons:
  

• His authorization
  

o   Ephesians 3:8-11 explains the unique role among the Apostles that God had given to Paul.  Paul is to declare the mystery of the administration of the household plan of God. The order for the oikonomia has been passed by the Spirit to Paul to outline in his instructions for the churches. Jew and Gentile are fellow heirs of the unfathomable riches if Christ and formed into one new man and Paul has been chosen divinely to be the person responsible to make plain the household order, house law, administration, stewardship, plan, or administration of the Household of God. Understanding and abiding by the Household order for the churches is so important that it is the very vehicle the glory of God is put up for and displayed. This household of God and how it is to operate has been God’s eternal plan and purpose since before the creation of the world. Paul’s instructions and principles for the establishment of the churches cannot be underestimated and his principles are to continue in order to reflect the same priority in the proper order of the churches so that God is glorified as His wisdom is put on display. There is strong normative authority therefore that is derived from this text.

• His application
  

(In Acts)

§  In Acts 14, after Paul has evangelized and gathered disciples, he has them instructed in the faith to foster perseverance in their Christian lives, and then prays and fasts to select Elders to shepherd over them.

§  In Acts 20, Paul rehearses his process and then turns it over to the Ephesian elders in the entrustment stage with the understanding that this to be continued in perpetuity—evangelize strategically, establish congregations, entrust to faithful shepherds over the congregation to continue the process. Paul anticipates this is to continue with no end to it  (just as Christ did-“until the end of the age.”).
 
(In his epistles) 

§  Titus 1:5 shows us that the work in Crete that remained that Titus was designated to complete fits the stages of the process of Paul’s strategy of evangelizing strategically, establishing congregations, and entrusting to shepherding elders. Evangelization had resulted in congregations that needed more establishing and Paul ask Titus to appoint elders over the congregations to continue the shepherding and establishing process. These elders would d be entrusted to continue the work Paul had begun.

§  Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:14-15 that he is writing so that Timothy will be able to tell the church how to conduct themselves as the household of God. Paul is referring to the local churches. These verses come on the heels of the preceding verses in which Paul has laid out the leadership qualifications for the Household of God who would have the care over the local church/ It is only as the Household of God conducts themselves in the proper conduct of the household order that their testimony of faithfulness will lend to their witness to the truth in the world and the basis of presenting the gospel as evidence of Gospel change from reprobates afar off into redeemed brothers and sisters held together in the Household of God for the display of God’s wisdom to the watching world. Again, evangelism has occurred, congregations are being established as leaders (such as Timothy) are entrusted to continue the process.

§  Even in the last days of Paul’s ministry, Paul is imploring Timothy to continue this normative process in 2 Timothy 2:2 as he asks him to pass the baton through the entrusting of the deposit (1:13-14) to men whose character would be observed within the Household as faithful. Paul describes 4 generations and leaves it open-ended with the assumption of this entrusting to continue until the return of Christ. This puts great thrust into the normative understanding of Paul’s principles of evangelizing, establishing congregations, and entrusting the deposit to faithful shepherds. This entrusting is not just teaching but living the teachings of Christ and His Apostles and, if need be, dying for them.

From Acts:

13:1-5 Antioch, Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis 
The sending church in Antioch is key to Paul’s missionary activity. The Holy Spirit delegated the authority of the church to send out Paul and Barnabas for the task He had foreordained. The fellow prophets and leaders of the church are made aware of the task after prayer and fasting and the church sends them on their way. The authority of the church as the entity that affirms the call of the missionary is vital to the proper trajectory of the task and it is to the Antioch church Paul will return and report to when He is finished.

13:6-12 Paphos 
Paul continues his strategy of contacting an audience and communicating the Gospel. In the previous verses he contacted his audience through the synagogue. Here he God brings them into a searching individual who occupies a government post. A fo9retaste of Jewish opposition is represented through the Jewish sorcerer’s efforts, but despite the opposition, hearers are converted by the power of the Gospel message. Saul’s name is changed to Paul at this point. Could it be because of his connection with his convert Paulus?

13:13-50 Perga, Pisidian Antioch
This part of the 1st missionary journey allows us to lean over Paul’s shoulder and read the content of what would probably be typical of the message of the Messiah he proclaims to a Jewish audience, usually in the synagogue. He declares Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law, Prophets, and Psalms, who was resurrected after dying at the hands of the Jews, and offers the forgiveness of sins and justification only through Christ apart from the Law and a warning against rejection.

The second time Paul speaks in the synagogue, Jewish opposition breaks out in fervor, Paul turns his message specifically to the Gentiles upon the Jewish rejection, and Gentiles turn to Christ in great number as the Jews expelled them from the region.

13:51-14:5 Iconium  
As Paul returns to the synagogue in the new city, Jewish opposition g=follows him and seeks to stir up the people against him. Many Jews and Gentiles did believe and and a plot to stone Paul and Barnabas was sought after.

14:6-20 Lystra 
A miracle of healing convinced a heathen crowd to worship them as gods, and Paul argued that it was the true God they should worship. Paul was interrupted before he could proclaim Christ as the Jews seized the opportunity to cause a riot against Paul and stoned him for dead, but God raised him up and they headed out.

14:21-28 Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch (Pisidian), Pamphylia, Perga, Attalia, Antioch 
Disciples are made in Derbe and Paul begins the trip back to the sending church of Antioch to report back. On his way back he visits the disciples that were made in journey in the cities and strengthens them in the faith, appoints elders to shepherd them, thus setting place local churches, and commits them to their care and the Lord through prayer and fasting.  The work is described as completed for that journey as the first phase of the task the Holy Spirit has set them apart for. The Antioch church gathers and they rehearse what God had done with the Gospel to the Gentiles and stayed there for a while.

The definition of missions is unnecessarily broad in evangelicalism. If it is not connected to the planting and establishing evangelical churches, then any attempt at missions misses the point of missionary work. The local church must be central to missionary enterprise for the following reasons.

In Matthew 16, Christ promised to build His church on the truth of His identity as the Son of God. This new entity of the church that Christ would build shortly would be laid on the foundation of His words and would be on the winning side despite the hatred expressed by Satanic onslaughts against it as the authority and power of Christ Himself would stand with His church. Mission work then must participate in the building of Christ’s church.

This progressed into Jesus’ instructions to His Apostles before he left them so that they would know how to accomplish the work he delegated to them of participating in the enterprise of building his church. They were to make disciples by going into all the world to preach the gospel in evangelization, baptize converts into the name of the Father, Son and Spirit, and their identity of the church, and edify them with continued instruction of all that Christ had commanded them. The local church is hinted at in this Great Commission as the task of missions is outlined.

Where we really see the centrality of the church in the practice of New Testament missions is in the book of Acts, where the Sprit’s power is unleashed in Jerusalem and a church is launched. This church is organized and established with rhythms in Acts 2:42-47 and the Satanic opposition against it in the form of persecution results in disciples fleeing persecution and taking the task of missions with them and other churches being launched in more Gentile regions.

Eventually one of these churches becomes a strategic launching base, and Antioch becomes the leader in mission work among the Gentiles as some of its particular leaders are chosen to evangelize for the purpose of pioneering the work of new churches through the propagation of the Gospel.

The strategy consisted of Paul’s preaching the Gospel, discipling converts, and organizing the disciples into churches that were led by appointed elders to continue the shepherding process and teaching after Paul left.

This practice in Acts confirms Jesus words in Matthew 16 that He would build His church and shows that He builds His church by using leaders and faithful disciples to plant and establish churches. This IS the work of the Great Commission—to not simply see individuals evangelized and edified—but to see the process of discipleship to continue of individuals through the vehicle God has chosen to display His glory—the local church.

It is the local church that sends and supports missions and the workers of missions.

Missions is the work of planting and establishing churches and churches are to do the work of planting and establishing churches according to the practice of the New Testament.  

Acts is broken down into 6 panels with each panel ending with a summary statement telling the reader that the Church was expanded and established. Studying each of these panels, the reader will begin to note several keys that contributed to and unlocked the summary statement. The Acts course in the Antioch School assigns a project to write an annotated list of the keys to establishment and expansion of the 1st century Church for each of the 6 panels of Acts. Here is an attempt at the sixth and final panel:









6.  The Gospel to Rome (Acts19:21-28:30)
1)      Opposition is used for encouragement in the work of the church. (20:1-2)

2)      Elders are installed to continue the planted church’s work. (20:17)

3)      The message of the Gospel and it’s advancement through church planting was worth the trials of the workers.  (20:17-27)

4)      Alertness to the fact of wolves within the congregation and the feeding of truth from the word of grace would enable the overseers to participate in the Spirit’s work of building His church. (20:28-35)

5)      The cause of the advancement of the Church of God was worth even death. (21:13)

6)      The arrest and trial is an opportunity to share the message of the resurrected Christ with a captive audience and get the Gospel to the premiere city of the day, Rome. (25:12)

7)      Paul is preserved by God to get to Rome and continue the work along the way and under house arrest of the expansion of the kingdom of God through the Gospel forming disciples, emerging shepherding leaders and missionaries, and churches. (28:30-31)

8)      God’s purposes have His way and Jesus by the Spirit builds His church by His grace and will continue till he comes again.

Acts 28:31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Acts is broken down into 6 panels with each panel ending with a summary statement telling the reader that the Church was expanded and established. Studying each of these panels, the reader will begin to note several keys that contributed to and unlocked the summary statement. The Acts course in the Antioch School assigns a project to write an annotated list of the keys to establishment and expansion of the 1st century Church for each of the 6 panels of Acts. Here is an attempt at the fifth panel:









5. Strong Gospel Bases (Acts 16:6-19:20)
1)      It is the Spirit that sets the agenda for the work. (16:6-10)

2)      A beachhead for the advance of the church is established. (16:11-15)

3)      Through opposition, the advance continues. (16:16-40)

4)      The message of Christ transforms the influential into fellow-laborers. (17:4; 12; Phil. 4)

5)      Conversations with the public earn the curiosity of a larger hearing which leads into a conversation of how God and humanity are connected by the resurrected Christ and his demands and offer. (17:16-32)

6)      Networking and expanding the ministry team in Corinth lead to more churches formed. (18:1-18)

7)      Follow up of the churches was essential in further strengthening. (18:23)

8)      Clearer training of emerging leaders and the humility to allow them to take leadership expanded the gospel in Ephesus. (18:24-19:6)

9)      Ephesus becomes a base of operations and the church plants other communities in the surrounding geography (19:8-11).

10)   When counterfeit charismaticism is exposed, the name of Christ is honored. (19:17-20)

Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Acts--The Problem of Historical Precedent, by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart:

"...he (Luke) was trying to show how the church emerged as a chiefly Gentile, world-wide phenomenon from its origins as Jerusalem-based, Judaism-oriented sect of Jewish believers, an how the Holy Spirit was directly responsible for this phenomenon of universal salvation based on grace alone. The recurring motif that nothing can hinder this forward movement of the church empowered by the Holy Spirit makes us think that Luke also intended his readers to see this as a model for their existence. And the fact that Acts is in the canon further makes us think that surely this the way the church was always intended to be--evangelistic, joyful, empowered by the Holy Spirit." (p. 98)

 "...we believe that much of Acts is intended by Luke to serve as a model. but the model is not so much in the specifics as in the overall picture." (p. 93)