How to Lead a Missional Church that Expands God’s Kingdom

 

How should we lead the church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, Dr. Victor H. Cuartas describes how to expand the vision of the local church to reach the world.

 

Introduction

God’s plans for His beloved Church are marvelous. One of the most important aspects in the life of the church is leadership. Leadership is about serving and influencing people to advance God’s kingdom. This article will focus on important principles to lead missional congregations. What are the characteristics of a missional church? This article will begin with a brief description of the importance of the Trinity in both global and local (glocal) missions. Then, the author will describe significant principles of a missional church. Next, we will look at some considerations in regards to the life of the missional leader. This paper will conclude with some practical recommendations to lead churches glocally.

 

The Importance of the Trinity in Mission

God has a Missional Plan

God loves the families and nations of the earth. He has a missional plan with His creation. That is the reason why He sent His only Son to die for us on the cross. His plan was about redemption and salvation. “He sent His Son for this purpose and He sends the Church into the world with the message of the gospel for the same purpose.”¹

His motivation was love (John 3:16). God created human beings so that we might have fellowship with Him and serve as faithful stewards of His creation (Gen 1-2). God was to be the King who reigned over heaven and earth, and we were to be his royal family, those through whom He would expand His kingdom.

Jesus’ Missional Leadership

Jesus is our great example to follow in missional leadership. “One of the challenges that we may face is to be driven by personal interest rather than kingdom principles.”² There are several accounts in the Bible that describe Jesus’ urgency to meet the needs of the people. He always was willing to go and bless the needy regardless of the circumstances. Jesus went out and saw the needs of the people. Thus, every believer needs to follow Jesus’ example. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matt 9:36, emphasis added).

Jesus called the disciples to fulfill His Father’s will. The verb “called” in the Greek is proskaleomai, which means (1) to call to, (2) to call to one’s self, or (3) to bid to come to one’s self.³ The NKJV translates the word as “called” (Mark 3:13; 6:7a). Jesus invited “those He Himself wanted” (Mark 3:13). The initiative lay not with the disciples but with the Master. Jesus chose and prepared normal people to change the world. Therefore, the disciples were called by Jesus for a specific purpose: “to preach the message of Christ and His love locally and globally.”

 

Jesus powerfully trained the disciples to preach the Gospel. The verb to “preach” in the Greek is kerusso that means: (1) to be a herald, to officiate as a herald; or (2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.⁴ “Through intimate fellowship with the Lord, the disciples would receive a commission ‘to preach’ and an authority (exousia, power in the sense of delegated authority) to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.”⁵ Jesus sent out His disciples “to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons” (Mark 3:14-15).

Jesus sent the disciples forth to do the work of the ministry. On this occasion, the verb “sent out” in Greek is apostello that means: (1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed; or (2) to send away, dismiss (Mark 3:14b; 12a). Jesus “began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7b). Jesus’ strategy to fulfill His mission was to send His disciples in pairs. Jesus’ training of the twelve had now come to the point that He could send them out to spread His teaching to expand the kingdom of God.

Jesus empowered his disciples for the Glocal mission. The verb “empowered” in Greek is exousia, meaning: (1) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises, or (2) the power of authority (influence) and of right (Mark 3:15a; 6:7b). The disciples received the divine impartation from the Lord.⁶ Even though the disciples were trained for the mission, they still had to receive the power from their Master to be effective in their ministry.

 

A Missional Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The ministry of the Holy Spirit in glocal mission is paramount. He is a missional Spirit. The Holy Spirit sent the original missionaries out to share the gospel and the guiding of the Holy Spirit in contemporary times is equally critical. Called and sent is still the essential paradigm of missions. However, the context has shifted and the congregational nature of the church is front and center in the discussion of missions. “The heart and basis of the ministry is the ministry of Christ Himself. Even in that which is graciously done though others, Christ by the Holy Spirit is the true Minister.”⁷ Jesus emphasized to His disciples the magnitude of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

We need to be willing to risk our comfort zones and follow the Holy Spirit. Craig Van Gelder also emphasizes that “The Spirit empowers, teaches, and leads the church even when the church fails to discern, understand, or engage the fuller purposes of God in living out its missionary nature.”⁸ There are many times when the Holy Spirit is going to reveal new ways and strategies to reach people glocally. We need to be bold, trusting that God is in control. “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31, emphasis added). “Churches must be willing to risk making mistakes because they are moving in a direction that the church hasn’t moved in since the church first began!”⁹

 

The Missional Church

Characteristics of a missional church

What are the characteristics of a missional church? We will discuss some principles that are necessary to consider if we want to mobilize missional leaders to develop missional churches.

Every church can become a missional church regardless the size. God has called us to fulfill His purposes and mission. Pastors are not limited to the size of their congregations to become missional churches. Regardless the size, every single church can play a strategic role in fulfilling the Great Commission. We have everything that we need to accomplish God’s mission. When kept in the context of the Scriptures, Missio Dei correctly emphasizes that God is the initiator of His mission to redeem through the Church a special people for Himself from all of the peoples of the world. Thus, this passion and vision needs to start with the pastoral leadership of every congregation. “We must view churches as centers of mission vision and implementation. Indeed, there is a sense in which each local community of faith is to mature into a mission fellowship.”¹⁰

Believers are sent every day from everywhere to reach everyone. God is looking for people who are available to respond to His call.¹¹ The power is on the obedience, and it is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22). One needs to start in Jerusalem, in our own neighborhood, then reaching out to Judea, Samaria, including the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The bottom line is obedience and that is one of the biggest challenges for many believers today. Consequently, followers of Christ need to be intentional in hearing God’s voice. Moreover, to obey late is also disobedience, and there are billions of people that still need to hear the message of salvation.

Every believer is called to be missional. We are part of a glocal community that is called to be missional. Our roles may be different according to God’s given spiritual gifts each of us has received from the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, we are all called to share the gospel of salvation. Missions used to be thought of as us going to a foreign country. Peter identified believers as “sojourners and pilgrims (1 Pet 2:11).” Therefore, wherever we are is a foreign land. The mission field is all around us, and the Spirit is personally inviting us as individuals and communities to “go into all the world (Mark 16:15).” Our personal call is to share the gospel from everywhere to everyone. “When we focus on Christ, we can complete the task regardless of the obstacles and challenges. It is not about us, but about working together to bless people who still need to hear the message of salvation.”¹²

 

Every believer has a role in the Great Commission. George Miley, in his book Loving the Church… Blessing the Nations, states, “I would prefer, rather than seeking to call forth individuals as missionaries, to call forth every believer (1) into God’s mission and (2) into the role God designed for him or her.”¹³ All of us ho believe in Christ are chosen with a divine purpose, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9, NKJV).

Living missionally every day. Not long ago, someone asked some questions to Bob Roberts about his missiology. Roberts said, “It’s simple. Just grab what God has put in front of your face. We want to be missional. We study it and desire it. Yet, I don’t know that’s what will get there. Instead, missional is the way we live.”¹⁴ Jesus’ theme in the Gospels was the good news of the Kingdom of God, which was presented clearly by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Luke records Christ’s own words to describe His purpose with “but He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.’” (Luke 4:43, NKJV).

 

The Missional Leader

Leadership is about influencing and empowering people to advance God’s kingdom. What a great opportunity we have today to be part of transforming people with the gospel. God has called us to be good stewards, and we need the amazing ministry of the Holy Spirit to become effective leaders. “A leader may be born with potential to lead, but it is God who processes that leader so that the potential is realized.”¹⁵ It is essential to start with us because God is interested in us as His creation. We only can give to others what we have graciously received from God.

Believers in our congregations are desperate for good examples to follow. “The characteristics that are to be evident in the life of a candidate for gospel ministry relate every bit as much to who the person is as to what spiritual gifts he is to exercise.”¹⁶ One of the main roles of pastors and leaders is to help people to discover God’s given spiritual gifts. What are the characteristics of a missional leader? The following are some characteristics of the missional leader:

Depends on God every day. One of the biggest challenges that we have today is the lack of dependence on God. We pray, but we do not believe. We need to depend more on God and less in our own efforts. In addition, a missional leader is empowered by the Holy Spirit. The missional leader is able to recognize his/her limitations and wait on the Lord patiently. Therefore, our daily relationship with God is vital to stay connected with God’s heart for the nations. “Fundamental to all Christian leadership and ministry is a humble personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, devotion to him expressed in daily prayer, and love for him expressed in daily obedience.”¹⁷

 

Recognizes the importance of God’s call and promises. God’s promises will come to pass. It is a matter of trusting and believing that God is able. He is bigger than every need we may have, and certainly, He always provides for His people. “Upon the basis of your promises I am looking for you to fulfill them, O my Jesus Christ; bring forth your fruit through me into this poor world.”¹⁸ The Bible states: “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass” (Josh 21:45). In addition, He is the one who “builds the house” (Ps 127:1).

Builds authentic relationships. There is a significant need for building authentic relationships. Trust is one of the most important aspects to consider for developing relationships with diverse ethnic leaders. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).

Most of the world leaders are looking for people that they can trust and with whom they can partner. Also, it is important to “recognize that unity is grounded in shared commitments, but nurtured in relationship.”¹⁹ This is an important value for the Hispanic, Asian, and African cultures. Most of the leadership transactions are based on authentic relationships. The majority of world missionaries are not necessarily looking for perfect pastors and leaders, they also want to know that we are willing to learn from them as well. Are we willing to listen and learn from them?

Maintains a balanced life. What are your hobbies? What kinds of activities you do with your family? It is very important for missional pastors and leaders to have balance and enjoy life. My recommendation for you is to find a partner in ministry, or a close friend, do exercise, laugh together, and enjoy life. “While I know my work is never done, I’ve discovered I need the discipline to say, ‘I’m finished.’ Knowing when to finish each weekday is crucial to a balanced life.”²⁰ God wants us to enjoy His call, and we need to be good stewards of our bodies as well.

Recognizes that family is the most important ministry. We are all are guilty of having the wrong priorities in our lives, and our families suffer the consequences. Our main ministry is at home. “For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim 3:5, emphasis added). We can try to save the whole world and yet lose our families. Our children are watching everything that we do. It is amazing how many leaders’ kids are walking away from God because the lack of good example from their parents. “A weak home means a weak ministry.”²¹

 

Practical Recommendations to Mobilize believers Glocally

Missional pastors need to give a good example to their members. The following are some practical recommendations to teach and mobilize believers both locally and globally.

Look around you. God has placed us in a particular city, neighborhood with a kingdom purpose. Missional is “adopting the posture of a missionary, learning and adapting to the culture around you while remaining biblically sound.”²² Can you imagine if every believer wakes up every day with the vision and passion to be God’s ambassador in their communities? There are many people without Christ who are desperately looking for hope. Go out, connect with people, ask God to give you divine appointments to make a difference. The Holy Spirit is with us, and God is looking for vessels that are obedient and willing to go every day.

Embrace the beauty of Ethnic diversity. Diversity is a gift from God, and the body of Christ needs to learn how to improve in celebrating differences. It is remarkable that God, the creator of the universe, enjoys diversity. “In the quest to recognize and to appreciate diversity of ethnic groups, care must be taken to avoid ethnic labeling and stereotyping.”²³ As the Apostle Paul points out, “There is no Jew nor Greek, no male nor female, no slave nor free. We are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28).”

Understand the power of unity. One of the most powerful principles that we find in the Scriptures is the principle of unity. Unity is a promise from God. There are great opportunities today for partnership and collaboration. This process needs to be intentional. The consequences of not walking in unity will ultimately affect the very people that need to be reached with the Gospel. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Eph 4: 4-7).

In the Gospel of John, Jesus powerfully mentions in his prayer the importance of oneness. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17: 20-21, emphasis added). This unity needs to start in each of us. It involves different denominations, local churches, missionary agencies, and parachurch ministries. This is not optional. If we really want to expand God’s kingdom and reach the lost glocally, we must find different ways to work together for God’s glory.

 

Commit to prayer and intercession. Missional leaders teach and practice prayer; they understand the power of prayer. God answers our prayers. The prayers of God’s people change the spiritual climate of entire cities and nations. We are also changed in God’s presence when we faithfully pray. “Prayer is the one hand with which we grasp the invisible. Fasting is the other hand, the one with which we let go of the visible.”²⁴

Jesus is our best example to follow. He continually spent time in prayer. “Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening” (Luke 8:28-29). Everything that we plan and do needs to be based on prayer. In addition, intercessory prayer is paramount to develop missional churches. When we stand in the gap for our communities, cities and nations, we can expect great things from the Lord. The Holy Spirit can give us fresh strategies to meet the needs of the people.

Know that God can move in every context. When we exercise God’s authority in love to overcome the strategies of the enemy, transformation in people’s lives begins. “It is a perception that views every context as a missional context, and every congregation as a missional congregation that is responsible to participate in God’s mission in that context.”²⁵ Terri Elton identifies the four core principles of the United States as being “discovery, democracy, equality, and diversity” with these qualities having been “born, tested, and challenged in this country and still stand strong today.”²⁶ Consequently, it is important that missional leaders study, research and assess their communities. Missional leaders should also know the spiritual strongholds of their communities. As Paul states: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph 6:12-13, emphasis added).

Seek daily opportunities to connect with people. Missional pastors and leaders encourage their members to build healthy relationships with their neighbors. Our neighborhoods and cities are drastically changing in our nation. Ethnic and religious diversity are very common. Our children are going to school and their classmates are Buddhist, Hindus, Muslims, etc. It is paramount that we disciple our children at home. We need to stand firm in what we believe and be willing to dialogue with people from different religious backgrounds. “Connecting is so unassuming—just being an outlet for others to pass through. Resources and people and opportunities are like wires flopping on the floor just waiting to be connected—that’s the job of a pastor.”²⁷

 

Lead to expand God’s kingdom. Missional leaders also have the approach to see the city as a whole instead of focusing only in their own neighborhoods. This implies partnership and unity to be able to reach different kinds of people in their communities. Our communities and churches are blessed when we seek the peace of the city. The Bible declares “And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jer 29:7).

 

Conclusion

There is a great need today for missional churches and missional leaders. Leadership is about serving and influencing people to advance God’s kingdom. This article described important principles to lead missional congregations. The author has focused on the question: what are the characteristics of a missional church? Missional leaders need to have both a global and local vision. Our cities and neighborhoods are drastically changing; therefore, we need to be able to contextualize the gospel. Every believer has an important role to play in the glocal mission. Every church regardless of the size can become a missional church through the power of the Holy Spirit. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14).

 

PR

 

Notes

¹ Van Sanders, “The Mission of God and the Local Church,” in Pursuing the Mission of God in Church Planting, ed. John M. Bailey, (Alpharetta: North American Mission Board, 2006), 24.

² Victor H. Cuartas, “Implicaciones Éticas y los Desafíos de los Negocios Como Misión en los Países de Acceso Creativo.” Global Missiology in Spanish (July 2009). Under “Settings,” globalmissiology.org/espanol/ (accessed February 15, 2010).

³ BibleWorks 4: The Premier Biblical Exegesis and Research Program. Software for Windows Version 4, (Big Fork, MT: 1999).

⁴ BibleWorks, 4.

⁵ Ralph A. Earle, Elwood Sanner, and Charles L. Childers, Beacon Bible Commentary, vol. 6 (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1964), 294.

⁶ Victor H. Cuartas, Empowering Hispanic Leaders: An Online Model (Fort Worth, TX, Church Starting Network, May 2009), 59.

⁷ G. W. Bromily, Christian Ministry (Grand Rapids: Pathway Books, 1959), 19.

⁸ Craig Van Gelder, “Missiology and the Missional Church in Context,” in The Missional Church in Context, ed. Craig Van Gelder (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 31.

⁹ Bob Roberts Jr., Transformation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 137.

 

¹⁰ George Miley, Loving the Church… Blessing the Nations: Pursuing the Role of Local Churches in Global Mision (Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Media, 2003), 51.

¹¹ Victor H. Cuartas, “The Kingdom of God and Ethnic Diversity in Global Missions.” Paper presented at the Southeastern Region of the Evangelical Missiological Society in North Greenville University, Greer SC. March 19, 2010.

¹² Victor H. Cuartas “Demands of the Kingdom of God in Relation to Ethnic Diversity.” Lausanne World Pulse, May 2010. Under “Settings,” lausanneworldpulse.com/themedarticles.php/1279/05-2010 (accessed June 1, 2010).

¹³ Miley, Loving the Church, 46.

¹⁴ Bob, Roberts Jr.. The Multiplying Church: The New Math for Starting New Churches. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008), 97.

¹⁵ Laura Raab and Bobby Clinton, Barnabas—The Encouraging Exhorter: A Study in Mentoring Leadership Series (Altadena: Barnabas Resources, 1985), 5.

¹⁶ Robert P. Palmer, “Characteristics of One Called to the Gospel Ministry,” Presbyterion 6, no. 2 (Fall 1980): 66.

¹⁷ John Stott, Basic Christian Leadership: Biblical Models of Church Gospel and Ministry (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 101.

¹⁸ Francis Schaffer, True Spirituality (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1971), 59.

¹⁹ Gary, Corwin, “Doing Diversity Well,” Evangelical Missions Quarterly 44, no. 4 (October 2008): 417.

²⁰ Gary D. Preston, “Get a (Balanced) Life,” Leadership 19, no. 4 (Fall 1999): 55.

²¹ Richard Mayhue, “The Pastor’s Home,” in Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically, ed. John MacArthur (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 2006), 124-125.

²² Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches: Planting a Church That’s Biblically Sound and Reaching People in Culture (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2006), 19.

²³ James Breckenridge, and Lillian Breckenridge, What Color Is Your God?: Multicultural Education in the Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 1995), 89.

²⁴ Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1981), 100.

²⁵ Van Gelder, Missiology and the Missional Church in Context, 27.

²⁶ Terri Martinson Elton, “Corps of Discovery: A Twenty-First Century Contextual Missiology for the Denominational Church in the United States,” in The Missional Church in Context, ed. Craig Van Gelder (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2007), 135.

²⁷ Roberts, The Multiplying Church, 108.