Ministries Today: July/August 1994

How to Put Your Church on the Cutting Edge of World Missions
By: Dr. Howard Foltz

"On the cutting edge." It's a term we throw around a lot these dates. Engineers, researchers and investors claim their technological advances are "on the cutting edge." Advertisers, marketers and businessmen claim their products are "on the cutting edge." For many, the phrase has been become the contemporary equivalent of "new and improved."

But any time a term is used so freely, it starts to mean different things to different people - including Christian leaders.

What does "on the cutting edge" really mean? More specifically, what does it mean when it is applied to a church?

Webster's defines cutting edge as "the leading or most important; the decisive element." To be on the cutting edge is to be at the forefront. On the vangard. In the leading position.

When applied to a church, perhaps a word-picture will help clarify the term. Think about movies or paintings you have seen depicting harvesters in their fields in Bible times. Now focus on just one workman.

What tool is he using? It's a handheld sickle with a finely honed, sharp edge.

That's the cutting edge - the part at the forefront of his effort, in the leading position as he swings his arm toward the stalks of grain. It's the part that is responsible for the harvest.

Jesus must have been picturing a scene just like that when He told His disciples, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

"Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together" (John 4:35-36 NIV). He was, of course, calling his followers to labor in the spiritual harvest, taking in a crop for eternal life.

Contemporary churches, therefore, must answer the same call. A church that is on the cutting edge will be at the forefront, on the vangard, and in the leading position as our Father wields His sickle. A cutting edge church will work diligently, creatively and effectively to complete its responsibility in God's harvest.

The Cutting Edge Church

What does such a church look like, practically speaking? What characteristics will be exhibited by a church on the cutting edge?

It will be built on the foundation of a biblical world view. Church leaders must teach and preach God's message from his inspired Word - a message that shows us from Genesis to Revelation that our God is a God who initiates.

He always seeks relationships with those who are willing to respond. He makes the first move. He invites individuals to be cleansed and made whole so they can enter His presence.

It will hear and obey God. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus pointed us to our task in the eternal harvest. "Go...and make disciples of all nations," He said in Matthew 28:19. "Go...preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15). "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem," He told His disciples, "and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

He gave us what I call our "working orders." Though He sometimes gives us new tools or strategies, the task always remains the same.

The Great Commission involves two essential dynamics - evangelism (mono-cultural ministry) and missions (cross-cultural ministry). God wants to use each local church as a big pair of shears. Evangelism is one blade, and missions is the other. Both blades are very sharp, but neither can effectively accomplish its task without the other.

Evangelism and missions: It is not an either/or proposition. It must be both/and.

It will move toward a strategic model. If we are to maintain our vision for the mission God gave us, we must move away from the traditional model for the local church and move toward a strategic model.

The traditional view of the church goes something like this: We establish various departments to hand certain ministry areas. We might have an administrative board, and education department, special ministries for men, women, youth, children, etc. We generally even have separate departments for evangelism and missions.

The problem is that each sector sees itself as a kind of autonomous whole. This often breeds competition rather than cooperation.

And because missions and evangelism are handled by their respective departments, we often fail to understand that the Great Commission is the reason for the church's existence. It is the reason for each department and should be integrated into the work and purpose of every ministry in the church.

The strategic view, on the other hand, is built on a true understanding of the church's mission. It focuses on reaching out to the world - to the unsaved at home and in foreign nations - through evangelism and missions. All ministries, from worship to education, counseling to stewardship, adults to children contribute to equipping and sending the message of spiritual renewal through Christ to the world.

The structure of such a church varies and tends to be flexible. The strategic church forces its structure to adhere to its mission, rather than allowing its structure to define its mission. When structure becomes our mater, we stifle the dynamics of God's activity in our midst.

It will commit itself to concurrently reaching out to four distinct areas. In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Since most of us don't live anywhere near Jerusalem, what does this mean for us?

I believe it means we should be reaching our "Jerusalems" - our cities. We should be reaching our general geographic areas - our "Judeas." We should be reaching nearby cross-cultural peoples - our "Samarias." And we should be reaching the unreached people of our contemporary world - "the uttermost parts of the earth."

This fourfold outreach is not to be interpreted as a sequential process. Our mandate is not to reach Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then the uttermost parts. Rather, it is a call to work simultaneously in all four areas so a church on the cutting edge can fulfill its responsibility in the worldwide harvest.

It will create wealth for the advancement of God's kingdom. Certainly, I mean financial wealth. In fact, I believe every local church should strive to give at least 10 percent of its total budget to missions. At least one-fourth of that amount should be for evangelizing unreached peoples.

I believe a cutting edge church also will create wealth in other ways. For example, it will offer its services in intercession. It will be characterized by faithful and obedient prayer on behalf of missionaries and on behalf of those who haven't yet heard the gospel.

Such a church will free people to labor in the world's "fields." I suggest that every church strive to see 10 percent or more of their adults in the congregation involved in some form of cross-cultural ministry such as short-term missions or local outreach. It should also set a goal to see at least 2 percent of its adult congregation working as career missionaries or "tent makers."

Finally, a cutting edge church will create resources for God's kingdom by networking and cooperating with other churches and mission boards. It will be involved in training other churches to reach the world. It also will unite its resources with those of other church groups so the potential of each will be attained.

No church should try to stand alone. To be on the cutting edge, a congregation should work with other groups, including other churches, mission agencies and mission research organizations.

I've met pastors who say everything must come "from the local church." I agree that all mission activities should help build existing churches or start new ones.

But by standing alone, missionary-sending churches are shooting themselves in the foot. Every missions strategy should be linked to various agencies so it can gain experience, maturity and a network base.

Sharpening Your Blades

What should you do if you recognize that your church, when measured against these five criteria, is not on the cutting edge of God's harvest? Here are some practical steps to help you sharpen both of your blades - evangelism and missions.

Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list of "dos and don'ts." Nor is it a "cookie-cutter" approach to every situation, designed to be followed in a strictly linear, A-B-C fashion. Many of the steps are interactive and even cyclical.

I believe one thing is true, though. The senior pastor is the key to the process. So that's where we'll begin.

STEP 1: Spiritual preparation for the senior pastor and church leaders.

Begin praying daily with some type of worldwide prayer guide such as Operation World by Patrick Johnstone. Pray and seek God's vision and plan to move your church to the cutting edge.

The organization that I serve as president, the Association of International Mission Services (AIMS), is just one agency that offers materials and seminars that may help you set goals for church growth and world missions.

Also, begin your own personal training. I suggest that you read Key to the Missionary Problem by Andrew Murray, or other inspirational books about missions and evangelism.

Take a short-term mission trip overseas to experience what missionaries face each day. Begin supporting missionaries with your prayers and funds.

And finally, begin a church planting or church growth multiplication strategy in your "Judea" - the area where you live and minister. You can accomplish this as a single church or through networking with other churches.

STEP 2: Spiritual preparation for the church.

Establish a biblical discipleship program in your church. You may choose something like MasterLife or Navigators 2:7.

Make sure you choose materials that will enable your congregation to discover their own spiritual gifts and to create a plan that will enable them to use their gifts to fulfill the church's mission. Also, kick off a missions fellowship to pray for and nuture your church's vision. Begin using a yearly prayer program like Operation World with your entire congregation to lead them into a ministry of spiritual warfare for the nations.

STEP 3: First phase of missions implementation.

Develop a missions committee made up of members with the spiritual gifts of missions, administration, service and helps, hospitality, teaching, counseling, and evangelism. Train them and work with them to write a missions policy for your church. The policy should include a missions education and training program and plans for an annual missions conference, short-term missions trips, etc.

Agree together to do everything you can to adopt and reach at least one specific unreached people group. And finally, begin a church planting or church growth multiplication plan in your "Samaria."

STEP 4: Second phase of mission implementation.

Establish an initial strategy to reach and unreached people group. Plan and implement short-term trips to that group for research and prayer.

AIMS offers an "Operation Unreached Seminar" that I recommend. It will equip you and your church to accomplish the research and the practical and strategic training required to evangelize an unreached people group.

Plan and implement another short-term trip to that group for evangelism and practical ministry. And finally, identify missionaries from your congregation, train them, and send them to your unreached people group.

STEP 5: Multiplication.

Senior pastors should take the initiative to mobilize senior pastors from other congregations to move to the cutting edge of missions. I recommend that you take part in a World Focus Seminar, an event for pastors sponsored by AIMS in various communities in the United States and the world.

Encourage your church to mobilize another church. And finally, encourage national television ministries with which your church has contact to mobilize for missions.

The bottom line of each of these steps - the one thing that holds them all together - is the goal: to go into all the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to do everything possible to place ourselves and our congregations on the cutting edge of the harvest.

Scripture tells us that iron sharpens iron. Let's be iron for one another.

After all, the fields are white.

For reprint information, please call the AIMS publication office at (757) 495-5850 or email the editor at aims@aims.org.

Return to Article Index