REACH for the Heavens! (by Daryl Ellis)
REACH has five very broad objectives:
R – Revitalization of churches
E – Encourage church planting
A – Accept our uniqueness and diversity
C – Commit to unity and a graceful spirit
H – Highlight spiritual formation
What would happen if our denomination rallied around reaching these objectives together? What would our denomination look like if we realized each of these objectives?
Hey FWB: Making disciples is your calling
A few weeks ago, the International Missions (IM) board of Free Will Baptists (FWBs) voted to keep 23 current and new missionaries stateside until the financial situation became more stable (Morgan, 2011). Morgan, the Director of IM, challenged FWBs with a question: What can we do to send out these witnesses of the Word? As a result, a group of young FWBs have answered the call and are seeking to raise $21,000 in monthly support for IM, an
initiative called Pledge21K. A worthy and noble goal. Please read about it. I am also certain that a non-social media campaign will also ensue and that the missionaries that are now displaced will be sent back to their field of service.
Did the economic recession do this? Certainly it hasn’t helped. But as much as one may want to, this problem cannot be blamed on Obama. It’s our fault. FWBs could have prevented this and will face this again if the problem is not corrected. You see, I don’t think the problem is that our funds are low. I think the problem is that we have less people stateside to support more people overseas. I can’t prove it, because the information is not readily available. But I would make an educated guess that the number of FWBs in the US in 2011 is about the same as it was forty years ago in 1971*, and I know that there are more FWBs overseas in 2011 than in 1971.I have come to two conclusions about this:
1. Free Will Baptists did a great job of increasing the percentage of those from their ranks that answered the call to make disciples overseas. And the churches that sent them have done a great job of supporting them (thus far). I believe this happened because of strong leadership, education, and a belief that above all the gospel should be preached to the nations.
2. Since 1975, Free Will Baptists may have failed at sustainable church planting in the United States. There are currently 46 church plants sponsored by the National Home Missions department. That’s great. But that’s not 46 churches each year. Those 46 churches have been planted over the past several years. Again, there is no way to easily identify how many churches have been planted, nor how many churches have closed their doors. But I have not noticed significant growth in my lifetime. I believe this has happened, chiefly, because of a lack of education about the importance of making disciples where we live.else, the gospel must be preached to the nations. (For possibly the best example of a church sending out missionaries, read about the Moravian Church).
I believe we have either a) incorrectly applied or b) altogether neglected the Great Commission.
a. Incorrectly applied. Jesus told us to go and make disciples. We may have correctly applied this to others but not to ourselves. What I mean is that we are willing to give money for others to make disciples, but we’re not willing to do it ourselves.
b. Altogether neglected. Jesus told us to go and make disciples. I would dare say that many Christians have no idea how to make disciples. If so, it’s because it isn’t being taught and lived out in the home and in the church.
Am I making a big deal out of this? Yes! But let me ask you:
How many disciples are you making right now?
Is your FWB church growing daily (as was the early church)?
Is your FWB church involved in planting another church–not just sending a check, but actively involved?
It hasn’t been intentional–at least I hope it hasn’t. But we will continue to struggle to send out missionaries overseas if we don’t plant more churches stateside that can support them. And that’s not going to happen until we take the Great Commission seriously. Making disciples is your calling.
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