Strategic Missions

October 14, 2009 – 11:12 am

Pastor Doran shares his thoughts on why he speaks at missions conferences and the importance of starting church planting movements (extra paragraph divisions added for readability):

About the only thing I miss Sundays at IC [Inter-City Baptist Church] for are vacation with my family, trips to the mission field, and a missions conference every now and then.

One of the real burdens on my heart is to do what I can to focus attention on the fact that planting churches that will plant churches is an essential component of fulfilling the Great Commission.

It seems, at least to me, that for too long missions has been: (1) driven by parachurch organizations; (2) far too individualistic (i.e., designed around individuals and aimed almost exclusively at individuals); and (3) defined by location rather than purpose (i.e., missions is doing just about anything in another part of the world).

Biblical missions, I would contend, springs from the local church and primarily aims to start church planting movements in unreached areas. Technically, the Great Commission can’t be fulfilled by an individual acting as such-the inclusion of baptism means that it must be done in connection with the local church.

Everything else being done on the mission field should serve this primary purpose in some clear, intentional way.

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Related MM posts:

• Missions Principles - see the 2nd bullet at the bottom of the post
• Review of SBC Great Commission Resurgence Statement - see the middle of the 3rd paragraph
• Ordination Council in Tanzania