Nigeria Missions Prayer Alert, June – September, 2023

The Role of the Church in Missions

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20. NIV.

The role of the church in missions is multiple and covers a lot of different aspects. But of all these roles and responsibilities, we know for certain that the primary mission of the church is to make disciples by bearing witness to Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Church’s job is to send the missionary out into the world to proclaim the Gospel to people who haven’t heard, and to help that person decide to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour.

During this quarter, our Prayer Alert will focus on encouraging the Church to take their role in Missions. Another important part of the body of Christ that must be encouraged in missions are the Youths. In our report of HarvestScope 1.0 we revealed that just 10.3% of the entire Nigeria Missions workforce is under 30 years of age. This is not sustainable. We need to encourage the youth to be involved in Missions otherwise we risk reversing the gains we had over the last several years.

The role of the Church in Missions is raising up missionaries, training, sending, care and supporting missionaries, as well as supporting other missions work all over the world. Sadly, we often make distinctions between the Local Church, missionaries, and missions work, but they are all one in different context. All of these are all the Church, some are called to go, while others are called to stay and minister locally (starting in Jerusalem). The goal is the same – achieving the task of the Great Commission.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 shows us that we are all called to spread the good news, and that the church is to be constantly sending and making disciples of all nations. So, let’s look at some Biblical examples of the church operating in missions.

Training Missionaries. The Church needs to Training Missionaries as was the case during Paul’s 4th missionary journey, he took Titus with him. Titus was converted to the Faith by Paul and was discipled and trained by him.

Sending Missionaries. In Acts 13 Paul, who was then known as Saul and Barnabas were sent out by the Church. This passage shows that the decision to go was not their own, but they were sent first, by the Holy Spirit, and second, by the Church. (Acts 13:1-3). In Luke 10:2-4, Jesus sends out the 72 disciples, thus setting the example for the Church to follow.

Supporting Missionaries. The church can support missionaries in many ways, this could be financially, emotionally, spiritually, etc. If a church is not in a financial position to give, they can and should support through prayer and constant encouragement. The early church supported Paul in his journeys, through finances, e.g., the Macedonians (2 Corinthians 8); equally in the book of Acts 2, all the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need (Acts 2:44-45).

Prayer Support. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, Paul asked the people of Thessalonica to partner with him in prayer as he goes forward in his mission work. Prayer is key support in missions, though it is often an unseen work that takes place, prayer goes beyond our understanding or what we could ever imagine.

The Church should be in partnership with missionaries reaching the unreached. This is to be expected as the Church extends its reach to unreached peoples and nations in desperate need of the Good News. It is therefore important for the Church to actively seek to partner in Missions, whether through prayer, finances, or encouraging words that help missionaries to feel connected to the World-wide body of Christ.

As we pray through this quarter again, may our collective prayers transcend borders and bring forth a powerful impact, igniting revival, spreading hope, and advancing God’s kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Click to download the NEMA Prayer Alert, June – September 2023.