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Missions Q&A Session by Go: West Coast Conference · Reformed Thinking

• 0:00
  Welcome to reformed thinking. This is the deep dive.
• 0:03
  Glad to be here. We take the sources you give us
• 0:05
  and we, well, we dive deep, try to distill those core insights,
• 0:10
  aiming for those, you know, aha moments.
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  Right, making sense of it all. Exactly.
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  And you've given us a really rich collection this time.
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  Discussions from a recent conference all circling around
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  the critical topic of missions. Yeah, a lot of material to work
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  through. So our goal today, our mission
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  for this deep dive is to unpack the biblical definitions, the
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  driving forces, and maybe surprisingly, some modern
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  applications of missions. We'll look at the vital role of
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  local churches, which seems key in these sources.
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  How short term efforts fit in, or maybe don't fit in sometimes.
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  Yeah, there's some strong opinions there.
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  And even the place of technology like artificial intelligence, AI
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  in proclaiming Christ around the world, it's quite a mix.
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  It really is. And we've got perspectives from
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  several people who've, you know, spent their lives wrestling with
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  these ideas, Speakers like Paul Brooks, Kosty, Chad, Jason.
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  Good lineup. Yeah.
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  So we'll be drawing directly from what they said to try and
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  grasp what biblical missions really look like, trying to move
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  past some maybe common misunderstandings.
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  Clearing things up. Yeah, aiming to clarify not just
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  what was said, but maybe why it matters for every believer, for
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  you listening. OK, sounds good.
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  Let's let's unpack this right from the start.
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  Then, when we talk about missions, what does Scripture
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  truly mean by that term? And importantly, what might we
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  sometimes mistake for it? Right.
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  Well, the sources we looked at, they're pretty unified on this
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  first point. OK, missions, biblical missions
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  cannot be separated from local church ministry.
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  That's the best. Problem be separated.
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  Yeah, it's fundamentally described as, let me get the
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  phrasing right, one biblical church sending out elder
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  qualified Proclaimers and qualified fellow workers.
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  Elder qualified. That's specific.
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  Very specific and qualified fellow workers too.
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  And the aim in order to plant another biblical church.
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  So planting a church is the goal.
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  It's the explicit goal in this definition.
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  And the sources really emphasize this isn't just, you know, a
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  nice idea. It's presented as a foundational
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  principle we need to hold onto tightly.
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  It shapes everything else. OK.
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  So church centric right from the get go, that definitely seems to
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  correct. Maybe some broader ideas we
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  might have floating around. Yeah, I think it does.
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  But how does that definition then distinguish missions from
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  other, you know, good works, Things we often associate with
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  Christian service, Mercy ministries, social outreach,
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  that kind of thing? Yeah, and that's a really
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  critical distinction that the sources spend time on.
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  They draw a clear line between two key things.
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  On the one hand, you have the great commandment, love God,
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  love your neighbor. That expresses itself in acts of
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  compassion, mercy, helping people.
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  Absolutely vital. Right.
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  Love your neighbor. But then you have the Great
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  Commission, which is the specific instruction to go make
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  disciples, baptize them, teach them everything Christ
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  commanded. The marching orders, so to
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  speak. Exactly with the specific aim of
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  establishing churches where those disciples can gather and
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  grow. OK, so while digging a well or
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  opening an orphanage, providing medical care, these are
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  absolutely good acts of neighborly love.
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  They fulfill the great commandment.
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  Good things, Definitely good things, but the sources insist
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  they are not in themselves fulfilling the Great Commission.
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  OK, so different mandates. Different mandates, and while
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  they're meant to work together, you know, integrate somehow,
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  they need to be understood as distinct in their primary aim.
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  Why is that distinction so important to maintain?
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  What's the risk if they get blurred?
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  Well the concern raised is that if you merge them completely,
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  you often end up diluting this specific unique gospel centered
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  mission of the church. The proclamation part can get
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  lost in the doing good part. I see.
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  So these good works like say medical missions or community
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  development projects, they definitely have value.
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  Oh. Absolutely.
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  The sources praise them. But if they're not the Great
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  Commission itself, how do they properly relate to it?
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  Where do they fit in this framework right?
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  They absolutely have a place and the speakers commend these Mercy
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  ministries, medical work, orphanages, development
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  projects, all that. However, and this is the key,
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  they are only considered biblically valid and I guess
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  effective in a mission sense to the degree that they are tied to
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  church planting or church strengthening.
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  Tied to church. Planting.
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  The crucial point they make is if these ministries don't
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  ultimately culminate in the gospel in the church, meaning if
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  they don't serve the goal of people hearing the gospel being
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  converted and then being gathered into a healthy local
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  body of believers, then from a Great Commission perspective,
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  they're seen as ultimately just short term, or as one speaker
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  put it, quite graphically, band aids on ships that are going
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  underwater. Wow, that's stark.
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  It is, but the reasoning behind it is this.
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  Christians bring something unique to the world, something
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  no other group, no government, no NGO possesses, which is the
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  message of life from darkness to light, from death to life, the
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  gospel. So without that gospel message
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  leading to salvation and incorporation into the Church,
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  any material or physical improvement, however good and
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  beneficial it is, it can only address temporal suffering.
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  It doesn't address the eternal reality.
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  The goal isn't just alleviating immediate symptoms, but bringing
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  the ultimate, eternal solution through Christ.
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  That paints a very specific picture, one that maybe some
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  might find quite narrow. Perhaps it's a suggests a very
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  particular focus. It is a very particular focus,
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  yes. Has this understanding, this
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  intense focus on church planting as the telos of missions, has
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  this always been the primary viewer within the church, or has
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  it shifted? Well, that's interesting.
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  The sources actually expressed some sadness, some concern here.
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  They suggest that maybe in the last 100 years or so, this
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  specific focus on church planting as the primary goal of
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  the Great Commission has been, well, somewhat diminished, maybe
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  even lost in some parts of the broader Christian world.
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  Really. So what was the earlier model
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  then? If you look back at the book of
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  Acts, that's presented as the clear biblical model for
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  missions. OK, Acts.
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  What did the apostles do? They evangelized.
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  People got converted. They gathered those converts
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  into local churches. Immunity.
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  Exactly. And crucially, they didn't
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  consider their work finished. They didn't move on until those
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  churches had qualified elders in place.
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  Leadership. Yes, local leadership, eldership
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  so the church could stand on its own, govern itself and
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  importantly, self propagate. Keep the mission going.
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  Self-sustaining. That's the idea.
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  Think about Paul's statement in Romans 15.
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  He says something like there's no more work for me to do in
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  these regions. Even though not everyone had
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  heard the gospel. Right.
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  Precisely. He knew only a small percentage
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  had likely been directly exposed.
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  But his statement signals something important about his
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  goal. What's that?
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  He viewed the Great Commission as fulfilled in those areas.
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  Once healthy churches were planted, he saw them as outposts
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  of light or embassies of the Kingdom.
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  Embassies of the Kingdom. I like that, yeah.
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  And the sources explain why this church focus is so critical from
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  a long term perspective. Individual converts, if they're
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  not gathered into robust gospel preaching churches, they often,
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  well, their faith might only last one generation.
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  Really. Yeah.
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  They lack the consistent teaching, the accountability,
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  the community, the sacraments, all the things needed to sustain
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  faith and pass it on effectively.
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  Makes sense? But churches, healthy churches,
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  by God's grace and through the work of the Spirit, they can
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  last for generations. They multiply.
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  They spread the gospel far beyond the reach of the initial
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  missionary. So it's about long term impact,
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  not just initial decisions. Exactly.
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  And it's this long term, self-sustaining church planting
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  vision that the sources suggest has been maybe tragically
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  diminished in recent times. That clarity on defining
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  missions, really grounding it in church planting is so helpful.
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  It sets the stage significantly good.
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  But if that's the what the definition, what about the why?
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  What's the engine behind all this?
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  What should compel A believer you know you listening to
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  genuinely engage in missions, whether that's going or sending?
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  Right, the motivation, well, the sources point to a core
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  motivation. It's actually quite simple, but
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  also profoundly spiritual. OK, boils down to this.
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  Christ's love to me compels my love to Him.
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  Christ's love to me. Yes, He is initiating love for
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  us. That love then compels our love
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  to Him. And so I want to obey Him and do
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  what He has commanded. So obedience flows from love,
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  which flows from his love. Precisely, yeah.
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  It's not about mere duty or obligation, like just taking a
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  box. It's presented as an internal
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  drive. An internal.
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  Drive, yeah, and obedience that arises from a heart that's been
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  changed by God's grace. It links back to the New
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  Covenant promise, right? Where God's says He'll write His
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  laws on our hearts and cause us to walk in His ways.
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  Ezekiel 36. Jeremiah 31.
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  Exactly that spiritual renewal gives us a genuine desire to
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  obey His Word, which includes this very clear command to go
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  and proclaim Him to those who haven't heard.
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  So the compulsion is an external pressure.
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  It's an internal reality of the new birth.
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  That's how it's framed, an outflow of a love for Christ
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  that he himself first kindled in us.
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  That makes sense. It also sounds like there's a
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  deeply personal, almost familial aspect to this obedience as
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  well, beyond just following a command, like there's a
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  relationship involved. Oh, absolutely.
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  And one speaker described this with a really striking, intense
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  image, almost like a parent's fierce urgency.
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  What was the image? The driving thought was bring my
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  daughter home to me. Wow.
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  Bring my daughter home, Yeah. It's an analogy, of course, but
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  it helps us grasp this idea that God has an elect people chosen
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  in Christ, scattered across the world, and right now many of
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  them are effectively enslaved and spiritual darkness.
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  They're suffering, maybe even sold and bartered by false
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  ideologies, imprisoned by sin and Satan.
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  That's a powerful perspective. It is.
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  And that outlook, seeing it that way, it evokes a kind of fierce
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  courage, fighting spirit, a recognition, as one speaker put
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  it, that humans were made to fight not against flesh and
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  blood ultimately, but for God's purposes in the spiritual realm.
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  A willingness to engage in the battle.
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  Yes, a call to be willing to risk, to fight hell if you have
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  to die in order to bring them home.
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  To bring God's lost children into his family through the
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  gospel message. That really transforms missions,
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  doesn't it? From just a program or
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  theological concept to an urgent spiritual battle for souls
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  fueled by, well, divine affection, almost.
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  Exactly. It strips away any sense of
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  passivity. It becomes deeply personal and
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  urgent. And ultimately, listening to the
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  sources, it sounds like all these different motivations,
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  obedience driven by love, the familial urgency, they all seem
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  to culminate in one overarching reality, which is the supreme
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  worth of Christ himself. Yes, that's precisely it.
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  That's the absolute peak. Ultimately, all these
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  motivations find their zenith their highest point in the
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  inherent worthiness of Jesus Christ, the.
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  Lamb is worthy. That statement, the Lamb is
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  worthy, it just encapsulates everything.
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  He is worthy of all glory and honor.
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  And this understanding, this conviction of his boundless
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  worthiness, that is what ultimately drives a believers
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  desire to participate in missions.
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  Because when you truly perceive Him as He is, when His glory
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  grips your heart, the sources tell us, you'll never regret
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  what you gave to Him or for His cause.
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  Never regret what you gave. Right.
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  Their only regret, if they have any at all, will be what they
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  kept, what they held back from him.
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  That really shifts the perspective on sacrifice,
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  doesn't it? Completely.
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  It transforms giving, going, suffering, sacrificing.
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  It moves it from being a burden or a loss into a joyful, almost
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  reflexive response to seeing unparalleled worth.
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  It's a conviction that nothing we could possibly give even
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  compares to what he's done for us, or just to his own intrinsic
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  value. Exactly.
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  That's the ultimate fuel for the fire, his worthiness.
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  OK, let's shift gears a bit. Short term missions, STMS,
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  they're incredibly popular in many churches, right?
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  Lots of youth groups go adult teens.
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  Very common, yeah, but they also seem to attract a fair bit of
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  criticism sometimes. What are the main criticisms we
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  heard in the sources? And maybe more importantly, how
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  do the sources suggest they can be done well, if at all?
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  Right. Well, the sources definitely
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  highlighted several pretty significant downsides to poorly
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  executed STM's. Yeah, and they they didn't
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  really pull any punches. OK, let's hear it.
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  One major criticism was just the staggering cost, the financials.
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  How so? They gave an example of the
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  price of sending, say, 40 young people on what one speaker
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  somewhat cynically called a sanctified vacation.
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  Ouch. Yeah, that same amount of money
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  could potentially fund 20 to 25 national church planters for an
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  entire year. Wow, that's a huge disparity.
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  It really makes you think about stewardship, doesn't it?
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  Another issue raised was the preparation, or lack thereof, of
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  many participants, especially younger ones.
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  The view expressed was pretty strong.
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  Individuals shouldn't be sent to the field so that they can
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  acquire the fire for missions. Get motivated out there.
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  Yeah, like it's some kind of spiritual tourism to light their
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  fire. Instead, they should be sent
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  because they already have the fire, meaning they've already
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  demonstrated genuine dedication, service, and maturity at their
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  home church. Maybe they've read the whole
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  Bible. Maybe they've engaged in serious
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  theological study like systematic theology.
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  They've served faithfully locally first.
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  So sending unprepared people can actually be counterproductive.
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  That was definitely the argument.
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  It could do more harm than good. More harm than good?
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  That sounds like they could even be a hindrance to the long term
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  work happening on the ground. They absolutely can be,
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  according to these sources. Missionaries who are living and
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  working long term on the field, they often find these poorly
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  planned STM's a significant burden.
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  A burden How? One speaker mentioned that some
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  missionaries actually dread the summer months.
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  Bread them? Yeah, because churches sometimes
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  send teens of people who frankly, in the words of one
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  speaker, have no business there. They're unprepared, maybe
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  immature. Then the missionary has to.
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  The missionary ends up having to basically entertain children,
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  manage the group, solve their problems instead of focusing on
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  their primary vital work. Gospel proclamation,
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  information, discipleship, Church planting, their core
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  mission. Get sidelined.
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  That's not good. No, missions, as it was
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  described, is not a game. It's a war, a spiritual war.
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  And participation in that war, especially on the front lines,
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  should be earned through serious preparation, spiritual
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  discipline, a clear understanding of the stakes.
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  It shouldn't just be assumed anyone can jump in for a week.
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  Earned, not assumed. Right.
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  And beyond that, a major criticism was the motivation
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  behind many STM's. What about the motivation?
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  Many are criticized for being designed primarily for the
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  benefit of the Western participant.
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  How so? You know, forgetting those
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  Instagram worthy selfies in a foreign context or having a life
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  changing experience or simply to change your life.
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  The focus shifts from the mission itself to the personal
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  growth or experience of the short termer.
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  And the sources saw that as. As a fun, fundamentally twisted
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  understanding of Christian missions, it inverts the
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  purpose. It makes the primary goal
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  serving the participants experience rather than serving
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  God's Kingdom and the people they're supposedly there to
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  reach. OK, so those are some pretty
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  significant pitfalls. Cost.
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  Lack of preparation, burdening missionaries, wrong motivations.
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  Yeah, it's a sobering list. So given all that, how can STMS
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  be conducted effectively? How can they actually align with
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  biblical missions and support the long term work rather than
• 15:56
  detracting from it? Is there a good way?
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  Yes, the sources do offer a way forward.
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  The key they suggest is to completely reorient the purpose
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  of the trip. Reorient the purpose.
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  Now, instead of centering the trip on the participants
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  experience or growth, STM should be solely exclusively about the
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  mission there focused. Outward, not inward.
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  Exactly. Meaning they exist purely to
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  serve and support the long term missionary or the national
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  church partner on the ground. The ones who will continue the
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  work long after the short term team has gone home.
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  How does that practically change things?
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  It requires churches back home to stop planning trips based on
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  what they think would be good or what their people want to do.
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  Instead, they need to actively consult their missionary
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  partners on the field with real intentionality.
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  Ask the missionary first. Yes, ask them directly what do
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  you need, how can we actually help you and the work God is
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  doing there. This completely changes the
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  dynamic. It moves from a top down, often
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  western centric approach to one of humble strategic support for
• 17:00
  those already laboring. So it's service driven based on
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  needs identified on the field. Precisely.
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  And this also means these trips should be viewed as a privilege,
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  not a right. A privilege.
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  Yeah, requiring rigorous preparation, spiritual maturity,
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  genuine dedication. Churches should be screening
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  participants, sending only those who are truly ready to be assets
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  on the field, not liabilities. OK, that makes sense.
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  Can you give us some concrete examples?
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  What would that kind of specific helpful support look like in an
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  STM? Absolutely.
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  The sources suggest the most effective use of STMS is often
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  to send in specialists, people who possess specific skills or
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  expertise that meet a defined, often urgent need that the long
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  term missionary or national church has identified.
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  Like what? OK, for instance, sending
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  pastor, theologians, men who really know how to exposite
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  scripture, well, send me them for maybe a week or two
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  specifically to train men on the field.
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  Training local leaders. Exactly.
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  Local pastors, aspiring elders, church leaders, giving them
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  solid biblical interpretation skills, sound doctrine that has
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  a lasting impact. OK, what else?
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  Another example, sending contractors or other skilled
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  tradespeople, maybe plumbers, electricians, builders,
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  construction. Yeah, to build a repair
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  facilities needed for the mission, maybe for a Bible
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  college, an orphanage, a church building providing critical
• 18:19
  infrastructure that directly supports the long term ministry.
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  Practical, tangible support. Very practical.
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  Or here's another one, sending experienced children's ministry
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  workers, but not just to run Avbs for the local kids for a
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  week. No, but then.
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  The goal would be to train local people, local church members, on
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  how to run programs like Vacation Bible School
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  effectively in their own communities, using their own
• 18:44
  resources and language. Empowering them for sustainable
• 18:47
  ministry. Exactly.
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  It's about equipping, not just doing it for them.
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  These are examples where the short term team fills a specific
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  gap, provides specialized training, or completes A crucial
• 18:57
  project that genuinely empowers the long term work instead of
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  just being a brief disconnected event.
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  That's a much more strategic vision for STM.
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  It really is focused on the need, focused on the long term.
• 19:08
  OK, this next topic feels very 21st century.
• 19:12
  It probably wasn't on the minds of missionaries even a few
• 19:14
  decades ago, right? Artificial intelligence?
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  AI. Does AI have a proper place in
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  visions? What did the sources say about
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  this? Yeah, this was a fascinating
• 19:24
  part of the discussion. The sources presented a very
• 19:27
  careful, very nuanced view here. Nuanced out.
• 19:30
  They generally viewed AI as potentially valid, even helpful,
• 19:34
  for missions, but only in specific supportive capacities.
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  Supportive roles. Yes, primarily in areas where it
• 19:41
  genuinely enhances efficiency over comes logistical barriers
• 19:44
  or maybe scales access to resources.
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  But there was a very strong, very clear, unqualified
• 19:52
  rejection of using AI in the core spiritual aspects of
• 19:55
  ministry, preaching, pastoring, that kind of thing.
• 19:58
  So a definite line in the sand. A very clear line.
• 20:01
  Applying AI to those core functions was seen as
• 20:04
  fundamentally problematic. One speaker even used the word
• 20:07
  abomination. Abomination.
• 20:09
  Strong word. OK, so where is AI considered
• 20:13
  acceptable or maybe even helpful in missions?
• 20:16
  Translation work was by far the most frequently highlighted and
• 20:19
  accepted use, and you can see why, right?
• 20:21
  Makes sense. Language barriers are huge.
• 20:23
  Huge AI can be a tremendous benefit here, translating vital
• 20:27
  theological material, sermons, books, Bible curricula into
• 20:29
  different languages, making sound doctrine accessible in
• 20:32
  places where it's scarce or where finding skilled human
• 20:35
  translators is difficult or slow.
• 20:37
  Any examples given? Yeah, they mentioned AI being
• 20:39
  used to translate entire theological curricula into
• 20:41
  languages like Hindi, apparently in something crazy like 30
• 20:45
  seconds, providing potentially a year's worth of solid teaching
• 20:48
  material. Almost instantly.
• 20:51
  Another ministry was mentioned that successfully used AI to
• 20:54
  translate their online content into Spanish.
• 20:57
  Their Spanish ministry apparently grew to be 4 times
• 21:00
  larger than their original English one.
• 21:02
  AI opened doors they couldn't have opened otherwise just due
• 21:05
  to scale. Incredible reach potential.
• 21:07
  There definitely beyond translation, AI can also assist
• 21:11
  significantly with administrative tasks.
• 21:14
  Like what? Managing complex financial
• 21:16
  reporting between countries, handling legal compliance
• 21:19
  issues, processing grant applications, coordinating
• 21:22
  logistics for missionaries. Things that take up a lot of
• 21:25
  time and energy. Streamlining the practical side.
• 21:27
  Exactly. It can help diminish to some
• 21:30
  degree, as one speaker put it, the linguistic and bureaucratic
• 21:33
  barriers that missionaries face, potentially freeing them up more
• 21:36
  for direct ministry and accelerating the practical
• 21:39
  aspects of gospel spread. So efficiency, scale, overcoming
• 21:42
  barriers, that seems to be the theme for acceptable uses.
• 21:46
  That's the common thread, yes. Not replacing core spiritual
• 21:49
  functions. OK, with such a powerful tool
• 21:52
  though, what are the key ethical considerations?
• 21:55
  If you're going to use AI in missions, what guardrails need
• 21:58
  to be in place? Crucial question The sources
• 22:01
  stressed that if AI is used, it must be employed with good
• 22:04
  ethics and clear integrity. Like what specifically?
• 22:08
  Transparency was key. Being honest with the audience
• 22:11
  about a IS involvement. For example.
• 22:13
  For example, if you use an AI generated voice for a video
• 22:16
  narration, don't alter the speaker's lip movements to match
• 22:19
  perfectly, creating a false impression.
• 22:22
  It's the actual person speaking that language.
• 22:24
  The public should know what's going on.
• 22:26
  Avoid any kind of deception. Transparency.
• 22:29
  Got it. What else?
• 22:30
  Another critical ethical point was the absolute need for human
• 22:33
  oversight, particularly theological oversight.
• 22:36
  You need human subject matter experts.
• 22:39
  The sources emphasize seminary educated men, here reflecting
• 22:42
  the context of the discussion, to rigorously review, refine and
• 22:45
  ensure the accuracy and theological soundness of any AI
• 22:48
  generated content. Why is that so vital?
• 22:50
  Because AI, especially when dealing with complex theological
• 22:53
  nuances or biblical interpretation, often produces
• 22:56
  results that are only, say, about 60 to 70% percent accurate
• 23:00
  or appropriate. Only 6070%.
• 23:02
  Yeah, so to just take AI output and disseminate it without
• 23:06
  rigorous human checking and correction would be
• 23:09
  irresponsible. You'd risk spreading error,
• 23:11
  misrepresenting scripture, teaching bad doctrine.
• 23:15
  That's a serious ethical and theological failing.
• 23:18
  So human validation is non negotiable.
• 23:20
  Absolutely paramount. Yeah.
• 23:21
  Transparency and human validation.
• 23:23
  OK, now let's wait to that clear boundary line you mentioned.
• 23:26
  Where is AI absolutely forbidden in ministry according to these
• 23:30
  sources, even if it seems like it could be effective?
• 23:33
  The line was drawn very firmly at preaching and sermon writing.
• 23:36
  No AI preachers. An absolute rejection of using
• 23:39
  AI to preach or even to write sermons for a human to deliver.
• 23:42
  This was strongly condemned. Again, that phrase dancing with
• 23:45
  the the Devil came up. Dancing with the Devil.
• 23:47
  It was seen as fundamentally undermining the unique personal
• 23:50
  spirit LED work of a human preacher.
• 23:52
  Why? What's unique about the human
• 23:54
  preacher that AI can't replicate?
• 23:56
  Preaching, as the sources explained it, involves more than
• 23:59
  just conveying information accurately.
• 24:02
  It involves the immediate illumination of the Holy Spirit
• 24:04
  in the moment of preparation and delivery.
• 24:07
  It involves the unique work of the Spirit through fallible,
• 24:11
  embodied human beings. Fallible humans.
• 24:14
  Yes, that fallibility is part of it.
• 24:16
  God uses weak vessels, that personal connection, that
• 24:19
  wrestling with the text, that dependence on the Spirit that
• 24:22
  cannot by its very nature be replicated by a machine, no
• 24:26
  matter how sophisticated. So even if AI could
• 24:29
  theoretically craft a sermon that was more eloquent or
• 24:32
  logically structured. Even then, even if AI could
• 24:35
  somehow preach better than we can in terms of rhetoric or
• 24:38
  organization, using it for that core spiritual function is still
• 24:42
  considered an abomination. Why abomination?
• 24:44
  Why such a strong term? What's the underlying principle?
• 24:47
  The underlying principle seems to be that the Christian faith,
• 24:50
  the Church, and all true ministry are inherently embodied
• 24:53
  and relational. They involve real people in real
• 24:56
  space and time. Embodied and relational.
• 24:58
  Yes, AI being disembodied and non relational in a human sense
• 25:03
  should never replace direct physical presence and
• 25:06
  interaction. Interaction among believers, and
• 25:09
  especially between a pastor and his flock.
• 25:11
  So concepts like a virtual church run by AI or using AI
• 25:15
  bots for pastoral care or teaching.
• 25:18
  Those are considered not what that is.
• 25:20
  They fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the church and
• 25:23
  ministry. They lack the physical presence,
• 25:25
  the personal knowledge built over time, the shared human
• 25:28
  experience, the empathy born of shared fallibility, the tears,
• 25:32
  the prayers, everything essential to true Christian
• 25:35
  community and pastoral care. It lacks the human element, the
• 25:38
  incarnational aspect almost. Precisely.
• 25:40
  One speaker made the point very powerfully.
• 25:42
  The Lord didn't even send angels to preach the word for us, He
• 25:45
  sent fallible men. Good point.
• 25:47
  So the concern isn't primarily about the technology of AI
• 25:50
  itself. It's more about the potential
• 25:52
  for a superficial theology that might lead someone to misuse it
• 25:56
  in these sacred areas, thereby distorting the very nature of
• 25:59
  what God has ordained for His Church and the proclamation of
• 26:01
  His Word. It's about preserving the God
• 26:04
  ordained means human relational, spirit dependent ministry.
• 26:09
  That seems to be the core concern, yes.
• 26:11
  OK, we've covered a lot. The definition of missions, the
• 26:14
  motivation, strategies like STM, the place of technology.
• 26:18
  This brings us back home in a sense.
• 26:20
  What about the local church itself?
• 26:23
  The sending church, The home base.
• 26:25
  What is its proper role in global missions according to
• 26:29
  these sources? Well, the home church isn't just
• 26:31
  involved. It's absolutely critical.
• 26:33
  It's foundational. Remember the definition we
• 26:35
  started? With yeah 1 biblical church
• 26:37
  sending out. Exactly 1 biblical church
• 26:39
  sending out elder, qualified Proclaimers and qualified fellow
• 26:43
  workers to plant another church. The definition itself starts
• 26:48
  with the local church. So Missions is an outflow of the
• 26:50
  church. It should be an outflow of a
• 26:52
  healthy, functioning local church.
• 26:53
  The home church has the primary responsibility, according to
• 26:56
  these sources, for identifying, affirming, equipping, and then
• 27:00
  sending out the goers, the goers, the missionaries
• 27:03
  themselves. Right.
• 27:04
  And notice it's about identifying those who already
• 27:07
  have the fire for missions, those who've proven their
• 27:10
  calling, their character, their dedication through consistent
• 27:14
  study, faithful service within their local congregation first,
• 27:18
  and who have a clear gospel witness right where they are.
• 27:21
  So the church isn't just like a travel agency for anyone who
• 27:24
  wants to go. Definitely not.
• 27:26
  It's a discerning body. It's responsible for sending
• 27:29
  those who have been clearly called and are adequately
• 27:32
  prepared theologically, spiritually, practically.
• 27:35
  This requires intentional discipleship within the local
• 27:38
  church, actively identifying those with the gifts at heart
• 27:41
  for the nations, and providing robust preparation before
• 27:44
  sending them out. OK, so the church identifies,
• 27:47
  equips, and sends the goers, but what about the rest of us, those
• 27:50
  who aren't called to go across cultures?
• 27:53
  How do we participate from the home base?
• 27:54
  Yeah, and this is where that well known saying, often
• 27:57
  attributed to John Piper, comes in handy.
• 27:59
  Go send or disobey. Go send or disobey, OK?
• 28:03
  It highlights that every single believer has a critical role to
• 28:07
  play in fulfilling the Great Commission.
• 28:10
  If you're not called to go, then you're called to be an excellent
• 28:13
  sender. An excellent sender.
• 28:15
  What does that involve it? Involves a lot.
• 28:18
  It can mean actively raising your children, nurturing and
• 28:21
  discipling them in such a way that they might become goers.
• 28:25
  Praying for that even. Raising up the next generation.
• 28:28
  It involves disciple in other church members right there in
• 28:30
  your local context, stirring within them a heart for the
• 28:33
  nation's, encouraging them to consider missionary service if
• 28:37
  God might be calling them. Encouraging others.
• 28:39
  Definitely. And of course, it means
• 28:41
  financially supporting missionaries generously,
• 28:44
  recognizing, as one speaker put it, that often first world money
• 28:48
  also drives Third World missions, providing the
• 28:51
  practical resources needed. Financial support is crucial.
• 28:55
  Absolutely, and it also includes praying fervently for
• 28:57
  missionaries and the unreached, and actively stirring up zeal
• 29:01
  for missions within the church community through prayer
• 29:04
  meetings, updates, encouragement.
• 29:06
  Creating a supportive environment.
• 29:08
  Exactly. Creating what was called a good
• 29:10
  ecosystem, An environment where the goers feel supported and are
• 29:15
  unashamed to ask the senders for the practical, financial and
• 29:19
  prayer support they desperately need.
• 29:21
  And the senders. And the senders see their money,
• 29:23
  their time, their homes, their very lies, not as their own, but
• 29:26
  as resources belonging to God entrusted to them, to be used
• 29:30
  strategically to enable the gospel to go out to the ends of
• 29:33
  the earth. It's a partnership, A symbiotic
• 29:35
  relationship really. Very much so.
• 29:38
  Goers and senders equally vital, working together under God.
• 29:42
  Now here's a potential tension. Is there a risk that a home
• 29:45
  church, by focusing so much energy and resources on global
• 29:49
  missions, might end up neglecting its local ministry?
• 29:52
  You know the needs right there in its own community.
• 29:54
  That's a fair question, yeah, but the sources argued pretty
• 29:57
  strongly that there's no inherent risk here, provided the
• 30:00
  motivation for global missions is genuinely biblical.
• 30:03
  How? So.
• 30:04
  The argument is that a church genuinely biblically focused on
• 30:08
  global missions is demonstrating a true preoccupation with the
• 30:11
  gospel itself and a deep desire to obey the Great Commission.
• 30:15
  And that kind of passion, that gospel centrality, the sources
• 30:19
  contend, will naturally overflow into healthy, vibrant local
• 30:23
  ministry as well. You can't be passionate about
• 30:26
  reaching the unreached far away if you're indifferent to the
• 30:29
  lost right next door. The passion should apply
• 30:31
  everywhere. Right.
• 30:33
  Plus, think about it. To to be effectively involved in
• 30:37
  setting out qualified missionaries, a church likely
• 30:39
  needs to have things in place locally, like qualified elders
• 30:42
  themselves, and establish ways of raising up leaders.
• 30:45
  That indicates robust local health to begin with.
• 30:48
  Good point. The sending capacity reflects
• 30:50
  local health. Exactly.
• 30:52
  Now a pastor's primary day-to-day calling is still
• 30:54
  absolutely to shepherd and love the people who come to that
• 30:57
  church and to feed them faithfully with God's Word.
• 31:01
  His focus shouldn't be to just use them for some global vision.
• 31:04
  Right, shepherd the flock first. Absolutely.
• 31:07
  But here's the interesting paradox, the sources pointed
• 31:10
  out. If a pastor faithfully devotes
• 31:13
  himself to pastoring his local flock while feeding them, caring
• 31:17
  for them, God often sovereignly uses that healthy local ministry
• 31:21
  to raise up other people from within that flock that will
• 31:25
  really be involved in this Great Commission.
• 31:26
  So healthy local church life fuels missions.
• 31:29
  That's the idea. They use the example of Doctor
• 31:31
  John MacArthur. His primary focus for decades
• 31:34
  has been faithfully pastoring Grace Community Church.
• 31:36
  Right, expository preaching week after week.
• 31:39
  Exactly. And yet, out of that intense
• 31:41
  local focus, God raised up a massive global movement,
• 31:45
  training countless pastors and missionaries through the
• 31:47
  seminary and other ministries, who then went out from that
• 31:49
  healthy local church to preach the gospel worldwide.
• 31:53
  So the passion for the gospel at home inevitably overflows.
• 31:56
  It doesn't have to be either. That's the argument.
• 31:58
  A truly gospel centered church will be missional both locally
• 32:01
  and globally. The same heartbeat drives both.
• 32:04
  OK, this has been incredibly helpful, clarifying so many
• 32:08
  aspects we've talked about the what definition, the why
• 32:11
  motivation, the how strategies like SDMS, tech, the home church
• 32:16
  role. Now maybe the final piece.
• 32:19
  How do we measure success? Yes, measuring success always
• 32:25
  tricky. How does a missionary, or maybe
• 32:28
  the supporting church back home, know when the work is actually
• 32:32
  done in a particular region or among a people group?
• 32:36
  What's the finish line look like, right?
• 32:37
  Well, according to the sources, a missionary specific task in a
• 32:41
  given region is generally considered done when a certain
• 32:44
  goal is reached, which is the establishment of a healthy,
• 32:47
  reproducing, self-sustaining gospel church with their own
• 32:49
  elders and deacons. Healthy reproducing,
• 32:52
  self-sustaining with local leadership.
• 32:54
  That's quite a list. It is, and it's not just a
• 32:55
  simple checklist. It implies several critical
• 32:58
  components are in place. Like what?
• 32:59
  It means there are local men raised up from within that
• 33:02
  church who can clearly and faithfully proclaim the Gospel.
• 33:05
  Means the Church understands and properly practices the
• 33:08
  sacraments. Baptism in the Lord's Supper.
• 33:10
  Ordinances are key. Yes, it means they understand
• 33:13
  and are willing to practice biblical church discipline as
• 33:17
  laid out in Scripture for the health and purity of the body.
• 33:20
  Often neglected but vital. Vital It means the church
• 33:23
  ideally possesses the Bible in their own heart language and are
• 33:27
  being taught how to read it, understand it and apply it to
• 33:30
  their lives. Access to God's Word.
• 33:32
  Crucial and importantly, it means they are actively training
• 33:36
  others to carry on the work, passing the baton to the next
• 33:40
  generation of their own people, including disciple of their own
• 33:43
  children in the faith. Multiplication built in.
• 33:45
  Yes, and finally, it means the church itself has developed a
• 33:48
  heart for outreach and interest in reaching others for Christ,
• 33:52
  both in their own context and potentially beyond.
• 33:55
  They've caught the vision. So it becomes ascending church
• 33:57
  itself, potentially. That's the ultimate goal.
• 34:00
  The sources mentioned the story of the Alighty Church in the
• 34:03
  Philippines as a powerful example.
• 34:04
  What happened there? Apparently, years after the
• 34:07
  initial missionaries had left, this indigenous Adi church was
• 34:10
  not only surviving, but thriving.
• 34:13
  And through its own ongoing witness, it actually LED a
• 34:16
  visiting anthropologist to faith in Christ.
• 34:19
  Wow, that's reproduction. Exactly, it demonstrated true
• 34:23
  self sustainability and reproduction.
• 34:25
  That's the goal. A church that can thrive, grow,
• 34:28
  and continue the mission without ongoing external missionary
• 34:32
  presence. That's a really clear benchmark
• 34:35
  for completion of the initial missionary task.
• 34:38
  But what about the personal side of things?
• 34:40
  What if a missionary laborers faithfully for years, decades
• 34:43
  even, without seeing that kind of visible fruit?
• 34:46
  No immediate conversions, no church plant getting off the
• 34:49
  ground? What then?
• 34:50
  How do they measure success? And that brings us to what the
• 34:52
  sources presented as the ultimate metric of success, the
• 34:55
  one that stands above all visible outcomes, which is
• 34:58
  faithfulness. Faithfulness.
• 34:59
  Yes, well, seeing converts, seeing churches planted and
• 35:02
  growing, that's wonderful, desirable, A cause for immense
• 35:05
  rejoicing. God gives the grow.
• 35:07
  But the sources were very clear. The true measure of your
• 35:10
  ministry is going to be were you faithful?
• 35:13
  Did you stay the course? Did you stay when it was hard?
• 35:16
  O success isn't ultimately defined by the results we see.
• 35:20
  Not primarily measuring success solely by external metrics like
• 35:24
  number of baptisms or number of churches planted.
• 35:27
  They can lead to a really crushing endless cycle that we
• 35:30
  will always lose. Why lose?
• 35:32
  Because it externalizes the measure of success, it places it
• 35:35
  on outcomes that are ultimately sovereignly in God's hands, not
• 35:38
  ours. We plant.
• 35:39
  We water, but God gives the increase.
• 35:42
  Right, First Corinthians 3. Exactly so the ultimate measure
• 35:45
  for the missionary on the field and for the sending church
• 35:47
  praying back home must be faithfulness to the King.
• 35:51
  Faithfulness to the King. This perspective is particularly
• 35:54
  vital and, frankly, deeply encouraging for those
• 35:57
  missionaries who face years, maybe a lifetime, without seeing
• 36:00
  much visible fruit, those grappling with sickness,
• 36:04
  persecution, loneliness, extreme hardships.
• 36:06
  When results aren't obvious, right?
• 36:09
  Their perseverance in the face of adversity, their dedication
• 36:12
  to staying put, to continuing to proclaim the gospel faithfully,
• 36:16
  to living a godly life as a witness even when no one seems
• 36:19
  to respond that, the sources powerfully state, is the true
• 36:22
  indicator of success in God's eyes.
• 36:24
  Obedient endurance, regardless of outcome.
• 36:27
  That's it. Faithfulness to the one who
• 36:29
  called them. That's the measure that matters
• 36:31
  eternally. Wow, what a rich deep dive this
• 36:35
  has been really digging into the biblical foundations but also
• 36:39
  the practical realities of missions today.
• 36:41
  Yeah, A. Lot to think about.
• 36:42
  From that core calling to church planting, which came through so
• 36:46
  clearly, definitely central to the critical role of the home
• 36:49
  churches as senders and supporters.
• 36:52
  And even navigating these these new questions around technology
• 36:57
  like AI, it's really clear that the Great Commission isn't just
• 37:00
  some historical document. It's a living, active call for
• 37:04
  all believers, for you listening.
• 37:05
  It really is. And running through everything
• 37:07
  we discussed, perhaps the clearest thread, the thing that
• 37:09
  ties it all together, is that every aspect of mission, every
• 37:12
  strategy, every sacrifice, every effort, every motivation, it
• 37:16
  finds its ultimate meaning, its ultimate energy, its ultimate
• 37:19
  purpose in the profound, infinite worthiness of Jesus
• 37:22
  Christ, the. Lamb is worthy.
• 37:24
  The Lamb is worthy. So maybe as you listening,
• 37:27
  reflect on what you've heard today.
• 37:29
  Here's a thought to sit with If Christ is truly as worthy as the
• 37:33
  Bible declares him to be, worthy of all glory, all honor, all
• 37:36
  praise, what is it, if anything, that you might still be holding
• 37:40
  back from Him? That's a powerful, maybe
• 37:42
  challenging thought to end on. Thank you for joining us on this
• 37:45
  deep dive into missions here on Reformed Thinking.
• 37:47
  My pleasure. Until next time, May God grant
• 37:50
  you wisdom and zeal as you seek to honor Him in all things.