15. The Opportunities of Serving the Globally Mobile IV (MICN Missiology Series by Andrew Lupton)
Ministry to the Nations
International churches aren’t just equipping congregants for the mission to the next generation living down the hall (the next generation). They serve a unique role in equipping and deploying believers for the mission to all nations. International churches have historically operated in an insular fashion. The history of the United Church of Bogotá attests to that reality. Granted, Colombia has been an unstable context for the international community, but to my knowledge UCB has never multiplied in its 155-year history. When I arrived, I also noticed that UCB’s congregants were very underwhelmed by, and perhaps even embittered against, its mobile target market.
In April of 2016 international church leaders from The Fellowship of European International Churches, The Chinese International Fellowship Network, The Global International Church Network, and leaders from MICN gathered to make sure the next 150 years of international churches leaves a different legacy. Lord-willing, this will be a legacy of multiplication as these international church leaders signed a covenant in order to unite to “unleash the Great Commission in the diverse and transient contexts in which they live and serve.” 1
International churches with missional mindsets are perfectly positioned to reach the nations and the next generation globally and locally. Warren Reeve describes the various avenues through which international churches may unleash the Great Commission by mobilizing the already mobile for gospel impact. In addition to evangelism to and through expats, Reeve highlights the uniqueness of discipleship within international church. International churches often produce “well-rounded, holistic, multicultural disciples who reproduce themselves when they move on….” He jests that believers who are discipled in an international church context have been “ruined for the ordinary and prepared for the extraordinary.”
The most compelling aspect of an international church’s participation on the mission is its sending ability. Reeve locates the international church at “the divine intersection of migration, multiculturalism, and pluralism so that people are meeting people, catching the gospel on the ride to the next intersection.” A missional international church will learn to view the annual June exodus of its members as a sending opportunity to be celebrated rather than a threat to its stability. At UCB we set aside one Sunday every June to acknowledge this strategic sending opportunity. ‘Send-off Sunday’ is an occasion to not only say goodbye to congregants, but to lay our hands on them to pray for and commission them for the mission of being our ambassadors to the nations and the next generation. It is a weighty, beautiful moment every year. Through this ritual we are reminded that the trauma of mobility is worth it for the sake of the gospel’s global impact.
Ministry to Closed Nations
Reeve comments that international churches are able to reach nations that are out of the normal reach of missions agencies. Closed countries will often permit an international church as long as its focus is exclusively on ministry to foreigners. He cites megachurch-sized international churches in the United Arab Emirates or churches like the one in Saudi Arabia with over 500 in attendance led by a North American. Our church has received members from international churches in closed countries like these and the strategic impact of their former church is astonishing. I can’t help but also observe that believers from these churches are humble, dynamic servants of Christ’s church ready to roll up their sleeves for local service and maximum impact.
Beyond supporting international churches in closed countries, most international churches impact unreached people in closed countries by regularly sending congregants to places most missions agencies aren’t allowed to deploy missionaries. The brilliance of pastoring a parade is that the members of the parade are always going somewhere, including places where very few Christians exist and are allowed access. What’s more, the church or mission doesn’t invest a penny financially because the international school, business, NGO, or government moves and sustains these strategic, undercover missionaries.
One former UCB member works for the U.S. Department of Justice and often finds himself in the same room with the world’s worst terrorists or criminals. He described to me the way he shamelessly shares the gospel when he’s face to face with these criminals while discussing extradition or ways they can help the U.S. fight against criminal organizations and terrorists. It’s a beautifully clear gospel presentation and it warms my heart to know that our church has played an influential part in developing this strategic missionary and sending him on to his next destination.
But what about God’s mission to our host nations? Are international churches positioned to advance God’s mission locally? Tune in next week to find out!
Andrew Lupton
1 Sadiri Joy Tira & Tetsunao Yamamori, Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology (Chapter 11: Unleashing Great Commission Potential through International Churches by Warren Reeve, section: The Missional International Church.
