The Mission of the Church Part 2 Ecclesiology The Mission of the Church Part 2

Evangelization Many well-meaning pastors place this part of the mission of the church above all others. This is misguided for the simple reason that the members of the church are ill-prepared for effective evangelism if they do not understand and practice the presence of God. Is the thrust of the church to be doxological or soteriological? Is there a conflict between the two, or is it a matter of priorities?

Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. Churches which do not engage in evangelism die of attrition.

The burden for evangelism was evident in the first church The burden for evangelism was evident in the first church. In very public ways, the gospel was communicated to the community. (Acts 5:42 ) The mandate for evangelism is emphasized five times during the forty day post-resurrection ministry of Christ. (Mat. 28:18-20 ; Mark 16:14,15; Luke 24:43-48; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:4-8)

The concentric circles reaching out from the local church define the evangelistic outreach of the church.

Jesus did not say that evangelism might occur Jesus did not say that evangelism might occur. He stated that it would inevitably occur.

Every local church must maintain the heartthrob of the New Testament Every local church must maintain the heartthrob of the New Testament. Global evangelization means moving out from the local assembly through the concentric circles of culture to the entire world.

Churches which do not evangelize fossilize Churches which do not evangelize fossilize. Church which do not have a vision for missions become like the Dead Sea. Everything flows in, nothing flows out. Ere long there is no life left in the briny water.

Education The only qualified venue to train believers for effective service for Christ is the local church. A foundation must be laid. If there is a tragic failure in most churches it is in the realm of discipleship which partially explains the high rate of spiritual casualties among new believers.

Another aspect of effective church training lies in the giftedness of the trainers. God gave a number of spiritual gifts to the church for the express purpose of enabling the ministry. Among those gifts are gifted men. (Eph. 4:11-16) God has provided preachers, evangelists (possibly missionaries) and pastor-teacher. Certainly the pastor does not do all of the instruction of the saints; he does do the major portion and oversees the balance. He must oversee because he must give account of how he has protected the souls committed to his care. (Heb. 13:17 )

The Word of God must be utilized with integrity The Word of God must be utilized with integrity. There is no room for private interpretation. (2 Pet 1:20; 2 Cor. 4:1-3) The faithful impartation of information from the Word of God must be accompanied by appropriate application so that believers grasp the meaning as well as the responsibility for acting upon the truth they have received. (2 Pet. 1:1-11)

In many cases, the pastor must be a trainer of trainers In many cases, the pastor must be a trainer of trainers. He must mentor and prepare people within the congregation to expand the educational process both inside the church and through the outreach of the church. (2 Tim. 2:1,2)

The pastor must be continuously and profoundly immersed in the Word of God.

The truth must be transmitted generationally in the church!