As Tim considered serving overseas in the Middle East, he invited his small group to walk alongside him. They have supported him as he has experienced delays and frustrations in the process. They have encouraged him to obey the Scripture and submit to elders while waiting to be sent. And they’ve prayed with him each week.
This is the story of one small group in my church. Small groups can play an important role to support aspiring missionaries as they prepare to be sent by their church. Not only can your small group participate in God’s global mission by supporting fellow small group members, they can do so by seeking opportunities to share the gospel, support missionaries, and pray for all nations to hear the hope we have in Christ.
First Steps
As followers of Christ, our command is clear: go and make disciples among all nations (Matthew 28:16–20). We can begin by discipling one another in our small groups. Eventually, we can make disciples in our communities and around the world.
Time with your small group is an opportunity to study Scripture, ask questions, and build a solid theological foundation. The more we study Scripture, the greater our motivation should be to put it into action.
Small groups also present an opportunity to practice and to become comfortable sharing your testimony. When my small group was first formed and new members joined, we chose someone each week to share their testimony. This provides time to learn about one another and makes sharing your personal testimony with others less daunting.
It Takes a Church
In Matthew 18, Jesus refers back to Matthew 16 and affirms that he has given the local church the keys of the kingdom, meaning that only the church has the authority to bind and loose (Matthew 16:19, 18:17–20). In other words, the local church has been given the ability to act by divine authority. He says that what they bind, or forbid, on earth will be bound in heaven. And what they lose, or permit, on earth will be permitted in heaven.
God has given the local church a type of authority that he has not given to parachurch organizations, campus ministries, or individuals. Furthermore, Acts 13:1–3 shows us that it is the local church who affirms and sends missionaries through the example of the church at Antioch who sent Paul and Barnabas. Aspiring missionaries should be authorized by the leaders of a local church, affirmed by the congregation, and sent by the church to serve overseas.
However, if a member of your small group aspires to serve overseas, members of the small group can help your church confirm that the candidate meets the character requirements for elders, deacons, and deacon-like roles presented in 1 Timothy 3.
These requirements serve as guidelines for the characteristics a missionary should embody. Since you are walking through life together, you will know the person’s character, biblical and theological knowledge, and skills. Plus, small group members will know if the person is already making disciples in your community before being sent overseas.
Small group members will know if the person is already making disciples in your community before being sent overseas.
Everybody’s In
As the body of Christ, we know that we all play different roles (1 Corinthians 12:12–27). All who are part of the church are called to obey the Great Commission, but some of us may be going as missionaries to unreached places while others stay home as support.
One way your small group can take part in the Great Commission is by supporting missionaries that your local church has sent. Build relationships with these missionaries, support them financially, and pray for specific requests they have.
Houses to Nations
In small groups, we often use our time of prayer to pray for each other’s needs and the challenges we are facing. While this might take precedence, small groups can also take time to pray for the spread of the gospel to all nations, including specific countries or people groups. Some small groups might decide to adopt both a people group or a missionary in prayer.
Just like how Tim’s small group, after years of encouraging and supporting him, is seeing fruit produced, as he is now preparing to leave this summer to serve in the Middle East, we too can take active steps to work together as the body of Christ to help spread the gospel of hope to all nations.
Selah Vetter is a Content Writer at Radical. She is a graduate of Samford University where she studied Journalism and Spanish. She is a member of Redeemer Community Church.
