LCMS Seven Mission Responses

Learn

·        about God’s view of the world.
Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; Rom. 8:19-21; John 3:16

·        about God’s mission for the world.
1 Tim. 2:3-4

·        about the people God cares about. Where are they?
Ps. 2:8; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rev. 7:9-10

·        about what God’s Church is doing in the world.
Ps. 96, Matt. 5:14-16; Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47; Acts 8:4

·        about missionaries. What do they do?
Matt. 5:13-16; John 4, especially verses 28-30, 39-42; Acts 8:4; 1 Cor. 1:23; 1 Cor. 3:6-10;

      1 Cor. 12:4-11

Pray

·        for unbelievers I know

·        for a specific people group, mission field or mission need

·        for world evangelization

·        for myself to be a better witness

·        for missionaries, national workers/leaders and their families

Matt. 9:35-38; 2 Cor. 4:7-18; 2 Thess. 3:1-2

Give

·        to support local and district mission projects

·        to my congregation to support LCMS World Mission work

·        to special mission projects in LCMS mission fields

Matt. 6:33-34; Acts 4:32-37; 1 Cor. 16:1-3; 2 Cor. 8:1-15; Phil. 4:10-19

Tell

·        fellow members about God’s mission

·        about what I’ve learned by being involved in God’s mission

Acts 14:26-28; Acts 11:1-18; 11:19-22

Send

·        by identifying family, friends and other people I know who might have the gifts to serve as missionaries

·        by caring for missionaries and their families through writing, hosting and asking for other ways to help

Acts 13:1-3, Acts 14:26-28; Acts 18:27-28; 2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 2:19-24; Col. 4:7-9

Go

·        right now to people I know near me who need Jesus

·        wherever the Lord directs me to make disciples

·        by participating in short-term mission trips

·        by serving as a long-term volunteer missionary

·        by serving as a career missionary

Ps. 68:11; Ps. 71:15-18; Is. 6:8; Dan. 12:3; John 4; Rom. 10:14-15

Celebrate

·        that Jesus is alive

·        that we are children of God

·        that God has a wonderful job for us to do!

Ps. 96; Is. 55:10—12; Is. 61:10-11; Matt. 28:8-10; Luke 10:1-3, 17, 21; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 11:18, 22-24; 1 Peter 1:3-9

Explanations: The Seven Mission Responses

Learn—We can get involved in God’s mission by learning about the mission—about the mission challenges, the opportunities and what the church is doing to reach lost people with the Gospel.  This is a very important response, because it forms the foundation for everything else we do in mission.

·        Use the Internet to learn more about unreached people groups.

·        Memorize Scripture with mission-oriented themes: Mark 16:15; Rom. 1:5; Acts 1:8, etc.

·        Call your district office to find out what mission work it is sponsoring.

·        Subscribe to the free LCMS World Mission monthly magazine Harvest News.

Pray—We can pray for God’s mission as individuals and as a congregation.  We can focus on specific countries or missionaries, or on mission challenges like reaching Muslims and Buddhists.  This mission response is extremely important because God has told us to pray for His mission.

·        Pray for a missionary on his or her birthday.

·        Use your church newsletter to encourage prayer for missionaries, partner churches and the unreached by including the monthly Pray For Us calendar.

·        Keep a prayer journal of your mission prayers.

·        Submit petitions for unreached people groups to your congregation’s prayer chain.

Give—When we give to support missionaries, mission projects, or mission work in general, we are making it possible for more people to hear the Gospel.  We share in the mission service of our missionaries and national partners around the world.

·        Support a mission project with Sunday school offerings.

·        Become directly connected with mission work by financially and prayerfully supporting a missionary through the Together in Mission program.

·        Join the LCMS World Mission givers club, Mission Sowers, and encourage others to join as well.

·        Get kids involved with prayerfully deciding where the VBS offerings will go.  Give them some mission project ideas to start the selection process.

Tell—Whenever we tell other Christians about what God is doing in mission, we encourage them to get involved, too.  We help them to understand the incredible things that the Holy Spirit is doing to bring lost people to faith. 

·        Invite an international student to tell the story of how God has worked in his or her life.

·        Have a regular “mission minute” as part of your worship or Bible study time.

·         Arrange for a missionary involved with deaf outreach to speak to a confirmation class. Include an article in the church newsletter about a mission topic.

Send—Sending is what we do whenever we notice that others have the gifts to serve as a missionary and we encourage them to think about doing that.  Sending is also what we do when we write to missionaries, encourage them and care for them when they’re on home leave.  Our sending supports the mission service they do.

·        Identify and help send one other person into God’s mission as a volunteer or career missionary.

·        As high-school graduates head off to college, commission them for missionary work on their campuses.

·        Encourage school age children to write to a missionary or a missionary kid.

·        Provide a missionary with a vehicle to use during their home leave.

Go—We go into God’s mission whenever we ourselves serve as missionaries, whether it’s overseas or right here in our own backyards.  Some people go as volunteers, or as career missionaries; others go on short-term mission trips for a few days or weeks.  All of these are responses to God’s grace by “going.”

·        Invite a refugee family to your home for a holiday or special occasion—continue to foster your friendship over time.

·        Open your home to hosting an international student Bible study.

·        Serve as a volunteer missionary this summer and teach conversational English in Asia.

·        Apply for service as a career missionary.

Celebrate—We can celebrate God’s mission during worship together, whenever we remember all the things He has done to bring lost people to Himself.  We can also celebrate God’s mission when we have special events, such as mission fairs and festivals. 

·        Make a banner with a mission theme for your congregation.

·        Make every Sunday a mission Sunday—use worship services with a mission theme from LCMS World Mission.  Go to www.lcmsworldmission.org.

·        Celebrate God’s mission by holding a mission festival.

·        Help plan a school mission fair.