Pastor and Missions: Nine Things I Should have Done

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The Department of Christian Ministry at Samford University is hosting The Sending Shepherd Conference tomorrow with Matthew Ellison and Denny Spitters of 16:15. I regularly look to share current missions-related research with others. So, when Matthew and Denny’s latest book, The Sending Shepherd, was published last year, I wanted to get them on campus before students and church leaders. Their work reports findings from a commissioned Barna survey of US pastors that attempted to understand how the Church is doing in her global task. If you have not had a chance to get a copy of their work, I encourage you to do so as soon as possible.

I speak during tomorrow’s first session on the topic: “Pastors and Global Mission.” A portion of my time is devoted to sharing nine things I should have done differently as a pastor. Looking back over nineteen years of pastoral ministry, I recognize I was slow to learn some very important matters when it comes to leading a church to the nations. I also share these that you may learn from my mistakes and lead in a more excellent way.

The five billion remain.

1. Teach the Continuity of God’s Mission Throughout the Bible

I taught about the Great Commission, but I did not always show how God’s mission runs from Genesis to Revelation. God’s heart for the nations is not a New Testament add‑on or only revealed in two or three verses; it is the storyline of Scripture. I did not help my members understand where they fit into that grand narrative (Maybe this was partially why I wrote Theology of Mission years later.).

2. Cast a Vision of the Global Realities of Gospel Need

If I could do it again, I would show regularly the global landscape—where the gospel is flourishing and where it has little to no known presence. Numbers and maps do not save people, but they do awaken urgency. While the Spirit can lead the Church to the nations in her ignorance, He often works through a picture of the present.

3. Lead the Church in Prayer for the Nations

We prayed for missionaries, but not frequently and not for the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world. I should have woven global intercession into the weekly rhythm of worship and pastoral prayer. Prayer not only moves God’s muscles, but He uses it to move his people to the nations.

4. Provide Missions Education

Many believers do not understand the Great Commission. I wish I had taught practical missiology and how it could be applied to our church’s ministry at home and abroad. Missions education should saturate all ages and ministries of the church. I saw missions as a department, a silo unto itself.

5. Point Members to Resources and Agencies

There are incredible organizations devoted to mobilizing everyday Christians into mission. I did not expose our members to enough of them—including those within our denomination. A simple booklet, website, or conversation with a representative would have been helpful.

6. Equip Members to Go

I should have offered more training—intercultural preparation, evangelism tools, and practical skills—or found someone who could. I did not live up to my responsibility to equip the saints for ministry (Eph 4:11-12).

7. Platform Missionaries

Missionaries carry stories that ignite the apostolic imagination and deepen conviction. I regret not giving them more prominent and public space to speak, teach, and influence the life of our congregation.

8. Call Out the Called

I frequently challenged people to repent and believe the gospel, recommit their lives to Christ, and join our church. However, rarely did I call our church to go to the nations and pray for the Spirit to send others from our ranks. An unnamed Moravian was once asked what it was like to be a Moravian. He replied, “To be a Moravian and to further Christ’s global cause are identical.” We did not think this way; and I did not call our fellowship to take the gospel anywhere beyond our town’s borders.

9. Set the Example Through Short‑Term Trips

Finally, I should have gone myself—at least short-term. John Mott, when referring to pastors leading their churches in missions, wrote, “As the pastor so the people, is generally true in relation to this subject” (Evangelization of the World in this Generation, 192). A pastor who leads with a passport in one hand, a Bible in the other, and a heart for the world is a powerful influence that shapes a church’s commitment to her global task.

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For a similar and excellent perspective on this matter see what Chuck Lawless, my friend and former colleague and dean, wrote in the Great Commission Baptist Journal.