3 Simple Shifts to Cultivate a Sending Culture

One of the greatest joys I’ve experienced in ministry involves sending others: whether that’s taking new believers with me to share the gospel, sending teams on short-term trips, ordaining new pastors, or sending missionaries to foreign lands.

Few things in ministry bring greater joy than sending. 

Pastors, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to shepherd your people to take the next step of obedience from where they are.

The Joy of Sending

In fact, we often say around here that sending is the peak of church health. The church at Jerusalem sent, even if they needed a little nudge. More than likely, some of those sent from Jerusalem planted the church in Antioch. Then the church at Antioch sent Paul. Paul spent the rest of his life planting churches throughout Asia and Europe. These churches also sent missionaries. Paul personally equipped 38 of them during his missionary travels.

We also see sending in the ministry of Jesus.

New Testament scholar Eckhard Schnabel estimates that Galilee consisted of 138 villages. He believes that it’s entirely possible that Jesus visited every village during his years of ministry. But he didn’t do it on his own. 

Luke gives evidence that Jesus saturated these villages with the good news of the kingdom by sending. In Luke 4, Jesus begins his ministry as the only missionary to the 138 villages in Galilee. But in Luke 5-8, Jesus has called 12 disciples. Now, there is one missionary team serving the villages in Galilee. In Luke 9, he sends them out two by two. That makes 6 missionary teams for 23 villages each. Finally, in Luke 10, he sends out 72 disciples in teams of two. There are now 36 missionary teams, 1 for every 4 villages.

For all the joy of sending, it can seem overwhelming. Luke 10 can seem like a pretty tall order when you feel like you’re still ministering in Luke 4. Pastors, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to shepherd your people to take the next step of obedience from where they are. Sending might be simpler than you think.

Begin with these simple steps.

1. Pray for God to send Kingdom laborers from your church. 

• Pray for God to call people to go. Summer is the season for sending: summer camps, mission trips, VBS. This summer as you pray for the lost to be saved, pray for the saved to be sent.

• Pray for God to raise up new leaders to take their place. Sending is costly. You’re sending your best. Sending your best can leave a leadership vacuum in your church. Pray for those who will take their place.

2. Preach God’s Word and call people to respond.

• Prepare a Sunday sermon or discipleship lesson. Gather a few facts about Houston and the world. Then preach the missionary mandate to go.

• Celebrate what God does at summer camp and VBS with a challenge to go to the nations. God works in us so that he can work through us. The earliest seeds of my missionary call were sown during VBS and summer camp.

• Challenge those going to go even farther. Add mid- and long-term missions opportunities to your short-term mission trip orientation and debrief.

3. Encourage people to take the next step.

• Take a self-assessment. Discover your missionary strengths and weaknesses.

• Work through Deepen Discipleship with a mature believer. It’s never too early to prepare.

• Sign up for Who’s My Neighbor at the UBA Events page. Learn about the unreached in Houston and how to reach them. 

• Join a Missionary Sending Cohort. Join with others to explore or prepare for cross-cultural missions.

A few months ago, a friend of mine called with news I never imagined I would hear in my lifetime. Our families had worked together for years to share the gospel with an unreached people group in East Asia. 

At that time, there were 50 known believers among a group of people, numbering at least 10 million. My friend had just met with a believer from that group. She and her husband were preparing for missionary appointment, the first believer from that people group to be appointed by the International Mission Board. I called my wife to share the good news and we both broke down with tears of joy.

Sending might be simpler than you think. It often begins with the smallest of steps–steps certainly include praying, preaching, and giving others the courage to simply put one foot in front of the other.

If you want help beginning to identify those God is calling, join us for Identify 2030. This workshop (with free lunch) is a chance to think through how you can create a sending culture in your church.

As the Senior Consultant for Sending Pathways, Cris Alley helps support the local church in thinking and acting like missionaries.