America’s Modern Missions

“Houston, we have a problem.”

In April of 1970, three men were hurtling through space, planning to land on the moon. Two-thirds of the way there, an oxygen tank exploded, changing the moon mission to a rescue mission. The quick thinking of the pilots and the ingenuity of those at Mission Control started when these words were spoken— words that are now considered in the top fifty movie quotes of all time.

The real tragedy, however, is these were not the words spoken. Pilot Jack Swigart is quoted in the flight journals as saying, “Ok Houston… we’ve had a problem here.” Regarding the swap, screenwriter William Broyles said the original statement would not work in a suspense movie. “It wasn’t as dramatic.”

He’s not wrong, but the truth lies somewhere between the drama and reality. This gap between language and the truth creates a lack of clarity which can lead to a lack of focus, lack of momentum, lack of innovation, and lack of success.

The other language gap

In 2018, Barna teamed up with the Bible translation organization Seed Company to gain insight into the language and understanding of pastors’ and believers’ views on missions and the global impact the Church should have today.

When survey respondents were asked if they had heard of the Great Commission and what it means, 17% said yes, 28% had at least heard the phrase, and 51% had not heard of the phrase at all. While the term is not a direct quote from scripture, it became a rallying phrase among evangelicals over the last century to preach the gospel and make disciples as told by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. Based on survey results, the term, and maybe even the method of doing missions, has not been a part of church discourse for some time.

The same report states 41% of U.S. adults and 52% of millennial churchgoers perceive “mission” as spreading western beliefs to other parts of the world. The assumption is that when people do hear this term, some think of colonialist activities laced with cultural insensitivity; an issue that the Church must address in 21st-century missions thought and practice. A majority of the entire group surveyed still thinks of U.S. missions as sending missionaries to other countries to evangelize. Further, 88% of churchgoers believe this kind of missions work continues to impact the world positively.

People overwhelmingly see missions as a good force in the world. But, how do they know if that force is still producing a positive impact? Many missions agencies use outdated aggregate data to communicate the impact of mission work. Others rely on anecdotes, stories of personal impact, and western missionaries' best intentions to emphasize the effort in the field. The gap in missions language has led to a lack of clarity in missions effectiveness.

The Barna/Seed Company survey results point to a general misalignment of American church thought and language with missions strategy in the 21st century. Survey respondents did not mention the current mission focus of establishing churches where there are none. Training people to become church leaders and church planters is hardly mentioned, yet these two activities are the central focus of many western and non-western mission agencies.

But there is a more extensive understanding gap about missions today among American churches. Over 200 years of western church missionary sending has resulted in Christianity becoming the largest religion globally, with 2.3 billion people claiming to be Christian. The result of that impressive effort has produced a significant church presence in the world. As of 2010, 61% of Christians are located in Africa, Latin America, and Oceania, whereas North America has about 24%. This means there are many capable local believers to expand the work of the Great Commission in their own countries— a tremendous resource and responsibility that western churches are not tapping into as a part of their missions strategy. The above data shows that the old model of throwing money at sending westerners abroad can be revised for more efficient and effective practices.

Small steps lead to a giant leap

The global church has an opportunity to take the innovative next steps in global missions by returning to the first-century principles of church planting, discipleship, leadership training, and leaving. Much of this work can now be done more efficiently and effectively by the faithful Christ-followers who have a passion for their region and the lost there. If the church in the west cannot see this, then it’s true. We have a problem.