How to save the modern missions movement

Romans 10:13–15 KJV 1900

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

In his famous passage of Scripture, we see the apostle Paul, who was himself a missionary, making a renewed case and plea in regards to the great commission.

We all know the Great Commission, the last command of Jesus Christ to the church before His ascension into heaven.

Mark 16:15 KJV 1900

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

And Paul, having been called of God to be a missionary in Acts 13, was himself sent out by the church at Antioch.

Here in Romans 10 he states again the simple gospel message in V13, and then he reminds us in V14 that this gospel message is of no use, without a messenger to take it to the lost.

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?”

Someone once said that “the gospel is only good news if it gets there on time.”

Paul reminds us here of that important fact.

And then he says in V14… “How shall they hear without a preacher?”

This is obviously a rhetorical question.

The point here is that they won’t hear without a preacher.

The point of this verse is Paul, himself a missionary, pleading for more missionaries and showing us the importance of sending missionaries to the harvest fields.

This has to be done in order to fulfill the Great Commission that was given to us as Christ’s final marching orders.

During the time of Paul, the population of the earth was estimated to be around 300 million people.

Today it is just about to surpass 8 billion.

We have seen throughout the history of the church age many great missionary movements in which churches sent out great numbers of missionaries throughout the world.

But the question needs to be ask, how is the modern missionary movement doing in the year 2024?

Are we equaling or exceeding the progress that was made by the great missionary movements of the past?

While we definitely need to thank God for the many missionaries and great works of God throughout the world, upon examination, the reality is that our missionary force is dwindling.

I have been personally alarmed over the last few years with many conversations I have had with pastors, missions board directors, and Bible college administrators regarding the dwindling number of new missionary recruits.

Mission boards are seeing a marked decrease in new missionary applicants every year. There seems to be far fewer missionaries on deputation right now than there was a decade ago when I was on deputation.

At almost every church I have gone to on this furlough, I have asked the pastors if they have noticed this. Almost without fail, they are telling me that they hardly get any calls anymore from new missionaries that are raising support.

The same is true when we examine the young people that are graduating from Bible colleges and Bible Institutes.

Dr. Don Sisk told me recently that he remembers a time when at least 20% of the graduating student body many Bible colleges were planning on going into foreign missions…today you are lucky to find even a few of these new preachers that are interested in missions. Almost all want to star right here in the United States.

While we definitely need more laborers here in the States, we need to remember that 90% of all the ordained preachers in the world preach to 13% of the world’s population that can speak English. Only 10% of the ordained preachers in the world preach to the other 87% of the world’s population that cannot speak English.

The problem of the lack of new missionary applicants is compounded by the fact that many of our faithful veteran missionaries of past generations are retiring and coming off the field.

It is up to the younger generations, my generation especially, to take their place, and yet we are failing.

With the population of the world exploding, it seems obvious that we are not going in the right direction.

But it doesn’t have to continue.

I believe we can reverse these trends.

But it is going to take a conscious effort by our churches to do so.

Let me share with you some very simple steps that churches in America can take that can help lead to revival in our modern missionary force.

1. Pray

Matthew 9:38 RVG

38 Rogad, pues, al Señor de la mies, que envíe obreros a su mies.

Example: The Moravian prayer vigil

Example: Hudson Taylor

2. Care

2 Kings 20:18–19 KJV 1900

18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

(How apathy toward missions is such a killer)

3. Encourage

Teach the young people

Don’t speak of being a missionary like its some kind of condemnation to a life of misery in a 3rd world country.

Show them that if God were to use them on the mission field it would be the greatest job in the world.

4. Preach

Explain: How I hardly hear messages anymore in missions conferences about the great need for laborers.

5. Send

Romans 10:15 KJV 1900

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

6. Go

Ezekiel 22:30 KJV 1900

30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.