The Sending Community
How many countries have you visited in your lifetime? A different question: How many of your family members or friends live, or have lived, in another country for the sake of spreading the Gospel? What countries have they served in? Add up those, and you may discover a more accurate count of how many countries you have “been to.”
I recently had an opportunity to work internationally. I realized how many people I took with me through the support of people praying, people from my local congregation gifting money to help cover the cost of the work I was assisting with, and the interest of my friends who responded that they were appreciating the updates I was sending. I took many people with me in my travel.
“When we go to a dangerous place, we take our parents, our siblings, and all who love us into the lands where God has called us. … All over the world, families and friends have breathed the dust of foreign lands, learned the names and faces of people they will never meet in this life... They awaken in the middle of the night to pray. They write encouraging emails, read stories they find difficult to understand...”[1]
My experience inspired me anew to do my part to give my support and to send others well.
What is sending? Sending involves not only assistance, but also authorization. Senders believe in the mission and stand behind the sent one, reinforcing the importance of the mission.
“Sending is the heart of God, who sent His own Son into the world. The central story of the gospel is God the Father sending, God the Son going, and God’s world needing. How can we send those we love to dangerous places? We remember that God the Father sent His beloved Son into a terribly dangerous place. When churches send their children to dangerous places, they enter the Father-heart of God.”
Who sends workers? God wants the Christian community to join in His sending. This may be channeled through church leaders, mission committees, support teams, or organizations, but these do not take away the need for the personal touch of brothers and sisters who know and care.
“None of us lives our lives with Christ alone. Each is embedded in a colorful tapestry of interpersonal relationships. When one of us follows Christ into a dangerous place, our friends, families, and faith communities go with us."
There is a sense in which we go with our friends on the field, whether we intend to or not, because believers simply are tied together. But we should be intentional and send well, so that those who go will feel that we have gone with them. Cross cultural work is difficult enough without feeling deserted and forgotten by the home community.
[1] Quotations are from Chapters 5, 8, and 9 in Kate McCord’s book: Why God Calls Us to Dangerous Places. You can find links to this and other recommended books on our Reading List page.
