As a One Year Challenge site, we’ve been blessed with several brothers and sisters who answered a Macedonian call. They give a year of their life to serve God in an especially devoted way. Others give a year to their local ministry, some go to serve the poor. Some, like those who have come to help us, go the mission field to help with a church planting or re-building.
The process that has led people to us is different from what I experienced in the ICOC in the 80s and 90s. Then, our churches sent people to where they were needed. It was an effective way to do missions: ask people to go, train them, and send them out.
Now, there’s another process. A brother about to graduate from university may have a dream to go help a mission church in Europe. He can register with Disciple Adventures and soon he’ll be in contact with several church leaders. He’ll pray about it, ask advice, and then chose a place to go—a place he feels called to, not sent to.
Which is better—called or sent? Should we organize and send mission teams or encourage people to go where they feel led to go?
Both are Biblical: Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch, Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas, Paul situated Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus (Acts 11:22; 13:2-3; 18:19). In this "top down" way, Godly leaders directed people to certain places. It was organized and structured. The leaders decided.
On the other hand, some were more "called" than "sent." For example, of their own choice, certain disciples went to Antioch to "speak to Greeks also." (Acts 11:20) Apollos "wanted to go to Achaia" (Acts 18:27). Paul apparently believed in both: he says "Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia," as well as "I sent Tychicus to Ephesus." (2 Timothy 4:10-12)
Like two wings of an airplane, we need both—churches that organize, train and send, but also men and women who feel moved to go "speak to Greeks also" or to "go to Achaia."
Allowing people to "go" is not at odds with the idea that some should be "sent." We can strongly believe in sending, but should leave room for some to be called to certain ministries or places. We should let them go with our blessing.
To be sure, some should be advised against going: they may be immature or have special needs that can be better met by staying where they are.
But there’s always a temptation to just hold on to a good guy, or to steer a helpful sister away from where she feels called. We want them to serve where we would like them to serve.
I talked with a brother who wanted to come help us here. His church leaders told him, “Why do you want to go there? If you think you can do something great for God, do something great here first.” They wouldn’t let him follow his call.
On another occasion, I talked with a church leader about a brother who wanted to come on the One Year Challenge—a brother who I knew was useful in his home church. I was worried his church leader might object to his leaving, so I called him.
“He really wants to come, but I just want to make sure you feel good about that,” I said.
“Sure! Why shouldn’t I?” he replied.
“Well,” I paused, not sure how to put it, “some leaders don’t encourage brothers to leave if they are useful. I don’t want you to feel like we’re taking someone away, or hurting your ministry, for our gain.”
“Look, it will be a loss for us,” he replied. “He is a great guy. But he’s been wanting to go to the mission field, and I would never stop a guy with a dream like that. He has my full support, even though we’ll miss him. Sending people into all the world is what we’re supposed to do, right?”
That leader’s love for the cause of Christ was bigger than his love for his own ministry. He allowed a young disciple to follow a call halfway across the world.
May God bless us with determination to send, but also with trust to let some disciples follow their call. If we want to see a modern day, Acts-like story of world evangelism, we’ll need both.
The author leads an underground church in a nation where Christians don’t have legal freedom to plant churches or evangelize. The church was started by One Year Challenge disciples.