WHAT IS NONTRADITIONAL MISSIONS?
STATEMENT
Nontraditional missions (stateside outreach to refugees, mercy ministries, sports ministries, business as missions, etc.) can advance the Great Commission by providing gospel access, commending the gospel, modeling Christlikeness, and promoting church partnerships. Nontraditional missions should always seek to protect the church’s mission. Nontraditional missions strengthen the local church when they prioritize gospel proclamation and church membership, seek the counsel of church leaders, and function in a supportive role to the church. Nontraditional missions greatly benefit Christ’s Bride if these principles are in place.
Article Written by T.J.Sometimes well-intended solutions can create more problems. Kudzu, for example. During the Great Depression, the American South imported this fast-growing vine to stop widespread soil erosion. Kudzu quickly covered the ground. But Kudzu covered almost everything else: trees, telephone poles, and whole hillsides. The botanical superhero turned out to be a noxious weed. The rescue mission became a hostile takeover.
Nontraditional missions–such as digging wells–can easily become the kudzu of modern missions. In their proper place, they have an important role to play, but left unattended they quickly take over. What are nontraditional missions? Do they have biblical roots? And how can the Great Commission benefit from them without them taking over?
Nontraditional Missions Defined
Nontraditional missions are—well—not traditional. Traditional missions can be defined as the cross-cultural planting and strengthening of churches outside of one’s home country as a primary vocation (Acts 13:1-14:28). Think Paul and Barnabas or William Carey. Nontraditional missions are not that. They don’t plant and strengthen churches as a primary vocation; sometimes, they don’t even go outside a home country (e.g., stateside outreach to refugees). The main link between nontraditional missions and traditional missions is cross-cultural activity. It’s a good thing for Christians to do. If done cross-culturally, and it supports the Great Commission, it’s nontraditional missions.
Nontraditional missions dominate the landscape of modern missions. Basically, any professional, parachurch, or nonprofit activity that helps to advance the Great Commission may be called nontraditional missions. Digging wells, community health, orphan care, famine relief, advocating for justice, addressing human trafficking, alleviating poverty, business as missions, student ministry, refugee work, media ministry, publishing, theological education, workshops on preaching, teaching English as a foreign language, sports ministry, international schools, medical missions—the list goes on. Nontraditional missions have done much good, but the trick is making sure that the workers do not forget the reason the work exists is in support of the Great Commission.
The Biblical Roots of Nontraditional Missions
Understanding the proper role of nontraditional missions begins with understanding their biblical roots. Here are five ways we see the Great Commission advanced through nontraditional missions in the New Testament:
1. Reaching Diaspora
Nontraditional missions predate traditional missions. The first time the gospel went to the nations was in Jerusalem. No missionary, no missionary journey. Peter preached to a multi-ethnic crowd at Pentecost, and the first church was planted (Acts 2:5-41). Making disciples of the nations started in the neighborhood. It didn’t stay there, but it started there, and the same could be true anywhere today. People have moved, migrated, and been displaced ever since Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden. Chances are, you also have people from other countries living in your city. It’s an opportunity for nontraditional missions according to God’s sovereign design (Acts 17:26-27). Reaching diaspora immigrants and refugees was the first church-planting cross-cultural activity in the Book of Acts before traditional missions began.
2. Serving Tables
The first dispute that threatened the unity of the Jerusalem church was also cross-cultural: Hellenist widows vs Hebrew widows in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6:1-7). The Apostles’ response laid down a first principle crucial for nontraditional missions: secondary activities exist to protect the primary task of preaching the word. (This is true for diaconates, parachurches, and other nonprofits—all forms of nontraditional missions.) The church chose seven men to serve tables so the Apostles could devote themselves to the word. Here is the first example of a cross-cultural activity strengthening a local church by protecting its primary mission. What was the result? The gospel spread, and the number of disciples multiplied. Two men who served tables also played crucial roles in the beginning of traditional missions (Acts 6:8-8:40).
3. Tent Making, or Business as Missions (BAM)
The Apostle Paul is the traditional missionary par excellence (Acts 13:1-14:28). Even so, we find Paul involved in nontraditional activities that supported the primary task of proclaiming the gospel and planting churches. In Corinth, Paul joined the tentmaking business of a Jewish refugee couple until he was supplied with resources that allowed him to devote himself fully to the Word (Acts 18:1-5). This Jewish couple would later follow Paul to Ephesus (18:18-19), correct the theology of the traveling Apollos (Acts 18:24-28), and host a church in their house back in Rome (1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul calls them “my fellow workers” (Romans 16:3). They weren’t traditional missionaries like Paul. Still, God used their professional work and Christian faithfulness to help plant and strengthen local churches that spread the gospel among the nations.
4. Adorning Doctrine
Paul’s purpose in his professional work wasn’t merely to support his missionary task. He also wanted to give an example for others to follow. Paul could point to his work ethic when discipling idle Christians (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). He also wanted Christians to “adorn the doctrine” and commend the gospel by doing good works (Titus 2:1-14). Peter admonished the same and added that good works make a good defense in the face of gospel opposition (2 Peter 2:12-3:17). Christians spend most of their lives living out the gospel in the home, the workplace, and society. Nontraditional missions help model Christlikeness, build bridges to communities, and commend the gospel outside the church.
5. Connecting Churches
Doing good works wasn’t limited to helping non-Christians. Paul stressed the importance of helping churches (Galatians 6:10). This was such a high priority for Paul that he scheduled a visit to Jerusalem to bring famine relief before setting off on his missionary journey to Rome (Acts 24:17). Paul collected money from Gentile churches to help the poor in the Jerusalem church, even as he hoped to be helped by the churches in Rome in his desire to preach the gospel in Spain (Romans 15:23-28). Nontraditional missions, such as collecting money for famine relief, helped to strengthen partnerships between churches. Famine relief strengthened these churches’ unity and benefitted the Great Commission’s advance.
Nontraditional missions have deep roots in Scripture and are worthy of being nurtured for the advance of the Great Commission. Think of Amy Carmichael’s work among orphans in India. Or the history of evangelical churches in the UAE. In many ways, traditional missions in the UAE stand on the shoulders of medical work and student ministry. Similar stories could be shared from around the world and throughout mission history. Side-lining nontraditional missions would be like sawing a branch that’s holding us up. Nontraditional missions have done much to advance the Great Commission. The problem comes when nontraditional missions supplant what they were meant to support.
Why Nontraditional Missions Can Become a Noxious Weed
As beneficial as nontraditional missions might be, they can easily get out of hand. Here are two reasons nontraditional missions can become as troublesome as kudzu.
1. Good Intentions Taken Too Far
One reason nontraditional missions can get out of hand is that they’re a good thing. Have you heard that the good is the enemy of the best? That is certainly true for nontraditional missions. They have biblical roots; they have a positive effect, and think of all the good that has come from nontraditional missions: clean water, lower infant mortality rates, better jobs, orphan care, access to the world’s hardest-to-reach places, apologetics, Bible studies on college campuses, evangelism among refugees, well-trained pastors, access to biblical resources. Persons involved in nontraditional missions have good intentions and do much good. But over time, good intentions forget the gospel.
Picture concentric circles. In the center is the mission of the church: make disciples of all nations (i.e., proclaim the gospel and gather believers into churches that proclaim the gospel and gather believers into churches). Outside of that circle are the many good things individual Christians can do: plant trees, start a hospital, evangelize in the workplace, write books, and facilitate a preaching workshop. Outside of that circle are the things only God can do in the world: end poverty, control the weather, and judge the wicked with perfect justice. Nontraditional missions get out of hand when good intentions try to expand the inner circle to include the outer circles; that is when the mission of the church is said to include every good thing individual Christians can do, as well as what only God can do.
There are at least two problems with this. The first is biblical interpretation. Jesus authorized his church to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). He did not authorize his church to end poverty (Mark 14:7). Jesus commanded his church to preach the Word (1 Timothy 4:1-2). He didn’t command his church to build schools (Ephesians 4:15-16). Working to end poverty and build schools are both good and right things, but they are not the biblically defined mission of the church.
The second problem is this: expanding the mission of the church to include everything God and individual Christians can do inevitably leads the church to lose its mission. If everything is the church’s mission, then nothing is the church’s mission. And if the mission of the church is lost, the Great Commission will not advance.
2. Path of Least Resistance
Here’s a second reason nontraditional missions easily take over. We live in a fallen world. Sinful humanity is hostile to God (Colossians 1:21). Unregenerate people do not naturally accept the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Unbelievers are repulsed by the gospel’s stench (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). The growth of God’s kingdom is often imperceptible (Mark 4:26-29). Nontraditional missions can easily take over because they are easier than the mission of the church. They tend to be the path of least resistance. They’re often more natural, acceptable, and measurable. Famished people naturally want bread; they don’t naturally want Jesus. The world has a long list of acceptable (even laudable) endeavors; preaching the Word is not one of them. I can measure the purity of water; it’s much harder to measure the maturity of believers. Mission drift is a constant threat in any endeavor, especially in the Great Commission. Nothing less than supernatural strength will keep us on course.
To be fair, there is a range of nontraditional missions, from those that are closer to the mission of the church to those that are farther away. A Bible study on a college campus is closer to making disciples than a workshop on better farming methods (unless the workshop has a Bible study). Nontraditional missions will vary in their support of the church’s mission. Crossing the line from supporting the church’s mission to supplanting it will depend on the function and purpose of the nontraditional missions. Does the Bible study on the college campus encourage students to join a local church? If not, it may be farther from the church’s mission than a workshop on farming that encourages attendees to join a church for spiritual growth. Satan conspires to push every activity as far away as possible from the mission of the church. The world and sinful nature are on his side.
Lose the Mission, Lose the Church, Lose the Gospel
There is a small nation in Asia known for its high number of missionaries with a buzz of nontraditional missions activity. It looks like a missions success story, except most missionaries are more connected to their programs than to local churches and doing little to advance the Great Commission. Were every missionary to leave this country, it’s questionable if it would affect the church (except, perhaps, to free the church to grow as it ought). The problem is this: many of these missionaries have imported the idea that the mission of the church is as broad as the many good things Christians can do. They’ve forgotten the mission of the church, they’ve followed the path of least resistance. Despite good intentions, they’ve weakened the church. They’ve covered the church with kudzu.
Understanding the difference between supporting the Great Commission and supplanting the Great Commission is crucial in nontraditional missions. Choking out the mission of the church will inevitably lead to choked churches. And choked churches will preach a choked gospel. We are always one generation from rejecting the biblical gospel. So, given their inherent dangers, should we engage in nontraditional missions with eternity at stake?
Biblical Principles to Guide Nontraditional Missions
Yes, we should engage in nontraditional missions so long as we use biblical principles to guide them. Here are three biblical principles to avoid inherent dangers and maximize benefit:
1. Prioritize gospel proclamation and church membership.
The Apostle Paul engaged in activities other than gospel proclamation in his missionary journeys. He worked with his hands and collected funds for the poor. But the gospel was of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and bold proclamation was a regular prayer and practice (Acts 18:4-5; Ephesians 6:17-20; Colossians 3:2-4). This wasn’t true merely for Paul but valid for every Christian. Those who served tables, made tents, adorned doctrine, and helped other churches—all had a gospel priority and were engaged in the proclamation of the gospel.
They were also members of local churches (e.g., Acts 16:3-5a). Membership helped them guard the gospel and connect good works to the mission of the church. How do we prevent gospel drift and promote good works? By being committed members of local churches that regularly gather (Hebrews 10:23-25). Membership in a local church takes the good things individual Christians can do and aligns them with the one thing all churches must do: make disciples. Nothing in this world can outshine the corporate witness of a local church (Ephesians 3:10). Any missions activity that doesn’t prioritize gospel proclamation and church membership is out of orbit.
2. Seek the counsel of church leaders.
Doing nontraditional missions well requires wisdom. Not just personally and corporately, but from leaders God has given his church (Ephesians 4:11-12). An elder’s job is to help members do their job—not by doing it for them, but by equipping them for the ministry through their teaching and counsel. Church leaders (and the whole congregation) played a crucial role in deciding the best course in the cross-cultural dispute between widows in Acts 6. Those involved in nontraditional missions should follow the same pattern of seeking counsel and submitting to sound advice (Hebrews 13:17). The gospel spreads as a result.
3. Function in a supportive role to the church.
This brings us full circle to the first principle laid down by the Apostles in Acts 6: secondary activities exist to protect the primary task of preaching the word. The gospel is of first importance, and so is proclaiming it. Nontraditional missions exist to protect and support this task and the ultimate aim of planting and strengthening healthy indigenous churches. Whether professional work, parachurch, or some other nonprofit, nontraditional missions advance the Great Commission only when they support the church’s primary mission. Anyone engaged in nontraditional missions must be willing to constantly evaluate whether their work supports or supplants the church’s primary mission.
Nontraditional missions don’t have to be the kudzu of modern missions. When guided by biblical principles, they lead to the flourishing of churches, the spread of the gospel, and the advance of the Great Commission.
Questions:
Does your church encourage field church membership regardless of the specific task of the missionary?
Does your church or sending agency understand that the end goal of all missionaries must be the establishment of a healthy indigenous church, regardless of the specific task of the missionary?
footnotes
[1] For more on the topic of the authority of agencies, sending churches, and field churches, see the article “Who Decides? Issues of Authority on the Field” by David Lawrence.
[2] See Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012).
[3] For more on Unreached People Groups, see the GCC article, “Unreached People Groups or Unreached Language Groups”
[4] Two excellent articles on why missionaries should join a local church are Should Missionaries Join a Local Church? | Desiring God by John Folmar and Why Is It Essential for Missionaries to Join a Church Where They Live? - 9Marks by Scott Logsdon.
[5] I further consider what churches should do when they gather in the article “How Should the Church Look in This Culture?”
[6] I have written more on this topic in the article “Missionary Membership in a Field Church.”
