Living Sent 2024: Raising Leaders and Sending Missionaries
written by Neal Thornton, Senior Pastor (May 24, 2024)
Hey, church! How can you leverage your summer again this year? I know one way—by taking advantage of a church-wide online study on The Missionary Task! I’ve been looking forward to this study for some time, as we do it again this year. We’re calling it “Living Sent.”
Seeking to live on mission for King Jesus is close to my heart, as I trust it is yours. I’m always eager to learn and apply lessons for a missional lifestyle so I can leverage my life for him. Here’s a question I try to continually ask of myself: How can I live my life to make the greatest kingdom impact possible? Let me encourage you to do the same.
For several years now we as a church have been talking about the Missionary Task, outlined by the International Mission Board. You can access a copy of the IMB Foundations material here. (For the Missionary Task, see pp. 73-102). You can access four key monthly pastoral letters of mine here. I have attempted to show that The Missionary Task is not just for missionaries, but also for churches. As I wrote recently to our church, the MT can be used as a frame for ministries, a lens for partnerships, a map for gatherings, but also a pathway or pipeline for making, moving, maturing and multiplying disciples.
Each component represents a core missional competency for the multiplication of the church (e.g., Discipleship – Teaching the Bible). Therefore, churches do well to train their people to bei proficient for such work. As missionaries are trained in the elements of the task, so should every Christian be generally equipped to leverage their life on mission as well. The church becomes a body of local missionaries (we can’t miss that point), each equipped with the core competencies of multiplying their life and ministries. We make missionaries out of members.
Rationale for the Summer Study
But knowing the task is not sufficient for life change. The task must be applied. As we know, information + application = transformation. We therefore need some vehicle to apply the task to our life. That’s why for the third summer in a row we’ll launch an intentional, strategic online summer series. In the summer of 2022 we studied components 1 and 2, “Entry” and “Evangelism”, which we dubbed “Building Relationships” and “Sharing the Gospel.” Last summer in 2023 we studied components 3 and 4: “Discipleship” and “Healthy Church Formation.” We called them “Teaching the Bible” and “Serving the Church.” This summer we’re studying the last two components 5 and 6: “Leadership Development” and “Exit.” We’re calling them “Raising Leaders” and “Sending Missionaries.”
We hope this study helps us become all the more equipped to live on mission wherever the Lord takes you. Allow me to share a little about the content (and creators) for each week as we prepare for the study.
Part 5: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT - Raising Leaders
Week 1: Counting the Cost (May 26) Bob Hedrick
Jesus told us to "count the cost" before we follow him (Luke 14:28). How much more must it be for those who lead others to follow him! Though every Christian is called to serve, not everyone is called to lead. But for those who do, they must enter such a ministry with open eyes and a ready heart. Seasoned mentors, coaches and pastors can help the next generation of leaders step into all that God has planned for them.
Week 2: Pipelines that Produce (June 2) Neal Thornton
Once leadership potential is identified, it’s time for “testing” (1 Timothy 3:10) and training. Paul took this approach with Timothy, telling him to watch for men “who will be able to train others also.” (2 Tim. 2:2b) Churches do well to create systems and structures to intentionally develop qualified candidates for leadership. Through these pipelines, leaders are discovered, developed and deployed, as people grow from one area of service to another.
Week 3: Elders and Deacons (June 9) Sterling Tharrington
The New Testament identifies two offices of church leadership: elders (James 5:14; i.e., pastors, Eph. 4:11; overseers, 1 Tim. 3:1), and deacons (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8). The apostles appointed elders in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), while deacons (servants) seem to be chosen on an as-needed basis (Acts 6:1-7). Developing the former positively impacts the latter as they lead in ministering the word to the people. (2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Peter 5:1-5)
Week 4: Dream Teams (June 16) Amanda Cole
Good leaders bring others around them. They recruit, train, organize and motivate people ready to get the job done. From Jesus with his disciples, to Phoebe with the saints of Romans 16, neither was alone in ministry. There’s one leader, but many hands on the plow. Healthy pastors and deacons set this standard for the church to follow. They know what it takes to build a team, and even release the team to do its work.
Week 5: Handing Off the Work (June 23) Kayl Whitaker
Every leader has a shelf life. One can’t lead forever. The best leaders see that day coming and prepare for it. They lead themselves out of their roles, while equipping others to fill the void. Paul passed the baton to Timothy, and left Titus in Crete. A multiplying ministry requires humble leaders to have a sense of their own dispensability as they look to the future. Some of the greatest seasons of leadership come during times of transition.
Part 6: EXIT - Sending Missionaries
Week 6: Leveraging Your Life (June 30) Michele Barden
Time flies and so does life. One day it’ll all be over, and night will have come. (John 9:4) We only have one life to live. Let us then make the most of ours for Jesus, as much is at stake. Opportunities open and close, while seasons come and go. Just as there are many good things one can do, there are but a few one must do. Discipleship demands that we leverage our lives for the greatest kingdom impact. (Matt. 6:33) Ours are the Lord’s to spend.
Week 7: New Next Steps (July 7) Stephanie Womick
Good leaders always consider what may be next. They are sensitive to God’s Spirit, interested in opportunities and open to possibilities. They are willing to be challenged to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), even if the next step is a new step. By consulting others, reviewing past experiences and studying Scripture, they can discover what may be on the horizon (cf. Acts 16:10). God often calls leaders to deep water. They need not be scared to swim.
Week 8: Are You Sendable? (July 14) Haley King
Christians live the sent life (John 20:21). They are always on mission, both near or far. But sometimes “sent” means “move.” And when it does, a leader’s availability becomes their send-ability. As growth requires change, sending often requires movement. If one cannot move, one cannot go. Mobility precedes ministry and leaders must be prepared. They must live lean and pack light (Luke 9:3), always ready to pull up stakes at the Lord’s call.
Week 9: Making a Transition (July 21) Bryan Sanders
Leaving is never easy. Years have passed, with memories made and lives changed. No matter what the future holds, saying goodbye is hard. Emotional health is key for all parties, even if it means tears (Acts 20:36-38). But leaders strive to finish well, and start well. They try to leave better than they arrived, yet arriving with the end in mind. First and last impressions tend to stick. Times like these will one day tell a story. Let’s make it a good one.
Week 10: Vocational Ministry (July 28) Jimmy Newkirk
There is no such thing as a professional Christian, or minister. Yet, God calls people to make gospel ministry a vocation. Whether in the church, on the mission field or in a para-church organization, full or part-time ministry is the labor of their life. The days can be long and lonely. Sunday takes all week. Yet the Lord is moving as people are leading, and the sheep are better for it. As churches grow, so do ministries. Let us then call out the called.
Life in Community
Like last summer, this study will be online based (no Sunday night gatherings). We’ll deliver two forms of content on our website each Saturday. First, a two-page lesson and discussion guide will be available each week, suitable for individual or group use. Second, a short video will drop on Saturday, ready for Sunday use or throughout the coming week. It will highlight key features of the lesson and pertinent applications. Be sure to get both via our website.
As you study, let me encourage you to do so in groups. If you are interested in opening your home for just one night a week, please contact Pastor Jimmy at jimmy@coatsbaptist.com with a time and date you’d like to meet (it doesn’t have to be Sunday night!). Remember, theology is best learned in community. Leverage your summer and your home for growing in The Missionary Task.
As John 20:21 tells us, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’”
Happy summer, church. Blessings to you.
Pastor Neal