God's Formula for Missions

by John Prettyman

In this generation of mission work, we have developed a formula that does not correspond with the Bible.  Missionaries are taught that to begin their ministry, they must first set up a church.  After finding a place to meet, whether in a church building or home, they seek to make converts.  This plan is flawed because it has no foundation in the Scriptures.  The book of Acts gives us God’s formula for missions.  Paul’s journeys give example of a man moving from place to place establishing movements for Christ through the distribution of the Gospel message resulting in local churches.  Without believers, there is no church.  The movement for Christ must come before the establishment of a church.  Paul began each ministry with street preaching (market-place preaching) to make converts; after which, the new believers came together to form a local church.  And it was from this body they received training to spread the Gospel further into the surrounded and extended regions (Ephesians 4:12).  Thus, where there is no movement, there is no church.

At BSWE, we are preparing men and women to go into areas of the world where Christ is not preached in order to start a movement, through the distribution and preaching of the Word of God which will result in new believers in Jesus Christ forming an indigenous, local church.

John Prettyman