Home Outreach Leaders Articles for Outreach & Missions Missions vs. Missional—Why We Really Need Both

Missions vs. Missional—Why We Really Need Both

The Johannine Commission Points Us to Mission to Our Neighbor

This is where Jesus’ commission in John 20:21 comes into play and a subsequent Johannine approach to mission: It points to living on mission wherever you are. Jesus speaks to His disciples explaining that He is sending them as His Father has sent Him. Thus, the Bible teaches that everyone is sent on mission (John 20:21) and, might I add, everyone is called to the ministry (1 Peter 4:10). The only questions are to where, among whom and doing what.

Embracing the John 20:21 commission has ignited a revival for churches to embrace mission locally. We’ve begun to see North America as a mission field, which is great.

Mission and Missions

The Bible teaches that everyone is sent on mission and everyone is called to the ministry.

Part of the challenge with this pendulum swing from a Pauline to a Johannine approach to missions and mission is that we’ve become almost too focused on living on mission only in our local context lately—one of the reasons I wrote the article, “Five Reasons Missional Churches Don’t Do Missions.”

Mission and missions need to live together. Missional churches—those focused on living on mission where we are—must remember that Jesus called us to reach people where the gospel is not. I want us to be missional, living as agents of God’s mission in context, but you can’t take John 20:21 in isolation without also remembering Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8.

We need missional churches engaging in global missions because both are clearly articulated in the teachings of Jesus and the actions of the disciples.  

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Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is the Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola Univeristy and Scholar in Residence & Teaching Pastor at Mariners Church. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. Dr. Stetzer is the host of "The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast," and his national radio show, "Ed Stetzer Live," airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates.