Missions Motivation
Posted May 21st, 2009 by Ernest“If you really cared about the unreached peoples of the world, you’d be more involved in missions.”
“If you truly understood the Great Commission, you’d be a missionary.”
“If only you were made aware of the opportunities to share the gospel, you’d go on a mission trip.”
“If you honestly saw the need, felt the urgency, or recognized the importance of the task, you’d be more supportive of missions.”
Guilt, obligation, shame. This is how we motivate people to do missions. In a condescending and patronizing tone, we declare the people in the pews ignorant, apathetic, and lazy. We judge them to be sinful.
The thing is, guilt, fear, judgment, and shame aren’t the best motivators. Don’t get me wrong- they work just fine. For thousands upon thousands of people, a mission trip started with a guilt trip. But a person who’s been motivated this way will always default to acting out of obligation. She’ll get involved, but it will be because feels like she has to. Every decision along the way is a blind stab in the dark in search of “what works” or “what makes me look busy enough that I don’t risk loosing my support.”
The best motivation for missions is inspiration.
“You can make a difference in someone’s life.”
“This is what you were made for. It’s your destiny.”
“This is something that really matters.”
“You can be part of something that will provide profound connection to God and to others.”
When someone’s been inspired to missions, they live for it. Every decision is made in light of the vision they have for God’s redemption of the world. These are the people that throw themselves into relationships and work backward from the vision to develop progressive strategies toward the goal. We need inspired missionaries, not reluctant ones that constantly need to be convinced and cajoled.
In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the future- a future where people from every tribe are worshipping at the throne of the most high God. The vision can be inspiring- that’s what we’re created for! We can be assured of that victory! Or, it can be twisted into a tool of manipulation: “Jesus can’t come back until you finish the task!” “Their blood is on your hands!”
Are you motivating through inspiration?
Tags: guilt, inspiration, Matthew 24, Motivation
Unless writing a lot makes one a "writer," Ernest is a former missionary. After more than six years in Western Europe, he moved to Portland, where he drinks too much coffee and over-analyzes human behavior. For more about Ernest, visit the About page where you can read a long-time reader's interview with him. Or, if you don't mind waiting a very, very long time, send him an email.
2 Responses to “Missions Motivation”
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:58 am
When you serve God because you love serving God, you serve for the right reason. There are crowns waiting for this kind of service. Thanks for putting this important subject together in an understandable way.
May 25th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Amen Ernest!
I’ve found that we often use guilt because it’s faster and quicker than taking the time to motivate. Pictures of poor kids must be processed in black and white because it gets a stronger response….but the results are short-lived. I’m on the field with several people that serve out of guilt….and they motivate out of guilt. I don’t do guilt (unless it’s related to my sin).
I think we connect with a different aspect of mankind when we offer humanity the chance to do something huge and life-changing. Erwin McManus has done an incredible job of building a movement based on believing in people rather than leading through guilt.
God doesn’t call all of us to the same field and China is no more important than Denmark. Enough of the guilt…Jesus didn’t do it…neither will I!
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