The Goal of Missions at Grace Church

To spread the Gospel and make disciples.

To save lives--eternal lives.

To glorify God.

The Missions Committee is open to any Grace Church member interested in missions.

It meets the second Sunday of even numbered months at 12:00.

The Great Commission

Matthew 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:19 As you go, make disciples of all nations… Mark 16:15 Go into all the world and and preach the good news to all creation.

Luke 24:47 Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 1:8 You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Revelation 7:9 I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

The Spread of Christianity: 33-400

~ 33 AD: Following Pentecost the gospel spread around the Mediterranean and Middle East.

40-50s: Paul spread the gospel in Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy.

60s: The disciples spread the gospel after persecution in Jerusalem- Middle East, North Africa, Southern Europe, Britain, maybe India.

300s: Emperor Constantine made Christianity the Roman Empire’s official religion.

Constantine From Gonzales,

The Story of Christianity

Evangelized Significant Evangelism

The Spread of Christianity: 400-800

400s: The Barbarians conquered Rome, assimilated Christianity and spread it to Europe.

400s: The Nestorians spread Christianity to the Middle East, India, and maybe China.

600-700s: Islam replaced Christianity in North Africa, the Middle East and Southern Spain.

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople

From Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity

The Spread of Christianity: 800-1200

800-1000s: The Vikings conquered Europe and assimilated Christianity.

900s: The Eastern Orthodox Church spread to Russia.

1054: The Eastern and Western Churches divided.

1100-1200s: The Crusades spread long lasting ill-will to the Muslims.

The Spread of Christianity: 1200-1600

1500s: The Reformation divided Roman and Protestant Churches.

1500s: Spanish and Portuguese spread Christianity to the Americas.

1600s: The Jesuits spread Christianity to Japan and China.

Martin Luther

The Spread of Christianity: 1600-2000

1800s: William Carey started mission agencies and went to India.

1865: Hudson Taylor realized that missions worked in coastal areas but not inland, and started the China Inland Mission 1930s: Townsend & McGavran realized that there were unreached people groups.

Great Commission Christians Percent of World Population 15 12.5

10 5 0 0 0.28

500 0.37

1000 Year AD 4.5

7.1

1.2

1500 2000

Ralph Winter USCM

Winter and Koch Finishing the Task The Unreached Peoples Challenge

World Protestant Missionaries in Thousands 250 200 150

Rest of World

100

North America & Europe

50 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 Operation World

The role of U.S. missions appears to be changing from direct missions to support for indigenous missions (international partnerships). (

Pate

)

Wycliffe Vision 2025 To see a Bible translation program started in every language group that needs it by 2025

6900 world languages 2700 have at least part of the Bible 1900 have language projects in progress (Wycliffe & others) 2000 languages need translation projects

Unreached People Groups Can Be Reached

People Groups Reached People Groups Unreached People Groups Great commission Churches GC Churches/Unreached Group 16,400 9,300 7,100 7.1 Million 1000

There is a shift from looking at the world in terms of individuals who need to be won, to people groups that need to have churches planted among them. (Dick Elkins)

Grace Church Missions Principles

Focus on New Mexico and unreached people groups of the world.

Use the cycle of evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and leadership training.

Maintain cultural and familial connections. Promote clusters of relatively small, growing churches. Strive for churches that are self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating.

Trust that the Bible, Holy Spirit, and presence of Jesus will grow the church, without our control.

Reliance on prayer is an integral part of the missions enterprise.

Grace Church Mission Selection Criteria

1. Qualified individuals with strong ties to our body who have been called to special ministry outside of our immediate area, or 2. Qualified individuals who have been called to work with us in local ministries that are an extension of our own church ministries, or 3. Qualified indigenous Christians with a clear call to serve the Lord in their native land who have an accountable relationship with someone in the Grace Church body.

Grace Church Supports Missions in the Following Areas Community Evangelism & Discipleship (Albuquerque & New Mexico) Cross-Cultural Resource Development Cross-Cultural Leadership Development Cross-Cultural Evangelism & Discipleship

In August 2004, Grace Church “Adopted” the Gond, an Unreached People of South-Central India

By “Adoption,” we Committed to Participate in Evangelizing the Gond through an established ministry in India.

Cell Groups Meet in 222 Villages With 3691 Believers.

Last Year, 605 Were Baptized.

In 2012 Grace Church Raised $26,000 to Build and Operate an Orphanage for Gond Children