by Pastor Steve Euler

In the nearly twenty-eight years that I’ve been privileged to serve the Lord at Grace Baptist Church in Chattanooga, God has called out numbers of couples to career missionary service. In addition, every year approximately 150 of our members participate in multiple mission trips around the world. How is it that so many families at Grace have experienced the call of God to vocational missionary service? Why are so many people vitally interested and involved in missions? I suspect that the answer to these questions revolves around our church’s approach to partnering with our missionaries. In this article, I’d like to share with you three great Bible principles that undergird our mission philosophy at Grace. As we discuss each, we will also reveal some practical steps that we have taken to implement these scriptural principles.

Principle #1: The Absolute Authority of the Scriptures

Grace Baptist Church is completely committed to the absolute authority of the Scriptures. Whatever good happens at Grace begins with a commitment to reading and studying God’s Word. We believe that scriptural literacy is the main incentive to missionary enterprise. It is, after all, the Scripture that reveals the lostness of man, Christ’s incredible sacrifice, the reality of hell, and God’s matchless grace communicated through the gospel. The very essence of God’s Word reveals His plan of redemption for mankind. In other words…the heartbeat of the Bible is missions!

When a church views missions in this scriptural light, many issues are clearly decided, and personal choices are made concerning the Great Commission. Reaching our world for Christ is not optional. It is a scriptural imperative! People are moved by the Word of God to give and to go for the sake of the gospel. Vocational missionary service is a stretch for any family…missionary life is anything but easy! The stamina to endure deputation, countless hardships, and absence from home, flows from a basic commitment to the fundamental message of the Bible. At Grace, partnering with missionaries is the result of our theological commitment to the Great Commission. And that commitment stems from the absolute authority of the Scriptures.

Following are some practical ways that we have endeavored to let the Scriptures move our congregation for missions:

1. For a number of years the church has encouraged our members to read through the Bible using One-Year Bibles.

2. We emphasize “the missionary heartbeat of the Bible” in all of the ministries of the church including the Sunday school, preaching, children’s ministries, and worship services.

3. We allow our missionaries time to preach God’s Word. Even in our annual missionary conference we often allow our missionaries to handle all of the speaking. (Sometimes a main speaker will anchor the meetings.)

4. We regularly teach and promote “Faith Promise Giving” to our congregation, believing it to be a scriptural method of giving.

Principles #2 & #3: The Absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ and the Priesthood and Soul Liberty of the Believer

Because these two are so closely intertwined, we will look at them together. Grace Baptist Church stands firmly behind the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ and the priesthood of the believer. At first glance, such a statement appears redundant. Of course we believe in the Lordship of Christ and the priesthood of the believer, doesn’t everyone? The answer to this question goes beyond the mere acknowledgement of theology and strikes at the heart of our practice.

Lordship implies trusting Christ to call and equip missionaries for service. Priesthood implies trusting God’s servants to discern His will for their ministries. God-called missionaries are then perceived as valuable servants of Jesus Christ, not inconvenient intrusions upon our schedule. At Grace Baptist Church, it is our privilege to partner with them in ministry!

Therefore, this perspective requires that missionaries be allowed more than token recognition in services. In allowing them access to the congregation, members are encouraged to pray for these laborers. Further, missionaries, members, and even staff members are encouraged to follow the dictates of Christ’s Lordship in their own lives.

This theology shows itself at Grace in some very obvious and practical ways:

1. Missionaries are featured frequently in our services. They are allowed to speak and report freely on their ministries in key services, even on Sunday mornings. They are encouraged to report both orally and visually regarding their previous term of service.

2. An occasional live telephone call during a service allows contact with families that have not been in the States recently. Though they are not in our sight, they are dear to our hearts!

3. We encourage our members to receive prayer letters and e-mail correspondence directly from the missionaries. By having this close contact with the church, missionaries are enabled to enlist prayer support directly from the congregation.

4. During our annual conference, breakout sessions with the missionaries afford the church personal interaction with missionaries. At such times, our members can ask personal questions to help them see how they might be able to use their gifts on the field.

5. We unselfishly encourage our members and staff to consider missions. Through the years God has called four different staff families to vocational service. In every case the couple left a huge void in the work, but God, who called, also equipped the church with new leaders. Our fondest memories go with those former staff members all over the world. Additionally, more than thirty of our church families have been sent to career missions from Grace. Members of Grace Baptist Church are given a higher amount of monthly support than non-members to help speed their deputation ministry.

6. Short-term projects and trips are a highlight of each year. With the potential of work teams, sports clinics, VBS programs, and medical clinics, plenty of opportunities exist to partner with our missionaries around the world. Participants of these short-term trips sometimes make commitments for career missionary service. The mission’s committee takes the lead in partnering with the members to fund these trips. A portion of the general fund budget is allocated to subsidize the cost of these trips for our members. Additionally, each participant is coached in writing letters to family and friends, as well as their church family. Generally, in a Sunday morning service, an opportunity is given for a testimony to the entire congregation including a direct appeal for prayer and financial support.

7. Sunday school classes adopt a missionary, and regularly pray for them and keep in contact.

8. Missionary prayer letters are regularly read to the congregation by the pastor.

9. Special needs, such as outfit and passage or building projects, are promoted before the congregation for support.

Years ago, I heard a missionary speaker explain to pastors, “If you take care of missions in your churches, God always seems to have a way of taking care of the church.” We have certainly found that advice to be true at Grace. Through the years, the partnerships with various missionaries that we have established have been a source of constant growth and excitement at Grace.

Dr. Steve Euler is pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN, and a member of the Board of Trustees of BIMI.