Mission Mobilization
Seizing This North American Mobilization Moment
Written by Mark Stebbins
Mark Stebbins is one of our nine Mission Advisors focused on assisting the Missio Nexus association with key insights and wisdom on specific topics and areas of interest. You can learn more about our Mission Advisors and their areas of focus by click here: Mission Advisors
Would you believe that today there could be 100,000 dormant mission goers in North America waiting to be awakened and mobilized into the nations? Before we could ever achieve this reality, there is a confluence of powerful environmental forces at work for and against us that must be recognized and addressed. The unprecedented challenges and opportunities that these present day prevailing winds are creating in our missions’ mobilizing and sending are enormous.
Darker forces include the dismantling of Christian culture before our eyes, an ever-softening emphasis on global missions in North American churches, an ever-increasing brokenness among potential workers, and the rising adversities and hostilities in getting the gospel out to the ends of the earth. The evil one is putting up quite a fight attempting to hold us back from our missions destiny.
On the other hand, we take great courage in the positive forces powerfully at work in the missions arena. There is zeal for the nations breaking out in our younger generations, there is the rise of new waves of workers being sent from the global south, there is a new spirit of missional collaboration among sending bodies, and there is bedrock assurance that nothing is impossible for the Lord our God, who has promised that the Great Commission will be completed! The faithful are more galvanized than ever with confidence that he always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ!
If ever there was a time for missions revival and breakthrough, that time is now! I believe we are being called by God to “…stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” (Phil 1:27,28). The time is now to roll up our sleeves, link arms, draw fresh courage, and take bold risks to march against the last frontiers of the gates of hell. We must come together, think together, and work together so that the North American Body of Christ can run together into the nations. The way forward for our mobilizing and sending, and into his ultimate victory, is TOGETHER!