A Humble Missiology 1

To the Edge: Reflections on Kingdom Leadership, Mission, and Innovation was released earlier this month. If you have not purchased a copy, I hope you get one and share it with others. In this post, I want to share with you an excerpt from the book.

Knowledge gained can lead to arrogance. This is true in all areas of life, including missiological thought. A biblical missiology is a humble missiology.

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Arrogance is a blight in the Field of the Kingdom. Many
struggle with it. Some of us privately. Some of us publicly.
Unconfessed, it grows and consumes, grieves and quenches,
and it always results in death. The individual may accomplish
many great things while covered with this blight
and gain the praise of many. But the Lord will not tolerate
arrogance because it takes glory away from Him.

Knowledge puffs up. And so does missiology—our study
of mission. Yet, the Lord calls us to walk humbly with Him,
which includes the way we approach Him, His mission, His
Church, and His world. We all have a missiology by which
we live. But is it a humble one?

Among many things, a biblical missiology is humble,
always willing to grow in understanding of God’s truth
and the application of means to the real world for the multiplication
of disciples, leaders, and churches.

A biblical missiology is humble, clinging tenaciously
to a scriptural foundation, holding tightly to principles,
but loosely to strategy, methods, traditions, organization,
and structures.

A biblical missiology is humble, focused and sure before
arriving on the field, but allowing the Spirit and context
to shape the application of never-changing truth.

A biblical missiology is humble, patiently and graciously
bringing brothers and sisters along in the journey who
have not been eating and drinking Kingdom-expanding
concepts for as long as you have.

A biblical missiology is humble, knowing with confidence
what it knows but open to correction and new
directions.

I have observed a great deal of arrogance over the years
in both my life and in the lives of many others. And we
evangelicals seem to be okay with it as long as such people
seem to be successful. But what will it ultimately profit
us to make many Great Commission accomplishments in
the name of the King only to have those successes rejected
by the King? Remember, some people will do great things for
the King, but He will deny knowing them (Matthew 7:21-23).

The Farmer is never okay with blight in His Field.

If we truly recognize that we are “unworthy servants”
(Luke 17:10) on this journey, we must run to the Spirit to
enable us to turn from that which so easily entangles us.
We must plead for grace to embrace our great salvation,
commission, other brothers and sisters, and the world with
a contrite and broken spirit and a heart filled with love.
We must move forward, wearing a towel instead of acting
as if we are sporting a kingly robe.

May the Savior empower us and show us the way to
live with a humble missiology in light of the four billion
souls who do not know the Lord!