Every Christian, and certainly every Christian church, would vow allegiance to the Great Commission. To do less would be unthinkable. I am convinced, however, that only a small percentage of the vocal supporters of this divine directive fully understand its scope.

Basically, the charge that Christ gave his followers was multifaceted. We are to "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. Too many of us are only interested in the "going" process. Missionary agencies worldwide are consumed with this part of the task. Matthew adds that Jesus wanted us to reach "all nations." Matthew 28:19. This word, "nations," translates to "ethnos," meaning "tribes" or "language groups." With that said, it is important to note that there are reputable agencies that specialize in interpreting the scriptures in all of the language groups so that all of the lost may be reached with the gospel. Certainly, this is a noble endeavor.

The teaching and baptizing of converts is a practice that is devotedly adhered to by most missionaries. Many translations of the Great Commission present Matthew's version of the charge as "Go then and make disciples of all nations." I am convinced that the Great Commission is not fully understood and obeyed until we make disciples. If this is not accomplished, then it becomes the "Great Omission." "Going" is important along with "teaching" and "baptizing." Yet the task is not completed until it produces discipled people, totally involved and totally committed to Christ and His Church.

This is the challenging part. For almost 50 years in preaching the gospel--with most of that spent in pastoral ministry--nothing has occupied more of my time than this task. Untold numbers of hours have been spent attending seminars, poring over books on the subject, and hearing from the mouths of some of the most prominent voices of our day. Making this a matter of high priority, spending time in prayer asking the Lord for guidance, setting up programs, and training people to help in the process have lead me to some definite conclusions. Maybe they could be of help to you.

First, the pastor and staff must make this a matter of the highest priority. It cannot be passed on to others. Directives of this importance must be carried out with the leadership's full participation. As the church moves from small to large church status, and on to the mega church arena, the pastor's role as teacher in these areas will lessen--but still he must be leading the charge of responsible teachers to see this accomplished.
Next >>