How Do You Measure Success in Missions?

How do you measure success in missions?  Some would say by how many baptisms you have.  Others would say by how many churches.  Obviously, there are many factors involved: culture, receptivity, rural or urban, etc.  I remember after I became a Christian 20 years ago about wanting to go to India.  I would hear of campaigns where there 2000 baptisms in one week and think, “Wow, now that is a receptive place!” 

 

Then, I met my good friend, Mark Hooper, who was a missionary for 5 years in Mumbai, India.  He baptized just 90 people.  I was puzzled.  Why could those guys baptize 2000 in one week and Mark was there for 5 years and only baptized 90?  Why the difference?  Was Mark successful? 

 

I will tell you my opinion in a minute, but first let’s consider how difficult it is to do missions in India:  Missionaries there will tell you that the Hindu worldview will accept any god that is new so therefore it is very easy to come to India, share the gospel and baptize 2000 in one week.  But, what if you challenge them to leave all of their gods and embrace only Jesus as Lord?  The results will definitely be less! 

 

What did Jesus say?  Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one can come to the Father unless they come through me.” (John 14:6)   “Salvation is found in no other name for there is no other name given under heaven by which men are saved.” (Acts 4:12)  The call to follow Jesus means to leave all other gods and trust Him alone as Lord and Savior.  That is very difficult for some Hindus to accept. 

 

So, while a one week campaign that baptizes 2000 looks successful at first, in the end, while some may truly be converted (we cannot judge, only God knows the heart), I don’t believe the campaign was successful because there were most likely very few genuine conversions.  Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen, one of my professors from ACU used to say in class, “Conversion without worldview change is not conversion.”  Without “heart” change, there is no conversion. 

 

Therefore, in my opinion, Mark’s ministry in Mumbai was very successful.  Why?  Mark called the people he met to be a disciple of Jesus and to make Jesus their only Lord, not just add another god to their collection.   Because he made disciples, those 90 are still faithful today. 

 

This brings us back to our question: how do you measure success in missions?  Let’s have a Bible study!

 

Read Matthew 28:18-20.  18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

  • What is the task of every Christian?  Make disciples.  Are we as a church doing a good job?  3713 languages still do not have the Bible, 3.9 billion have not heard the Gospel.  Why do you think some churches are so quick to baptize yet so uncommitted to discipleship?
  • We get the baptism part right, but we forget obedience!  Our faith is intellectual rather than practical.  I repent of any sermon or study I have done in the last 20 years where I did not ask people at the end:  “So, how will we obey what we have heard?   What will we do differently this week?”  Our generation is guilty of the 122 principle:  James 1:22:  “Do not merely listen to the Word and deceive yourselves; do what it says!”  

 

Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.  1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

 

  • What was the problem in the house churches at Corinth?  Do we have this problem today?  How? 

 

Read 1 Corinthians 3:5-9.   5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

 

  • How does Paul answer this problem of “preacher-itis?”  Who is the power behind missions? 

 

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7   7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

 

  • That is a great way to describe human beings: “jars of clay” – cracked, deformed, weak, and fragile.

 

John 15:5  5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 

  • We are NOTHING without Jesus Christ.  We can do NOTHING without the power of the Holy Spirit.  Missions is all about what GOD is doing: He empowers, He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, He gives us the message, He works through us, and He alone deserves all glory!

 

Read 1 Corinthians 3:10,11.   10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 

  • What are some other foundations people might try to lay?  Why is it important we talk more about a person than an institution?

 

Read 1 Corinthians 3:12,13.  12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

 

  • Day = Judgment.  Fire = Judgment of God.  What is Paul’s point about gold, silver, etc?  What happens if you put fire to gold or silver?  Purified.  We are purified just as gold through trials.  What happens if you put fire to wood, hay?  If we lay any other foundation we lay wood, hay……..we need to talk about a PERSON!

 

  • Which is more important to God: quality or quantity?  Why do those involved in ministry get caught in quantity (numbers game)?  How do we focus on making quality disciples? 

 

Read 1 Corinthians 3:14,15.  14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

 

  • For the Christian, Judgment Day is a day of reward.  How can we make sure our work here on earth will not be burned up?

 

So, how do we define success in ministry?  Success is getting the message out.  Ultimately, success is making QUALITY disciples.  Does this mean everyone will respond to our message?  No.  The Parable of the Sower shows that we get four different responses to the Gospel.  25% of those will bear fruit.  Does that mean we don’t go out to teach?  No.  Because all it takes is one person to make a difference in the life of another.  You can’t force someone to love God; you can’t live anyone’s life for them.  What that person does is between them and God.  If they don’t respond, you have not failed you’ve succeeded.  Focus on making quality disciples.

 

SUMMARY:  Our task here in Recife, Brazil is to make QUALITY disciples.  I would rather have 50 people who were totally sold out to the King of Kings and knew their purpose in the Kingdom rather than have 1000 spectators.