The one thing that has never changed about missions is that God has always been seeking people to know Him and then to make Him known. The unchanging message of the gospel started in a garden and will end in a city full of people from every tribe and nation on the earth.
The great commission was given to the early church and they immediately began to carry the message to every part of their known world. This message was primarily being shared not by a professional ministerial class but by average believers who had a personal story to tell about what Christ had done in their lives.
During the middle ages the formal church was the focal point of representing God to the world. The emphasis had shifted from individuals to organizations and the world suffered greatly in this period of isolation from the truth.
The reformation gave the scriptures back to the people and set the stage for all that followed in the modern mission’s movement where individual believers once again committed their lives to go into whole world with their message of hope. However these individuals became part of much larger organizations that took the lead in spreading the good news.
Today the major emphasis is still upon organizations, denominations, mission agencies and other groups that represent primarily the trained professionals who maintain the old paradigms that have existed for hundreds of years. These groups do a great work and will always play an important role in touching the world.
An exciting new movement is developing where committed Christians are once again being used by God in incredible ways and places where the professional worker model cannot work. They are using their career calling as a platform not only to make a profit but also to make an eternal difference.
If you want to learn more Great Commission Companies is a great book that points the way to how God is using globalization to break down barriers and effectively create genuine communities of new believers.