Where do missionaries come from? They certainly do not grow on trees. Nor should they come from Bible Colleges or Christian Schools. God’s plan is for missionaries to be cultivated through the ministry of the local church.
We find this pattern clearly demonstrated in the New Testament. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were ministering in a local church when God moved through that assembly to direct them to go out and plant churches from city to city. In Acts 15, Silas was chosen to travel with Paul because of his good testimony among the brethren. In Acts 16, Timothy was recommended to the ministry of missions by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. In each of these instances, local bodies of believers played an instrumental role in supplying Missionary’s.
The purpose of the local church is to evangelize the lost and edify the believer, so that the work of the ministry can continue on. Part of that work is taking the gospel to foreign and remote regions. While it is not God’s will that every believer be a foreign missionary, it is certainly God’s will that some be. It is the responsibility of the church, then, to train and encourage believers to be willing to go wherever God would have them go to share the gospel with whoever needs it.
We cannot rely on parachurch organizations to supply the workforce to accomplish world evangelization. It is the duty of the local church to supply missionaries.