Introduction
The primary justification for most Christian mission organizations is the Great Commission, the famous statement in Matthew 19 that compels believers to preach the Gospel. But despite the clear mandate that this command offers to those who evangelize "the lost," as they are popularly called, this commission has become increasingly problematic as a single one-size-fits-all justification. This claim is not to deny the centrality of the command for missions. It is still an important component of any missionary group's legitimacy. But there are two reasons that it, in and of itself, is not fully adequate as justification. First, and most simply, the instances of those evangelized who subsequently tarnish the faith are legion. Most recently, the governor of South Carolina, former Presidential candidate John Edwards, former President Bill Clinton, and a variety of other high-profile politicos in the United States have undoubtedly made adherence to the "standards" of the faith -- at least that one calling for faithfulness to a spouse to whom one has pledged fidelity for life -- seem advisory rather than required. Such infidelity knows no party favorites, as the fallen have come from across the political spectrum. They also know no doctrinal favorites, any more so than did the peccadilloes of the raft of former televangelists who have likewise embarrassed the faith. The number of ordinary pastors, ministers and evangelists who have likewise failed in their fiduciary duties, or their marital obligations, are legion. Bringing a person to the point of decision through preaching the Gospel is thus not nearly enough.
I know what you're thinking. The Great Commission isn't just about preaching the Gospel, it's also about making disciples of all nations. But it's too facile to say that all these examples of the unfaithful are the result of failed discipleship (even if it's true). Some of these people were actually preaching the Gospel to others even as they were denying its centrality, through their actions, in their own lives. None of them were new believers; all had ample opportunity to become disciples and to know the expectations of discipleship. The command to "disciple" is, as its partner, insufficient.
Those within the Christian community are one context for understanding personal behavior -- all are sinners and need the saving grace of Christ. Fair enough. But everyone within this particular community also live and breathe and have their corporeal being in the wider context of the "world," that place of abode where Christianity does not necessarily hold sway, where its behavior expectations may even be irrelevant. People work in businesses, corporate enterprises, manufacturing plants, government offices, state universities and public schools, hospitals and other non-faith-based service organizations, as well as in hundreds of other types of institutional operations where their faith may be seen (even defined) by others as irrelevant to the worldly tasks at hand. Not only that, but they also live in religiously-mixed neighborhoods (including those who profess no faith in any religious tradition), exercise the voting franchise to elect often morally-flawed or controversial candidates, commit themselves to equally morally-questionable or apostate celebrities in the music, television, and film worlds, read, watch, or listen to pundits who may disagree vehemently about appropriate economic, social, or political policies but who claim their opinions spring from the same religious convictions.
Second, the Great Commission does not go nearly far enough in expressing the love of Christ for all humankind. Those of us within the Christian faith know that Christ died for all, but a host of obstacles prevent effective presentation of the gospel. In recent interviews ICMS conducted in the Philippines and Indonesia, we found very few believers in either Christianity (both its Catholic and Protestant variants) or Islam who could articulate the differences between these two faiths. So in both cases the depth of belief was shallow, largely the result of an inherited tradition rather than a true commitment - even among those who claimed status as "born again." And in research we conducted in Africa over the past two years, in both East and West, similar situations prevailed. Those in East Africa thought that religious leaders were far removed from the issues of everyday life, those that they struggled with every day, regardless of how powerfully they may have expounded from the pulpit.
Again, I know what you're thinking. Here comes the social gospel. But no, that is not the direction I'm heading. It's not a "guns or butter" issue - a zero sum game in which we have to choose one commitment or the other. Christ didn't. His command to "preach the Gospel" has to be seen in terms of what the Gospel was - and it was the Word, and the Word was made flesh - it was Christ himself. But what did he mean if not declare him to the nations? Certainly he meant that, but he meant much more. He told his followers that they were to follow the two great commandments: to love God with all their hearts, minds, souls and strength, and to love their neighbors as themselves. It is this love that distinguishes Christianity from other religions of fear and trepidation. But love cannot merely be proclaimed: it must be lived. Those who follow a shallow faith need to know how it should be deepened. It is deepened through love. Those who think the church and its leaders are out of touch with their daily hunger and thirst need to hear them address those issues. How are they to more adequately feed their children? Pay their school fees? Cope with illness in communities where medical facilities are not available? Protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, malaria, dengue fever, infant diarrhea? We've interviewed people who said they had HIV/AIDS and that they felt it in their joints, especially in the cold - rheumatoid arthritis perhaps? Others who said they had heard of it, but had no idea how it was contracted or how to protect themselves from it. The media had paid more attention to HINI than to any of these chronic problems. An epidemic can be stopped with care and compassion - with love in action. And the action needed is often words - words of encouragement, enlightenment, or disavowal of myths.
A Wider Vision
So we have to be committed to something beyond merely "discipling," especially if that is a Bible-words-only activity. Actions speak louder than words. Actions require personal commitments and attention to social justice, humanitarian relief, social reconstruction, economic development, as aspects of bringing the Word of God (Christ) to the nations. Evangelicals are not interested in speaking empty words, and there has been increasing attention within the evangelical community for the past decade to the matters that were previously defined as the province of social gospel. This same shift must also suffuse the missionary work that we engage in. It cannot be a half-hearted effort either, as that compromises the claim on the non-believer's heart.
This undoubtedly requires a more comprehensive education for parish or local pastors than they often get in the developing world. Many step into the pulpit with only the rudiments of the Gospel under their belts. They feel "called" to preach. But it is precisely their lack of a broader education, or understanding, of the problems facing their congregations that can make the Gospel seem an empty vessel. I recently talked to a well-educated pastor in central Africa about malaria. His comment at the end of the conversation: "you know more about malaria than I do, and I've lived with it my whole life." The information is increasingly available for those who step into the pulpit to use in addressing these issues. But they need encouragement to do so. Do they get it from their evangelical partners, or inspirations, in the West? Unfortunately, often the answer is no. If Christianity is to truly take root in people's hearts, and provide them with the understanding that will enable them to resist the temptations of other faiths that may have more immediate material goodies to offer, then the missionary church must do more to educate those in the pews - and those in the pulpits.