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Missiology is the doctrine of the mission of god, and it is at the foundation of everything. The mission of God has been at the center of my studies for many years, and it was the focus of my doctoral work. It is hard for me to read anything in Scripture without seeing how it applies to God’s mission to redeem His people for His glory. The worldwide mission of God motivated His act of creation: He made the world so that His people would have a place to live and worship Him. From creation to the consummation in the new heaven and earth and everywhere in between, we see the unfolding mission of God to seek and to save His people through Christ.
The mission of God is essential to what the church is and is at the core of what the church does. Our fulfillment of the mission of God according to the Great Commission should govern everything in the life of the church, including caring for and teaching our children, serving the needy, evangelizing, doing apologetics, planting churches, teaching and preaching, and worshiping as a body. Christ has called us to make disciples of all nations by baptizing and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded us. This mission begins in our homes, and it extends to our communities and around the world.
Every Christian is in some way involved in the global mission of God. Mothers and fathers who disciple their children, Bible study and Sunday school teachers who disciple the church, pastors and elders who shepherd the flock of God, and church planters and missionaries around the world are all witnesses and ambassadors of Christ. Though we are not all sent to other parts of the world, we are all on mission wherever we are, bearing witness to Christ to our friends, coworkers, and families while also sending and supporting those who are called to go where the church sends them.
The global mission of God is at the heart of our theology. God in His sovereignty has ordained the salvation of His people, and He has ordained the means to that end. He tells us to go and preach, for how can the nations hear without someone preaching the gospel of Christ?
Nevertheless, while the mission of God is fundamental to who we are and what we do, it is not the ultimate end. The mission of God exists for the glory of God so that families from every tribe, tongue, and nation will know, love, and worship God coram Deo, before His face now and forevermore.