Shifting tides

The tide is shifting. For some time now, it has been coming in and we have been challenged in how to adapt. The church has traditionally thought of missions as going out overseas, but now the nations have come all around us—at least into Australian society, but into our churches, not so much. So what are we to do?

Jesus calls us as his people to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). When we think about it, this call to disciple others in following Jesus is applicable to us whether we’re going about our work in our local neighbourhoods, or whether we’re going out to the furthest reaches of the world. The emphasis is on making disciples.

The call to discipleship was not intended to be monocultural, but to be conveyed across cultures. God's heart is ultimately for the nations to glorify him together in vibrant worship. And that's the picture we see of our future in the new heaven and earth:

“Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, were standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).

The multiethnic church is our witness to the world of the reality of God’s Kingdom from all nations. And yet seeing the multiethnic environments in which we live, work and study, it does not make sense that the latest National Church Life Survey shows approximately three quarters of churches in Australia are monocultural.

Why is this? And what should we do about it?

Community and Partnerships Director, Lisa Bateup, reflects on how Interserve can use its skills and knowledge to support the work God’s people are called to do.

“Making disciples of all nations is the calling of the church,” she said. “Yet intercultural ministry requires a great deal of intentionality to produce lasting change. It will not happen without the active involvement of church leadership. So we’re seeking to partner long term with the church in their ministry goals, to better reflect the local community and grow their engagement in discipleship and outreach activities.”

But still we may wonder, how is this locally based mission connected with global mission? How does it benefit the global work we’re called to?

“Local mission is global mission,” Lisa responds. “The nations of the world are here in our cities. The fastest growing churches in Australia today are multiethnic churches. And migrants will be a mission force for the future as they take the Gospel to family and communities in their home countries.

“As we see God at work transforming their lives and communities, our heart to see the nations worshipping Jesus as Lord will also grow, and our desire to become more engaged in global mission will flow from that.”

As we speak, Interserve’s church engagement initiative is building a team to work closely with a small number of churches around the country in 2023. The team needs church leaders to advise where they would value support in local and global missions engagement.

“God is the one bringing the nations to Australia and working out his purposes,” Lisa said. “We have the privilege and responsibility of joining in the work he is already doing. Reaching our multicultural neighbourhoods will both revitalise our churches and raise up workers for the harvest field around the world.”

So as the tides continue to come in and many peoples cross the oceans to live amongst us, the question is raised for each of us and our churches: as we go, how can we join in God’s work of making disciples of all nations?