Missions: Not Lone Rangers, But a Network of Partners

by: Jerry Benge

When we reflect on the lives of famous missionaries like William Carey or Amy Carmichael and consider the remarkable challenges and hardships that they endured, many assume that they represent a special category of people who had the capacity to “go it alone.” While many missionaries may be endowed with innate abilities to learn a new language or adapt to unfamiliar foods and customs, no missionary was ever appointed by the Lord Jesus to carry out the Great Commission alone.

A quick glance at the Gospels and you see Jesus sending His disciples on their first mission trip not as “lone rangers” but two-by-two. (Luke 10:1). Just before His ascension, Jesus commissioned the Apostles to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). As you watch them in action, they are usually not alone. Peter may have been the main speaker at the feast of Pentecost, but he was not alone (Acts 2:14). On later occasions, he is paired with John (Acts 3-5). Later, when Paul is set apart by the church at Antioch to be its first missionary, he is sent out with Barnabas (Acts 13) and later with Silas (Acts 15:41). As you continue reading in the book of Acts, Luke, Timothy, and others join him.

You can also many find references to Paul’s partners in ministry in the concluding greetings of his letters. These beloved co-workers were not mere accessories to Paul’s missionary work. They were a vital part of first century missions. Not surprising is the extended list of greetings to and from Paul’s ministry partners in Romans 16:1-16. Rome was the capitol of the Roman Empire and a major crossroads for world travel. The mention of several names underscores his deep affection for his beloved co-laborers. Moreover, the varied ethnicities and social statuses indicated by their names suggest the universal relevance of the Gospel. But a key point we should not miss here is that the worldwide advance of the Gospel is dependent on a divinely designed partnership.



Dear friends, our Savior is building His church through local churches like Cornerstone to carry out His saving purposes to the ends of the earth. Our partnership consists of: 1) Biblically qualified and equipped missionaries whom we have vetted and approved; 2) Faithful missions’ agencies whose goal is to come alongside and assist local churches and their missionaries to successfully navigate the challenges of cross-cultural church planting; 3) Our local congregation in which each of us faithfully participates through being informed regularly, praying daily, giving financially, and providing support in other ways as opportunities arise. Even William Carey knew better than to try to go it alone in evangelizing India. He famously told his closest friend, Andrew Fuller, “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the rope. “The question is: Are you taking your part seriously—recognizing that our missionaries are depending on you?

This Sunday, May 10, Brian McKanna, a former missionary to Central Asia and one of the regional directors at Reaching and Teaching International Missions will be with us in our Worship service to preach and to share a Missions Moment. RTIM (headquartered in Louisville, KY) is one of our valued agency partners. They, like Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ hands in Israel’s battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17), are helping us to hold the rope for our two RTIM missionary couples who serve in SE Asia. Please be praying for him as he prepares and let’s also pray for each other that God will rekindle our hearts for His mission.