Sojourn Midtown’s mission is to reach people with the gospel, build them up as the church, and send them into the world. When we think about what part we play in the work of global missions, we are driven by the following convictions:

Conviction 1

We believe that our God is a missionary God who is redeeming for himself a diverse people from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group.

Theology

The Bible is a book about God and his mission to redeem rebellious humanity, and to reestablish his reign over his kingdom through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The triune God is made known in that redemption was initiated by the Father, executed by the Son, and implemented and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Father, in union with the Spirit, sent Jesus into the world to redeem it. The Father and Son sent the Spirit to bring conviction of sin and provide life to the church.

Implications

The triune God sends the church out on mission to the world. The mission God has given his church is rooted in God himself. Because God is a sending God, we as his diverse image-bearers are a sent people. Therefore:

• All followers of Jesus are Sent Ones, compelled and empowered to take the gospel to others.
• Some are called and affirmed to be cross-cultural missionaries.
• We long for and labor toward the future restoration of God’s kingdom, when believers from every people group on earth will stand before God and worship Jesus Christ in his full glory.
• As a multiethnic, multigenerational, multi-socioeconomic church, we work to make missions accessible to the whole body of Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20; John 20:19-21; Acts 1:8; 13:1-4; 14:26-28; Revelation 7:9-10

Conviction 2

We believe biblical faithfulness is crucial in evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Theology

Matthew 28:18-20 makes clear that fulfilling the Great Commission is more than just proclaiming the good news; it includes discipling and teaching as well. Paul demonstrated his understanding of this reality through his commitment to plant churches. By planting churches, Paul was able to move from proclaiming the gospel to teaching followers of Christ the whole counsel of God. He was vigilant in raising up qualified leaders and taking a stand against false ones. Paul wanted to see the churches he planted know God and stay faithful to God’s Word.

Implications

Following Paul’s example, our aim in global missions is to plant new churches that are orthodox and reproduce. Therefore:

• We desire to be biblically faithful, which means we want to be submitted to and shaped by God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16).
• We recognize that we partner primarily with those who share our understanding of orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
• Theology matters in all areas of life, but especially in evangelism, discipleship, and church-planting. When we do these things, we are in essence reproducing ourselves and our doctrine. As Titus 2:1 says, “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.”

Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 19:1-41; 20:17-35; 1 Timothy 3:1-4:3; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:1

Conviction 3

We believe that prayer is a vital work of global missions.

Theology

The ministry of prayer—for people groups, Sent Ones, national believers, and unreached areas of the world—is a crucial part of missions. God urges us over and over to be active in prayer. Ephesians 6:18–19 calls us to pray for the church and for missionaries reaching the lost. Acts 12:5 tells us that the church was active in praying for persecuted Christians. In Luke 10, Jesus calls us to pray for more workers to be sent out to the harvest. When we pray, we are working to fulfill the Great Commission.

Implications

As we faithfully pray for the lost, for those who are taking the gospel to them, and for churches around the globe, we are engaged in the Great Commission. Therefore:

• Prayer must be a foundational activity as we seek to proclaim the gospel, disciple believers, and plant churches.
• It is through the prayers of God’s people that the gospel goes forward and changes the lives of the unreached and forgotten.
• If we neglect praying for the lost and for the believers that work among them, we neglect the full calling to take the gospel to the nations.

Luke 10; Acts 12:5; Ephesians 6:18-19

Conviction 4

We believe in upholding the centrality of the local church in sending out and sustaining the work of its members, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Theology

The Great Commission was given to the church, and the local church is central to the sending and sustaining of missionaries. This idea is illustrated in the relationship between Paul and his sending church in Antioch. Paul is sent out on mission by the elders in Antioch after being prompted by the Holy Spirit in Acts 13:1–3. After this, Paul has a close relationship with the church at Antioch throughout his missionary journeys. He returns to his sending church after his trips to report on how the Lord has worked through him. The testimony of Paul’s work reminds us that today, just as in the first century, the church is responsible to obey God’s call by sending and sustaining missionaries.

Implications

Our church has been blessed with the knowledge of God and has a responsibility to bless our neighborhoods and the nations with that knowledge. In order to be good stewards of what we have, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we seek to:

• Adopt the primary role in training, preparing, and sending out members who have been gifted and called to go to the nations.
• Faithfully provide care and support to those who are already on the field.
• Sacrificially give of our finances to bolster our members and their work.

Psalm 67; Acts 13:1-3; 14:21, 26; 15:40; 18:22-23; Philippians 1:3-8; 4:14-19; 1 Corinthians 8:1-6

Conviction 5

We believe in the necessity of both word and deed ministry as we live in obedience to the New Testament model.

Theology

When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus and his followers, including the early church, we see a community on mission in holistic ways, often among the poor and marginalized. Jesus and his disciples were constantly meeting people’s physical needs as they shared the life-giving message of the gospel. To separate proclaiming the gospel from meeting people’s physical needs is to create a false dichotomy.

Implications

We value people wholly, including their spiritual, physical, and relational needs, because they are made in the image of God. Accordingly:

• Faithful missions practice integrates our words–proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches…
• …And our deeds–good works, acts of mercy, and meeting needs–in ways that help others see Jesus more clearly and experience his transforming message more directly.
• While this will take different forms depending on role, team, and context, we encourage our Sent Ones and partners to use their God-given gifts to practice word and deed ministry.

Matthew 9:35-37; Matthew 15:32-39; Isaiah 61:1-7; Acts 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-27

Conviction 6

We believe focusing on spiritual renewal allows us to prioritize both fruitfulness and faithfulness in missions.

Theology

God has created us to abide with and enjoy him as the primary focus of our lives. On the mission field, our call is not to do for God, but to be with God: our labor should come from the overflow of the renewal we find with him. We never want to emphasize fruitfulness over faithfulness—they work in tandem. In John 15:4, Jesus tells his disciples, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Everything in the Christian life hinges on this relationship. To abide in Christ, is to have union with Christ. Jesus goes on to say in verses 7-8, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” As our Sent Ones abide in Christ and his Word abides in them, we pray that the Father will answer their requests and so be glorified by the fruit that comes from their ministry.

Implications

As the gospel takes hold of our hearts, it draws us into God’s work in the world. And as we work in the world, we are drawn back to our deep need for God and his deep love for us. This means our primary goals are to see our Sent Ones:

• Abide in Christ through the Word and prayer.
• Grow and thrive spiritually while also being encouraged to invest deeply in the progress of the mission.
• Be faithful and persevere while also recognizing by faith that God produces the fruit in our lives and work.

John 15:1-17; Ephesians 2:4-10; Philippians 1:8-11

Conviction 7

We believe missions should happen in the context of a team, and that God gets greater glory through kingdom collaboration.

Theology

From the book of Acts and the letters of Paul, we see that Paul prioritized doing cross-cultural ministry in teams. In Acts 13, Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark are sent out as a team. In Acts 15:39-41, we see two different teams formed to do ministry together. Acts 16:6-10 shows that when Paul was called to Macedonia, he used the terms “we” and “us” when talking about God’s leading for ministry. Luke indicates in Acts 18:18, 19:22, and 20:4 that Paul was on a large team that served together in Asia. Last, Paul often collaborated with his partners by sending some of those who were with him, like Timothy (to Ephesus) and Titus (to Crete), in order to help those churches grow in the gospel by appointing elders and deacons.

Implications

As a church, we see teaming and partnerships as a biblically rooted idea, a model for community and accountability, and a clear best practice in missions. We also recognize that teaming and partnerships can have a variety of forms because of the reality that missions are polycentric (at team, church, city, region, network or organizational levels, etc.), and that teams and partnerships often change over time. Partnerships should be governed by a shared strategic vision for the same kingdom purposes, where multiple parties are able to clearly see how collaboration would be better than working alone. For any partnership to be effective, it must be governed by a commitment to play our respective roles in God’s redemptive and restorative mission. This means that we seek to use the gifts God has given us for the extension of God’s kingdom, not our own. It also means that we partner with those whose gifts complement ours. We are committed to:

• Partnering with like-minded mission organizations, networks, and churches who are passionate about empowering the local church in global missions.
• Having all of our Sent Ones and national partners serve on teams.
• Having partnerships governed by a shared strategic vision for the same kingdom purposes.
• Partnering in a way that is generous, yet proportionate to the gifts God has given us.

Acts 13; 15:39-41; 16:6-10; 18:18; 19:22; 20:4; 1 Timothy 1:3-4; Titus 1:5