Kevin DeYoung: Why the Mission of the Church Discussion Still Matters

When our book What Is the Mission of the Church?came out last fall it generated a fair number of responses, including some heavy (and usually respectful) pushback. We tried to respond to a few of these thoughtful responses. Since then the conversation has quieted down, which is entirely appropriate.

But that doesn't mean the issue is any less urgent. Few Christians would question that disciplemaking is at the heart of the church's missionary imperative. No evangelical is against evangelism, reaching unreached peoples, and making disciples. And yet, I believe we are blind to serious dangers if we think we can pay mere lipservice to these things, spotlight everything else, and still expect our missionary heartbeat to keep beating. For many churches and many Christians our mission work and mission aims have become indistinguishable from that of any number of humanitarian organizations. Read more