From Traditional Mobilization to Holistic Mobilization

What is mission mobilization? I’ve asked this question to various ministry leaders, in multitudes of countries over the last 22 years, hundreds maybe thousands of times. The answers I generally hear are “recruiting missionaries,” “speaking to a church about missions,” or “going to a missions conference.”

While none of these answers are wrong, they are incomplete from a Biblical, ecclesiological and missiological perspective. They are individual pieces of something much larger and encompassing, meant to be integrated within our churches and denominations, that is usually overlooked.[i]

The history of mobilization over the last 100 or so years has consisted primarily of “traditional mobilization,” focusing attention on an individual part of mobilization, while neglecting the broader, encompassing plan and purpose of God for mobilization.

The term “holistic mobilization” describes mobilization that emphasizes and prioritizes the whole plan of God for mobilization, not merely its individual parts.

Holistic mobilization affirms and applies core theological and missiological truths:

(1)   God is on a redemptive mission among all humanity.

(2)   God intended to accomplish that mission initially through Israel and subsequently intends to do so through the global Church.

(3)   God’s redemptive mission among all humanity is the priority of the global body of Christ in this age.

(4) The means of the global Church becoming educated, inspired and activated in that priority focus is corporate, “holistic” mobilization.

Holistic mobilization is the entire process of educating, inspiring and activating believers, local churches and denominations to integrate the mission of God and the Church into their day to day lives and communities. It calls the Church, made up of individual disciples, to her core corporate identity as God’s multiplying, reproducing, missionary-type people. This will never be achieved by continuing to use “traditional mobilization” (parts of mobilization while neglecting the whole) and hoping for a different result.

Holistic mobilization is achieved as leaders “indigenize” and “enculturate” the Spirit’s broader intent for mobilization within their ministries, making it a priority and emphasis of every local church, not a periodic sideshow. This means embracing new paradigms, overcoming old and outdated ideas and guiding our churches in Biblical, Spirit-led mobilization-oriented ways.

Holistic mobilization is characterized by several foundational concepts. Let’s consider five core concepts here.

(1) Wholehearted Devotion – While it might not be common to link true, Biblical discipleship (as Jesus taught it) with mission mobilization, it is inextricably connected. Apart from churches and denominations sincerely and authentically modeling and teaching the depths of Biblical discipleship (wholehearted love for Christ and subsequent action), mobilization will be limited. Embracing the cross (Gal. 2:20), dying to self-will and reliance (Mark 8:34; Luke 14:26-27), losing our life to find it (Matthew 16:25) and more, is foundational to the Spirit envisioning His people with God’s redemptive plan and purpose.

(2) Mobilizing The Whole, Not Merely A Few – It is common in mobilization circles to focus on a few people who seem to have a bent toward mission. Yet what about the rest of an individual church or denomination? Holistic mobilization prioritizes leading a whole community of faith on a journey collectively of being educated, inspired and activated, not merely a few. Focusing on individuals, to the neglect of a whole community, has been a major mistake of traditional mobilization. While potentially envisioning a few missionaries, it has failed to engage the whole church in her core corporate identity, thus limiting that church’s effective involvement in the Great Commission.

(3) Every Believer Has A Role – Traditional mobilization has tended to overlook this important concept. The Great Commission will not be fulfilled by more “professional” or traditional missionaries alone. The Spirit is seeking to activate every believer into their assigned Great Commission role(s) as an (1) intercessor (2) giver/ support systems/ member care (3) message bearer (4) mobilizer (5) advocate (6) welcomer. Every believer has at least one of these given from the Spirit which they are meant to dedicate themselves to with energy and focus. Yet most believers only hear about the “missionary” and are rarely challenged to identity one of the other roles they may have from God. Holistic mobilization prioritizes all the roles, not merely one, recognizing every necessary contribution toward the “fulfillment of the Great Commission.”

(4) Every Church Engaged in Three Levels of Scattering – To serve local churches, three levels of moving outward have been identified.[ii] Biblically speaking every disciple is meant to “scatter” in one way or another. Every local church is meant to prayerfully consider how to integrate “mobilization from the inside” toward seeing their members engaged in these three levels.

Level One Scattering refers to the moving outward of believers from the local church to engage the natural relationships God has put around them among relatives, workplaces, universities, neighborhoods, hobbies, etc., with the gospel of the Kingdom. Every believer is meant to be engaged in this level of scattering within their local community and needs foundational training and hands-on tools to be effective.

Level Two Scattering is when a team of believers from the local church (lay leaders and lay people), previously faithful in Level One Scattering, respond to the Spirit leading them to a near culture unreached people group within a 50-to-200-mile vicinity of the local church. They identify a section of the city, neighborhood, apartment complex or company that comprises a subculture of an unreached people. They are there to live and work, taking their families, while incarnating the gospel, seeking to plant a simple, culturally relevant church. The key is they are crossing a cultural barrier yet not a major one. They speak the same language, generally share the same customs. At least 15% of every church ought to be actively engaged in Level Two Scattering.

Level Three Scattering is the more traditional approach to mission sending. When a team of lay leaders and lay people from the local church embrace God’s leading to a distant culture unreached people group. These may be in the same geopolitical nation where they are, in a neighboring country and even farther away, crossing continents. The key is targeting an unreached group quite different from their own cultural background. They don’t share language, customs or worldview. At least 5% of every church ought to be actively engaged in Level Three Scattering.

(5) Mobilization From the Inside, Not Primarily Outside – Traditional mobilization has generally been activity or event oriented with most events taking place outside the local church. Some examples include going to a mission conference or a mission education course, of some kind. The challenge surrounds when those who participated return to a local church. They now may have a growing passion and vision for mission, yet their church most often does not share that same enthusiasm. Since most local churches don’t have a holistic mobilization strategy integrated into their local church fellowship, the mission vision gained through “mobilization from the outside” is generally lost. It is high time to prioritize “mobilization from the inside” that supplements their mobilization plan with periodic “mobilization from the outside” for specialty emphasis, etc.

[i] This definition is taken from vocabulary.com- https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/holistic#

[ii] Ralph Winter, in his breakthrough presentation at Lausanne 1974, labeled three types of evangelism to three different groups – E-1 is evangelism from one person of the same culture to another; E-2 evangelism is from one culture to a near culture to their own; E-3 evangelism goes from one culture to a distant culture. These three levels of scattering are based on this E-Scale. Perspectives Reader, Ralph Winter, William Carey Library, 347-360.