Auburn Grace Church Revamps Missions Engagement

Changes in transportation and communication have made it easier than ever to engage with people from other cultures in meaningful ways. Political realities have in some cases made it more difficult. Add to that the way young people think and the things they are passionate about, and you have the makings for a transformation in the way we approach the Great Commission.

Brooke Bye, Missions Facilitator at Auburn Grace Community Church in Auburn, California, is tasked with navigating these changes to mobilize the next generation of missionaries and missions senders. Her assignment is a big one: to ensure that “every man, woman, and child in Auburn Grace’s congregation is actively engaged in praying for, sending to, welcoming from, and going to the nations.”

In her three months in this new role, Brooke has started by examining how existing ministries in her church can be leveraged to engage people with missions. Meanwhile, she and the missions team are strategizing new ways to teach people about God’s heart for the nations. Short-term trips, local cross-cultural opportunities, and a “global weekend” to connect with missionaries are starting points for Auburn Grace to get people involved in the call to bring the gospel to all nations.

But the path to missions engagement has its share of bumps. Two obstacles Brooke has identified for young people entering missions are a reluctance to commit to a long-term relocation and a belief that since we are all called to be missionaries wherever we are, there is no need to go into full-time missions work. 

Searching for practical ways to engage and mobilize people in her church, Brooke has found that the book Mobilizing the Mobilizers is a great starting point. In it, she has learned “the importance of mobilization and God’s heart for all the nations needs to be a part of the DNA of the church, not just a category of it.” Auburn Grace’s missions team has found the book to be challenging and encouraging as they pray and care for their mission partners and seek to grow their own vision for missions as well as that of the entire church. 

Brooke shares about her experience with the workbook, “Our church decided to go through Mobilizing the Mobilizersat the beginning of last year and it has been extremely helpful for us as we expand our missions team. Because of Mobilizing the Mobilizers, our team is growing, we’re asking better questions, and people are motivated and excited to look for opportunities to mobilize the whole church!” 

She continues, “In my opinion, every church has something to learn from Mobilizing the Mobilizers. It challenges us with ideas and encourages us to put those ideas into action. We plan to use Mobilizing the Mobilizers each year to train new team members.”

If your church needs a boost as you strive to engage every member of your congregation in God’s mission to reach all nations with the gospel, get a copy of Mobilizing the Mobilizers. Read and discuss it with your church and missions leaders. You will be challenged, inspired, and given practical action steps to help you establish and equip a mobilization team in your church.

The face of global missions is changing, but by working together and embracing the opportunities before us, we can make it a change for the better.

Learn more about Mobilizing the Mobilizers and the entire Path Series at PathSeries.com.