Contemporary theological education has been oriented primarily towards the pastoral care of congregations, thereby reducing Christ’s ministry to a functionalist definition and practice. Jesus Christ, in the Gospel reading from Luke 10, re-echoes the Church’s mission to the world. Jesus Christ brings to the fore the missional character of the Church’s ministry by sending His followers out with the urgency of the harvest, due to His compassion for those who are lost. The missional insight of global Christianity for Christian ministry is not just about the arts and skills of professional church leadership, or upgrading both the professional performance and the social status of the cleric, which can underscore ministry as a career. Jesus’ act of sending the seventy tells us that ministry flows from mission. Ministry is more than applying good skills to life’s problems. [1] The urgency of the harvest is human beings, pleasure-driven, self-sufficient human beings. Jesus Christ offers a way forward for the Church and leadership renewal, as visualised in the transition from museum-like churches to missionary churches (Lk 10:1-10). A museum-like or empty churches or institution focused solely on its preservation rather than sharing the Gospel.

Today, empty churches continue to cling to mission as a means of survival, just as ministry churches pursue Christian ministry with a full calendar of activities. The likelihood of becoming a museum-like church and institution may not be too far if we fail to follow Jesus’ template for mission. A missionary church can easily become a museum for lack of soul-winning. Until our discernment of God’s mission influences our understanding of the necessary pastoral skills and care, self-preservation will hasten the decline of the Church.

The history of Christianity as it was once told in many nations, cities, and towns is now narrated episodically, object by object. Nations, comprising cities, towns, and villages with churches and chapels, are now struggling not just to keep their Churches open but to keep the roofs on. At a time when finding new uses for redundant churches is on the increase, obedience to Jesus’ Word remains the ultimate solution to the Church and its leadership.

We are at a time when ecclesiastical law dictates ‘that if no religious use could be found (as a parish room, or school, for example), a building must be declared redundant and dilapidated, partially or completely.’ To many people, ‘turning a church into an ecclesiastical museum might appear to be only a very slight change in function to us these days, used as we are to churches being converted into houses, shops and restaurants.’ The increasing heritagisation beyond leasing the Church to a secular authority counters the ‘previously understood boundaries of church law – this was not to be a religious institution (there was no provision for prayer, for example). The museum church is a showpiece of the past, its ancient walls devoid of spiritual vitality.

Jesus’ missiology remains relevant today, just as there are people in desperate need of Jesus. Jesus’ appointment and sending of seventy others two by two before His face into every city and place tells us that we can have a church without a building, and you can have a building without a church. A poll by the National Churches Trust (NCCT) reveals that church closures deter worshippers. According to the Methodist Recorder, Issue 8697, August 30, 2024, ‘the findings come at a time when an increasing number of churches of all denominations are under threat of closure. This is because of declining congregations and rising costs, with more than 3,500 shutting in the UK over the last decade.’

The Gospel reading points us to the missiology of Jesus[2] and how His followers ought to do mission. Jesus called us as a missionary church, a movement, sent to spread His Word and multiply His work. For Jesus, relational multiplication is the key to meeting the world’s great harvest needs. The Gospel begins with Jesus saying, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” Beloved, Jesus did not say, ‘The building is plentiful, but money is few.’ Jesus is talking about the need for the Good News of the Kingdom to spread in the world by the labourers. Sadly, there are many theologians, church workers, bishops, clergy, popes, archbishops, presidents, pastors, superintendents, and many more; however, Jesus highlighted a few labourers, specifically those who are actively involved in sharing the Gospel and leading others to Jesus Christ.

For Jesus, the harvest is plentiful. It is a serious missional problem. People are increasingly ready, waiting to hear. The power of multiplication helps us to make disciples of all nations. Sadly, today, the building is plentiful and empty, churches are closing, and worshippers are driven away. Jesus’ instruction to the seventy to set out with prayer applies to us today, enabling us to effectively address the necessities and urgencies of the great harvest of souls. The word “harvest” is used throughout scripture as a picture of judgment, specifically of the coming judgment. Regardless of your opinion, the scripture warns that the wages of sin are death. Judgment is coming into the world.

The missiology of Jesus is beyond clinging to our role benefits, pleasure, and superiority over others. Jesus’ methodology of mission is about sowing the seed of God’s Word, which we are meant to share with others. Beyond the NCCT’s emphasis on keeping churches open, we do not simply keep churches open as museums or ‘being constituted as a repository of ecclesiastical art.’ Mission is not incidental nor decorative. Mission is the lifeblood of the Church’s efforts. Without mission, pastoral care will not succeed. Without a mission, ministers become sedentary, redundant, busy, but guilty. Busyness is costly. It cost the church leadership the best part of mission and evangelism. Jesus’ prerequisites for the effective proclamation of the Gospel call for humility, likening us to lambs among wolves. The urgency of the harvest calls us to learn faithful obedience, thereby overcoming our fear and hardship, and recognising Jesus’ authority for a place in heaven.

[1] Messer, Donald E, A Conspiracy of Goodness: Contemporary Images of Christian Mission (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1992), pp. 17-21

[2] Okegbile Deji, Growing A 21st Century Missional Church Through Missiology of Jesus (London: Sadlprint, 2024), pp. 22-24