And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20, KJV)

What is the main purpose of a church’s existence? If you’re thinking: “to preach the Gospel,” you are right! The Great Commandment explains it in a few simple verbs: “teach, baptizing” and “teach, to observe”...and all this while “going.”

How many people have joined your church recently by just entering the front door? Probably very few. The majority of people become church members when we go to them, teach them, baptize them and teach them to live according to God’s Word. This movement out in mission is not to be stopped by any of our so-called “smart ideas about the church’s purpose.” It is really simple: we have no choice or option here. We just must go. All together, as a church. Not just the best of us, but the whole church is called to obey Jesus in this command.

And when a church fails to do it - when a church is too comfortable, too concentrated on something other than its main purpose - then something else happens to make the church scatter in order to fulfil its purpose. Speaking as a church-planter I would add that, for a church to survive, mission cannot be just one evangelism program or ministry. Mission cannot be a time-to-time evangelization event; it has to be the core work, the life and the breath of the church. Mission is why and how the church lives as long as it exists.

But how in the world we can have a whole church participate in mission? Here are 5 steps that work for us and should work for your church as well:

1. Begin to preach about missions and church-planting even before your church exists. Our first ever sermon in the church was about missions.

2. Set the planting of a new church as a main goal of your church from the very beginning, even if you have just 5 people in your church's worship service now.

3. Form a missions committee (or call it as you wish) in your church even before you have a worship team.

4. Have a vision (or at least a dream) about how you see the future of your church that includes church-planting. Church-planting and missions have to be the center of your church's life and vision, not just one ministry.

5. Put your missions committee to work! They have important work to do - not just deciding where to send any extra money you have or how to organize your annual missions conference. They can be educating the church about missions, preparing for practical missions, pro-actively searching for opportunities to serve on missions trips and to involve each single congregation member in any aspect of missions work. They can search for the resources to fulfil your church’s vision for missions and church-planting.

Church without missions as the center of its life will become a church with something else as the center of its life. But, praise be to God, “something else” is not mentioned in The Great Commandment. We all have a clear job to do. We must bring all of our people along in this grand calling of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ!