Gotta Go to Grow

"Words are not enough to tell you just how much God has changed me and my wife in the few days I was in Saltillo", declared one of the team members in my office after he returned from a mission trip to Saltillo, Mexico. I am reminded every time I lead a mission trip or hear the stories of those who go without me, just how much an impact going makes on our members.
It is a basic principle that God has used through the ages to not only accomplish His kingdom growth, but to also accomplish His growth in his children. I'm reminded that God is a sending God and only when we trust Him and go outside of our own world, our comfort, our security, only then will we grow spiritually.
How said it is to see how little emphasis pastors place on getting their members to go anywhere except to church. Missions is often just another ministry or program of the church. There is an emphasis a couple of times a year to raise money for missionaries but other than sending a youth team or youth choir to do concerts in another city, often times there is no real effort to encourage members to go. Christians have a concept that going on missions is for the spiritually called "missionaries" but not for them. A DOM told me that he saw little value in members going on missions. When challenged he admitted he had not gone on a mission trip in very a long time.
Unless there is a vision for going from the pastor and staff, then the members will not go. Pastor Jeff Harris placed such a high value of going he placed a staff member to oversee the missions area of Grace Point. For us at Grace Point going is one of the five characteristics of a fully devoted follower of Christ. It is the DNA of every believer, so we expect every member to go local at least once a year and global once in five years. Because of that vision and value on going, we have close to 200 members going global every year and 500+ going local.
Missions changes lives in so many ways but one of the greatest values is that it helps build leaders and injects a passion for the lost. As I look around at many of our Point Persons in leadership positions of our church, I can see how many of these leaders have gone on mission trips. Many took on greater responsibilities and leadership roles in the church after experiencing God on the mission field.
Don't short change your members by not giving them a kingdom vision for what they can do outside the walls of the church, their home, city and country. Push them to go. Most will not go until you do so and will not grow until they go.