The Biblical Mandate for Global Ministry

• Biblical Community -- God is building His church around the world and it is His desire that each member of the body minister to the other members of the body in ways He has designed.  This ministry extends from one Christian ministering to another in a local church to a church ministering to another church in a different country.  The issue is not geographical distance or cultural differences or even language differences, but it is the union that believer’s share one with another in the Body of Christ. 

  • Community of Doctrine -- The heart of any biblical community is agreement concerning the interpretation of the Word of God and a defined doctrinal position.

  • Levels of Community -- There are three basic levels of community practiced in the world and in the church.  It is imperative that believers recognize that true biblical community is based on a spiritual level.

  • Study of Community -- An in-depth analysis of the biblical topic of 'community as seen in the Greek word family of "koine".

  • One-Anothers – A study of the biblical imperatives given by God concerning community and the body under the heading of 'one-anothers.'

  • Body of Christ -- An in-depth analysis of the biblical topic of 'body' as used by Paul in his writings to the churches at Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, and Colosse.

  • ‘Fellow’ --  A study of the combination of the Greek word, ‘with’ combined with other terms to describe relationships between Christians who are ministering the gospel.  It is used primarily by the apostle Paul and it gives insight into his perspective on community as it relates to workers.

The scriptural mandate for biblical community realized in the partner relationships between believers and local churches is clearly established in the New Testament.  Each church, as a local manifestation of the universal church, has a responsibility to participate in the life and ministry of other local churches of like precious faith for the furtherance of the gospel and the building up of the body.

The primary model used by God to illustrate this truth is the community relationship which should exist within the body.  This relationship is manifested at all levels of the body, from the community between two believers to the community between two or more local churches which are located in vastly different cultures and geographical settings.

The heart of this community relationship is the spiritual unity that believers enjoy because of their salvation and new life in Christ.  Each believer is a member of the body of Christ and because of this relationship has by extension a unity with other believers.  The actual living out of this unity between believers in Christ can be limited by a variety of factors, some valid such as doctrinal differences, and some only seeming limitations such as distance, culture and language.

The biblical basis for an association of local churches, whether national or international, is found in the 'body' passages of the Word of God.  And each member of the 'global church' is responsible to minister to other members of the body whether on a personal level or a corporate level through partnering churches, educational institutions, or other support organizations.

The Bible establishes the scriptural mandate for personal and corporate body ministry between the various parts of the church as well as the foundation of all biblical fellowship, a mutually agreed upon statement of faith.