Our God is a sending God. Nearly every time He speaks to someone in scripture, He is sending them on a mission. From Abraham to Moses to Paul, to us, God’s people are always being sent into the world on mission. He sent His best and only son into the world to save us. Jesus is referred to as “sent” forty seven times in the New Testament. Clearly, God is a sender by nature. Jesus sent the apostles, and He has sent us. After His resurrection, Jesus passed on this responsibility to His disciples: “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).
In “Gaining by Losing”, J.D. Greear challenges us to recognize that in healthy growing churches, sending capacity is more important than seating capacity. Many churches think their primary problems are about declining baptism numbers and poor attendance. When often times, they are evidence that the church has drifted from it’s primary vision to SEND members out on mission.
A church that is sending equips members to demonstrate the gospel every day in their workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools and be prepared to give an answer to those in our community who ask them to “give the reason for the hope that they have” (1 Peter 3:15).
What is SENDING? The act of enlisting, equipping and mobilizing believers to engage the world with the gospel through:
- local community ministry
- short term missions
- church planting efforts
- disaster relief work
- vocational ministry
- long-term missionary service
Below is a list of Kentucky’s top ten churches, in terms of missions participation. Each of the churches has earned recognition because they had a greater percentage of their worship attendance participating in missions this year than they did the previous.
- Turner Ridge, Falmouth – pastor Dale Beighle
- First, Inez – pastor Casey Carver
- Finchville, Finchville – pastor David Ladner
- Hartford, Hartford – pastor Jason Bratcher
- Kelly, Hopkinsville – pastor Joshua Powell
- Island Creek, Manchester – pastor George Grigsby
- Oak Grove 2, Eubank – pastor David Gambrel
- Deane, Millstone – pastor Chris Dool
- Muldraugh Hill, Lebanon – pastor Billy Compton
- Flat Rock, Orlando – pastor Gregory Burton
Let’s reach our communities, nation and world with the gospel by placing our focus on SENDING, rather than seating.
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