Local church +Missions

BY JOHN HUNT

In 1937, a handful of men and women sat around a table and the Assemblies of God (now the ACC) in Australia commenced. They had a very clear vision that is documented in our United Constitution. Two specific things continue to define who are today: the training of leaders and global missions. They began this movement with the end in mind.

This is where we are headed. Our Movement’s leaders knew the pathway between where we are now and where we will be. You see, without the raising of leaders and global missions, we don't get to the end that the book of Revelation records.

May I suggest that every great church and body of believers, has a holistic missions and global focus; simply because they've adopted the heart of God, for discipling the nations. Global missions and what God is doing in the nations becomes inspiration for the local church.

Give

God is raising up an army out of our Movement to touch the nations of the earth. At the moment, one in four (25%) churches partner with our field workers. Many more give to an appeal for disaster relief, but I'm talking about the systematic support of our field workers. My goal is to get this to one in three, which requires about 60 more churches to get on board.

Go

We want to help disciple the emerging generation of young adults, by giving them the opportunity for an international internship placement for six months. They will give themselves to assisting on one of the missions of our movement, where they'll be mentored with our partners and with locals. This may well be the next step in some young adult’s faith journey, because if we don't give this generation something to aspire to, they'll find it out there in the world.

The Missions Stream highlighted many significant and productive endeavours around the globe. Psalm 67 teaches the reason for God’s blessing is so that salvation will be spread amongst the nations. We then unpacked – through panels, testimonies and media presentations – how the message of the gospel is spreading throughout many nations.

There were discussions about the different approaches that may be required, depending on the spiritual climate of the nation.

• In nations that have a vibrant Indigenous church, we’re able to come alongside and add our grace to their grace to see an increase in the impact of the gospel.

• In nations where the gospel can be preached, churches can be planted, believers discipled and leaders raised.

• In closed nations, we show the love of Christ through development projects and humanitarian endeavours, which positions people to respond to God-given moments as they arise.

The Stream also unpacked the sustainable and inclusive development projects ACCI field workers and partners are working on – from Asia to Africa – revealing the long-term social change that’s taking place.

Reports on disaster relief included aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, support for believers in Afghanistan who’ve been affected by the re-emergence of the Taliban, and our response to the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

We concluded the session with hearts full of thanks to God for the incredible work that’s being done around the globe!

Team Highlights

“A highlight for me on this day was hearing the breadth of the work that is being done, whether that is with refugees on the Myanmar border, or church planting in Thailand, or providing education in Lesotho. The Mission of God that we are all called to allows for such great diversity of methodology and I loved hearing this communicated.” – Catherine Thambiratnam, Head of International Programs, ACCI Relief

“One of my highlights from the missions stream was hearing the different ways our field workers are responding to reaching the needs in today’s world. These stories gift us a glimpse into the real world of what our missionaries go through. I am looking forward to seeing all the partnerships continue to grow with local ACC churches and pastors, as we support the Great Commission.” – Enoch Kenway, Head of