There is a key principle from the New Testament that is taught and sometimes assumed throughout Propempo teaching, training, and communication that the local church is the primary agent of God's purposes in the world. The local church is the beginning and end of missions. What we mean by this is that the church is the source of maturing Christians and the sending body which raises up and sends out missionaries to the mission field. Then, the result and goal of missions is to evangelize, make and grow disciples, and plant healthy biblical churches on that mission field. Those new, planted churches grow and develop under qualified leaders to mature believers in their community and send some out as missionaries to complete and continue the cycle of church maturing, missionary sending, church planting, and on and on. Other role sections of Missions Paths and blog articles on Propempo.com develop all this further.

So, connecting with your local church is of high importance. Not only will you benefit by connecting with your church leadership in missions, but they will also benefit by knowing about your interest and, perhaps, utilizing your special interest in missions to benefit the whole body of the church. Contrary to our usual American individualism thinking, you are not really an independent agent as a Christian. You are or should be a vital part of a mutually committed group of believers who do things together as a church, as well as individually.

Make some time to ask questions and find out how missions operates (or possibly doesn't operate) in your local church. Your interest and influence can have a large impact on your local church becoming more biblical, effective, and strategic and fulfilling its Great Commission role. In fact, your finding information on Propempo.com is the tip of the iceberg of the quantity and quality of help, information, and resources your church can find through Propempo International. For example, encouraging your missions leader at your church to visit and take the online self-assessment tool, the Church Missions Profile (CMP), can start an active discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of your church's missions ministries. It uses standardized benchmarks to measure 12 categories of missions within the church and produced a detailed consultation review of practical steps to improve in each area, individualized for your church. If you don't have a designated missions leader, you might go ahead and do the CMP assessment yourself as fuel for coming alongside your church leadership to get something going in the right direction.

Make a plan to ask questions, learn what's going in, and get involved with that. God wants to use your interest and passion for reaching the world for Christ in and through your local church body! You may find ways to plug in that you never knew before. You may create pathways for yourself and others to get involved you never imagined.

Eph. 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.