Doing Mission as a Family Unit

作者：Pastor Sion Kim
日期: 02/20/2025
类别：牧者的話

Throughout Scripture, families played a vital role in advancing God’s mission. From the patriarchs in the Old Testament to the early church in the New Testament, God often worked through family units to accomplish His redemptive purposes. One of the earliest examples is Noah’s family, who worked together in obedience to God’s command to build the ark, ensuring the preservation of life after the flood (Genesis 6:9-22). Their collective effort highlights the importance of faith and obedience. Similarly, Abraham’s household was called to be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham’s mission extended beyond himself as he led his family in worship, hospitality, and instruction in God’s ways, ensuring that future generations would carry forward God’s covenant promises (Genesis 18:19).

Moses, though often seen as a solitary leader, relied heavily on his family in fulfilling God’s mission. His mother Jochebed preserved his life (Exodus 2:1-10), his sister Miriam played a key prophetic role (Exodus 15:20-21), and his brother Aaron co-led Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 4:14-16). Even his wife, Zipporah, intervened to ensure his obedience to God’s covenant (Exodus 4:24-26). This collective family effort demonstrates how mission work is often a shared responsibility rather than an individual calling. Another example is Ruth and Naomi, whose faithfulness to each other led to Ruth’s inclusion in the lineage of King David and, ultimately, of Jesus Christ (Ruth 1-4, Matthew 1:5-6). Their story highlights how God’s mission often unfolds through family relationships, cross-cultural faithfulness, and divine providence.

In the New Testament, Jesus’ earthly family played an integral role in His mission. Mary and Joseph faithfully followed divine instructions regarding Jesus’ birth and upbringing (Matthew 1:20-24, Luke 2:39-52), and although His brothers initially doubted Him (John 7:5), James later became a key leader in the early church (Acts 15:13, James 1:1). Even after Jesus’ ascension, His mother, Mary, remained actively involved in the early Christian community (Acts 1:14). The early church also embraced household-based missions, in which entire families converted and became centers of Christian ministry. Cornelius’ household was baptized after Peter preached the Gospel (Acts 10:1-48), Lydia’s home became a hub for Christian fellowship (Acts 16:13-15), and the Philippian jailer’s family came to faith together (Acts 16:25-34). These examples illustrate that mission work in the early church was often a family affair, with homes serving as places of worship, evangelism, and discipleship.

The biblical model of family-based missions offers valuable lessons for Christians today. Like Abraham, parents should lead their families in faith and teach God’s ways to their children. Like Moses’ family, relatives can support and work together in ministry. Like Lydia and Cornelius, Christian families should open their homes for hospitality, evangelism, and discipleship. Most importantly, families must trust in God’s sovereign plan, knowing that their faithfulness can have a lasting impact for generations to come. By embracing this biblical model, Christian families can become powerful agents of transformation in their communities, embodying the Great Commission together (Matthew 28:18-20).

As we have seen through these biblical characters, God’s mission is rarely a solo endeavor; rather, it is a family effort. God provides His servants with helpers and supporters to carry out His mission together. No individual can fully accomplish God’s Great Commission of making disciples of all nations alone. With this in mind, I encourage ACCCN to consider how both local and foreign missions can be pursued as family units. What roles can parents and children play in the mission field? How can each family member use their unique gifts, abilities, and resources to work together in fulfilling God’s mission?

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