Reaching & Teaching's Core Tasks
Reaching & Teaching is a missions organization that assists local churches as they seek to make mature disciples, establish healthy churches, and train local leaders around the world. We believe that the local church is both the means and the end of biblical missions. We desire to serve local churches as they send missionaries around the world.
Reaching & Teaching serves like-minded churches who cooperate to send reformed, baptistic, and complementarian global workers to plant churches all over the world, from unreached language groups to global cities. We partner together to train leaders and revitalize churches in extremely needy areas.
Making Mature Disciples
In the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Obeying the Great Commission requires patience because teaching all that Christ commanded takes time. Maturity takes time.
When our missionaries cross cultures, they seek to learn languages in order to effectively communicate the gospel to those who don’t follow Jesus. When someone turns from their sin and trusts in Jesus, they are encouraged to be baptized into membership in a local church. Every Christian is a disciple and every disciple should be a member of a local church—that’s the pattern we see in the New Testament. The church is the primary vehicle that God uses to disciple a new Christian toward maturity.
As Mark Dever says in his book, Discipling, “The Bible teaches that the local church is the natural environment for discipling. In fact, it teaches that the local church is itself the basic discipler of Christians. It does this through its weekly gatherings and its accountability structures...as well as its elders and its members.” (p. 52) Reaching & Teaching missionaries evangelize and encourage new Christians to join a local church as we see in the Bible.
Establishing Healthy Churches
Reaching & Teaching is committed to seeing healthy churches among all nations. We establish a healthy local church where there isn’t one. Without this focus on healthy local churches, the task of missions is incomplete and off-target.
What do we mean by “healthy local churches”? We see in the New Testament the priorities of preaching the Word, protecting sound doctrine, and raising up biblically qualified elders. We also see the practice of church discipline and the right administration of the sacraments as essential in the life of the local church.
All of our missionaries share a common commitment to these convictions about the church, which means they’re all aiming at the same target.
From the thriving metropolises of global cities, to the rainforests of Indonesia, to the desert sands of North Africa, we desire to see healthy local churches established all around the world. Whether planting, revitalizing, serving, or pastoring, establishing healthy churches is central to the work.
Training Local Leaders
Finally, Reaching & Teaching longs to see healthy churches led by qualified pastors. We believe churches are best served by a plurality of elders who are able to teach and shepherd God’s flock. The qualifications of these leaders are clearly outlined in the New Testament and are indispensable for the health of the church and the spread of the gospel. We believe that training local leaders includes teaching them to be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Qualified leaders multiply themselves by training other leaders.
From the very beginning, Reaching & Teaching has been committed to this vision. We send global trainers to teach leaders around the world, and we partner with local churches as they send long-term workers who are committed to church-centric theological education. Everywhere we work, we want to see healthy local churches which are making mature disciples, being led by local, reproducing leaders. God’s kingdom advances as these churches grow and multiply in their own communities and send out their own workers to make mature disciples, establish healthy churches, and train local leaders.