Discipling All Nations:
The Unchanged Mandate
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."
With these last words, Jesus entrusted the kingdom of God on earth to those who had come to call him Lord and Christ and called them to become lifelong disciple-makers in every land and nation.
The Reformed Church in America is relatively new to the kingdom of God. Yet in recent centuries and generations, God has used this young, small denomination to make disciples in many nations and places: in Mexico, in the Middle East, in Africa, in China, Japan, and India. Indeed, many of the great names of the modern missionary movement are RCA names: Abeel, Livingston, Scudder, Zwemer, and Kempers, among others. We have a rich, strong history in mission.
As we enter a new century and millennium, it might appear to some that the focus of the RCA's energy and resources is shifting away from global mission toward "domestic affairs." The General Synod of 2003 approved a ten-year goal, now referred to as Our Call, which says in part:
 We believe that God is calling the Reformed Church in America over the next ten years to focus its efforts and resources on starting new congregations and revitalizing existing congregations.
RCA Mission Services enthusiastically embraces Our Call because we know that healthy and vibrant congregations:
- Naturally look beyond the four walls of their own church to follow Christ in mission.
- Welcome Christ's calling to "be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
- Intuitively understand that mission is at least as good for them as they are for mission.
Quite simply, stronger local congregations will inevitably translate into stronger global mission for the RCA. We also believe that Mission Services has much to contribute to the realization of the ten-year goal. As local churches seek revitalization, we can provide them with opportunities to engage with churches around the world that have experienced the revitalizing wind and fire of God's Spirit. And as new church start pastors prepare to grow new congregations, we can introduce them to a variety of models that have been dramatically successful around the world and to global leaders who have "been there, done that."
The linked pages paint a picture of our vision for RCA global mission in the twenty-first century. The mandate remains unchanged. But because the world and the church are changing, many of our methods are changing. Like the church, our global mission program is reformed, and thus constantly reforming, according to the Word of God.
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