Are you familiar with the term the Great Commission?
Based on a survey several years ago by the Barna Group in partnership with the Seed Company, 51% of churchgoers said they had not heard of the term “the Great Commission.” Among the other 49% of churchgoers, only 17% of them said they were familiar with the passage associated with the term. Another 25% have heard of the Great Commission, but they don’t remember what it is.
For the purpose of this survey, a churchgoer refers to those who have attended church within the past six months of the survey.
Of course, those findings don’t tell the whole story. The results may mean local churches don’t make Jesus’ mandate to evangelize and disciple the nations a priority. However, the results may indicate that many local churches don’t refer to Matthew 28:19-20 as the Great Commission.
First of all, the Great Commission is not a biblical term. It is simply a term we have coined in the Christian community to underscore the importance of Jesus’ commandment to His disciples. That being the case, it should not be surprising that many churchgoers are not familiar with the term. It is possible for a local church to be passionate about fulfilling the mandate while never referring to it as the Great Commission.
The Church’s Most Important Work
I believe most Christians would agree that the work of the church reflected in Matthew 28:19-20 is indeed a Great Commission. It is great because it involves the most important work of the Christian church: to disciple the nations, to baptize and to teach. It is a commission because Jesus commanded His disciples to do so.
Also note the very last words of Matthew’s record of the gospel. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” He says (verse 20b, NASB). The point is that the mandate for the Great Commission did not end with His disciples. Rather, it is to continue until the end of this age. That means the mandate is applicable to the church today. We must not lose focus of this vital mission.
The blood of Jesus that He shed nearly 2000 years ago was not shed only for those who lived in His day. Room exists at the cross for every lost soul today and tomorrow. We are His ambassadors. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. As we carry out the mandate to disciple the nations, to baptize and to teach, He promises to be with the Christian church until the end of this age.
In the survey mentioned above, the Barna Group also presented five biblical passages to churchgoers. They were asked to choose which one referred to the Great Commission. Thirty-seven percent of them chose the correct passage. Almost all the churchgoers, 94%, who indicated that they had previously heard of the Great Commission chose the correct passage.
It is important to note that we cannot conclude that all respondents who had not heard of the Great Commission were ignorant of the mandate. It may be that they were not aware that it is commonly called the Great Commission.
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.