The Common Objection to Missions in Italy

If there's one thing that all the missionaries in the country of Italy have in common it is that the work of seeing biblical or healthy churches started in this land is a painful, long, strenuous, and impossible task, apart from the grace of God. All the missionaries would agree it requires great sacrifice and rarely if ever does it go the way it "should". Because of the rocky and rough terrain in this land, its long history of Roman Catholicism (literally embedded into the culture), and the lack of a significant presence of the evangelical faith it is generally agreed upon that the work here is a slower work that requires long-term vision and pace.

That being said, the apostolic method (seen most clearly in Acts 14), also known as the missionary method, of church planting can sometimes be shunned or disregarded here in this land. This biblical method which is widely accepted, understood, and applied in most unreached places on earth today is not as much appreciated in Italy. The main reason seems to be a misunderstanding. Those who object to the method seem to have concluded that it is no good, despite being a biblical example of mission work, because they believe it requires rushing or short-term vision. Respectfully, I disagree.

While it is true that many of the churches we see planted through the work of the apostles in the early church were started in a relatively short time, at least one in as little as three weeks (Acts 17:1-4), there is no reason to assume that the method requires the work to go fast.

This assumption is false and unmerited. The apostolic era of the church was a very unique time in the history of the church; it was a time of special revelation, miracles, and mass conversions as the radical news of salvation and the Kingdom of God began to spread to Gentiles and all the world, no longer only Israel. Due to the uniqueness of what God was doing in history at that time, it is not hard to see how new churches could have been started in just a few weeks or even a few years. The objection to the apostolic method is likely made because some missionaries, to the dishonor of Christ, have been known to force results or rush things (acting in the flesh to produce results) when they should have been more patient and trusting in God's timing and sovereign decree. (I too was once influenced by those who reason thus and foolishly thought it good to plan to make it all happen in a certain number of years...)

The same type of accusations are also made regarding evangelism. Crazy people go out in the name of Christ, thinking to be serving God in their evangelism efforts, but too often they dishonor the name of Christ, give the church a bad name, and do more damage than good. Does this mean that evangelism is not good or biblical? Certainly not! It means that Biblical evangelism needs to be better taught and demonstrated. The same is true with the apostolic/missionary method of church planting in unreached places.

The key distinguishing mark of the apostolic method is that of the end goal, not the timing.

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, -- Titus 1: 5

When living out this missionary method of church planting the end goal is to see national men, biblically qualified, trained, and equipped in the pastoral ministry so they can take the place of the missionaries in shepherding, leading, teaching, and caring for souls in the body of Christ. The process involves evangelizing the lost, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, making disciples, equipping the saints, teaching all of God's word for all of life, providing a foundation for the new body of believers, seeing a new covenant body of believers formed, training a plurality of elders, and once they are recognized as the new leaders of the church under Christ's Lordship the missionaries pull out with faith in Jesus to continue to advance, grow, and protect His church. Lord willing, the missionaries can then go to another unreached town with this church's collaboration. The timing of the process for this to occur in Italy should, in our opinion, never be rushed or forced.

God is sovereign over the timing and birthing of souls, missionary teams, and new churches. This work is reserved for God alone. The prudent missionary does well to acknowledge this and act accordingly.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. -- 1 Cor. 3: 6-7

Have too many missionaries acted in the flesh, rushed things, and created bad results? Yes, unfortunately, this has happened. Does this render the method invalid or unbiblical? No. Is there still a place for the apostolic/missionary method of church planting in Italy? Yes, but it is for the wise servant who advances slowly and surely with a long-term vision submitted to the Lordship of Christ. Missionaries must maintain a healthy vision of the bigger picture of what God is doing in this world and must work diligently to build churches with the Lord that have a solid and straight (not flimsy or crooked) foundation.

There is no need to rush or set certain timelines in Italy, especially if we consider the task of seeing the entire nation discipled one day. For that to happen, healthy churches must be formed and set up for long-term growth and transformational impact in their local communities through the right application of the whole counsel of God's word. Missionaries in Italy must resist the temptation to compare themselves to missionaries in other lands where things move at a different pace. They must understand their God-given context and labor for less but more. Two or three healthy and solid churches well rooted and united (formed in a lifetime of faithful missionary work) are worth far more than ten churches with crooked & cracked foundations, shallow roots, lack of vision, and discord. Less glamour and show, but more fruit and faithfulness, this is the goal.

A band of missionaries in Italy, for example, could do well to plant themselves in a small town between two larger cities and labor well for the Lord among the people of three different cities for 20+ years. (Let it be noted, however, that not all members of the missionary band must be called to long-term service; some would do well to assist the ongoing work with a 3 or 5-year term, for example). Laboring with the apostolic method, they could take their time and leave a lasting impact. Countless people could get evangelized, numerous souls and families could be transformed by the Gospel, disciples could be made, society could be impacted and renewed, God could be magnified, and foundations could be formed for healthy churches to advance long into the future. And if it took 30 or 40 years to be accomplished, it would still be worth it! The true distinguishing mark of the apostolic method is not about timing or velocity. It's about the end goal of nationals being an autonomous covenant body of believers led by their own God-given pastors. To God alone the glory.