When many Christians hear the word missions, their minds immediately travel overseas—to distant nations, foreign languages, and unfamiliar cultures. While global missions are vital and biblical, the church often overlooks an equally important calling: home missions. These are the mission fields right outside our front doors, and they are frequently the most neglected.
Home missions focus on reaching people within our own nation and communities. This includes inner-city neighborhoods, rural towns, prisons, schools, college campuses, nursing homes, shelters, and families quietly struggling behind closed doors. These mission fields may not seem as dramatic as crossing an ocean, but they are no less urgent. Spiritual darkness does not only exist abroad; it thrives wherever Christ is unknown or ignored.
One reason home missions are forgotten is familiarity. We assume that because churches are common and Bibles are accessible, people must already know the gospel. In reality, many have never truly heard or understood the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Cultural Christianity has replaced genuine discipleship in many places, leaving hearts unconverted and lives unchanged.
Scripture reminds us that the Great Commission begins close to home. Jesus told His disciples they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem before moving outward (Acts 1:8). Our “Jerusalem” is our neighborhood, our workplace, our city. Reaching the lost at home is not a lesser calling; it is the foundation of all missions work.
Home missions also require perseverance. Unlike short-term trips, this work involves long-term relationships, patience, and faithfulness. It means loving people who may resist the gospel, serving without recognition, and planting seeds that may take years to grow. Yet this is often where the most lasting fruit is produced.
If the church is to be effective in reaching the world, it must first be faithful at home. Supporting home missionaries, investing in local outreach, and personally engaging in evangelism are not optional extras—they are central to Christ’s mission. The harvest is still plentiful, and much of it is waiting right where we live.
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