Missional Gaps - People, Not Places

  “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NIV)

What would it be like for us to look on the people in our missional gaps and describe them?

How do you describe the people in your missional gaps? Maybe you talk about students or people in a certain region who have no church nearby. You could describe those who are leading top businesses or negotiating new policies – leaders who have influence over the people in their countries. Are they people who are fearful and enslaved to traditional religions, or are they indifferent to conversations about spiritual things? They might just be people who wear a cross around their neck, but the teachings of Jesus feel irrelevant to their everyday lives.

What would it look like if you spent a day together defining and describing the people in your missional gaps? You could start with the Audience Map. Prayerfully consider which regions of the map show up in your country. Of those people, which of them are your highest priority? Take time in the “Pause and Pray” section at the bottom of these stages and pray for them. 

After you have spent some time allowing God to break your heart in new ways for them, brainstorm who they are in greater detail. You can identify them demographically by age, education, profession, language, and religion. You can brainstorm what you know about their interests, their motivations, and their desires. What are their concerns and challenges? 

Once you have taken time to look at them and describe them as Jesus did, think about how you might approach them differently. Is God showing you ways to adjust your attempts to love them more effectively? Or do you need to let some of your plans fall away so that you can try a new approach with them in mind? 

Every time I take this approach to center my audience in my work, I find my heart engaged, and I sense the Lord’s presence with me as I invite him to give me his eyes to see them, his heart to love them, and his hands to serve them. My work is less about my plans as I am compelled by the love of Jesus to pioneer into missional gaps with renewed purpose. 

May there be fewer gaps by the end of this year as we allow the compassion of Jesus to motivate us and guide us in his mission!