Christian Missions

Christian missions are the organised and personal efforts of Christians and churches to participate in the mission of Jesus Christ: to make him known, to make disciples, and to serve people in his name.

In practice, that work can include:

• evangelism
• discipleship
• church planting
• Christian leadership training
• Bible teaching
• theological and Biblical education
• prayer
• pastoral ministry
• humanitarian and compassionate service
• education
• community outreach

Christian missions are not limited to one method, one denomination, one country or one culture. Mission happens locally, nationally and internationally; through churches, through Christian organisations, through partnerships, and through individual believers in ordinary work and relationships.

Different organisations approach this work differently. Convictions about method, emphasis and structure vary between traditions, and this page does not suggest that every Christian organisation practises mission in the same way.

The passage most often associated with Christian mission is Matthew 28:19–20, commonly called the Great Commission. In it, Jesus sends his followers to make disciples of all nations, to baptise, and to teach obedience to his commands.

Four elements are usually drawn from the passage:

• Going — mission moves toward people and communities rather than waiting for them to arrive.
• Making disciples — the goal is followers of Christ, not simply an audience for a message.
• Baptising — new believers are received publicly into the Christian community.
• Teaching — disciples are taught to understand and obey Christ over a lifetime, which is why mission and long-term teaching belong together.

Acts 1:8 is frequently read alongside it, where Jesus tells his disciples they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Christians have widely understood this as describing witness that begins where believers already are and extends outward — near and far at the same time, rather than one after the other.

These passages describe a calling. They are not a statistical programme, and this guide does not use them to make claims about numbers or outcomes.

There is no single job description for a Christian missionary. Roles depend on calling, church, sending organisation, training and location. Mission workers serve as evangelists, church planters, pastors, teachers, Bible trainers, medical workers, educators, community development workers, youth workers and ministry leaders.

Much mission work today is carried out in close cooperation with local churches and local leaders — and in many places it is led by them. Mission workers who come from elsewhere are most useful when they serve within existing local relationships rather than around them.

It is worth stating plainly: missionaries are not outsiders who rescue local communities. Sustainable, healthy mission depends on:

• local leadership
• cultural understanding
• genuine partnership
• accountability
• discipleship
• healthy local churches

Christianity is a globally distributed faith. Research by the Pew Research Center has documented how widely Christians are spread across regions of the world, and how much of the church's numerical centre has shifted toward Africa, Asia and Latin America over the past century.

One practical consequence is that Christian mission is no longer a movement flowing in a single direction. Churches in the global South send, train and support mission workers, and a great deal of mission is carried out by Christians serving within their own countries, languages and communities.

Context drawn from Pew Research Center studies on global Christianity. This guide does not state a current worldwide number of missionaries, because no single reliable and up-to-date figure exists that we can responsibly cite.

In Pakistan, Christian mission work is carried out through a range of churches, denominations, ministries and local Christian leaders. Pakistan's 2023 Population and Housing Census recorded 3,300,788 Christians, roughly 1.37% of the population — a minority community with a long history in the country. You can read more in our guide to Christians in Pakistan.

Mission activity in Pakistan commonly includes:

• evangelism
• discipleship
• church planting
• pastor and evangelist training
• Bible teaching
• Christian education
• children's programmes
• women's support and empowerment
• care for vulnerable families
• community outreach
• practical assistance

Circumstances differ widely. Christian life in a Lahore congregation is not the same as in a rural Punjab village or a Karachi neighbourhood, and Pakistani Christians should not be described as though they all share one situation. Effective ministry begins by understanding a particular community rather than a generalisation about the country.

Population figures: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Population and Housing Census 2023. The list above describes mission activity in Pakistan generally, not exclusively the work of Grow in Faith Ministries.

Mission that lasts is carried by local believers. Pastors, evangelists, teachers and lay leaders from within a community are the people who remain when a project ends, a visitor leaves or funding changes.

• Language — Scripture, preaching and pastoral counsel land most deeply in a person's own language.
• Cultural understanding — local leaders know the questions their neighbours are actually asking.
• Long-term relationships — trust is built over years of shared life, not short visits.
• Discipleship and pastoral care — ongoing teaching and care require presence.
• Accountability — leaders known by their congregation can be held to account by it.
• Continuity — trained leaders train others, so ministry does not depend on any one person.

This is why training is central to our work. Learn about our pastor and evangelist training and where we serve across Pakistan.