The Great Commission in Christianity is the instruction given by Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, to his disciples to share the Good News of Salvation to all nations.
In other words, teach people about God, invest time in them and offer baptism as a means of connecting with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mathew 28:18–20.
The eleven disciples who received this instruction fanned out to preach the message, on foot, and in-person. Thankfully, you and I are beneficiaries today. Being a disciple, even though challenging, is a requirement for effective evangelism. Discipleship means to learn about God and lead a life akin to the one Jesus Christ led. We are then mandated to replicate this lifestyle in others.
Sadly, this foundation upon which the gospel rests has been neglected, overlooked and in so many instances, relegated to the background. It is no surprise then that a high percentage of followers have little or no knowledge of the Great Commission. In a research conducted by Barna in 2017 on members of U.S. Churches, 51% of the respondents said they had not heard of the Great Commission.
The same study showed that “the Great Commission” does ring a bell for one in four (25%), though they can’t remember what it is. Six percent of churchgoers are not sure whether they have heard this term “the Great Commission” before.” These kinds of reports are bound to make the Church feel uncomfortable as it highlights the amount of work that still needs to be carried out.
In seeking ways to reverse these numbers, especially at a time when in-person contact and geographical movement is restricted, Christians are looking to technology to ensure the commandment continues to be carried out. The Bible is the most important tool for this vital work. Therefore, the conversion of the Bible to digital content and the recording and transmission of sermons in video form through several languages using technology is a highly welcomed development.
This human ingenuity is no doubt fuel for pushing the Good News. The role of the internet as the conveyor of these messages to all corners of the world cannot be overlooked either. For instance, an organization called ‘Faith Comes By Hearing’ (FCBH) has been able to reach millions of people through audio recordings in 763 languages of the approximately 7,000 languages in the world today. As laudable as this is, it would be useful to have information about those millions of people around the world for continued engagement and to achieve the aim of the Commission.
ChurchPad is a church management software that has a solution called People, which is a member relationship management tool that allows you to understand your congregation or followers better. It can also be utilized by those in the field pushing the gospel by collecting pertinent information for deepening engagement. The tool also helps to manage Church member profiles and keep track of important information about them, which assists in seeking ways to meet their needs. You can also maintain relationships with guests and convert visitors into members when they join your church or evangelism ministry. Providing online support to a diverse audience all over the world is critical at times like this.
However, while virtual engagement and the dissemination of digital materials have immense merits, the Great Commission is not complete without baptizing converts in the name of the Trinity. A time will come when social distancing will be a thing of the past and in-person discipleship will be required again.
At that time, this tool becomes an invaluable resource because you will have all the information regarding your followers to enable you or the Church to follow through on this primary mandate. Be it in the form of teaching, allocation of resources or baptism.
By IUE
07/29/20
