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Radical Reformation History  /  Lecture 21: The 20th Century Anabaptist Mission Movement  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 7
In the Russian Mennonite material, Taylor quoted that “every member of the Gemeinde was a missionary…to build on earth a working model of the kingdom of heaven,” and that the Great Commission was understood “as a corporate, never as an individual or institutional calling”; where does your church functionally treat missions as an institution or as specialists, and what would have to change for the whole congregation to see itself as the mission?
Another way to ask: In what ways does your church treat missions as a program or as work for specialists instead of everyone? What would need to change for the whole church to see itself as “the mission”?

Direct Answer Dean Taylor’s quote implies a congregation should view mission as the shared identity of the whole church community, not primarily a board, agency, or a few “career missionaries.” For a church to live that way, everyday members would need to see their local Gemeinde life as kingdom witness, with shared participation in going, supporting, and modeling discipleship.

Support from Transcript:

  • Taylor quotes directly: “every member of the Gemeinde was a missionary called by God to build on earth a working model of the kingdom of heaven.”
  • The same source says “modern mission terms…as an institution staffed by career missionaries was…unknown,” contrasting with institutional models.
  • Missions were “only in the context of the Gemeinde,” meaning church community is the primary missionary agent.
  • The Great Commission was understood “as a corporate, never as an individual or institutional calling,” explicitly rejecting specialist-only framing.
  • They “visited and traveled and sought out seekers near and far…set up new Gemeinden as the Lord opens doors,” linking mission to church-planting communities.
  • Taylor praises modern groups like Christian Aid Ministries for partnering “alongside churches” so relief and gospel stay connected to church community.
Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like if your congregation evaluated its weekly life (hospitality, discipline, generosity, teaching) as mission strategy? How can agencies serve the church without replacing the church as the missionary body?

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