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If a man who was not a Christian used the Sermon on the Mount as the basis for challenging a nation, what in the world is wrong with the church, which has the Holy Spirit? Whereas Christians understand the Cross as a theology to be embraced, Jones said Gandhi understood the Cross as a path to be emulated.

Where are your members involved?

Laypeople in our church serve in Morocco, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Nepal—tons of nations. We've got one person who's a counselor doing some things with counseling in Morocco. We've got a guy who's doing water wells in Guatemala.

But here's what we say to them: "As a church, we're going to focus on Mexico and Vietnam. That's it. Now if God calls you to go somewhere else, that's fine, but don't expect us to fund it. Don't expect us to promote it, because we want to make a long-term impact on a single place."

If we start be-bopping all over the world, taking little potshot trips here and there, we're doing missions that merely make me feel good. It's not a mission that sees a community transformed.

This really seems like a new way of doing missions.

For me it's not about missions; it's about the kingdom of God. Missions is not an add-on. It's what the church is. But I don't use the word missions; I use the word kingdom. And I don't believe in this dominion theology that says we're here to take over society. Jesus refuted that. He jumped on Peter when Peter took out his sword and [cut] off the soldier's ear. He knew that the gospel was powerful enough that if the seed of the gospel of the kingdom got placed inside by someone, it would transform society and laws would be changed—not because the Religious Right rallied to force it, but because the lifestyle was so transformative that people wanted to do that.

Some people talk about "business as missions," how we're going to use business to do mission work. That's an insult to the businessman, because to him business is his mission. His mission is the kingdom of God. Too often, religious leaders frame the conversation for business people about how to engage.

How are we judged in Matthew 25? For not giving drink to the thirsty and not feeding the hungry. It's dealing with the domains of society. This means the endgame of the church is not merely to get converts. Converts grow churches; disciples change the world. Now, can you have a disciple without a convert? No. But if my endgame is to convert, I'm just going to grow a big church and feel good about myself—until I stand in heaven. I'm never going to change the world.

We don't anymore. We start churches for the world.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Transformation: How Glocal Churches Transform Lives and the World and Glocalization: How Followers of Christ Engage the New Flat Earth are available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

Bob Roberts blogs at Glocalnet and the Glocal Trekker Blog.

Northwood Church has a special section outlining its glocal activities.

Leadership published a Christian Vision Project interview with Bob Roberts. Their previous coverage of glocal churches includes a review of Glocalization: How Followers of Christ Engage the New Flat Earth and "New Ownership."

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July 2007, Vol. 51, No. 7