What Is the Point of Missions if There Is So Much Need in the 901?

Tier 2 → Young Professionals & Families

The point of missions isn't choosing between Memphis and the nations, it's saying yes to both. Jesus commanded us to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Local and global missions aren't competing priorities; they're one unified calling.

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It's a Fair Question

If you've driven around Memphis lately, you've seen it. People hurting. People holding signs at intersections. Families struggling to make ends meet. Kids going to bed hungry in neighborhoods all across the city.

So when someone asks, "Why are we sending money and people to Thailand or Honduras when there's so much need right here in the 901?", that's not cynicism. That's compassion.

And honestly? It's a question worth wrestling with.

The truth is, there is massive need in Memphis. Food insecurity is real. Mental health resources can feel stretched thin. Loneliness is real for a lot of people.

So why missions? Why support work halfway around the world when our own backyard is on fire?

What Jesus Actually Said

Let's go back to the source. Right before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His followers their marching orders:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8, NIV)

Notice the geography. Jerusalem = your hometown. Judea = your surrounding region. Samaria = the uncomfortable places nearby. Ends of the earth = the nations.

Jesus didn't say pick one. He said all of them.

It's not either/or. It's both/and.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 tells us to "go and make disciples of all nations." That's every people group, every language, every corner of the planet, including Memphis, Cordova, Bartlett, and beyond.

Here's the thing: the need isn't less urgent in Cambodia because there's also need in Frayser. A child without clean water in Haiti doesn't matter less than a family facing eviction in South Memphis. Every person matters to God, no matter their zip code.

Why Missions Makes Us Better at Loving Memphis

Here's what I've learned over the years: when we obey God globally, we grow in our capacity to love locally.

Think about it. When you serve on a mission trip and see how believers in rural Kenya worship with literally nothing, no building, no sound system, no coffee bar, it recalibrates your heart. You come back grateful. Humbled. More generous. More willing to serve.

When you support a missionary family planting churches in unreached villages, you start praying bigger prayers. You start believing God can do impossible things. And that faith spills over into how you see Memphis.

Missions stretches us. It breaks us out of our comfort zones. It reminds us that the gospel isn't just for people who look like us, talk like us, or live in our neighborhood. And when we embrace that truth globally, we live it out more effectively locally.

The Early Church Didn't Choose Either

Look at the book of Acts. The early church didn't sit in Jerusalem saying, "We've got so much need here, we can't possibly go anywhere else."

They served widows (Acts 6). They healed the sick at the temple gate (Acts 3). They fed the poor in their city.

And they sent Paul and Barnabas to plant churches in Turkey. And Philip preached to an Ethiopian official. And Peter went to Cornelius's house in Caesarea.

The Jerusalem church didn't stop caring for their local community when they started sending missionaries. In fact, Paul later took up offerings from Gentile churches to support the struggling believers back in Jerusalem (Romans 15:25-27). The missions movement created a global network of care that strengthened everyone.

That's the model. Witness in Jerusalem. And Judea. And Samaria. And the ends of the earth.

How We Do Both Right Here

At First Assembly Memphis, we don't see this as a trade-off. We see it as obedience.

We're actively engaged in the 901:

• Serving families through community outreach

• Meeting practical needs through local partnerships

• Providing resources for those facing hardship

• Opening our doors to anyone seeking hope

And we support missionaries around the world who are translating the Bible into unwritten languages, planting churches in villages that have never heard the name of Jesus, rescuing girls from trafficking, and drilling wells in communities without clean water.

Why? Because the gospel is for everyone, everywhere.

What About Boundless?

Here's where it gets even more exciting. Boundless Online Church is a digital community that reaches people who can't physically walk through our doors in Memphis.

Boundless isn't a replacement for a healthy local church. It's a tool that extends the mission from Memphis to everywhere. People tuning in from other states, other countries, and other time zones can hear the same gospel we're living out in the 901.

It's missions without a plane ticket.

You can learn more about Boundless at www.boundlessonlinechurch.org.

It All Comes Down to Obedience

At the end of the day, missions isn't a budget decision or a strategic priority. It's obedience to Jesus.

He didn't give us options. He gave us a command: Go. Make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them.

And He didn't put borders on it.

Yes, there's need in Memphis. Massive, urgent, heartbreaking need. And we're called to meet it with everything we've got.

But there's also a lost world beyond the 901 that desperately needs to hear that Jesus loves them, died for them, and offers them hope.

We don't have to choose. We get to do both.

What If We Stopped?

Imagine if we said, "We're done with missions until Memphis is fixed."

What happens to the unreached people groups who've never heard the gospel? What happens to the Bible translation work that's only halfway done? What happens to the church plants in countries where Christians are persecuted?

They wait. They suffer. They die without hope.

And honestly? Memphis wouldn't get better, either. Because the heart that stops caring about "them" eventually stops caring about "us." Missions keeps our hearts soft, our vision wide, and our faith active.

The church that stops sending eventually stops serving.

You Get to Be Part of This

Here's the good news: you don't have to figure out the balance on your own.

You don't have to choose between serving at a food pantry in Cordova and supporting a missionary in Southeast Asia. You get to do both.

You can volunteer locally. Pray globally. Give generously to both. God doesn't call you to do everything, but He does call you to do something.

And when we all do our part: some serving in Memphis, some going to the nations, some supporting from home: the whole body of Christ moves forward.

That's the point of missions. Not to ignore the 901. But to love Memphis and the world the way Jesus does: with wide-open arms, sacrificial love, and a gospel that saves to the uttermost.

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Want to go deeper?

If you're in Memphis or the 901, we would love to welcome you in person: 🌐 www.famemphis.org

If you're outside our area or unable to attend locally, join us online: 🌐 www.boundlessonlinechurch.org

Need prayer? 📞 Call or Text: (901) 213-7341

You are not alone.

We are here for you.