The Great Commission—what a mighty call! A clear command, a Savior who promises His ever-abiding presence, and yet a seemingly daunting task. How can believers, convinced of their own inadequacies and weaknesses, claim Christ’s promise and take a step of courage to follow His call? How can the next generation be trained to pursue the Great Commission with a dedication that rivals all other pursuits?

While the answer lies in many fronts, one cannot deny the incredible influence of the family. Is it possible for families in 21st-century culture to be committed to pursuing the Great Commission? Can the surrounding pressures of Western culture to enslave the family schedule pale in comparison to this focus? Could the Great Commission truly be the heartbeat of our families? 

The answer is absolutely! Families have a vital role in shaping the missions vision of the next generation. As I was growing up, my parents, Bob and Shaune Uhler, played an incredibly important role in shaping my pursuit of missions.

How can 21st-century families instill a love for following the great commission in their children?

1. Choose one evangelistic opportunity and do it regularly as a family.

The most life-changing choice was when my family put aside the rush of life to start a weekly Bible Club in our local public school. Was it a sacrifice? Absolutely. But by pursuing this more than other pressures of life, Dad and Mom showed me what was really important in this world—the need to share Jesus’ salvation to those around me. Why was being “in the world, sharing Christ” important? There are many reasons. Faithfulness, perseverance, and learning to pray for victory in the spiritual battle are just a few. But of equal importance was learning at an early age how utterly repulsive sin is. As I witnessed the struggles the children were facing, I began to understand the challenge of life without Christ. What a training ground! I learned to search God’s word like it was my lifeline. I saw how powerful it truly was to give the Gospel along with comfort and instruction to kids my own age who were searching.

2. As a family, pursue building up foreign missionaries. 

My parents’ modern heroes were our church’s missionaries. That was obvious growing up! There are many ways to love your church’s foreign missionaries, but one way my dad and mom did this was by creating a missionary prayer scrapbook. Almost daily, we’d pray for a missionary family, reading parts their latest prayer letter and having each child pray for one of the missionary’s children. When missionaries arrived in the USA, Dad and Mom invited them to our home. Showing hospitality in our already overloaded schedules could be a challenge. Yet it was a life-changer for me to grow up knowing missionaries personally and hearing stories of God’s amazing deliverance on the mission field.

3. As a family, love the local church.

Do your children feel that “church is family?” Instilling a love for your local church is crucial to teaching children to love missions. If it is appropriate, serve together as a family. Besides being part of some of the more “usual” church ministries (music, teaching Sunday School, VBS, etc.), Dad and Mom were burdened to start a ministry to encourage the single moms in our church. My parents also supported us when, as teenagers, we wanted to participate in our church’s juvenile detention center outreach. Learning to trust God for courage to share our salvation testimonies with the often rough crowd at the local juvenile detention center provided an incredible picture of the reality of sin and the need for a Savior.

It was through our local church’s missions conference in 1996 that God reinforced His call to foreign missions, and I responded as the choir sang “Here am I, Lord, send me!” God is able to use any home situation to call men and women to missions. But if He has entrusted you with a family, and you know Him as Savior, then the Great Commission applies to you. What better training could you give your children than to prepare them to passionately pursue making disciples of all nations!

What do you value most? Do your children sense your fervency and committed pursuit of reaching the multitudes around you? What a joy it is to realize that God delights in using families to shape the next generation to be fervent in fulfilling His Great Commission!