The Sending Church profile reflects the combined strengths of Influence and Formation within the Encourager LIFE framework. These churches understand that healthy discipleship naturally leads to faithful witness. They intentionally form believers who are prepared to live on mission in their homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and around the world.
As a Sending Church, you are often energized by helping people become mature followers of Jesus who carry His presence into every sphere of life. Spiritual growth is never viewed as an end in itself but as preparation for faithful Kingdom influence.
Sending Churches frequently become launching points for missionaries, church planters, ministry leaders, community servants, and everyday believers who faithfully represent Christ wherever God calls them.
How LIFE Shapes This Expression
Encourager LIFE is built around four emphases of church flourishing: Leadership, Influence, Formation, and Engagement. The Sending Church combines the strengths of Influence and Formation, creating churches where spiritual maturity naturally produces gospel impact.
Common Strengths
- Connects discipleship with everyday mission
- Develops spiritually mature believers
- Encourages members to live missionally
- Supports local and global missions
- Creates a culture of evangelism and compassion
- Equips people to influence their communities for Christ
- Develops leaders with a Kingdom perspective
- Views every believer as a missionary where God has placed them
Potential Growth Areas
- May emphasize sending more than gathering
- Can unintentionally overlook the importance of community life
- May focus on mission while neglecting pastoral care
- Can assume spiritual maturity without ongoing support
- May stretch leaders through expanding ministry opportunities
- Needs healthy rhythms of worship, rest, and renewal
- Should continually balance outward mission with inward formation
Sending Themes Often Associated with This Profile
Recommended Next Steps
Practices and opportunities that often help Sending Churches flourish include:
Biblical Examples
The Church at Antioch
Scripture: Acts 13:1–3
Antioch faithfully worshiped, prayed, and listened to the Holy Spirit before sending Barnabas and Saul into missionary service. The church became a model of spiritual formation leading to Kingdom mission.
The Seventy-Two Disciples
Scripture: Luke 10:1–9
Jesus prepared and sent His followers ahead of Him into surrounding towns. Their mission flowed directly from their relationship with Christ and their obedience to His calling.
The Great Commission
Scripture: Matthew 28:18–20
Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything He had commanded. Formation and mission were inseparably connected.
LIFE in Church Ministry
The Sending Church profile does not suggest that every church must plant churches or send missionaries internationally. Rather, it reflects a church that intentionally prepares people to faithfully represent Christ wherever God has placed them.
Healthy Sending Churches understand that every believer has a mission field. Whether at home, in the workplace, at school, across the street, or around the world, followers of Jesus are called to live as ambassadors of His Kingdom.
Sent by Christ
Key Verse: John 20:21
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
The calling of a Sending Church is to form disciples who faithfully carry the presence, love, truth, and hope of Jesus into every place God sends them.
As Sending Churches mature, discipleship becomes mission, formation becomes faithful witness, and the church becomes a community that continually sends people into the world with the Gospel.