International Missions

This philosophy seeks to provide clarity regarding our approach to missions, guide us to properly steward our resources, and encourage our entire church to care about what God cares about–making disciples of ALL nations!

The following information summarizes MVCC’s full Missions Philosophy document. Please refer to the PDF on this page to read more.

We believe that God’s heart, as revealed through His Word, has always been for the nations—that people everywhere should call on Him for salvation through Jesus Christ. God is in the business of drawing men, women, and children all over the world to call on His name for salvation, and we desire to be used by Him to carry out the work He is doing. 

The Bible, from start to finish, affirms missions as a God-ordained endeavor. This is demonstrated through several passages: Genesis 12:1-3, Psalm 19:1-6, Psalm 46:10, Psalm 67, Matthew 28:18-20, John 3:16, John 14:6, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:12, Romans 1:20, Galatians 3:7-14, Revelation 7:9-10 (and many others!). We encourage you to read through these passages and reflect on God’s steadfast love for all people. Refer to the Missions Philosophy PDF for more on MVCC’s theology of missions.

Based on our theology of missions, MVCC has four core principles that drive our involvement, direction, passion, and perseverance in world missions as a church.

1. The local church and church planting are pivotal to missions. The flourishing of the local church and the spread of the gospel go hand in hand. Therefore, we desire to see healthy, reproducing, indigenous churches among every people group. 
2. We strive to send missionaries well.  As modeled in the New Testament, MVCC assesses, develops, affirms, and sends out faithful and capable missionaries from our body. We then support, love, and serve those we send.
3. Our focus is on the unreached. Around 3.5 billion people have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ, and many do not have access to the Bible in their own language. We strive to direct our resources toward people and places with limited or no access to the gospel or God’s Word.   
4. No follower of Jesus can opt out of missions. The great commission is for every follower of Christ: we are all His ambassadors, representing Him to the world wherever He has called us. Each of us is a “fellow worker” in global missions (3 John 1:7-8), learning to live sacrificial lives for the sake of the gospel—whether at home or overseas.

Because our resources are finite, MVCC focuses on the following international missions efforts in alignment with our core values.

1. Sending those passionate about church planting and discipleship: We prioritize sending missionaries focused on making disciples, planting churches, pastoring, and raising up future indigenous church leaders.
2. Partnering with like-minded indigenous local churches and their leaders: The most effective individuals to reach a people group are typically those who belong to that same culture, so we partner with and support existing indigenous ministry. Where healthy indigenous churches do not exist, we focus on developing and empowering indigenous leaders. 
3. Investing in Bible translation: God’s Word is transformative; without a translated Bible, discipleship and evangelism can be limited or ineffective. We desire that all people have access to God’s word in their own language. 
4. Prioritizing unreached people groups: We desire to see healthy, growing, reproducing, indigenous churches in every people group that are invested in disciple-making and church planting. 
5. Creating a missions-minded culture at MVCC: We strive to create a culture where all who call MVCC home understand the mandate of reaching the nations. This is accomplished through missional teaching, regular updates from the mission field, opportunities to serve overseas short-term, invitations to partner with missionaries through prayer and financial support, and personal encouragement to respond to the Great Commission.