By Steve Crawley

In 2004 my wife, Daura, and I went to Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a week of training in Evangelism Explosion (EE). Renowned pastor Dr. D. James Kennedy, the founder of EE, led the training. At one of our intermissions, we engaged in general conversation, and he asked if I was in the ministry. I responded, “No, I’m just a layman.” He then asked me what “just a layman” meant. I explained that I was not serving in occupational ministry but as a corporate executive. 

Dr. Kennedy quickly shared with me that I was not “just a layman” but a soldier in the army of the living God. 

That week of training and sharing the gospel back in 2004 revolutionized my view of what it meant to live with a missional mindset. The training helped me understand the need to take the Great Commission personal, as it was given to me as well as every church member whether we were in occupational ministry or not. Up to that point, I had been “sub-contracting” the fulfillment of the Great Commission to our church’s pastor and staff, along with our associational missionaries. Yet my eyes were opened that week to the fact that I, too, was sent by my church with no less responsibility than a full-time missionary. I was to be God’s ambassador in my circle of influence.

At that time, I worked for a rather large company. I had access to people that many pastors and missionaries would never have the privilege to engage. In a sense, I became a “corporate missionary,” realizing that God had sent me to that company for much more than drawing a paycheck. Understanding that my mission field was my company and other social circles where I was involved changed the way I saw and interacted with people around me. I became more soul conscious and began to pray for the Holy Spirit to enable me to share the gospel with boldness, conviction, and persuasion. In essence, I began thinking more like a missionary might think on the arrival to a new field.

In our men’s MD5 discipleship ministry, we begin the process by assessing where we are in our spiritual journey. The assessments used include Jim Putman’s Real Life Discipleship Wheel to determine our stage of spiritual growth (Dead, Infant, Child, Young Adult, Parent), a spiritual gift analysis, and our MD5 Orientation Assessment, which consists of 54 questions. One of the questions is “Do you have a personal plan for fulfilling the Great Commission?” Invariably, men assess themselves lower on this question than most any other. 

I believe the reason for this phenomena is that we as believers fail to take the Great Commission personally. Yet making disciples and fulfilling that commission is the ultimate mission of the church! It is the mission of every born-again man, woman, boy and girl. If you ask most church members what their job is, most would agree it is to share the gospel and make disciples. Yet how many actually do?The fact is that we are not “just laymen and laywomen.” We are all soldiers in the army of the living God! When it comes to the Great Commission, let’s take it personal!