Few American Churchgoers Familiar With 'Great Commission'

A new study conducted by Barna, in conjunction with Seed Company, on various aspects related to the spread of the Gospel is raising alarm bells. 

The new report titled Translating the Great Commission makes the case that many Christians have forgotten one of the great exhortations of Jesus when He commanded all Christians to "go and make disciples of all nations". 

Every religion has a unique character whether it be for domination of the earthly realm, preservation of a nation or salvation of souls, and Christianity is distinctly the latter with Matthew 28:18-20 representing the clearest example of what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission.

Barna surveyed 1,004 church-going Christians from across the nation to arrive at their conclusions about the state of Gospel preaching, and while what they found leaves some room for interpretation, it also gives one pause to stop and consider the state of Christianity in America. 

They found that 51% of respondents had never heard the term "the Great Commission" while another 25% claimed to have heard it but did not know its meaning. Another 6% of Christians thought they knew what it meant, but were not sure. 

Only 17% of church-going Christians said that they both recognized and understood the concept of the Great Commission.

When framed as a matching exercise in which survey takers were asked to connect the term with corresponding Bible passages, 94% of the 17% of Christians who recognized the term were able to match it with the correct Biblical passage (Matthew 28:18-20), which leaves roughly 160 Christians out of every 1,000 who understand one of the central tenants of faith: to spread the Gospel to all nations.

The survey found that older church-goers were more likely to respond positively to questions regarding knowledge of the Great Commission (29% elders, 26% baby boomers, 17% generation X, and 10% millennials) but the Barna study authors were also forced to conclude that the use of the term itself could have been a key factor. 

The authors speculate that some of the younger Christians may very well know that Jesus commanded all Christians to make disciples of all nations, baptize them and teach them to obey the commandments of the Lord, even though they might not use the term Great Commission. 

The element of linguistic doubt across generations is the one major caveat of the study but, even correcting for that, there are significant percentages of Christians in every generation that neither recognize the term nor can match it to its Biblical passage—numbers that leave us to ponder the consequences for Christianity. 

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So, what can be done?

First, the term itself has become perhaps misunderstood due to linguistic drift. We seldom use the term "commission" today outside the military and I would venture to guess that a majority of young adults would struggle precisely to define the term by itself, even outside a Biblical context. 

Many people need to be re-educated with what this term actually means to see this great mission as the cause of all Christian good in the world. Christians aren't made for simply sitting in Church pews, they are made for creating disciples and bringing the kingdom of God to Earth. Care about social justice? Worried about racism, mass incarceration or a drug crisis? Want to help desperate immigrants or the destitute living on the streets? 

The answer is the Great Commission. Just as the tax collector Zacchaeus in the Book of Luke who gave up half his wealth, when the Word is truly received transformative change is possible. Imagine how entire systems of injustice would fall away if we truly made new disciples who obeyed God's Word to the letter? God's Word is the most powerful tool for social justice and societal change the world has ever known, and this change of perspective is key.

Finally, we need to take the cause to heart. Yes, our personal relationship with the Lord is a fundamental aspect of faith. Yes, the Church is a central component of our lives. But at the forefront of it all should be the Great Commission to build the Kingdom of God one life at a time, creating thousands of new disciples everyday who can themselves keep the commandments and spread the love of Jesus further. 

But this requires real action. It requires donating our resources, sacrificing our time and living bold lives of true Christian conviction in which we evangelize in both word and deed. 

Matthew 28 is no vision of a lonely monastery. This active, outward-looking faith is truly the great mission of Christians here on Earth.