Prioritizing Missions in the Church

Pastors from America and India Share How They Patiently and Faithfully Lead Missions in Their Local Churches

What role should the local church play in the mission to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth? Many Christians view missions work as a task for large churches or parachurch ministries. But God commands all believers in churches of all sizes to protect and proclaim his word. Working together patiently and faithfully, we can reach nations with the gospel.

In this brief guide, pastors Aaron Menikoff from Atlanta, Georgia, and Harshit Singh from Lucknow, India, share their journeys leading missions-centered churches in two different settings. Through their personal stories, they teach Scripture-led methods for fostering missions-minded congregations. Emphasizing the importance of patient training and church planting—in terms of years, not months—Menikoff and Singh help pastors and staff overcome geographic, cultural, and linguistic barriers to passionately start and strengthen churches around the world.



- Biblical: Helps churches understand their God-given responsibility to train and send quality missionaries

- Comprehensive: Examines long-term ways local churches can be missions-centered—through consistent evangelism, expositional preaching, prayer, singing, gathering, and ordinances

- Accessible: Written to guide pastors, staff, and missions-minded Christians in developing a healthy view of missions

- Part of the 9Marks Church-Centered Missions Series



Aaron Menikoff (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the senior pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church, where he has ministered since 2008. He is the author of Character Matters and Politics and Piety. He serves as the adjunct professor of church history at Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, and is a founding board member of the Association of Churches for Missions and Evangelism. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Deana, and their four children.

Harshit Singh serves as the preaching pastor of Satya Vachan Church in Lucknow, India. He is married to Malini, and they have four children.