Mission means we have to save the world – that is one of four “key myths” revealed by the Church Mission Society (CMS) as reasons why some Christians do not get involved in mission. The others are that mission is mainly about doing things for people in need, that mission is primarily a Western thing, and that mission is only for extraordinary people. In response, CMS has produced a free “myth-busting” Bible study.

The list of myths is drawn from the conclusions of a survey which questioned 2000 Christians on their perceptions of mission in the 21st century; as well as dozens of individual interviews with people on the subject. The list of myths also reflects initial objections to mission involvement that are encountered by CMS staff.

“There are many myths about mission out there. We know that today, mission is a little word with a lot of baggage,” CMS’ communications director, Naomi Steinberg, said. “Having taken time to listen to people’s impressions of mission, our task now is to clarify what mission is – and isn’t. The goal is to make mission easier for people to understand, and ultimately, be part of.”

As part of its efforts to dispel those myths, CMS have produced a Bible-study series, What is Mission? The four-part “myth-busting Bible study for small groups” includes videos, biblical reflections, activities and suggested prayers to untangle fact from fiction. The short videos feature interviews with a variety of people who are involved in mission in the UK or overseas. “The people in mission in the videos are all highly relatable and we think they show that everyone can be in mission,” Steinberg said.

You can download the What is Mission? Bible study from the Resource Hub on the CMS website: churchmissionsociety.org/resources.