We also know what a menu is.  It's a list of alternatives that we can pick and choose from such as those we order from in restaurants. 

It is so obvious that the two are not the same that I fear insulting your intelligence by pointing to that fact.  To treat a mandate as if it were a menu is to disobey its command and to treat a menu as a mandate is to take on more than one ought or should.

So what's my point?  I fear that too many of our people and churches have for too long treated Jesus' command in Acts 1:8 as if it were a menu that we can pick and choose from, and we are suffering as a result.  We had 246 churches in the U.S. listed in our 1988 CCCU Yearbook.  In 2006 we had 202.  Jesus put the Acts 1:8 package together and it is not to be taken apart.  He meant for it to be obeyed in its entirety.  Thus a church that wants to be a New Testament church and a believer who wants to be a New Testament Christian must be involved in witnessing in their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. 

I'm convinced that our people and churches strongly believe that they are to be active in making disciples among those in the ministry area of the church.  Likewise I believe that most of our people and churches know they are to support the sending of missionaries to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel, even though 59 of our churches reported no giving to our Missionary Department last year.  Only the Lord knows how many of our people were faithful to pray for and to financially support our missionaries.

However, I'm equally convinced that too many of our people and churches do not understand that reaching their Judea and Samaria by planting new churches in their state and nation must also be the mission of our churches.  What can you and your church do to daughter a new church? 

We will soon celebrate 100 years as a denomination and still do not have a church in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron or Youngstown.  Too many believe that the planting of new churches is the responsibility of our leaders in Circleville and that giving an offering to Church Extension at Thanksgiving and Palm Sunday is enough.

So why is your Missionary Superintendent concerned about church planting here in the U.S.?  Because I believe in Acts 1:8.  Because I believe it is a mandate, not a menu.  Because to be effective globally we must grow locally and nationally through evangelism and church planting.  I cannot pick and choose what part of Acts 1:8 I will support. 

To achieve our potential, we must plant growing local churches with a global vision.  Only then will we be able to recruit the missionaries and raise the finances needed to do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission.

You and I must treat all of Acts 1:8 as our mandate, and not as our menu.  God help us to do it.