Today's Missions Decline Due To Narcissism

Quoting Philip Graham Ryken . . .
It is hard to find Christians who are willing to pay full price for discipleship. In these self-absorbed, truth resistant times, many people make decisions for Christ without ever intending to offer their entire lives for His service. This unwillingness to make sacrifices is harmful to the church in many ways, but it is especially injurious to the cause of world missions. Missionary recruiters find it increasingly difficult to identify people who are willing to devote themselves to a lifetime of Christian ministry, especially if it promises to be difficult or dangerous. Despite the popularity of short-term missions trips, the number of career Missionaries is down, and some experts fear a critical shortage in the coming decades. This is a sign that something is seriously wrong. A genuine passion for God's glory inevitably leads to firm commitment to reach the lost -- those who do not have a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ, without which will be commended to spend eternity in hell.
Where this compassionate commitment is lacking, there must be a general lack of spiritual vitality.
Various attempts have been made to explain the decline of missions in America, but the basic issue is discipleship. A failure to count the cost of following Christ inevitably hinders one's commitment to the global work of His gospel. The vital connection between missions and discipleship is explained by two veteran missionary doctors -- Tom and Cynthia Hale -- wrote, in a passing letter entitled: "Disciples Needed for the Twenty-First Century":
Our major concern relates to the level of discipleship we have observed during our travels: we fear it is too shallow. ...During the past generation, the worldwide evangelical church has experienced unprecedented growth; in terms of the plain numbers coming to Christ, nothing like it has been seen before. But in the midst of this good news, there are troubling signs that many of these new believers are continuing to follow Christ primarily for what they can receive, rather than for what they can give. (ie: Narcissism) ...
We have...a lingering sense that some...rapidly growing churches are placing more emphasis on drawing people in than on sending people out. They have been placing more emphasis on the blessings of following Christ than on the cost. The "hard" teachings are downplayed; it's as if there is a fear of scaring people away. ...
The question is often asked: "How can we recruit more long term missionaries?" The answer, we believe, is for churches to place greater emphasis on discipling their members, on challenging their members to deny self, to forsake all and to follow Christ with no conditions or limitations--in other words, to "sell out" to Christ.
If this analysis is correct, as I believe it is, then the future of missions depends on the church's recovery of radical Christian discipleship.
From:
City on a Hill: Reclaiming the Biblical Pattern for the Church