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Greetings,
Please take just a moment to
examine this first issue of "World Evangelism Minute."
The purpose of this letter
("electronic epistle") is two- fold: first, to serve as an
inspiring and informative instrument in the task of making
missions major in our hearts, homes, and churches; and second,
to provide information about available training through
Biblical School of World Evangelism for missions and
evangelism to equip God's people to take the Gospel to our
neighbors and to the nations.
Module (May 24-28)
Veteran Missionary Austin Gardner will be teaching a
week-long module entitled, "Hundred-fold Men" at BSWE in
Milford, Ohio.
Austin Gardner is the Spanish South American Field Director
with Macedonia World Baptist Missions. He is blessed to lead a
vibrant, soul-saving station in the country of Peru that is
reproducing, discipling, and reaching into Peru (and out to
South America and the world) through literature, radio, tv,
Bible colleges and seminaries, and even the sending of their
own national missionaries.
This is "must-attend" class taught in the context of
missions which highlights Jesus' method of mentoring leaders.
The ministry of every Christian leader would be revolutionized
by the implementation of this teaching. No pastor, church
staff, missionary, or Christian educator can afford to labor
without applying this instruction.
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Quality Quotes |
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 "What is the greatest
crime in the desert?"
"Finding water and keeping silent" (Arab Proverb).
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life" (John 4:14).
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"Beauty Contest"? |
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 A missionary comes to a
church to present his burden and make his appeal for
support. Normally, if he makes a good impression, his
name is retained. When the local church's missions
budget can handle an increase in its sending capacity,
the average church makes its decision based on how well
the missionary preached, communicated, and presented
himself (along with his family if they were present).
He may be voted down for a variety of reasons: his
appearance, his children's behavior, his display or
presentation. He may even be declined because the church
already has one missionary in the same city (of ten
million inhabitants). The church that operates in this
manner in the area of missions with a "fly by the seat
of the pants" approach does not have a missions
strategy. It has a missions program for the sake of
having another program. It is "doing missions" on a
pretense; it is playing at its missions mandate.
Read more...
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Missions Strategy |
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 The word,
"strategy" is a military term referring to a plan of
attack. It implies that a group of people seriously want
to accomplish something; and because of this, they
construct a well-researched and thought- out plan
concerning how to achieve their desired objective.
Churches that take their missions mandate seriously do
missions on purpose (missions is their purpose - Acts
1:8). These churches have pastors who understand that
Jesus commanded the church to look on the field for a
reason (John 4:34-35). Some of the field isn't being
plowed. Some of the field isn't being harvested. The
church with a missions purpose prepares a missions
strategy because it has conducted research of world
needs, prayerfully sought God for His direction and
blessing, sought ownership among its members for its
mission endeavors, and understood its own uniqueness as
a church body for involvement in missions.
A missions strategy is usually three-dimensional: it
has a biblical dimension which provides the church's
basis and direction; a personal dimension which
incorporates the uniqueness of that particular church
and recognizes its God-given opportunities (things such
as strengths, resources, contexts, the church's own
experience in missions, and its passions); and a
practical dimension which seeks to meet obvious world
needs as well as finishing the task of reaching the
world.
The church missions purpose is structured,
strengthened, and strategic when a plan is adopted that
is biblical, personal and practical. The strategy
validates why we do what we do. It ensures that our
decisions are based on our missions convictions. It
allows us to make decisions more readily and
consistently when we measure each decision to our stated
strategy (an opportunity is easily shown to contribute
or not contribute to our strategy). And finally, the
strategy allows us to say yes to some and no to others
(mission opportunities) based on purpose and conviction
rather than bias or "beauty."
Forget about how many pins you can stick on the map a
mile-wide and an inch-deep. God is not duped by a map
with pins on it. How about justifying your missions
involvement through earnest prayer, research, a strategy
that is based on the Bible, your church DNA, and the
neglected peoples of the world. Make missions a priority
in your church; and go about it with the intensity of a
business man out to make money. If Coca-Cola can achieve
an awareness of its product in nearly every corner of
the globe and at least a sampling of its product among
most of the same, then the church of the living God
ought to pursue His purpose with an even greater
passion. But shamefully, too many have yet to, "Taste
and see that the LORD is good."
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Draft Missionaries |
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 "Both the Bible and
common sense therefore suggest that the best method is
not to call for volunteers but to set up a draft!"
"The most that an individual can do is express his
willingness. Others must determine his worthiness. The
individual may be free to go, but only his church knows
if he is really fitted to go."
(This excerpt was taken from a book by Michael
Griffiths, Get Your Church Involved in Mission,
1993:14.)
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