“A Heart For The World” (Part One)

“I have done my part- it’s now someone else’s turn.”

That seems to be the growing, unspoken attitude of many in the church in the West towards missions. For decades now, the American church has been a veritable launching pad for global missions efforts, but now, in the last 20 years, the nations of the world are finding it necessary to send missionaries to America! The perception is that…

• The church in the West has abandoned the call to reach the world;
• The church in the West has failed in the call to reach its own people.

Over the years of pastoral ministry, I have accumulated some strategic thoughts from missions leaders about the challenges before us, and want to share them with you for your consideration. These are undoubtedly difficult and stretching times for the church and for missions organizations. What has contributed to that challenge? Let’s think about that together this week…

Facing The Challenges

• Culture- Any time that you cross cultural lines, it places demands on you. You are required to think and express yourself in the framework of the culture in which you are engaged. It is a great—though not overwhelming- challenge, for the issue of culture in cross-cultural ministry challenges all of our Western paradigms.
• Changing world- Let’s face it—the world of 30, 20, even 10 years ago is fading away from us. The pace has quickened and the technology has exploded, combining to create a world setting that will never again resemble the world I grew up in. There is much more of a sense of global community (for good or for ill) due to an increasingly intertwined global economy. Now, through technology, transportation, and trade, the world is much more diverse than it has ever been—and more tightly tied together.
• Closing doors- A result of this global economy is a growing resistance to “Westernization” of historic cultures. The “ugly American” is alive and well all over the world, and increasing numbers of countries view that Western mindset as a threat to their cultural stability—even their cultural identity. The result has been a serious number of closed countries into which western missionaries no longer have access for traditional missions endeavors. The scrutiny in “open” nations is likewise intensifying, as the western missionaries are often viewed as a threat to the religious heritage of the nation.
• Creative relationships- This increase in closed doors has created a new operating environment for missions organizations. It is an environment in which the “status quo” of historic missions activity may be on the verge of becoming extinct. This is due not only to global and international concerns, but also to a shrinking talent pool of prospective missionaries considering this vital ministry as a career option. This means that if we are to continue to move forward in world evangelization efforts, we will have to become more creative in our thinking about how missions can be “done.” The priority in the future may shift more and more to nationals and national training centers, with fewer and fewer westerners actually doing less of the front line church planting, and more being involved in equipping their national counterparts to reach their own people groups. This is not necessarily a positive trend, but it appears to be an increasing one.
• Clear opportunities- In the midst of the shifting paradigms, there are still huge opportunities for traditional missions outreach. Much of this is due to the 10-40 Window and the opportunities of China and the former Soviet Union. It must be remembered that, even in a global community where doors are closing, other parts of the world are still very open to the Gospel message—and must not be ignored. The Lord promises that He is the One that opens doors—and there are plenty still available for willing servants to invest in.
• Careful stewardship- This challenge is one of the most significant in modern missions, for the world around us is not the only thing that is changing. The Christian community in the West has undergone huge philosophical shifts in the last 15 years. These philosophical shifts have caused the church in the west to display a tendency towards-
  1. Selfishness- a result of the consumer-oriented mentality of the church today, we want what we want- and we want it now. This results in resources (especially financially) that could have been invested in reaching the world instead being drained off to projects of less significance (personally as well as corporately).
  2. Fickleness- a short attention span that seems to start well but finish poorly. The danger is that this shortsightedness will result in an inability to stay on task in the mission we have been given

• Compelling purpose- Perhaps the greatest concern facing us is whether or not we have truly lost sight of our purpose- and whether we are concerned enough to invest in it with time, effort, and resources. God has given us a compelling purpose- to be His ambassadors in the world! Can we really believe that this purpose is truly great if we are ever being drawn away from it by things that do not touch eternity?

These are significant challenges that the church of the late 20th Century must address if we are going to even begin to respond adequately to the charge that has been left to us to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. What has God put at our disposal for the fulfillment of this “Great Commission?” We’ll see that tomorrow.