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Christianity Today, September, 2008 |

FOOLISH THINGS

Missionary Myths

Why the Great Commission still applies.

Stan Guthrie | posted 9/23/2008 11:35AM

A team from two churches and one parachurch ministry has caught a vision for missions. Members travel regularly to Bangladesh to train pastors, minister to orphaned girls, and plant churches. The needs ...

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Ephrem Hagos

Posted: September 25, 2008 12:44 AM


The Great Commission is, indeed, a marching order strictly for fully trained disciples of the Lord Jesus but not for amateurs and enthusiasts who know next to nothing of its terms and substance. If you cannot do it right, therefore, please keep it to yourselves and spare us the wrath of God's righteous judgement!

IkeC	Posted: September 24, 2008 11:56 AM


Excellent piece. The Great Commission still applies, and long term missionaries are essential to fulfill it. Those of us who can't go MUST give so that others can.

RJR_fan

Posted: September 24, 2008 9:09 AM

You don't need to be a career missionary to love unreached people enough to learn their language and culture. Contact your local university, ask about their "language partner program," and go to work. You help folks from "closed" countries to refine their English. Let them see the inside of an American home, befriend an American family. They help you learn their language and culture. These "stranger in a strange land" enjoy being on familiar ground, discussing something they know and love very well, their mother tongue. Since many cultures, Muslim, for example, are very passionate about family life, these bright-eyes sojourners love interacting with entire, intact, families. My 12 and 10 year old girls are blessed to have a Turkish Muslim surrogate big sister, and they are making progress on mastering this important world language. They can also pray for the conversion of people they know and love because of this experience.

L.Tsanso

Posted: September 24, 2008 3:12 AM

STQuek opined staying at home and strengthen the home mission should not be misinterpreted as selfish and unbiblical but rather take it as provokative for outreach mission today and he is not exception but there are many who feels that way. Nevertheless, many American Churches have not forgotten yet that at the zenith missionary sending century were the years when the world honoured them to its fullest and blessed America beyond measure. If I may be allowed may I say that when America Churches started withdrawing missionary and world mission, the result seem to be disastrous. Now the question is whether America Churches should obey the command of Jesus to “go” or to “stay”. We are commanded to go and not to stay!

Sue De Vries

Posted: September 23, 2008 10:35 PM

Thank you, Alain, for your gracious comments and honest appraisal of short term comments. I too was once a short term missionary for a summer, and it helped direct me to a career commitment. Speaking practically from a financial point of view, I wish churches would set a cap on what percentage of their missions giving would go to short termers (something under 20%) and keep in mind that the WORK of missionary needs long term preparation and commitment. I also recommend partnership with experienced mission agencies rather than sending people out alone and untrained. But the main point of Stan's article is still the main thing: we still need cross-cultural "sent ones"! Amen! And the emerging churches, the young churches, are joining us in that mission. Praise God!

SYQuek

Posted: September 23, 2008 7:04 PM

The article lacks theological depth. America is a secular nation although it was founded by Christians. But the new generations are not like the old. Americans should remain at home and start with home missions before they think of foreign missions. There are nearly 350 million Americans in USA and many are unbelievers. Acts 1:7 gives us the blueprint for sending missionaries: begin with Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and then to the uttermost part of the world. The world is indeed global and having spent 3 years in American seminaries I found that many Americans are in spiritual darkness and are turning to eastern religions which we Asians have rejected after having embraced Christianity. Americans are accepting eastern religions what Asians have been told by past American missionaries to reject. Perhaps it is time the rest of the world send missionaries into America since we know their culture and the bankruptcy of eastern religions better than they know the culture of the world?

John Branner

Posted: September 23, 2008 4:49 PM


Stan, as usual, is spot on because he simply reminds us of what the Scripture says. Sadly, negative responses to mission articles too often come down to dollars and cents. While more discernment is called for in the allocation of funds (globally as well as locally), it is not about the money! It is about our obedience to the teachings of our Lord.

Alain Maashe

Posted: September 23, 2008 3:58 PM

While it costs an average of $3000 for a two week trip, one or two single missionaries could minister an entire year on the same amount. Such local missionary are trained, dedicated to evangelism full time (not just during vacations), and they have no learning curve for the language, culture, or local ways, making them infinitely form efficient in the field. I have met local missionary in the field that complained about this very issue. I think that the money used on short term mission would be better used by funding well organized local missionary agencies such as Gospel for Asia, but ultimately, they should work towards self sufficiency and not rely on external help. Long term missionary work is another issue since although it also has its drawbacks

Alain Maashe

Posted: September 23, 2008 3:57 PM

As an African pursuing PhD studies in a US Seminary, I appreciate the care, love, and passion for others that short term mission produce and many have been transformed by a short-term mission trip and many have been called to the ministry. However, from the point of good stewardship of resources and efficiency, short time missions are extremely wasteful. Financially, it cost between $2500 and $3500 for a two week mission trip to West Africa for example. More often than not, the short term missionary does not know the local languages, culture, and local ways. They are seldom extensively trained in evangelism or biblical studies. As such, they more often than not bring no specific skills that the “locals” do not already possess. If anything, they are often at a disadvantage. While of great benefit for the faith of the missionary (you just need to hear all the post trip testimonies ), the goal of missions is not the personal growth of the missionary While it costs an average of

Alain Maashe

Posted: September 23, 2008 3:56 PM

A Hermit

Posted: September 23, 2008 3:53 PM

The Gospel is meant to be a Way of life- not a belief system to be spread. While missionaries, and certainly financial and material support are needed in 'poorer' countries, Christians here in the 'west' live lives little different from their secular counterparts- supporting militarism, nationalism, and materialism by their lifestyles. They espouse 'family values', but that is limited to anti-gay and anti-abortion activity. A veneer of morality and belief overlays lives dedicated to material comfort, political power and worldly success. Americans need to become Christ and be transformed, showing Christ in their lives- not primarily by their lips.

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