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FAILURE FAMILY
STRESS HEALTH LANGUAGE
LEARNING LEAVING
FAMILY LIVING
ON HAND-OUTS RAISING
SUPPORT SAFETY TOO
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Starting
a new church in a foreign language and culture will be one of the
most difficult things you could do in your life. It is an endeavor
set up for failure… unless you define success in a biblical
way. For instance, we do not measure success in evangelism by the
number of people who respond. That is their decision in concert
with the Word of God and the Spirit of God. There is absolutely
nothing we can do to force someone into heaven. So we do not measure
our success by "how many get saved." We can measure success
by how much time we spend in evangelism. We can evaluate whether
or not our methods are appropriate for each culture. We will work
hard at evangelism and evaluate our approach. The same is true in
every area of our ministry. There is a delicate balance between
faithfulness and effectiveness. The value of having team members
and field leadership is that all can agree that the team members
are on target. The results are up to God.
When
North American missions was in its infancy, missionaries had to
be physically fit. They rode bicycles, horses and many times walked.
Good medical care was not accessible. But the world has changed.
Most of the people of the world live in cities…modern cities.
Often there is superior medical care in other countries of the world.
The bonus is that many times the costs are considerably cheaper.
Medical insurance is certainly much cheaper for those living outside
the U.S.A. So if you struggle with health issues, you might as well
struggle there as here!
Yes,
missions does mean saying farewell to mother and father, brother
and sister, friends and neighbors. There is no way to be a missionary
without leaving those you care for most. It is definitely a sacrifice.
But it is one that Christ called us to. This is part of being a
disciple. It is a matter of obedience. But there is an "up-side."
Many families who live in the same town and the same street can
take each other for granted. Since missionaries see their family
only every few years, the reunion is intense. It is meaningful.
The person who eats cake three times a day does not appreciate it
like the person who has cake once a year.
You
just don't like the idea of months of traveling from church to church
asking people to promise you monthly support. Or it may be that
you are afraid to get on the phone to make the appointment in the
first place. Unless you have a sending church that will take on
100% of your support, doing deputation is the stepping stone to
the mission field. But this is an incredible learning experience.
It prepares you for missionary work in many ways. For instance,
if you won't initiate contacts here in your own culture, you will
struggle with evangelism as you try to make contacts in a new language
and culture. If you are not willing to put up with some hardship
here, you'll "fold" there. If you cannot be patient here,
you will not have the tenacity to stick with it there. If you can't
trust God here, you're not going to muster up faith there. While
we might wish for a guaranteed salary from the first day we apply
to a mission agency, it just doesn't happen. Your level of commitment
to international ministries is tested right up front. If you are
not willing to do what may be distasteful now, you probably shouldn't
think of going to the mission field.
This
was a problem 50 years ago. Many mission agencies would not accept
your application if you were over 28 years old. But today, we are
asking the opposite question: "are you too young?" The
average age of people going to the mission field for the first time
is between 35 and 40. That is a huge shift…but a good shift.
At that point in your life, you are probably a little more settled
into your marriage and family life. You probably have more experience
in ministry and life. It is a great time to be heading to the field.
In the past, missionaries would retire at 65, now some are beginning
their missionary career at that age. So, don't let your age stand
in the way of getting involved. In fact, your "old age"
may be one of your best assets. |
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