IMB President David Platt envisions a day when the IMB will support, train, and partner with 10,000 SBC missionaries. Obviously the organization cannot accomplish this financially, so another avenue must remain.
Realistically, the number of IMB-funded workers internationally will not rise about 4,000 unless donations to SBC missions go counter to current trends. Who will account for the other 6,000 missionaries, and how might churches be involved?
A few suggestions:
Business is international. Men and women cruise the globe at 35,000 feet, going places missionaries cannot. What could you do?
- Transport sensitive Christian materials that cannot be mailed or sent electronically. Firewalls run by local governments block access to training materials, Bible translations, and other forms of support. This could be as simple as meeting someone for supper and passing the information along.
- Allow your temporary housing to serve as a meeting site for Bible study groups and churches.
- Use your locally-registered business to provide legitimate visas for missionaries who cannot acquire them otherwise.
- Learn the language through multiple visits and help teach in areas where the IMB has not placed anyone.
This list only includes the really obvious stuff. IMB has an entire department – Marketplace Advance – that focuses on finding strategic ways for businessmen and women to be involved.
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Students have joined the ranks of international travelers. Some of the most restrictive countries in the world allow their youth to leave for educational opportunities and permit American students to enter.
- Partner with local IMB workers to find students willing to attend Bible studies.
- Learn language as a student to prepare for a long-term mission calling.
- Lead student ministry in partnership with missionaries.
Again, there’s an entire IMB Student department willing to help people leverage their student status for missionary efforts.
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Major cities around the world usually have a sizable expat population, Americans who have retired in places they feel most welcome. They often know the language and local culture. For those expats who struggle with the lack of churches in their area, a partnership with knowledgable, experienced IMB missionaries would be an amazing experience.
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This may tread on the edge of heresy, but if you’ve been called to missions would you be willing to consider just moving and never returning? Could you take your degrees, knowledge, and money to another country and live permanently in pursuit of the glory of God? Marry, live, and die there as newly minted citizens on some level?
Know what Tel Aviv, Lima, Prague, Bangkok, Caracas, and Shanghai all have in common? They all have Chinese, Korean, and Indian restaurants operated by immigrants. Asians seem to the most mobile people, immigrating around the world en masse. They have stores and places of worship and even schools in some areas. Many of them are Christians and run local churches. Why could Americans not follow suit?
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These are just a few of the options. Volunteers already stream outward from American churches towards the rest of the world. Churches support SBC missionaries directly in partnership with the IMB. Sports teams travel to far-off countries to play soccer, baseball, and baseball. The mantra that “everyone is a missionary” applies perfectly. Why not share His love where ever you go? Who better to go than church members, and who more perfectly set up to train you than the IMB?
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Consider the question from another perspective: if God is calling you towards a life of international ministry without applying for a job at IMB, how could you prepare?
- Are you in business? Intentionally investigate how to start a business internationally. Use your contacts to establish a legitimate presence in Ruritania or where ever the IMB needs someone. Spend a couple of years establishing some sort of partnership that gives you access to the people.
- Are you in high school? Study German. I’ve read that German universities are extremely low-cost. Plan now, while living at home and studying in a public high school, for a life of ministry internationally. Do some research on international universities and how you can get into them, but start that process now. Don’t wait until you have graduated to consider it.
- If you are ready to choose a major, look into what jobs are needed in, say, South Asia or North Africa. Find part of the world that fascinates you. Choose a field that people need, and use that to apply for work in various areas. Don’t be afraid to leave the US if God is calling you. Many current missionaries struggle to move towards bi-vocational models of support because their only training is in ministry. Bi-vocational missions is the future, so plan accordingly.
- Plan your retirement around global church planting, relief, and ministry needs. The IMB can train you in ministry and teach you how to manage your international finances. I’ve found American retirees on three continents enjoying local culture and the low cost of living. Why not join them?
- Review your online presence. Is your Facebook feed filled with politics, strong views on religion, or criticism of various religions and people? Consider deleting that. Governments look at who you are online in determining visas. Take care in what you say in your blogs or online interactions. Delete things from Instagram, no matter how cute, if it might offend the wrong visa official down the road somewhere.
- Develop a public identity that includes a variety of positive interests in addition to your Christianity. Don’t hide from the internet – governments find that suspicious – just be deliberate in creating a legitimate, honest public profile: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, VLOGS, comments on other sites, etc.
Missions belongs to the church. The IMB stands ready to support and train. They’ve got more ideas than anyone could imagine, but lack the personnel to see them through.
Funding may be limited, but opportunities are not.
Reviewing your online presence is great advice for all of us. I still find myself not posting, editing, deleting and overall thinking about what I put out there for public consumption. I have to ask how does it help or hurt my witness and does it give glory to God. Most of my past focus and current too is too culturally and politically centered, instead of gospel-centered.
“Funding may be limited, but opportunities are not.” I don’t think most Christians in the States have any idea how much work there is to do in the Kingdom. I think it’s less a question of funding than it is a question of willingness. To that end, this article touches on something that needs to be hammered on in every church that proclaims the true Gospel. The work ahead of us is extensive and will never abate until the return of Christ. “This may tread on the edge of heresy, but if you’ve been called to missions would you be… Read more »
Wow…sounds like IMB propaganda. Did they feed that to you to post here? I don’t question the value of incorporating business people, students, expats, etc… into strategy. In fact, many are already doing that. It’s wonderful and a no brainier. But to act like this approach will be more effective than long term/ full time missionaries is only an opinion and not a fact. I agree as others have said it is the amatuerization of missions. I understand from previous posts that you are a missionary. So I respect you and am grateful for your service to the Lord. But… Read more »
Were the disciples in Luke 10 amateurs or professionals?
One downside in the professionalization of missionaries is that people think that only they(professionally trained missionaries) can do it. I do not see that paradigm represented in the Bible.
Louis
I do not want to spek to the post and the concept voiced in same. That quite honestly is above my pay grade. However I do want to speak to your Biblical reference. That is not germane to the discussion. Those who sat at the feet of Jesus would probably trump any professional. Since none have done that the comment is irrelevant. Again the pro. vs am. is a valid discussion but other scripture should perhaps be used to defend the position.
I was not fed anything to post here, nor am I a part of IMB leadership. I do not rub shoulders with those who are, though that’s simply geography and body odor. I do not know if the IMB’s new emphases are going to be more effective than what has gone before. I have no crystal ball. I am not prescient. It could very well be that we re-envision ourselves into simply skinning the same cat using different tools and different people. I agree that we need more people, but I must qualify my use of the first person plural.… Read more »
I think there is an important difference between an “amateurization” of missions that siphons financial support away from traditional career missions (i.e. many short-term mission trips) and one that does not (i.e. business people, etc., relocating overseas and networking with long-term missionaries). Indeed, there is room for many more workers of all sorts on the field, provided they are not siphoning off support from those who are more highly trained and have more cross-cultural experience, and provided they are not damaging the work with culturally insensitive methods of evangelism and/or other inappropriate types of mission projects.
David On the home front here in Montana we have seen what you are describing. There have been folks who have come out of the south as retirees, or business types etc. who have planted their life here and with proper mentoring have made a significant difference. Then we have had the “mission trips” that are all over the board as it relates to effectiveness, the exception would be construction teams. There have been times I wished I had the nerve to say keep your mission trip at home and send money, I can do more with it. The reason… Read more »
Yes, that would be a plan, but the greatest plan above it would that each Southern Baptist church would increase its CP giving by at least 1% to keep our career missionaries on the fields.
Peggy Dane, Brazil-Belize, 1972-2000
Peggy
I totally completely agree. The churches I pastored during my 30 years of doing so gave between 16 and 28 per cent to the CP. My concern is that those days are gone and I am not sure they will be recaptured. Every church doing anything in the SBC is now a problem.
I gather from your “address’ you are one of our missionaries. Thank you so much for your service. You are indeed among our very special people.
Thanks to Ethan for his thought-provoking posts. I believe what he has described is basically what David Platt envisions for the IMB and SBC. For a clue to the future look at what he and his staff did at Brook Hills Church. It seems the trustees of the IMB gave Dr. Platt a mandate to make major changes at the IMB, and he is doing just that. We all need to pray that the Lord will give him wisdom and guide him through the change process. Some will argue that we don’t need the changes; we just need more money.… Read more »