Editor: I saw this on Don Dent’s Facebook site and asked his permission to publish it here.
Last Thursday in a global online meeting, IMB missionaries were told that those over the age of 50 would receive a voluntary retirement incentive offer yesterday. Each has been told they must pray and consider whether it is time to retire early. They must decide what to do in the next 45 days, but they know this is only the first step towards the IMB downsizing by at least 600, but preferably 800, personnel worldwide. This is an excruciatingly painful day for our missionaries and support office staff.
In these 5 days I have prayed with one couple, heard and corresponded with multiple others, and looked into the pained face of several others. Their pain and sense of abandonment is understandable. They are the most experienced and expert mission force Southern Baptists have to impact the nations and now we are telling them that many must come home.
Over the past week I have reflected night and day on this tragedy and I have considered a variety of responses. Obviously, the most important thing that I, and anyone else, can do is pray. So, I am offering some thoughts about how the rest of us can pray for our valuable sent ones. I hope that Southern Baptists will pray for them as individual prayer warriors as well as in prayer groups, prayer meetings, and Sunday worship services.
1. They need to hear from their Shepherd/Sender. The missionaries have been told this is a voluntary offer to retire, but they also know that hundreds have to stop their ministry. Many are feeling helpless, because if they stay someone else will have to leave. It is an excruciating dilemma. The greatest need of these missionaries is to hear from God. It was God who called and authorized their mission to the nations, although Southern Baptists confirmed and have supported them until now. Since God called them to this task and has strengthened them for years to persevere, it is really only God who can release them from their vocation. This is absolutely essential! They must not quit out of frustration, although that is certainly a temptation. They need to stay or come home based on the personal guidance they receive now from God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” Paul got specific “directions” from God 3 times within a few days in Acts 16:6-9. Pray intensely that God will speak clearly to our missionaries, and that they will be able to hear his voice in spite of the emotional flood they are presently experiencing. They need to spend time seeking His presence and not just looking for quick answers. Whether He says come home or stay in place, they need to have confidence that they continue to walk according to His will for their lives. They need to hear his voice declare, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”
2. They need comfort and encouragement. I have heard from many missionaries in recent weeks and most are hurt, confused, and feeling abandoned. They have sacrificially worked to take the gospel to the nations, often in difficult and sometimes dangerous places. They thought Southern Baptists were behind and supportive of them. Now they know that is not completely true.
In addition to their grief at the loss of financial support and the necessity to downsize IMB personnel, they grieve the loss of witness and ministry to peoples they love who desperately need the gospel and churches.
Sadly, official press releases have tried to reaffirm Southern Baptists, but have inadvertently trivialized the ministry of these missionaries. This is not just a reset for a better future and it will result in a loss of gospel witness. If sending courageous missionaries into the unengaged, unreached places on earth is celebrated by Southern Baptists as gospel advance, how can recalling those missionaries be anything but a retreat to be mourned??
For the abandoned, there is a Companion who walks with them. For those who are broken-hearted, there is a Comforter who heals hearts. For the discouraged, there is an Encourager who offers his strength. Jesus himself promised to be with them “all the days” so ask the Lord to be especially close to these brothers and sisters and pray that they will sense his presence in the storm.
3. Pray for the younger missionaries. Some of the most heart-rending messages I have read are from younger missionaries who will not receive this offer to retire. They grieve the loss of colleagues, the loss of expertise, the loss of leadership, the loss of hard-fought ground on the field. They also grieve the loss of confidence that the churches are faithful in their support of missions. Don’t forget the younger missionaries, they need encouragement also. There are young apprentices who may lose their veteran leaders. Who will encourage them and show them the ropes of practical ministry in their new home? Pray that all these missionaries “will not grow weary in doing good.”
4. Pray for those who decide to retire early. I am happy for those who need to come home and this VMI offers some help to do so. That is not true of most of those who received the retirement offer yesterday. Transitioning to the US will not be easy for many who head home soon. Most will have daily moments of overwhelming grief. Today I heard an adult missionary kid reflect on his parents who were forced by war to leave their adopted country after decades of effective service. They returned to America at age 62, but never found any ministry that used their gifting. Most of these retiring missionaries need to find employment and that is not always easy or automatic in our economy. Frankly, most churches do not know what to do with an effective returned missionary. This is going to happen quickly without the usual period for preparation. They will need places to stay, cars, and meaningful ministry. Yes, many will find wonderful opportunities but some may not. Missionary couples who have served for years as a 24/7 ministry team will lose that when both have to seek employment. For those of us who know the truth, the women coming home have amazing skills and experience, but many view them as someone married to a missionary. Please pray that God will open a door for the ongoing ministry for these hundreds of capable men and women.
5. Ask God to show Southern Baptists what we should do. The IMB says it is too late to help the 800 coming home this year. However, we should be concerned about what happens next. By the end of the year, the IMB will have lost about 1700 personnel since 2009! If we don’t change what we are doing, the losses will continue. We should mourn this tragedy and rethink our priorities. No, we should repent and realign our lives with the revealed priorities of God!
We are about to enter the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering season and we could turn this around quickly. Last year Southern Baptists gave about $10 each to reach the world. Really, we call ourselves a mission people?
- One Baptist is advocating every Southern Baptist giving $1 more each month. Yes, that would turn this downward trend around.
- If half of Southern Baptists gave an extra cost of a Big Mac Meal to Lottie Moon, we could increase our mission force.
- The average Southern Baptist will spend about $800 on Christmas this year. We could change this trend by giving only 5% of that amount to Jesus. We could send more missionaries if we just gave more to Lottie Moon than the next most expensive Christmas present. How did we turn the birth of Jesus into an opportunity to give everyone else gifts?
- In many cases, we do not even need to sacrifice, although I praise the Lord for those who do. Southern Baptists have the needed resources in their pockets. Churches have the resources in their congregations. We just need to give more to taking the gospel through our cooperative efforts.
Call or write your missionary friends. Send them an unexpected care package. Pray for them in these painful days. Get together with a friend and buy a retiring missionary a used vehicle. And ask God how He would rearrange our personal and church budgets. Friends, “How can they preach unless they are sent?”
Amen!!!
Thanks Dave for re-posting this.
These are excruciating days for our missionaries and it will not get any easier for them (regardless of where they are with regards to the VRI) any time soon.
Don has stated clearly the situation. Because I am already officially retired but on the field, I have had the opportunity to meet with and talked by phone and email with many facing this decision. They have similar stories to Don’s friends. My wife and I are grieving over what we are hearing and experiencing.
I listened to the presentation last week. I would like to hear David Platt now speak with regret about the difficulties this is causing our missionaries who are leaving before they had planned to retire and specifically speak to the ministries and witness that will be hurt by this decrease in missionaries. We often hear he is passionate. I would like to hear him speak with passion about the effects of this loss of missionaries on the field to our missionary task. I would like to hear him speak with passion about what these missionaries have accomplished though their years of service. I would like to hear him speak with passion that we need churches to increase cooperative program giving and Lottie Moon offerings. I would like to hear speak with passion that churches sending mission teams are important but career missionaries who go and stay are still an important part of our strategy. Maybe that would inspire more to do what Don has suggested.
I don’t want to get all hyper spiritual here, but we are bringing 600 to 800 missionaries home from the field but our passions are more aroused by the Republican debate and other temporal things.
I got chastised by a reader for saying that the root of this is a heart issue, but I don’t see any other way to read it.
Dave,
I would have to say that many Churches are giving to the CP and Lottie, and they’re giving good to it. Could they give more? Certainly. But, many of the smaller Churches, out here, are giving a good amount….for them….unless the giving from it’s members gets better and goes up, they’re not really able to give more.
But, a big part of the problem seems to me to be with a lot of Churches giving their money to other mission groups(GCR giving); and for taking their own people on mission trips with money that would’ve gone to the CP, or to Lottie, or Annie; and with some of our Mega Churches giving very little…percentage wise….to the CP and Lottie and Annie.
David
DAvid,
I hear you and I agree with you that churches who “shift” their CP to do their own things or send to Wycliffe (for example) and the like are in many ways foundational to the problems we now face with the CP and Lottie.
But not all churches who do their won missions or give to para-church ministries spreading the gospel do that. Our church is a both and church. We give 10% to the CP every year and never think of reducing it – AND we spend a lot equipping and sending our membership on mission trips and sponsor those serving the Lord in missions outside of the SBC.
We also (on top of our CP) directly partner with and fund several church planters within our state.
God knows my heart – I am not saying this to brag – I am simply pointing out that not all who
Ooops did not complete post before hitting submit:
“Do their own missions” are shifting – some are certainly – but not all are.
I am not sure that it is fair to use the ebb and flow of comment posting to assume the passions of ones heart. Passion, especially in blog commenting, is not exactly a singular strain.
We are serving in Honduras, not with the SBC but with a friend’s ministry that began 4 years ago. Last night while doing our family devotional time we came across a story from the Middle Americas which vastly shows the divide between the Americas when it comes to funding missions. Here is an excerpt –
We read a devotional last night from Wilma, who serves in the middle Americas and Caribbean region. She told the story of a commissioning service, one where a young Costa Rican woman was preparing to leave for mission work in a Muslim country. She writes, “In many evangelical churches across Latin America, God’s Spirit is raising up a missionary movement from areas that have traditionally been our mission fields.” As they proceeded through the service, one woman named Margarita prayed, “Lord, You know our family’s commitment to the faith promise offering, so that Farisa can go to another land. As I’ve told my children, first we will give the offering, and then if there is anything left, we will eat.”
Quite a difference in detail, agree?
Steve,
Where in Honduras do yall serve? My local Baptist Association goes to the Choluteca area, every year. I have been down there about 5 or 6 times, myself.
David
Currently we are in Siguatepeque in language school. We’ve only been on the field since end of June. We will do language school through December, possibly January, then move to Santiago which is a small community close to Tela on the northern coast. Our friends have just opened a children’s home there, and we will be opening a transitional home for teenage girls next to the children’s home.
Steve,
That’s awesome. Choluteca is on the Southwestern end of the country….near the Pacific Ocean. It is extremely hot and dry and arid, there. We’ve been working with a Church down there….in Choluteca…which has started 25 Churches in that area. Our Baptist Association has been working with them to start these Churches for about 13 years…I think….or, something close to that. Pastor Eduardo Garcia is the Pastor of the Church….a great man of God.
God bless your work.
David
Thanks David! Yes, much of the country right now is in drought conditions, presumably because of El Nino (or Donald Trump). That’s fantastic work you all are doing! We intend to plant a church in Santiago as well – a very whole community approach to missions for that area. Who knows, maybe we’ll cross paths one day.
Oh, and for the record, Go Big Blue 🙂
Steve
Well, Steve, I was beginning to like you until you said, “Go, Big Blue.” smh
Seriously, God bless…AND, GO VOLS!
“Frankly, most churches do not know what to do with an effective returned missionary.”
Based on my experience this is very true.
Because we are emeriti missionaries, my wife and I received an email from the IMB’s Terri Willis assuring us that the benefits we retired with would continue without change. It was comforting to know that the IMB was keeping its covenantal commitments to us.
Early this AM (3:47 AM 9/19 local Taipei, Taiwan time) I awakened with a thought, perhaps the product of extreme grief over the possible impact of the VRI upon the fate of the lost of the world due to the IMB’s potential loss of language and culturally proficient veterans as well as the chaos/pain that is about to enter the lives of these precious Kingdom warrior veteran colleagues?
The angst that some of my former beloved colleagues have expressed to me is that the VRI may not be as voluntary as the rhetoric would seem and is perhaps merely “lawyer talk” designed to meet some sort of legal standard, as evidenced by information they received that going forward, there would be no better “deal” offered for those who don’t accept the VRI.
The thought I had when awakened at 3:47 AM was as follows; what if the leadership of the IMB would make the same covenantal commitment to those who chose NOT to accept the VRI that it has affirmed to we emeriti missionaries? If the IMB were to publicly commit to covenant itself to “freeze” the existing retirement benefits to those veterans who chose to NOT accept the VRI, perhaps this would alleviate any sense of the veterans that the VRI wasn’t in fact as voluntary as portrayed?
If this kind of commitment were to be publicly expressed by the IMB, the possibility of retaining a larger percentage of much needed veterans could be enhanced. Additionally, could this action assuage any trepidation that the supporting constituency may have about the VRI and the life traumas that it has the potential to inflict upon veteran missionaries?
Perhaps these are merely the early morning musings of an emeritus missionary who has been privileged to continue to serve after retiring from the IMB, but if by chance there is any value in the muse, I’ll post this “just in case”.
While we are still praying over our decision, I want to beg churches of any size, pray and hire a returning missionary! Yes, we have been given enough finances for up to half a year, but we need employment and more than that purpose. We have solid mission skills and contacts. Do split positions, but call a returning missionary to help your church answer the call of the Great Commission. Many friends have said, “we will be praying for you”. But for now, only one person has called and said that they would have work for me, delivering machine parts. Nothing wrong with that, but my heart longs to do more.