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Te Perspectives Study Program is a ministry of the U.S.

Center for World Missiona non-denominational para-
church ministry that works with churches, mission agencies,
and campus ministries around the world. Perspectives has
a long and singular track record in the business of open-
ing students eyes to the Bible, world history, international
culture, and Gods purpose for it all in a way that no other
course can oer. Te content of the Perspectives on the World
Christian Movement course is undergirded by an inte-
grated set of core ideas. To see a detailed description of the
core ideas of the Perspectives program and to see if a course
might be oered near you, visit the Perspectives Study
Program website at: www.perspectives.org.
V
hcn you dccidcd to sign up lor thc Pcr
spcctivcs class you may not havc rcalizcd
what you wcrc gctting intothat it is not
so much a class as it an introduction to a movement.
Pcrhaps you just didnt catch thc lull signicancc ol thc
word movement in thc titlc ol thc courscPcrspcctivcs
on thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Now you know.
Now you undcrstand you arc bcing scriously invitcd to
join that movcmcntthc Vorld Christian Movement!
8ut what arc thc ncxt stcps bcyond spcctator status: !t
may not bc clcar to you yct just what God has in mind
lor you. You dont want to makc a lalsc start. Vhat can
you do lor surc: Vhat do you nccd to lcarn ncxt: How
is thc calling to mobilization dicrcnt lrom, but as
important as, that ol bcing a lrontlinc missionary:
Most pcoplc think ol thc causc ol missions as a bunch
ol missionarics out thcrc in a tropical lorcst work
ing with thcir barc hands. Vcll, lor that mattcr, somc
pcoplc think wars consist ol boys out thcrc on thc
lront lincs popping away with guns. 8ut wars arc usu
ally a war cort cncompassing many morc pcoplc
than thosc right at thc lront. So, missions is a mission
cort involving, ncccssarily, lar morc pcoplc in thc
support structurc than thosc right at thc lront.
To bc morc spccic, supposc you grcw up with a grcat
intcrcst in thc drilling ol oil wclls. You saw a vidco as
a young pcrson ol thc wildcattcrs who somctimcs
strikc oil in uncxpcctcd placcs. You dccidcd you would
likc to bccomc a wclldrillcr.
8ut, as you studicd thc subjcct you discovcrcd thc oil
industry. You lcarncd all about oil rcncrics, oil diplomats
who dickcr with lorcign govcrnmcnts, gcophysisists who
makc prccisc mcasurcmcnts ol lccdback lrom dccp undcr
thc carth, ctc. So you dccidcd you would rathcr bc a gco
physicist! 8ut you wouldnt havc known such a possibility
cxistcd il all you kncw about wcrc organizations appar
cntly rccruiting only wclldrillcrs.
!n thc samc way, thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt has
bccomc a highly dcvclopcd intcrnational cntcrprisc. At
thc corc ol this historic global movcmcnt arc prolcs
sionals and hundrcds ol dcdicatcd, scasoncd organiza
tions. !ts propcr to look upon this corc ol thc Vorld
Christian Movcmcnt as thc mission industry. !n thc
USA alonc its a twotothrccbilliondollarpcrycar
activityand its inucncc is lar bcyond what that
moncy would do in any commcrcial vcnturc.
To nd your way into this incrcdibly inucntial cntcr
prisc, it is hclplul to distinguish thc rolcs ol lrontlinc
tcams who labor crossculturally, lcts call thcm mis-
sionaries, and thosc who marshal support lor thcm, lcts
call thcm mobilizers. Vhatcvcr your rolc may bc, as a
Join the World Christian Movement
Ralph D. Winter
Rcprintcd with pcrmission lrom Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, cd. by Vintcr, Ralph ., and Stcvcn C. Hawthornc. 3rd cd. Pasa
dcna, CA: Villiam Carcy Library, 1999. Chaptcr 116, pp. 718723.
+ Joix :nv Vovib Cnvis:i~x Movv:vx:
missionary or as a mobilizcr, you nccd a working rcla
tionship with othcrs in thc mission industry. Villiam
Carcy wasnt a loncr.
Ncxt to doing nothing, thc most ccrtain way to squandcr
your lilcs work would bc to maintain an ignorant dctach
mcnt lrom this astounding movcmcnt ol dcdicatcd mis
sion prolcssionals. Most ol thc important mistakcs havc
bccn madc. Most ol thc crucial mattcrs ol missiological
wisdom havc bccn cxplorcd. !l wc ignorc this scasoncd
wisdom, thc tcmpcrcd couragc, thc provcn idcas, and
thc hcartlclt praycrs ol thc gcncrations bclorc us, wc arc
simply consigning oursclvcs to bcating thc air lor quitc a
whilc. Tis may apply cvcn il all you do is join an organi
zation that has not bccn around lor somc timc.
Ncvcr conccdc to doing somcthing so small that it
could bc accomplishcd cntircly in your lilctimc. 8c a
part ol somcthing that bcgan bclorc you wcrc born,
and will continuc onward toward thc lulllmcnt ol
all that God has purposcd to accomplish. God has
uniqucly lormcd you to bc part ol this signicant
movcmcnt. You cannot participatc in what you do not
know. 8ccoming a studcnt ol thc mission industry is
thc bcst way to bccomc a valuablc part ol thc Vorld
Christian Movcmcnt.
Mission Agencies
As soon as possiblc bcgin to gct acquaintcd with thc
astounding array ol dicrcnt mission agcncics.
Scrvicc missions scrvc othcr agcncics. Somc arc purc
ly tcchnical, likc Mission Aviation Fcllowship, with
work ranging lrom junglc air strips to a marvclous in
tcrnct scrvicc opcn to all agcncics. thcrs arc litcraturc
missions, tapcrccording cxpcrts, or 8iblc translators,
or radio cxpcrts. Missionary radio today outranks all
sccular radio systcms lor blankcting thc carth with thc
grcatcst sophistication and highcstpowcrcd transmit
tcrs in usc anywhcrc.
Standard missions conccrn thcmsclvcs with cvcry
aspcct ol human nccd, ranging lrom mcdical, cduca
tional, church planting, ctc.
Placc grcat valuc on thcsc incrcdiblc organizations. No
onc nccd start lrom scratch. Sincc agcncics arc dc
signcd lor tcamwork, thcy arc not only ablc to sustain
corts ovcr many gcncrations, vctcran workcrs arc ablc
to pass on to ncwcomcrs thc cumulativc knowhow
and cld knowlcdgc ol gcncrations ol carlicr workcrs.
Training Institutions
Springing lrom, but lccding thc mission agcncics, arc
mission training institutions, scminarics and 8iblc
collcgcs which havc long ocrcd programs in many
disciplincs (such as thcology, linguistics, anthropology,
history, and many morc) which togcthcr undcrgird thc
grand disciplinc ol missiology. Tosc ocring lormal
dcgrccs in a rcsidcntial sctting arc most visiblc, but it is
gctting morc common lor training to takc placc away
lrom campuscs. istancc cducation brings thc in
struction not only to whcrc thc trainccs livc and work,
it oltcn brings to lcarncrs thc matcrial that thcy most
nccd and thc optimal momcnt lor thcm to takc it in.
Prcssing thc cxtcnsion idca lurthcr arc lully accrcditcd
8A and MA dcgrccgranting programs ocring training
by way ol mcntoring. !ntcrnct conncctions arc lascinat
ing and hclplul, but thc most ccctivc training rcsourcc
will continuc to bc local, lacctolacc mcntoring.
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Associations and Societies
All ol thc pcoplc in thcsc various missions and schools
arc intcntionally nctworkcd by organizational as
sociations and prolcssional socictics. 8c a studcnt ol
thc mission industry. No missionary or mobilizcr can
bc lully ccctivc without an awarcncss ol thc !FMA
(!ntcrdcnominational Forcign Mission Association,
now CrossGlobal Link) and thc FMA (vangclical
Fcllowship ol Mission Agcncics, now Tc Mission x
changc). Avail yourscll ol thcir mcctings and publica
tions, which arc thc cutting cdgc ol missiology. Jointly
thcy publish thc Evangelical Missions Quarterly.
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You
may ncvcr bccomc a prolcssor ol missions at a gradu
atc institution, but you will likcly mcntor many othcrs
in your lilctimc in crucial mattcrs ol missiology. Vhat
you will do as a missionary or a mobilizcr is so impor
tant that it is loolhardy not to gain prolcssional skills
in your pursuit ol this high calling. Vhy not bccomc
an cagcr participant in thc mission industry by joining
a prolcssional mission socicty: Tc !SFM (!ntcrna
tional Socicty lor Fronticr Missiology) might bc thc
placc to start.
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Mission Frontiers talks about thc cutting cdgc ol mis
sions in thc lorm ol a 60pagc ncwsprint bullctin that
gocs to 100,000 pcoplc all ovcr thc world. Produccd
by thc U.S. Ccntcr lor Vorld Mission on a donation
basis, it comcs out cvcry two months.
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Ralph D. Winter +
Local Churches
Churchcs obviously play a crucial rolc in thc mission
ary cntcrprisc. Many churchcs ocr componcnts ol
training bcyond normal catcchism. Somc ambitious
churchcs havc attcmptcd to scnd thcir own mission
tcams. To succccd, ol ncccssity thcy lorm ncw mission
structurcs. Such ovcrachicving vision is commcndablc,
but is usually bcst cxprcsscd in alignmcnt with cxisting
mission structurcs. Tc cntirc complcx tapcstry ol thc
mission industry is acctcd by thc vision and knowl
cdgc ol thc scnding churchcs.
Tc good ncws is that, morc than any othcr lorcc, thc causc
ol missions unitcs an cnormous varicty ol othcrwisc scpa
ratc church traditions. !t is truly amazing what unity and
undcrstanding has owed back from the eld to thc disparatc
church traditions at homc. !t turns out that all our homc
church traditions shinc bcst on thc mission cld. Sccm
ingly dcad traditions oltcn havc marvclously dcvout and
compctcnt missionarics on thc cld. Surprising to many
pcoplc is thc lact that missionarics on thc cld lrom many
traditions coopcratc vcry rcadily in all kinds ol joint proj
ccts. vcr 225 mission agcncics arc involvcd in 36 rcgional
partncrships with anothcr 25 in thc proccss ol lormation.
Phil 8utlcr ol !ntcrdcv (a spccializcd mission that coordi
natcs all this!) calls thcsc Stratcgic Partncrships.
Church pcoplc back homc dont know all this. You dont
vcry oltcn nd congrcgations holding joint picnicslikc
Prcsbytcrians with Nazarcncs. Yct thcir missionarics
coopcratc on thc cld with no troublc at all.
Tc bad ncws is that congrcgations usually nccd to
bc cxtcnsivcly cducatcd and mobilizcd to rcmain cl
lcctivc in thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Tc cul
tural momcntum ol church traditions, whcn imposcd
clscwhcrcon thc mission cldis whcrc thc Vorld
Christian Movcmcnt has oltcn bccn impcdcd. !t is
illusory lor any group anywhcrc to comc up with somc
ncw cmphasis and makc it sccm so important that all
thc othcr traditions arc considcrcd wrong or inadcquatc.
Rcad thc story ol thc last two thousand ycars in thc
most balanccd account cvcr writtcnKcnncth Scott
Latourcttcs A History of Christianity. You will scc that
cvcry agc has bccn markcd by all kinds ol spurting
out in many dicrcnt dircctions as godly pcoplc havc
strugglcd and gropcd lor bcttcr light. Vc can look back
and improvc on practically cvcrything that wc scc, but
mcanwhilc our own lorm ol Christianity may bc boggcd
down by all kinds ol cultural baggagc!
For cxamplc, missions itscll is a ncw cmphasis in
thc Protcstant tradition. Vhy didnt thc Rclormation
lcadcrs, who so highly prizcd thc 8iblc, nd thc Grcat
Commission in thc 8iblc: !t took Villiam Carcy, a kid
in a povcrtystrickcn backward gulch in rural ngland,
to comc up with clcarcycd qucstions as to what thc
8iblc plainly said about Gods conccrn lor all ol thc
pcoplcs ol thc carth. Surc, his cldcrs had all thc right
thcology but lailcd 8iblc 101 in rcgard to thc main
thcmc ol thc 8iblc.
Vhy do thc widclyrcspcctcd Vcstminstcr Conlcs
sion ol Faith, thc Luthcrans Nonaltcrcd Augsburg
Conlcssion, and cvcn thc Niccnc Crccd (to which wc
all plcdgc allcgiancc) say nothing whatsocvcr about
thc Grcat Commission: !t is a wondcr that missions
cvcr camc up at all. !n lcw Christian traditions around
thc world is thc call ol missions anything likc a major
or cvcn minor conccrn lor thc vast majority ol thcir
adhcrcnts. How strangc!
Why Mission Mobilizers?
Tis strangc situation brings us to thc vcry rcason
mission mobilizcrs arc so crucial lor thc advancc ol
thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. !t is cvidcnt that thc
Vorld Christian Movcmcnt has movcd lorward by a
dcdicatcd lcw calling thc church to its ccntral mis
sion. vcr thc ccnturics thc Church has occasionally
cxhibitcd powcrlul passion lor Christs global causc,
and thcn, within a lcw ycars, sunk into a scllabsorbcd
morass ol disobcdicncc.
Congrcgations which havc sct thcir hcart on othcr
things nccd a hcart transplant! How would you likc to
havc a hcart transplant donc by an untraincd pcrson:
Unthinkablc! Transplanting a hcart is too important
to lcavc to an untraincd pcrson. 8ut, the task of reach-
ing the nations is the most important task which God has
assigned to His Church. And this rcquircs transplanting
a hcart ol vision and undcrstanding in ordcr to do it
right. A mission mobilizcr owcs it to thc church and
thc nations to acquirc thc skill and knowlcdgc ncccs
sary to hclp do an ccctivc hcart transplant ol vision
and undcrstanding.
Tis is cqually truc ol thc rolc ol a cld missionary.
Tc mobilizcr who stays homc may nccd to lcarn
about morc parts ol thc world, but thc missionary
nccds dicrcnt tools. Missionary skills arc dicrcnt.
Mobilizcrs and missionarics havc two vcry dicrcnt
+6 Joix :nv Vovib Cnvis:i~x Movv:vx:
kinds ol jobs, both ol thcm csscntialcqually csscn
tialto thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Many pcoplc
unthinkingly cquatc missions with missionarics. 8ut
thcrc would bc lcw missionarics unlcss thcrc wcrc also
intcnscly committcd and skillcd mobilizcrs.
Tc lamous Cambridgc Scvcn staycd homc long
cnougha wholc ycarto visit thc univcrsitics ol
ngland bclorc thcy wcnt out to China. Vho knows,
pcrhaps 500 missionarics wcnt out bccausc ol thcir
prccld work as mobilizcrs! C. T. Studds oldcr brothcr
ncvcr did go as a missionary. 8ut hc wcnt lrom campus
to campus in thc Unitcd Statcs and, among othcr things,
pcrsuadcd John R. Mott to go to thc Mt. Hcrmon
mccting. Vhat il that had not happcncd: r, what if
Mott had decided to be a missionary rather than a mobi-
lizer? Probably no two pcoplc in history arc traccably
rcsponsiblc lor morc missionarics going to thc cld than
Mott and anothcr S\M studcnt, Robcrt . Spccr, who
also staycd homc to bc a lulltimc mobilizcr.
8ut wcrc thcy qualicd to do that without cld cxpcri
cncc: h, thcy cvcntually travclcd all ovcr thc world.
!n lact, thcy gaincd a morc comprchcnsivc vicw ol
global nccds than was possiblc lor any onc missionary.
Mott could plan and lcad thc 1910 mccting at din
burgh in a way no missionary was qualicd to do.
8ut thcy had signcd thc plcdgc to go. Tat mcant that
thcy wcrc qualicd to stayil only bccausc thcy wcrc
willing to go! Notc, howcvcr, il thcy had not bccn willing
to go thcy would not havc bccn spiritually qualicd to stay.
Vhy: 8ccausc thosc who arc not willing to stay, il that is
Gods will, arc notand cannotbc qualicd to go!
Ycs, bcing a mobilizcr is just as much a spiritual calling
as bcing a missionary. Altcr all, missions is a causc, not
just a carccr. !n thc cnd, as wc shall scc, a mobilizcr
nccds to know a wholc lot ol things a missionary docs
not usually know. And vicc vcrsa.
8ut, bcwarc! Just as missionarics lacc spccial problcms
in thcir crosscultural work, so do mobilizcrs. !n somc
ways it is much morc dicult to bc a mobilizcr. Most
churchcs will not rcadily support mobilizcrs. r, worsc
still, thcy can survivc missionary lcttcrs but it is too
much to havc to copc with rcsidcnt, local mobilizcrs,
constantly rcminding thcm ol thcir global obligations!
Look again at thcsc two dicrcnt typcs ol work within
thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt: the mobilizer and
the missionary.
Mobilizer and Missionary
Vhich onc is lor you: God obviously docs not want
cvcryonc ovcrscas. !n thc days ol thc massivc Studcnt
\oluntccr Movcmcnt lour out ol vc who voluntccrcd
to go to thc cnds ol thc carth cndcd up staying homc.
Tats right: 20,000 out ol 100,000 voluntccrs wcrc
ablc to makc it to thc cld only because four out of ve
were willing to continue to believe and work for the cause
of missions back home. Stirring up thc church and kccp
ing it cnvisioncd is a much largcr task than thc lront
linc work itscll.
! cant bclicvc that God is contcnt with mobilizcrs that
arc not thc 8iblc studcnts and praycr warriors mis
sionarics havc to bc. ! cant bclicvc that a pcrson docsnt
nccd to bc as committcd to thc Lord il hc stays homc
to mobilizc. Mobilization, cithcr as a lull or parttimc
task, rcquircs intcnsc praycr, vision and commitmcnt.
8y contrast thc missionary task is a rclativcly wcllac
ccptcd calling, whilc mobilization is not! All pastors
arc mobilizcrs ol many good things and can bc supcrb
mission mobilizcrs. Tcy arc ccrtainly worthy ol sup
port. Vc think ministcrs ol music and youth workcrs
arc worthy ol support. Vhy not mission mobilizcrs:
Mobilizing Yourself
Morc basic than anything clsc: you cannot bc a mobi
lizcr il you arc not yourscll mobilizcd! 8ut how do you
bccomc mobilizcd:
Feed yourself. Gct to conlcrcnccs, subscribc to pcriodicals,
buy thc kcy books, study thc issucs lor yourscll or you
will ncvcr bc all God wants you to bc as a mobilizcr.
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You
yourscll must bc caught up in thc drama ol thc global
countdown ol thc kingdom ol God. !t is not cnough to
bc caught up in local church goals lor ncxt ycar.
Support missions yourself. Vhcrc your trcasurc is thcrc
will your hcart bc also (Matt 6:21).
Use the Global Prayer Digest daily in a lamily sctting.
Pray lor spccic missionarics. Nothing that does not occur
daily will ever dominate your life. 8cing a Vorld Chris
tian is ol littlc valuc, rcally, unlcss you arc a daily Vorld
Christian! Tc Global Prayer Digest can changc your lilc
morc in onc month than many drivc by cxpcricnccs
that gradually ladc away.
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vcrything grows slowly. How
can you kccp growing without daily rcncwal ol vision:
Write to missionaries. 8c awarc ol thcir problcms and
nccds. Tcy may want you to buy somcthing lor thcm
Ralph D. Winter +
and bundlc it up and scnd it to thcm. Takc thcm in
ovcrnight as thcy pass through your arca. Go on pic
nics with thcm and thcir childrcn. cbricl thcm. Sharc
with thcm lrom your studics. Comparc notcs lrom onc
cld to anothcr.
l coursc, dont wait to bcgin mobilizing in your local
congrcgation. Also, bc rcady to visit othcr local con
grcgations. 8ccomc activc in dcnominational policics
and mission stratcgics as wcll as intcrdcnominational
mission cvcnts.
How about You?
And, arc you thinking clcarly about yourscll: You nccd
to ask God on your knccs whcrc you t in. Maybc thc
placc God has lor you is tcaching a Sunday School
class with a rclcntlcssly intcrnational pcrspcctivc.
Maybc God wants you to bc onc morc globallymindcd
pastorthat kind ol pastor is worth morc than quitc
a lcw missionarics. God will likcly ask you to do thc
hardcst thing you arc capablc ol!
Tc kcy thing is to rcalizc that thc dcvclopmcnt ol
your own career must not bc your main conccrn, but
rathcr thc dcvclopmcnt ol thc mission cause. The ques-
tion of career vs. cause will be an issue in your heart of
hearts again and again. Jcsus, today, might havc put it,
Scck rst thc Kingdom ol God and your carccr will
takc carc ol itscll. Vc havc alrcady said a lot about
prcparations, cspccially thosc which can bc pursucd
right on thc job. 8ut il you arc willing to prcparc and
work, simultancously, lor thc rcst ol your lilc, God may
indccd rcward you with a startling carccrbut you will
probably not know the details in advance.
Somconc has said, God rcscrvcs thc bcst lor thosc who
lcavc thc choicc with Him. Anothcr (thc loundcr ol thc
Navigators, awson Trotman) said, ont cvcr do somc
thing that othcrs can do or will do il thcrc arc things to bc
donc that othcrs cant do or wont do. Scc, gctting what
wc wantby going altcr itis not in thc cards lor Chris
tians. Jcsus turncd it complctcly around thc othcr way:
Hc that sccks to savc himscll will losc his lilc, hc that will
losc his lilc lor my sakc will nd it (Lukc 9:24). Gods will
lor us is not mcrc advice. Vc cant takc it or lcavc it, wc
must acccpt it or rcjcct it. His will is His command.
Makc no mistakc. God honors thosc who scck His
work abovc thcir worrics. nc ol our sta mcmbcrs
oncc said, Now ! think ! undcrstand what laith is, it
is not thc condcncc that God will do what wc want
Him to do for us, but thc conviction that wc can do
what Hc wants donc for Him and lct Him takc carc ol
thc conscqucnccs.
!s your problcm that you cant scc vcry lar into thc lu
turc: As Trotman said, !l you cant scc vcry lar ahcad,
go ahcad as lar as you can scc.
Lots ol pcoplc would bc glad to lollow God il Hc
would only tcll thcm in advancc cxactly all thc wondcr
lul things Hc would do lor thcm and what highsound
ing job titlcs thcy might onc day hold. 8ut, rcmcmbcr
Gcncsis 12:1: It is characteristic of the Christian life that
God asks us to go without telling us where! Tis is not to bc
considcrcd unlair or capricious on His part. Tc lact is
that whcn wc walk in thc littlc light wc havc, and kccp
going on and on taking stcps in laith, thc ways in which
Hc lcads us arc almost always, as wc look back, somc
thing wc could havc ncvcr bccn told in advancc!
Untold marvcls lic beyond cach stcp ol laith. You dont
rcally havc to know what is bcyond thc ncxt stcp, and
you cant nd out without taking thc ncxt stcp. Again,
it is charactcristic ol thc Christian lilc that wc do not
know vcry lar in advancc. !n lact, il you think youvc
got thc ncxt lcw ycars lincd up you may wcll bc mis
takcn, or you may still bc trying to makc your plans lor
God to blcss.
Vouldnt His will incvitably locus on your doing your
utmost lor His highcst: !t is not a qucstion ol how
much ol our own dcsircs wc can gct away with. Somc
young pcoplc makc thc nal, dramatic dccision to bc
a missionary and immcdiatcly bcgin thinking whcrc
thc climatc would bc niccst. You cant bc any kind ol a
solid Christian il you arc unwilling to do anything Hc
asks. Vhat docs hc ask: Nothing morc than all wc arc
and posscss. Tats all. Hc docsnt ask us to do thc casi
cst job wc can think ol but thc hardcst wc arc ablc to
handlc. Hc docs not ask us to do what wc cannot do,
although Hc oltcn cnablcs us to do what wc could not
do without His spccial gracc. Hc is not a tyrant who
docsnt carc about our wcllarc in thc task. !t is amaz
ingly truc that whcn wc arc willing to do thc most
dicult thing, wc nd that wc arc bcttcr o bccausc
ol it. h, surc, missionarics havc thcir sharc ol discasc
and pain, but somc ol thc most discascd and paincd arc
pcoplc who staycd homc in ordcr to avoid all that!
Jcsus said, Arc you burdcncd and wcary: Takc my
yokc upon you and lcarn ol mc, you will nd mc gcntlc
+8 Joix :nv Vovib Cnvis:i~x Movv:vx:
and kindly, and you will nd rcst lor your souls. My
yokc ts pcrlcctly and my burdcn is light. Jcsus Him
scll cndurcd thc cross and ignorcd thc shamc lor thc
joy that was sct bclorc Him.
8ut wc somctimcs sccm morc gcarcd to do our ut
most than wc arc to scck out paticntly, dclibcratcly, and
painstakingly that rolc which will makc thc maximum
contribution to His highcstthc coming ol His
kingdom and powcr and glory to all thc pcoplcs ol thc
carth. Again, bcwarc ol how casy it is to makc that dil
cult choicc to livc lor Him rathcr than lor oursclvcs,
throwing away our sccular aspirations, and thcn turning
aggrcssivcly to try to nd out thc most plcasing assign
mcnt within thc ncw arcna ol lilc. !t is not to plcasc
oursclvcs that wc givc our livcs to Christ. Yct, wc may
nd that His will involvcs grcatcr plcasurc and lulll
mcnt than anything wc oursclvcs could havc choscn!
A lamous missionary wrotc back to lcllow studcnts and
plcd with thcm: Givc up your small ambitions and comc
ast to proclaim thc glorious gospcl ol Christ. For mc
to givc My utmost lor His highcst is no guarantcc ol
hcalth, wcalth, or happincsswhich, incidcntally, is truc
ol any choicc onc can makcbut that kind ol crucial
choicc is, in thc cxpcricncc ol thousands who havc tricd it,
thc most cxhilarating and dcmanding path ol all callings.
You dont losc il you go with God. 8ut you havc to bc
willing to losc or you cant stick closc to God.
Endnotes
1. Tc World Christian Foundations program allows you to achicvc a
lully accrcditcd M.A. or 8.A. dcgrcc whilc you continuc in work
or ministry anywhcrc in thc world. !nstruction is ccntcrcd on
wcckly mcntoring scssions which allow both work and study.
For morc inlormation visit worldchristianloundations.org.
2. Tc !FMA (now CrossGlobal Link) and thc FMA (now Tc
Mission xchangc) arc cach compriscd ol about 100 mission
agcncics. Tc !FMA has Canadian mcmbcrs as contrastcd to
thc FMA, which rcprcscnts only thc National Association
ol vangclicals ol thc USA. Tc largcst mission agcncy not
aliatcd with cithcr thc !FMA or thc FMA is thc Vyc
lic 8iblc Translators. Anothcr largc mission not in cithcr
thc !FMA or thc FMA is 8aptist MidMissions, which is
thc main group within a smallcr associationthc Fcllow
ship ol Missions (FM). Morc rcccntly A!MS (Association
ol !ntcrnational Missions/Scrviccs) has ariscn within thc
gcncral sphcrc ol thc charismatic tradition. Tc Association
ol Prolcssors ol Mission (APM) consists ol scminary and
collcgc prolcssors. Tc Amcrican Socicty ol Missiology was
loundcd lrom its bcginning to intcntionally includc anyonc
scriously intcrcstcd in missiology without rcgard to his/hcr
dcnominational oricntation. Tc ASM publishcs thc journal
Missiology, An International Review. Vhcn you join thc
socicty you arc automatically a subscribcr to thc journal. Tc
vangclical Missiological Socicty (MS) cvolvcd lrom thc
Association ol vangclical Prolcssors ol Missions in ordcr to
wclcomc into its mcmbcrship mission cxccutivcs as wcll as
prolcssors lrom clds othcr than missions. !t has a ncwslcttcr
but no journal, instcad it givcs mcmbcrs a lrcc book (or two)
pcr ycar lrom its ncw MS monograph scrics.
3. Tc !ntcrnational Socicty lor Fronticr Missiology (!SFM)
has choscn to locus upon thc rcmaining task in thc world
today still rcquiring thc carlicr typc ol pionccr worklor
cxamplc, thc initialbrcakthrough typc ol mission activity.
!ts annual ducs includc a subscription to thc International
Journal of Frontier Missions. For morc inlormation about thc
journal, visit ilm.org.
4. For subscription inlormation, visit www. globalpraycrdigcst.org.
5. For rcsourccs and cncouragcmcnt in mobilizing, visit www.
pcrspcctivcs.org and watch lor luturc updatcs.