I just read a recent memo from Dr. Rankin (President, IMB) that stated (concerning the subject of relationships with our Southern Baptist Convention churches), "These opportunities to speak serve as reminders that relationships with our SB (Southern Baptist) constituency is an important element of successfully reaching a lost world as well as overseas strategies and organizational structure."
I would heartily agree. I am a firm believer that more and more of our Southern Baptist Convention family are prone to give along the lines of relationship than any other connection. Whether it is their money or their time, our churches are more likely to combine their efforts with the work on the field if a relationship exists between the church, its membership, and the missionary.
How many times have churches that have taken the initiative to work among a people group relocated their ministry with the missionary unit when the missionary changed ministries? Or ceased to continue their ministry at all when the missionary came home?
I believe that a significant part of our missionary strategy, where it pertains to engaging unreached unengaged people groups, involves promoting and facilitating the relationships between the field and our SBC constituency ... especially as we move into the future.
As a pastor in the US for over 20 years, I understand the trepidation that exists in the hearts and minds of those who desire to make a difference, but wonder if it is possible to be successful. This tension is heightened when there is no relationship between the church and the missionary. I'm not sure what the answer is, but somehow we need to increase the amount of "face-time" outside of a stateside assignment every three to four years. I am not convinced they will come if they do not know "to what' or "to whom" they are coming.
David Pope
Ralph Winter has been cited as saying, ... you can go, send or mobilize, but if you have a choice then choose mobilization because it’s a strategic contribution to missions if you can mobilize ten people to go in place of you as one. I don't know the context of that citation or even the exact quote (I'm trying to track it down) and don't want to be seen as criticizing Ralph Winter. (Update: I cannot verify that particular quote. In the Jan-Feb 1995 edition of Missions Frontiers, Dr. Winter did say, Mission mobilization activity is more crucial than field missionary activity and goes on to explain what he meant.) However, I don't think those are mutually exclusive options. The call to go is also a call to mobilize -- those of us on mission want others to join us. So, how do you mobilize churches and individual believers to be on mission in your setting? Are there effective ways to do mobilization from a distance?
For the Kingdom,
Bob A
David is sent out by the IMB and is the Engagement Team Coordinator for Burkina Faso, northern Cote d’Ivoire, and northern Ghana and, in June, will become Engagement Team Leader for the Cluster that the IMB calls the Central Sahel Cluster. The Engagement Team is charged with the responsibility to look at people groups that are not being engaged, verify the research on the status of those people groups, enlist partners (usually, either local Baptist churches and/or US Baptist churches) to engage those people groups, and provide strategy training for those partners.
