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WooToti 10-10-131 |
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To
Timbuktu & Beyond A
Guide to Getting Started in Missions Marsha
Woodard William
Carey Library, 2009, 154 pp. ISBN 978-0-87808-015-1 |
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Marsha Woodard has served with Youth with a
Mission in Latin America, Europe and Africa in church planting, prison
ministry and discipling children and youth.
Here she presents a practical step-by-step guide for helping you (and
your church and your mission agency) prepare to become a missionary. A missionary is "an individual who carries
the Gospel across cultural, geographical, and/or linguistic
boundaries." This includes those
directly involved in ministry, tentmakers, and support workers. (Introduction) Chapter 1. Sand or Bricks? Building a Strong Foundation In your daily Bible reading note everything God
says about nations and peoples. Study
Acts. Do a word
study. It's compelling! Keep a journal of what you learn. Ask God to give you his heart, then turn
your eyes outward to what's going on in your city, country, and the
nations. Get started. "Specific guidance will come more easily as
your heart and mind become more and more aligned
with God's passion for the nations." (9)
Chapter 2. To Go or Not to
Go? How do I Know if I am Called to
Missions? "Most new workers want to try things out, to
commit for a limited time period or to a specific project. Exploration is healthy, provided you are
serious in your commitment of obedience to Christ Himself." (12) "…our walk with Him is an on-going cycle of
seeking, hearing, and obeying. God is
faithful to unfold our path for us one step at a time…." (13) Chapter 3. Aim for God's
Highest Blessing! "What you decide about your relationship
with your home church will have serious implications for your future and your
success or failure on the mission field." (28) "How you relate to your authorities at
home is a good indicator of how you will deal with your authorities on the
field. If you are struggling with
submitting to authority at home, the issue will only be magnified on the
field. With the stresses of a new
culture, a new ministry assignment, being far from home, and so on, new
missionaries frequently feel the need to 'vent their frustrations' (a nice
way of describing what really happens), and this is usually directed at --you
guessed it--their leaders! In pioneer
situations those in authority may often have some rough edges. They didn't head out to a remote area
because they were pastors, but because they were hard-shelled pioneers. Before you go, ask for God to give you His heart and understanding toward
authority, and consider your remaining time at home as a 'school' to get it
right." (31) "Please don't head out completely
independently. The enemy is expert at
picking off isolated sheep who are wandering out alone!" "To sum up: Your leaders' blessing and
backing is important! Do all that you
can to make your relationship with them a fruitful one."
(34) Chapter 4. What Do You Mean
"WAIT"?! God is never passive in our lives. He is always at work. "Make a specific list of any areas
that God wants to work on. The best
way to begin is to ask your leaders and other mature people who know you
well. Yes, it will probably be
embarrassing, but you can get directly to the issues if you are willing to
have people speak frankly into your life.
They will also be able to address any 'blind spots' in your character
or personal development." (39) Chapter 5. Narrowing the
Field--which Organization is for Me? "If governments ran wars the way some
churches do missions, they would just hand out rifles and airplane tickets to
soldiers and expect them to go win the war with little training, no officers,
no plans, no organization, and little logistical support." (49) "…relationships are a surprisingly healthy
way to choose a team or organization.
If you are drawn to people you've met because of common vision and
values, there's a good chance the organization will also hold many of those
same values." (49) Chapter 6. Mapping the Road to
Success Suggested cyclical model of training. 1.
Basic discipleship at church.
2. One- to two-week visit to
the field destination. 3. Basic missions training in cross-cultural
adaptation and language exposure. 4.
Internship on the field of 2 months to 1 year. 5.
Additional training in missions, ministry, and language. 6.
Field commitment of 2 to 5 years.
7. Ongoing training and periods
of personal review. 8. Back to the field. (p. 60)
This allows you to realistically assess the
situation and yourself and avoid huge preparation followed by great disappointment. We learn best by practicing and doing. So take some basic classes and apply what
you've learned, then return for more specialized training. Here are some recommended training
components: personal character and
interpersonal relationships, Bible doctrine and theology, cross-cultural
adaptation, knowledge of the specific culture, language learning,
specialization related to your ministry area, professional and technical
training. "The best way to become a serious student of
the culture as well as to learn the ropes of the ministry is through a period
of internship." (67) Chapter 7. Who's Holding the
Ropes? "For a 'full-powered' mission, you'll want
to enlist partners for at least four areas of home support: prayer backing,
finances, pastoral care, and practical help." (74) Chapter 8. Who's Holding the
Ropes? (continued) "Are there folks who are committed to stick
with you throughout your adventures?
People who will cheer you on, but also bring words of correction when
necessary?" "Secure
commitments from mature men and women of God to be your source of
counsel." (86) "Remember,
accountability is your protection from self-deception. Ask them to pledge their commitment to pray for you, to check up on you regularly,
and to speak into your life when they see any areas of concern. Then work together to keep your connection
strong." (87) Chapter 9. Before Packing Your
Bags "Our most important consideration [regarding
our lifestyle overseas] must be how the way we live will affect our ability
to share the Gospel within the culture where we will be living. …lifestyle
has a great impact [on] missionaries' credibility as messengers…."
(100) "Both our spending habits
and our attitudes must be weighed Biblically, measuring ourselves within the new
culture rather than how we live at home." There is no simple right
answer. (101) Chapter 10. Saying 'Goodbye'
the Right Way Chapter 11. Landing on Both
Feet Epilogue. Staying the Course Some factors that will make for long-term
fruitfulness on the field:
A Note to Pastors When you send the missionary your job is just
beginning. Your church has six roles:
pastoral care and encouragement, logistics support, financial support, prayer
support, communication support, and reentry support. Appendix A. A Partial List of
Scriptures Relating to Missions Appendix B. Country Research
Questions Appendix C. Pre-Travel Information Checklist Appendix D. Preparing Your
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