I find the work(research, analysis) of Justin Long, of ‘The Network for Strategic Missions, quite remarkable on this subject. You would think the situation is quite well defined, all the mission agencies should just work on mobilizing more and more people to these un-worked fields. Hmmm? I thought so too.

While looking for material to read on missionary work recently, I came across an old post by David Sherbrooke on The Network for Strategic Missions blog, I think I find in it many key insights to what is happening with regards to our actual progress with taking the Gospel to the remaining Unreached People Groups of the world. The article titled ‘How new missionaries choose their country of service: do we need a change?‘ examines reasons why far less than 10%(actually 2% is quoted) of serving missionaries go to places that are regarded to be unreached, while at least 90% serve and continue to be sent to places where the church is already established.

David Sherbrooke thinks that overt self-consciousness on the part of  prospective missionaries(which he terms “The Zeal for Me”) is a major problem, in his words:

Trying to seek our own self fulfillment, a spin-off of modern psychology, is contrary to the most basic concept Jesus taught His disciples. “He knew that the only path to true fulfillment lay in denying self. The only way to find truly abundant life is to throw your life away for Jesus’ sake.” The vast majority of new missionaries today simply go where they want to serve, and do what they want to do adding to the masses, today still ninety percent, serving in already reached peoples. “The biggest hindrance to the missionary task is self. Self that refuses to die. Self that refuses to sacrifice. Self that refuses to give. Self that refuses to go.” I would add to this: self that refuses to go where few if any missionaries are serving.

Then he went on to give cogent reasons why ‘Most New Missionaries End Up Serving In Well Evangelized Countries Rather than Unreached People Groups?’… And wow that was really enlightening, if I could summarise it here I would have, though it’s a long read but it’s very well worth your time to read the original article.

This beautiful article contains many balanced pointers to positive approaches and the way forward. I also went through the thread of discussion that followed as readers, including serving missionaries and Justin Long himself, shed more light on the existing situation and shared more ideas. One commenter which I find particularly remarkable was Thomas Johnson, a missionary in francophone Africa who brought in another perspective by a related issue to the discussion. I guess another great part of this article, is the wealth of references cited in the endnotes.

Here is the link again. Enjoy! How new missionaries choose their country of service: do we need a change?

The bottom line is that, if the great commission is going to be accomplished, we all need to leave our comfort zones and doing our own thing, and begin to go and cater for those dangerous, indesirable places where the gospel is needed and lacked most. Probably enough analysis to start with has been done, the problem and the solution stare us in the face, but where now are the people who will go!

Justin Long

I found this article by Justin Long, in the June 2006 edition of Lausanne World Pulse, and decided to share an abridged version.

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In the 1980s and 1990s, the AD 2000 & Beyond Movement had this slogan: “A church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000 and beyond.” This was a masterful way of both stating the goal while keeping the rallying point somewhat flexible. The problem was that most workers rarely stopped to think deeply about either the goal or what was required to reach it. Similar to how we give a cursory glance at scripture and think we understand it, many just gave a cursory glance at the goal and thought we understood it by our “first impression.”

If we are going to finish the Great Commission, churches will indeed be a natural part of the process. A congregation in which believers fellowship together is a key part of Christian life. At the same time, we also want to be careful that when we say “church” we do not carry our own baggage with us. It might be better to say “a fellowship for every people” or some other phrase that makes us really think about what we mean. However, we are going to need more than just a church for every people if we are to effectively share the gospel with those around the world. Here are seven additional things that are needed:

1. A prayer for every people. Prayer is the foundation for mission. Yet we lack organized prayer for most of the least reached peoples. We have global prayer strategies such as Operation World, Praying through the Window, Ethne’s Global Prayer campaign and so forth, but each people group needs a small, globalized core of consistent intercessors praying that God would raise up workers and resources. Additionally, those who pray for specific people groups are more likely to become involved in specific ways.
2. A strategy coordinator for every people. The term may be somewhat dated, and the role may today be filled more by a network than a single individual person, yet the fact remains that we need to have at least one point person for each unreached people group. This person would be someone who is passionate about the people group and is actively seeking ways to bring the blessing of the good news to this group.
3. A gateway for every people. There is a “route” to every people group: a path that can be walked. Perhaps it is another people group, a city or an industry. Some good work has already been done in the past (i.e. Praying through the Window II: Gateway Cities), but these initiatives focused on larger urban areas. We need to do more to identify specific gateway peoples and cities for each unreached people group.
4. A preacher for every people. Many groups, even to this day, have little or no gospel proclamation amongst them. In the past three issues of Mission Frontiers, different research teams have printed their list of “priority peoples.” Many of these have no one among them proclaiming the good news. This is substantially different from peoples in, say, Latin America or Europe, who have a significant amount of proclamation effort. One thing we need to remember is that although the preacher has to cross cultural boundaries, he or she does not necessarily need to come from the West. More on this in a moment.
5. A mission for every people. The final goal is for each people group, as it is reached, to join in the task. This will open up new resources and spread the remaining task among more workers. At this stage we see new intercessors, researchers, preachers, church planters, business-savvy individuals and teachers for every people.

It is at this point that a “circle” has been completed and the people group joins the rest of the family of God in bringing the good news to those who have not yet heard it. Through this kind of multiplication it is possible to see the Great Commission completed. We must ask ourselves if it is possible that the Great Commission will be fully obeyed if we do not complete this circle. We cannot simply leave the task of missions to one or two parts of the world; we must become family in this task of missions.

[Please see the full article here.]

Justin Long manages strategicnetwork.org and is senior editor for Momentum, a magazine devoted to unreached peoples.

“Reaching the unreached is a challenging task, but our primary problem is not the cultural, economic, logistical or political barriers we face. It is more simple: we lack sufficient manpower.” – Justin Long, “Where are We Going?” in Momentum Magazine, July/ August, 2006

“The biggest hindrance to the missionary task is self. Self that refuses to die. Self that refuses to sacrifice. Self that refuses to give. Self that refuses to go. I would add to this: self that refuses to go where few if any missionaries are serving.” – David Sherbrooke, in How new missionaries choose their country of service: do we need a change?

“The world will not be reached if no one serves long term… Believers typically undergo a revolution of mission-mindedness on their first mission trip[referring to short-term mission visits]; too often, however, when they want to know how they can further help, we tell them we are praying for funds for a new vehicle or building. Is this the best we can do? Did Jesus say, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send more checks in the mail?’ Such an approach may actually deter otherwise-willing people from long-term service on the field by convincing them the best thing they can do is go home, take more mission trips and send money. I am not saying buildings, vehicles or giving are wrong. Nor am I criticizing the vital role of the sender or of the other wonderful callings on the home front. Indeed, we need all of these. We just need to make sure we are challenging people to go where the gospel is unavailable. We need to remember that three missionaries for every one million Muslims cannot complete the Great Commission with any amount of money.” – Chris Leake, Global Frontier Missions, Oaxaca, Mexico

“It is our conviction that all theological study and reflection must lead to mission and action, otherwise it is futile abstraction. It is also our conviction that all mission activity must be based on a sound theological foundation, otherwise it is mere pragmatism. It is at the very frontiers of mission that both theological reflection and activity must be forged to create an effective tool for breaking new ground for the kingdom. Thus, Lausanne is committed to bringing together both thinkers and doers.” – Doug Birdsall, Lausanne World Pulse

“A biblically illiterate young generation today is an inevitable forerunner of an increasingly secular society tomorrow.” – Colin Reed, Chief executive of the Bible Society in New Zealand

“There is a small area of the world that extends from ten degrees to forty degrees north of the equator and stretches from North Africa to China, two-thirds of the world’s population (nearly four billion people) live inside this rectangular-shaped band. Here you will find the largest population of non-Christians and ninety percent of the world’s poorest people. This area is known as the 10/40 Window… Unfortunately, many Christians are not eager to go to this part of the world. Only three percent of missionaries are serving among unreached peoples; the other ninety-seven percent remain in areas where the gospel is readily accessible.” – Bethany Newman

“More Christians have been martyred for their faith in this century alone than in the previous nineteen centuries combined.” – Chuck Colson

Gideon Para-Mallam

I’ld like to share with you a great article I found in the March 2008 edition of Lausanne World Pulse, by Gideon Para-Mallam. I’ve read this article several times over in the past one year and I decided to post a major excerpt from it today. It’s a long read even after I’ve tried to abbreviate it a little, but I think it’s worth it absolutely!

Negative Trends

1. An Emphasis on Numerical Growth rather than Spiritual Growth

Success in ministry is measured by quantity rather then quality. Numbers are celebrated and quality is compromised in the process. Several theologians and missiologists, including the Rev. Dr. John Stott, observe the numerical growth of Christianity in Africa as being “an inch deep and a mile wide.”

Indeed, the foundations of Christian discipleship are weak in many churches experiencing explosive numerical growth across sub-Saharan Africa. This is the case from Lagos to Lusaka, Kinshasa to Kumasi, Accra to Addis Ababa, Abuja to Yaoundé, Nairobi to Kampala, Harare to Blantyre, Cape Town to Dare Salaam. Churches need to refocus on their character and how this impacts their commitment to completing the task of world evangelization.

Yet the impact of the gospel on society is diminished by the disjuncture of belief and practice. One major result of this is the lack of depth found in many Christians. Religiosity is widespread; however, godliness is scarce. People from all walks of life profess faith in God; however, this is not displayed in everyday life practices. Is it any wonder that Christians going into government are unprepared to withstand temptations of the office? They fail to be true ambassadors of Christ in government. Many have instead brought shame to Christ’s name.

2. Christianity as a Social rather than a Spiritual Phenomenon

Does church growth in Africa represent genuine conversion? Or does it represent spiritual and social convergence as instigated by modern contextual realities such as poverty, invasion of culture, political instability, and corruption. Unlike previous centuries, the majority of Christians now originate and reside in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. But one may ask, “Since we have the largest Christian population in Africa, what responsibility does this place on us?” It means that the Christians of the southern continents are now the representative Christians, the people by whom the quality of twenty-first and twenty-second century Christianity will be judged, the people who will set the norms, the standard. And the quality of twenty-first century Christianity will depend on them.

In light of this reality, it is imperative we ask ourselves, “What legacy will the African Church bequeath to the rest of the world fifty to one hundred years from now?” If the majority of today’s Christian world does not pay adequate attention to developing disciples after conversion, Christianity in Africa becomes a social rather than a spiritual phenomenon. A blossoming Christianity devoid of discipleship suggests a weak doctrinal grounding. This approach lacks depth, will hurt our commitment to evangelism, and could scuttle the mission of the African Church.

3. Nigeria: Africa’s Litmus Test

One in every four Africans is Nigerian. One in every five black people in the world is Nigerian. With a population of nearly 150 million, there is no doubt the Nigerian Church and nation are bound to have a significant impact on the African continent. The general perception of Nigeria is its failure to set a good example for the rest of Africa. Recently, I read a screaming headline in one of the Nigerian daily newspapers: “Nigeria Still Sinful Despite Many Churches.” This calls for sober reflection, genuine repentance, and a reorientation on the part of the Church. Here are several issues the Nigerian Church is facing:

• The creation of megastars. The “Man of God” syndrome is aptly described in the book Preachers of a Different Gospel, by Rev. Femi Adeleye. “Men of God” have become “stars and celebrities.” Preaching has become a skilful marketing art. Jesus is relegated to the background. Where is the humility of John the Baptist, who declared, “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:34)?
• The existence of doctrinal distortions, pulpit abuse, falsehood, and the commercialization of the gospel. “Cash for Christ” is sometimes found in churches—the more cash you pay, the greater your chances of seeing a bigger miracle take place.
• The commonness of the prosperity gospel. Nigerian churches have exported this to the rest of Africa. Today, this gospel of greed is a disturbing trend with appealing momentum. Capitalist desperados are masquerading as church planters. In his book Foxes in the Vineyard, Insights into the Nigerian Pentecostal Revival, Sean Akinrele quotes Bishop Mike Okonkwo, former president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN):

The PFN leadership has discovered that money has sadly become the yardstick for success in the Church, especially the Pentecostals…. Prosperity messages have therefore taken centre stage of most preaching at the expense of full gospel messages. This has degenerated to the extent that people now come to church primarily to get rich outside the richness in their souls. Pastors, too, have cashed in on the gullibility of unsuspecting members as symbolism in oil, mantle, honey, palm-leaves, sprinkling of blood, and other mediums are now evolved to build the faith of the people unto materialism.

• The prominence of bossy leadership. In Christ, we learn a new and liberating model of leadership: servant leadership. The African continent, caught in the throes of conflict arising from tussles for power and resources, are desperate for this biblical leadership model. The current posture of spiritual grand-standing depreciates the gains of the Charismatic renewal movement across Africa and makes the tasks of evangelization less convincing in its genuine appeal.

• The lack of making the cross central. Where is the cross in the way we live as Christ’s followers? Today, popular theology inspired by the prosperity gospel exponents, “He go butter my bread and sugar my tea. Me, I no go suffer.” This needs to be reviewed if we are to be faithful to the teaching of the one who hung on the cross for the redemption of humankind. In The Chosen One—a Ghanaian home movie—a prostitute made an observation that resonates with the African Church: “Nowadays, pastors want to be like Jesus, but they are not ready to suffer like Jesus.” If this is true, it means the message of the cross is neither being portrayed to a needy world, nor are believers receiving sound doctrinal teaching required for proper spiritual formation. Rev. Ft. Mathew Kukah, a leading Catholic crusader for social justice in Nigeria, observed, “Many preachers are promising to make their followers millionaires, landlords, and landowners….This Christianity is a crossless Christianity, preaching a crossless Christ. It pretends that we should apologize for the cross of Christ because to be a Christian is not to suffer. It pretends we should apologise that God may have made a mistake for allowing Jesus…to be buried in a borrowed tomb….This kind of Christianity is transitory and it does harm to the foundation of the faith.” The Church cannot afford to live in denial of the cross. If the cross is denied in our Christian emphasis, then our Christianity has lost its biblical distinctiveness.

Positive Trends

These negative trends are widespread across denominations. Despite this, the African Church has made major contributions to the Global Church through missions, evangelism, and prayer.

1. The Uniqueness of the Charismatic Movement

The Charismatic renewal experienced across Africa should be celebrated and theologically guided. There may be questions about the Pentecostal resurgence regarding practice and doctrine, but it should never be discarded. I recall an African proverb which states that “a mother does not throw away the dirty water and the baby inside after the bath.” Reflecting along this thought line, Rev. Nalwamba added:

I think we need to consider trends in the Renewal/Charismatic movement and its relationship to the African traditional worldview/religion. One reason why the Charismatic movement has had such a growing appeal is that it takes seriously the spiritual world and spiritual phenomenon which mainstream Christianity tends to sideline. A theologically sound and balanced approach to these phenomenon would contribute to the deepening of faith and mission on the continent.

2. The Example of the Anglican Communion in Africa

The Anglican Communion has stood out globally in spearheading a strong protest within the Anglican Communion worldwide. Their effort also represents a global, prophetic voice against the agenda to institutionalise and mainstream gay ordination in the Church. This is helping to shape the agenda for evangelicals in promoting biblical ideals in the marketplace. It helps our Christian witness and defines our identity. Throughout history, compromise has never helped in advancing the Church’s mission. This is a positive influence the Church in Africa should model to the rest of the world. May more bold prophetic steps be taken in other areas, such as corruption, good governance, social justice and equity, gender balance, and good stewardship of the environment.

3. The Missionary Impact of the African Church

The African Church has become a blessing to the rest of the world. It has moved from a missionary-receiving continent one hundred years ago to a missionary-sending continent today. Nigeria has been in the forefront. A strong commitment and sacrificial missionary spirit is moving across Africa in response to drumbeats of missions. For example, within the context of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), several universities and college graduates are missionaries in villages and cities both in African and beyond. From Nigeria alone, there are nearly 5,200 missionaries serving in other countries…

This is how the very dear Para-Mallam concludes his message:

Correcting these [negative] trends is now a sacred duty we all must undertake sooner rather than later if we are to preserve the divine mandate of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. This will define our character and shape our prophetic duty. Its urgency stares us in the face; procrastination is not an option. We must each pledge ourselves to arrest the current drift toward spiritual lawlessness. May the Church in Africa impact our society with proper biblical values. We must prioritize character over charisma.

Chuck Colson once wrote, “The first Christians worshipped God and lived as a holy community, conforming their character to the demands of Christ rather than to Caesar. They didn’t purpose to turn the first-century world upside down. They did so by who they were.” There is a bright future for the Church and society in Africa if the required safeguards are put in place to consolidate gains and eliminate excesses.

Gideon Para-Mallam is associate regional secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in West Africa. He is also Lausanne international deputy director for Anglophone Africa.

The Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering, West Africa (YLGWA) was held in Nigeria between 30 November – 4 December 2008. On the eve of the programme major ethno-religious riots broke out in Jos, where the gathering was supposed to be held. Within twenty-four hours the venue was changed to Abuja. With several uncertainties due mainly to the Jos crises and the change of venue, the YLGWA opening session started with praise and prayer.

The gathering brought together mentors/speakers and younger leaders from the English-speaking West African countries of Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.

The younger leaders unanimously voted to adopt the theme: “Live and Lead Like Jesus.”

Plenary speakers included:

1. Pade Tokun, Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) in Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa
2. Rev. Steve Asante, president, Ghana Baptist Convention
3. Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Egbunu, Bishop of Lokoja Diocese, Anglican Communion
4. Gideon Para-Mallam, Lausanne English, Portuguese, Spanish-speaking (EPSA) International Deputy Director

Participants identified six critical issues concerning evangelizing West Africa:

1. Orphans and Vulnerable Children
2. Transforming the Sub-Region through Prayer
3. The Remaining Unreached People Groups
4. Unveiling the Giant of Islam
5. Understanding Youth Culture
6. The Challenge of Liberal Theology and Nominalism

Additionally, the countries represented had an opportunity to share the challenges and opportunities for the gospel in their various countries. Participating younger leaders were divided into ten small mentoring groups. Participants then spent time getting acquainted, sharing challenges and testimonies, praying together, and learning about what God is doing in different contexts. The main thrust of the messages at YLGWA was the need to re-evaluate leadership styles and take personal note of Jesus’ calling on Christians to live and lead like him as revealed in the Gospels and Epistles. Participants left with a clear understanding that it would not be possible to lead like Jesus unless they live like him. This remains a fundamental call Jesus made to all his followers. Christians cannot respond to this call without re-focusing on the cross of Christ as his followers in their leadership journey.

To lead like Jesus means answering the call to servant leadership—a scarce commodity within the African Church setting today. Participants were reminded that they “have no mission of their own”—only the mission of the master and those they serve on the mission field. The vision for world evangelization will receive further boost if Christians intentionally invest in growing younger kingdom-minded leaders.

Participants were given a closing charge by Ghana Younger Leaders team coordinator, Nana Yaw Offei-Owuku, who summarized the joy of learning together. He said that God had done three things during the gathering:

1. Jesus had called them back to himself through fellowship and learning together.
2. Participants had been challenged to move out of their comfort zones to finish the work of world evangelization in the sub-region, continent, and beyond.
3. Participants had been encouraged and charged to submit to mentorship and to commit to identifying other younger leaders and seeking out practical ways to mentor others until Jesus’ return.

Para-Mallam told participants that the YLGWA 2008 started as a faith project and ended as such. He reminded all present that the planning suffered many “hiccups” along the way, but God’s faithfulness saw them through each challenge. Para-Mallam took time to appreciate the mentors and facilitators for their efforts and noted the doggedness and personal initiatives of the younger leaders, even some who could not be present at the gathering. A brief DVD presentation on Lausanne was shown, and participants sang “In Christ Alone” as a closing rallying song of collective declaration of commitment.
( Source: Mark Kolo, Lausanne World Pulse )

The Manga Messiah, Japan

Operation Mobilization (OM) workers will be using a new tool, The Manga Messiah, to communicate the gospel in Japan. Published by New Life League, the 300-page comic book depicts Jesus’ life from birth to resurrection. Comics in Japan are enjoyed by all age groups, with Manga now a large part of the Japanese publishing industry. During the Christmas season, The Manga Messiah was passed out by volunteers to busy shoppers in the town of Karuizawa. One missionary stated, “For reaching the Japanese, this book is far more effective than showing the JESUS film.” (Assist News)

MORE …

Poverty facts FYI:

• World Bank estimates Over 140 million children in developing countries are underweight, and over two billion are undernourished.
• Every year, more than ten million children die of hunger and preventable diseases—that’s over thirty thousand per day and one every three seconds.
• 800 million people go to bed hungry every day.
• Every year, nearly eleven million children die before their fifth birthday.
• 600 million children live in extreme poverty.
• The three richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million people living in the world’s poorest countries.
• Income per person in the poorest countries in Africa has fallen by a quarter in the last twenty years.

• UNICEF estimates 158 million children aged five to fifteen are engaged in child labor. An estimated two million children are exploited in prostitution or pornography. Approximately 1.2 million children are trafficked around the world every year.
• According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report, eighty percent of transnational trafficking victims are women and girls, and up to fifty percent are minors—and most are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation.