Operation World – Praying for the World IV - Missionaries

The Great Commission Harvesters

The Church is God's means for evangelizing the world, and from New Testament times men and women as individuals and teams have been set apart and sent out with the apostolic task of preaching the gospel beyond the reach of local congregations. Those members of the Church who move out in this way constitute the missionary force of the world.



1 Mission agencies. There has been a multiplication of Protestant missionary sending and support agencies over the past two centuries; this has become a worldwide phenomenon of great significance. Pray for:

a) Effective strategies
to evangelize the world and plant churches among its diverse peoples. Lack of such can lead to misuse of resources and frustration for personnel.

b) Adaptability
in a rapidly changing world. Few agencies are easily able to change structures and strategies to cope with the new and challenging demands of such a changing world.

c) Leadership
in mission agencies. These leaders need wisdom in setting clear objectives, guidance in the selection and placing of workers and ability to give them pastoral care and to maintain good relationships with secular authorities.

d) Harmonious cooperation and fellowship between missionary-sending and missionary-receiving churches. The growing emphasis on local church responsibility for world evangelism can lead to tensions and misunderstandings unless mutual responsibilities and relationships are clearly understood. The local churches and missionary agencies need each other. Neither can do the job alone.

e) Effective cooperation between missionary agencies. There is often unnecessary duplication of effort, and a lack of corporate planning together about ways to get the job done. The manner of entry of many agencies into the former Communist bloc after 1989 was a demonstration of how not to do it.

f)Working networks in areas difficult to enter overtly as missionaries. The development of non-residential missionary programmes advanced quickly in the '80s. This and the tactful ministry of Interdev, a service agency dedicated to brokering such networks, are significant for new advances into what are often called creative-access nations. During the 1990s there were many new field partnerships initiated linking the churches and agencies from many nations. This needs to be developed and deepened.

2 Missionaries. The old type of individualistic missionary of the colonial era is no longer acceptable. Teamwork and an ability to work with, and under, leaders of other nationalities make great demands. The modern missionary must be a self-effacing spiritual giant! The missionary's personal walk with God is vital. The harsh realities of the modern world soon dispel the imagined glamour of pioneer missionary work. Pray for:

a) Vital, supportive home fellowships of believers
who are willing to pray the missionary out to the field and keep him or her there through the years of greatest effectiveness. This is difficult to maintain with the rapid changes and turn-over in membership and in the pastoral team in most congregations.

b) The supply of his/her financial need. Missionary ministries are more expensive to maintain than those at home. Many live sacrificially for Christ, yet their living standards may appear sumptuous to local people, and a wise balance is needed. The problems of exchange control, export of currency, inflation, artificial exchange rates, endemic bribery, etc., are constant time-wasting frustrations.

c) Adequate preparation for missionary work. This is arduous and long — theological training, ministry experience, language learning and adaptation to a new land may take years before an effective ministry can be exercised. Those years can be traumatic and discouraging for both single workers and young married couples. The rising number of missionaries who fail to return for a second term of service is indicative of possible deficiencies in selection, preparation, structure and pastoral care.

d) Cultural adjustment. Culture shock is the subject of much humour, but is very real. Many prospective missionaries cannot make the adjustment to new foods, life styles, languages, value systems and attitudes. Some return home disillusioned and with a sense of failure; others react wrongly on the field and hinder fellowship and witness; yet others go too far in their adaptation and compromise their health and sometimes their faith. Balance and objectivity are needed.

e) Protection from Satan's attacks. The powers of darkness are real. In many areas Satan's kingdom has never been challenged before. Missionaries need discernment and authority to resist attacks he makes through health, the mind, opponents of the gospel and even Christian workers. Physical dangers are real — with an increase in hostage-taking, life-threatening diseases and insecurity. Missionaries need the victorious faith that will "bind the strong man and spoil his goods".

f) Family life. For singles, the missionary call may mean foregoing marriage for the sake of the gospel — loneliness can be a heavy burden to bear. For others, family life may be made difficult by living conditions, inadequate amenities or lack of finance, or be disrupted by long separations, many visitors and excessive workloads. Missionaries' children may be separated from their parents for long periods because of education, and can become resentful or rebellious in their teens. Pray that missionary families may be an effective witness and example of all that a Christian family should be.

g) Commitment to God's will. The assurance that God has guided to a particular ministry is often the only anchor to retain workers in difficult situations, misunderstandings, broken relationships and "impossible" crises. Pray that none may leave a place of calling for a negative or superficial reason, but only because of a positive leading from God.

h) Fruitfulness. All workers need the anointing of God on their lives, and an effective ministry that bears eternal fruit. For this they need clear objectives and time to achieve them. Too much time can be spent on survival and handling trivial interruptions, and too little on the real reason for being there. Only the Holy Spirit can give a worker that constraining love of Christ for sinners — human pity and love are inadequate.

i) A sense of urgency. Expulsions or enforced departure from the field could suddenly terminate a ministry. Missionaries need to work hard to train their successors and help local believers to maturity.

j) Homecoming
for furlough, or for home ministry, which can be traumatic. Returning missionaries need the continued support of God's people for overcoming re-entry shock, establishing an effective rapport with churches at home and building an effective ministry.