# Missions opportunities are wide open here - connect me with interested people



## Pergamum (Apr 14, 2011)

Hello,

I just got back from a week survey in a major river system here (drains an area the size of England).

I was showing K. S. and his two sending pastors Ronnie and Reagan this area so that K. can return and minister here after language school. 

We also preached about a half-dozen times or more and close to 40 folks said that they realized that they had never truly been saved and repented (our themes were "Christian identity versus the new birth" and "false repentance versus real" and "Teaching children the faith"). So, it seemed like a highly productive trip, and it appeared as if the ministry fruit was real and we set a plan in place to follow up and intentionally disciple those who feel as if they were newly saved. 

Now I am trying to catch up on office work with just a few days left before we re-enter D Village (our home) after our last 2.5 months of illness. We are all well now.


During this Preaching Circuit Trip / Survey Trip the local jungle leaders begged us for more help. They asked for more (1) church planters, disciplers, pastors, (2) Pastors and Trainers of Pastors to disciple those weak Christian leaders who are presently trying to lead the churches, (3) Community Development Workers to help the village produce food, etc, (4) English teachers and other teachers to help raise the level of education, (5) Nurses to help in clinics and to train village health care workers.



Also, meeting with church leaders on the coast, they begged for the same things, adding the following needs, (1) Again, a pastor or counselor of pastors to advise and counsel the top leadership of this indigenous church structure of about a half-million people, and (2) bible school and seminary teachers.


The main struggles of this region include, (1) a christian identity among the churches without the new birth, (2) countering false conversions and false repentance, and trusting in baptism and church activities to save instead of faith, (3) the current christians are not teaching their children the faith, (4) other religions and cults are coming in and the people have no idea how to respond. (5) The peoples are losing out to competition from immigrants from other parts of the country and feel as if they are "strangers in our own land" and thus community development, leadership-development, job training, and increasing the education level of the people are critical needs. We are trying to train several villages to help maximize profits from crocodile skins, for example.



So, please use me as a resource person and if anyone is interested in serving overseas, PM me and let me know. The doors are wide open and people are begging for help.


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## Curt (Apr 14, 2011)

Mission opportunities are also vast here in the country I'm serving.


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## steadfast7 (Apr 15, 2011)

Curt said:


> Mission opportunities are also vast here in the country I'm serving.


 
Yes, true. But even within the US, wouldn't you say there are places with a more a _urgent_ need for gospel witness than others? Or, does Grand Rapids and San Francisco have _equal_ needs for Christian ministers to come and serve?

If you perceive a difference in relative need, then broaden it out to the whole world and its needs, then one can understand Pergamum's plea.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Apr 15, 2011)

I won't speak for Curt but the area in which he ministers (New England) is one of the most unchurched regions in the world.


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## LeeJUk (Apr 15, 2011)

Pergamum didn't say that the country is in any more or less need than the US or other countries so I fail to see why people are arguing about this.

What country is it that you serve in Pergamum? If I hear of any interested people from my circle of friends then I will pass them your details.


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## Pergamum (Apr 15, 2011)

Curt,

Do you live in the US?

---------- Post added at 01:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------




LeeJUk said:


> Pergamum didn't say that the country is in any more or less need than the US or other countries so I fail to see why people are arguing about this.
> 
> What country is it that you serve in Pergamum? If I hear of any interested people from my circle of friends then I will pass them your details.


 
Ha ha, almost anything can be argued over on the PB. 

I would assert strongly that if a church could send out 10 Gospel Workers that it would be much better to prioritize SE Asia over Atlanta, Geogia or even Acton, Maine. 

Maine doesn't have 274 language groups, of which 200 lack even a book of the bible the last time I checked.


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## steadfast7 (Apr 15, 2011)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> I won't speak for Curt but the area in which he ministers (New England) is one of the most unchurched regions in the world.


 
Sarcasm?


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Apr 15, 2011)

No. It is very much true.


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## Pergamum (Apr 15, 2011)

So, you are positing that Maine, USA has (a) less access to the Gospel, (b) less Gospel resources, and (c) less Gospel workers than Sumatra or a remote tribal setting?


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## steadfast7 (Apr 15, 2011)

Huh? Pleeease elaborate, Rev. B. I've been reading and re-reading your comment, stunned.

---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ----------

Is this the New England of Jonathan Edwards and David Brainerd, or are we talking about some place else?


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## Curt (Apr 15, 2011)

LeeJUk said:


> Pergamum didn't say that the country is in any more or less need than the US or other countries so I fail to see why people are arguing about this.



No argument or comparison intended from this quarter. I was simply stating that the US, and particularly the portion in which I live, ius a pagan land in need of evangelizing.

---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 AM ----------




steadfast7 said:


> Huh? Pleeease elaborate, Rev. B. I've been reading and re-reading your comment, stunned.
> 
> ---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ----------
> 
> Is this the New England of Jonathan Edwards and David Brainerd, or are we talking about some place else?



Yes, Dennis, this is that same New England. It is a hard place for the gospel today.


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## jawyman (Apr 15, 2011)

Here is a reference.

Committee on Foreign Missions


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## Rufus (Apr 15, 2011)

Its Southeast Asia right?


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## AThornquist (Apr 15, 2011)

Curt said:


> Mission opportunities are also vast here in the country I'm serving.



Those who aren't willing or called to serve overseas ought to engage the mission opportunities in this country. The question is, why aren't they? I am fairly convinced that the answer is our complacency. There would be no need to discourage people from serving overseas if the body of Christ in the United States were not so comfortable and willing to live a sanctified version of the American Dream. (And I am not intending to say that you were discouraging anyone here; I am speaking generally.) Our lives are so short and eternity so long... Lord, stamp eternity on our eyeballs.


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## Pergamum (Apr 15, 2011)

We have enough Gospel resources and solidly trained men to fill up both Maine and SE Asia with a solid Gospel witness....if only we would do so.


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## steadfast7 (Apr 15, 2011)

AThornquist said:


> Those who aren't willing or called to serve overseas ought to do so



They _should_?
I think there are plenty of people who would make excellent missionaries and ought to consider overseas service without needing a specific calling. But, it seems that mission agencies and churches make the subjective calling a serious requirement before endorsing someone to go.


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## Pergamum (Apr 16, 2011)

Dennis, I believe Andrew made a typo..."If you're not willing to go...then don't...then ask yourself why" I think was his point.


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## Edward (Apr 16, 2011)

If someone feels called to reach Muslims, the Plano - Richardson area of Texas might be a good mission field.


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## steadfast7 (Apr 16, 2011)

Pergamum said:


> Dennis, I believe Andrew made a typo..."If you're not willing to go...then don't...then ask yourself why" I think was his point.


 
ah, ok. But is 'willingness' the same as 'call'? To me, it almost is. We can't fault the comfortable North American Christian for not going overseas if God is genuinely not calling them, and if does call people subjectively, how can they resist him? but we can fault them if there is a general command for the church to reach out globally and many are simply not willing. Again, there are many ways to be involved in the great commission that does not necessarily involve _going_ per se.


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## AThornquist (Apr 16, 2011)

AThornquist said:


> Curt said:
> 
> 
> > Mission opportunities are also vast here in the country I'm serving.
> ...


 
Sorry for not being clear. I re-read my statement and realized that it was only clear to, well, me.  I meant that if someone is not willing or called to serve overseas, he ought to participate and engage in the mission opportunities that are vast in the United States (assuming he lives in the US.  ). Then I raised the question, why are people who want to stay in the United States not engaging the United States? Because of complacency.

Make more sense? 

Although I totally agree with how Perg misinterpreted my mangled statement: one ought to ask himself _why_ he doesn't want to work overseas. I fear that it too is often because of complacency.


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## Pergamum (Apr 16, 2011)

Dennis,

I believe that the misssionary call is a strong desire to serve, seconded by the bible and by the larger body of Christ. 

Willingness and desire is, thus, part of the package. And the larger body of Christ is also part of the pacakge as the Church recruits, screens, equips and sends out some for this task.

The whole church is to be involved in the fulfillment of the Great Commission whether this means going or sending.

Also, Matthew 28 speaks of us going out to all nations and missionaries are those who are sent-out; thus, there is a difference in a church intentionally trying to send out folks to the unreached and merely being satisfied with staying and ministering to those that come to them (and in reality, many churches are not even doing this and most have virtually no outreach to immigrants, refugees or international students....cross-cultural opportunities that are present in many of our backyards now).


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## steadfast7 (Apr 16, 2011)

Agreed. the American dream, comfort, complacency: enemies of the task. As well, perhaps the idea that westerners needing re-evangelizing are equally in need as those who have never heard?


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## Pergamum (Apr 16, 2011)

There are two kinds of starving folks; (1) those without bread, and (2) anorexics/bulimics. 

America is full of spiritual anorexics. 

I would rather go to where there is a real lack of bread for those scratching blindly for nourishment.


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## steadfast7 (Apr 16, 2011)

Trevor, what do you think of the strategic shift happening of sending money overseas to support indigenous ministries for a fraction of the cost vs. sending a fully supported western missionary? This thinking is on the rise from many mission thinkers, even among the reformed, and in terms of finances, time to learn language, and overall impact, it makes lots of sense.


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## Pergamum (Apr 16, 2011)

Dennis,

Without boots on the ground you never know what you are supporting. 

I have heard horror stories coming out of India where well-meaning US churches have cancelled all western missionary funding and, instead, went totally to supporting indigenous Indian pastors. And then they found out that a few were creating banners announcing the birth of churches that existed on the banner only, or the pastors were double-milking various denominations (the pastor's needs of X number of dollars were month were being met simultanously by 4 different donors and the pastor never told these 4 parties about each other). On other occasions the poor Indian churches will not support their own pastors and become lazy to their responsibilities because they can get western funding. Also, some churches find out that they get the funds per church and therefore intentionally split into 2 churches of 50 rather than one church of 100 in order to double their funding ("look...another new church plant...").

I believe we can send out ten times our present numbers of western missionaries AND also support ten times the present number of solid indigenous pastors and evangelists. 

It is not an either/or answer...we should be more active on both fronts.


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