Chap. 4

Resources for Missionary Recruits Online by Marty Andry, Doug Lucas, and Chris Bushnell

Chapter 4

Finding Your Field Of Service

. . . your career

From Genesis to Revelation it is plain to see God's concern for the whole world. As a prospective cross-cultural evangelist, we assume that you are already convicted of this important realization and that you are informed about the astounding physical and spiritual needs of our globe. In case you feel the need to expand your horizons, P. J. Johnstone's Operation World details the spiritual needs of every country on earth one by one.[(Waynesboro, GA 30830: WEC/STL Publications, 1986).] The Hidden Half, by Sam Wilson and Gordon Aeschliman, is a more digestible summary, complete with loads of statistics and chapters that describe the stages of sensitivity through which young adults often go when they encounter such awesome needs.[(919 W. Huntington Dr. , Monrovia, CA 91016: MARC, 1982).]

Naturally one's gifts and skills should play an important role in the decision of where to serve and what to do, since most feel that these are given by God. The "Clovernook Profile," authored by Glen Elliott, may help you get in touch with your spiritual gifts.[Privately published: 1373 W. Galbraith Rd. , Cincinnati, OH 45231.] With that as a base, you might be able to at least eliminate some career options that would have lured you into an extraneous vocation. Of course, in the case of a married couple, unless both partners are committed to the particular direction (honestly and deeply within), chances of a happy and successful ministry are greatly reduced. Laura Mae Gardner, has written, "It will be easy for the one who feels pulled along to sabotage the whole enterprise. In many missions this is the wife, because she feels unimportant, even unnecessary."["Proactive Care of Missionary Personnel", in Journal of Psychology and Theology, Winter, 1987, Vol. 15, No. 4, P. 311.] The bottom line: Make sure the motivations of both partners are pure and committed to the task, as well as to the spouse. The alternative is an invitation to disaster.

. . . your destination

Choosing a location in which to serve is often no easier than the original decision to enter missionary service. Many "world Christians" see abundant needs in a variety of areas and therefore feel pulled in a multitude of directions. Throughout the years recruits have been asking questions like these to narrow the choices:

Receptive/Resistant: Would you be able to work in a field that historically offers few, if any, results? Could God use you to find a "key" that would unlock their hearts' doors? If it is important to you, how will you personally identify and define receptivity?
Population density: Could you serve in an urban area or does God seem to be calling you to a rural people?
Spirit's leading: Do you feel a "tugging" for a particular people group?
Physical needs: Is God calling you to reach out to people with physical, as well as spiritual needs?
Spiritual needs: What will be your definition of "unreached" (e. g. , . . . less than 5%? . . . less than 20%)?
Your own expertise: Do you have any special skills that allow you to do something few others could do (e. g. , a gift in Hebrew, Greek and/or modern language learning might suggest a translation ministry)?
Strategic importance of area, group, city: Does it matter to you whether or not this group's conversion will affect and possibly help in the conversion of others around them?
Desire or yearning for a certain area: Have you "always dreamed" of working in . . . ?
Desire or yearning to work with a certain missionary or mission: Do you feel a "Paul and Silas" relationship with this person or this group of people?
Degree of similarity or difference as compared with "homeland": For example, are you convinced that your upbringing in the city merits special consideration of urban areas?
The interest of potential co-workers: If you are convinced you'd rather work in a team, are there others who would work with you if you went to this particular place?
Guidance of sponsoring church or mission: Where does your home church think you would serve most effectively?
Fear of language learning: Are you absolutely sure God could not enable you to learn a foreign language? (WARNING: Most of the remaining unreached people on the globe today do not speak English. )
Political stability: Do your circumstances seem to prohibit your deployment in an area where uprising might take place?
Visas available/unavailable for vocational missionaries: Are you particularly interested in serving as a "tentmaker" (in which case you might want to enter a land where a vocational missionary would be restricted)?
Degree of difficulty in working there: For example, if you are considering Bible translation, are you a determined individual with staying-power?

Granted, some of the above questions might cause you to have to dig out your World Book Encyclopedia. Also, don't forget Operation World (mentioned above), along with David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia, a "comparative survey of churches and religions in the modern world".[(Nairobi: Oxford University Press, 1982).] World-Class Cities and World Evangelization will help you if you're searching for data on cities.[David Barrett, (Birmingham, AL: New Hope, 1986).] MARC's Unreached Peoples series contain a wealth of case studies and indices listing the unreached peoples of the world.[(Elgin, IL: David C. Cook, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982), (919 West Huntington Dr. , Monrovia, CA 91016: MARC, 1983, 1984, and 1987).] In addition, their World Christianity Series offers close-ups of particular regions of the world.[Volumes 1-5 cover the Middle East, Eastern Asia, South Asia, Central America & the Caribbean, and Oceania, respectively.] Wycliffe's Ethnologue offers the best information available on the languages of the world in detail.[Bookstore, International Linguistics Center, 7500 West Camp Wisdom Rd. , Dallas, TX 75236.]

Feeling overwhelmed by all the information? The Peoplesfile Index endeavors to be an all-in-one listing of tribes, ethnic groups and peoples all over the globe.[Ed. by Allan Starling, Global Mapping Project, 1605 Elizabeth St. , Pasadena, CA 91104.] Fortunately, it cross-references nearly all the above resources. The cartographic studies that its compilers have been producing may, by themselves, be a perfect resource to help you "zero in" on your chosen field.

Finally, there are always public libraries. Some stock Area Handbooks for each of dozens of the countries of the world.[Available directly from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.] They contain a wealth of cultural and geographic data, though many are now seriously in need of revision.

Regarding the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in particular, Mission Services Association periodically publishes the Missionary Directory, listing all the missionaries that they could uncover within the movement, complete with names and addresses of forwarding agents, those who receive the missionaries stateside funds. [Published by Mission Services Association, PO Box 2427, Knoxville, TN 37901-2427; Phone-(615) 577-9740]

The bottom line: Make sure the motivation are pursuing the kind of work in which you hope to engage. Ask questions about the ups and downs of the given outreach and find out what further training is suggested. For a good case study in learning about interviewing and research techniques in ministry, see MARC's video series, The City for God's Sake.[(919 West Huntington Dr. , Monrovia, CA 91016: MARC, 1986).] In it, Ray Bakke suggests 10 questions that are useful in getting a good education about a particular ministry or mission. Naturally if your emphasis is urban ministry, you will particularly like these studies.

. . . your term

In the days of William Carey, traveling from one's homeland to a mission station often necessitated 6 months or more. Today we're blessed with air transportation that is so rapid, one can arrive in some locations within a matter of hours! It isn't cheap to fly around the world, but with deregulation in the airline industry, many fares can be purchased at significant discounts.

Because of the fact that travel is easier and relatively cheaper, many missionaries are coming home more often. It would appear that fewer and fewer missionaries are choosing the once-popular four-year term. Although definitive studies are not available, two year terms are currently becoming the more popular. Obviously such frequent furloughs are also usually much shorter in duration than the traditional 12 months that were required in the past. Some workers are home and gone again within a three-month period.

Perhaps the best advice is to study the question thoroughly with concerned team members, elders and friends, especially those who are to support you. Don't forget to pray together directly to the Lord for his guidance. Naturally family members should be made a part of the final decision. (For information on short-term missions, you may want to re–read Section Seven, "Exposure to Other Cultures", in Chapter 2.)

Questions to consider...

Ask a couple of close friends what gifts and skills they identify in you.
Make a list of the criteria that you want to use to determine your destination field.
When you lie awake at night and imagine yourself working full-time, what do you dream of doing?
Talk with your supporters about the kind of furlough schedule that might work for you.

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