There is much that can be accomplished by intercessors, givers and short-term workers. However, there are some things only a ‘dedicated life’ can do. Without long-term workers, the task cannot be finished. Nothing else can replace them.
The last edition of Operation World noted 200,000 long-term missionaries in 2,900 agencies (among Protestants, Anglicans, and Independents; Operation World doesn’t survey Catholic or Orthodox missionaries). About 97,000 were deployed as foreign missionaries, and 104,000 were deployed within their country in cross-cultural situations.
This labor force has been globalized: the top missionary-sending nation is still the USA, but South Korea is second. The sending force, by region: Africa, 12,400 home and 3,100; Asia, 69,000 home and 13,600 abroad; Europe, 22,800 and 16,000 abroad; Latin America, 10,100 home and 3,800 abroad; North America, 71,000 home and 50,000 abroad; Pacific, 9,400 home and 3,500 abroad. (There are additional workers in sensitive areas that are not categorized in the numbers above.)
There are numerous partnerships across the world dedicated to recruiting and deploying workers: COMIBAM, MANI, CAPRO, IMA, PMA, STAMP, and PJRN among others. When we talk about ‘long-term cross-cultural workers’ we might mean Korean, Chinese, Indian, Nigerian, or Brazilians. Indeed, if we were to look at workers in cross-cultural settings within their own country (not just those sent to other countries), India might very well be the top mission-sending country although most of its workers remain within its borders.
However, although 200,000 missionaries sounds like a lot, it’s really not. With 3.6 million Protestant/Independent churches worldwide, the ratio is about 1 missionary per 18 churches worldwide. (There are, of course, regional differences: Africa sends 1 missionary per 48 churches, while North America sends 1 per 7 churches). And, of course, about 90% of these 200,000 workers are deployed in open, unrestricted areas—less than 10% among the unreached.
Meanwhile, there are perhaps even more short-term workers being sent. Although there are many benefits to short-termers (vision-raising, assistance, etc.), there are pitfalls too. They often cannot function effectively without the support of long-term workers. “Mid-term” workers can take a long-time to recover from culture shock and be able to contribute effectively. Short-termers often do not know the language and cannot relate deeply to most locals. They often don’t understand the relationships between locals and long-term workers, and can damage them. In the short time they are abroad, they may not appreciate a culture’s strengths, which from their view may be weaknesses.
If we want to see the Great Commission completed, we need to mobilize more long-term workers, particularly to work among the least-reached. To do this requires mobilizing dedication, and becoming dedicated requires:
Vision. We must have a clear picture of the end of time, when every tribe and tongue is gathered around the throne—and we must have a clear idea of how we will contribute to that picture through evangelism, discipleship and church planting.
Sacrifice. To reach a goal, we must choose to pursue it and give up all else. When Jesus called his disciples, they abandoned things to follow him. To be sure, they continued to do certain things from time to time. Peter fished and Paul mended tents. Nonetheless it remains a fact that these were occasional things done when necessary—not their primary vocation. They dedicated their life to the expansion of the Kingdom and did other things only when necessary to achieve that goal.
Daily work. A lesson from the corporate world: building a business means working at it day in and day out, Monday through Friday (and often Saturday as well). Successful, world-changing businesses aren’t run for a week or two out of the year. You have to put in hours, days, weeks, months, years to achieve the goals. Short-term trips can be helpful, but a week here or there isn’t the same as a life work.
Partnership. You must be willing to work with other people because you can’t do it all on your own. Jesus had many disciples and although some had “special roles” (Peter, the rock, for example) all were needed and used by Him. Partners give strength, fellowship and accountability.
Personal involvement. We cannot simply be “smart and efficient,” stay at home, and send money overseas as if we could “get a better bargain” for our dollar and pay someone else to perform our Great Commission service. Too often “sending money is my gift” is an easy excuse for “I don’t want to overcome the challenges of going.”
This is what we must challenge each other, and what we must challenge chruches all over the world, to: not the quick fix, but rather the committed, sold out life.
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