discovering missions - Southern Nazarene University

245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 182
182 Mobilizing the Local Church
One key responsibility of local mission leaders is that of developing and
cultivating other mobilizers, particularly younger ones, within the congregation.
Avenues of mission education for preparing these local leaders include
training events like the 14-week “Perspectives” courses now taught in several
countries. There are also national and international missions mobilization conferences
aimed at young people (such as the triennial Urbana meetings in the
U.S.A.). Many denominational mission organizations also hold annual conventions
that can train and inspire local mission mobilizers.
Prayer
It may be impossible to overemphasize the importance of prayer in the
global mission enterprise. Across the years prayer has been the lifeblood of mission
with every great missionary advance having been sparked and then fueled
by the intercessory prayer of ordinary church members. Churches should be
full of intercessors who give high priority to praying for the establishment of
clusters of reproducing churches in unreached people groups. When prayer for
world evangelism is not being mobilized by local church leaders, individual believers
need to find ways to create their own little cells of fervent mission
prayer support.
The whole history of missions is a record of the achieving power of
believing prayer. 5 —William Remfry Hunt, missionary to China
In The Power of Prayer, R. A. Torrey, successor to Dwight L. Moody, wrote,
“The man or woman at home who prays often has as much to do with the effectiveness
of the missionary on the field, and consequently with the results of
his or her labors, as the missionary.” 6 Unfortunately for the cause of world evangelism,
most prayer requests in church services have to do with people’s illnesses
and injuries. Thus, prayer time in many local churches sounds like roll call time
in a sick bay. Those involved in mission promotion and mobilization must seek
to change that, helping believers become just as burdened about an unreached
people coming to Jesus as they are about their relatives’ health issues.
Prayer support can be marshaled in many ways. Local churches have sometimes
organized monthly prayer meetings for global mission needs. Coinciding
with the Islamic Ramadan fast each year is the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim
World. Several organizations sponsor a World Day of Prayer and others
promote a World Week of Prayer that focuses on world evangelism. Operation
World contains a year-long daily prayer calendar. Many missionaries print photo
prayer reminder bookmarks or cards that can be kept in a Bible or put up