discovering missions - Southern Nazarene University

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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
245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 183 on a refrigerator or bedroom mirror. E-mails from missionaries keep local churches up-to-date on answers to the needs for which they have been interceding as well as passing along new requests. Sometimes local churches will set up prayer chains in which requests can be passed quickly from family to family or person to person. Such prayer chains, while continuing to mobilize people to pray for the sick people of that congregation, can marshal intercessory prayer for unexpected opportunities that mission leaders encounter and for political crises and natural disasters that affect world mission efforts. Some missionaries establish a special time when they want supporters to pray for them. For example, when Fred Huff was a missionary in Africa, he went around asking people to join his 714 Club. That club was a network of prayer supporters who prayed for Huff and his work each day at 7:14 in the morning and again at 7:14 in the evening. Huff took the “714” number from 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Huff used that challenge to create a prayer support network for evangelism and discipleship ministries across sub-Saharan Africa. Children and Youth Sending Its Best Mobilizing the Local Church 183 No local church can afford to go without the encouragement and nourishment that will come to it by sending away its best people. 7 —David Penman, missionary to Pakistan and Lebanon Exposure of children and youth to world evangelism must be an intentional part of local church programming. Because many missionaries report receiving their missions call prior to the age of 18, promoting missions in ministries for children and youth is of critical importance. Local churches need to look for ways to get their youth involved in hands-on mission trips. Children and youth need to become involved in praying and giving as well as being encouraged to think about their own future involvement. They need to have direct contact with missionaries who visit their church. Raising Funds Evangelizing the world takes financial resources. Churches must encourage their members to so embrace the cause of world evangelism that they rein in
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discovering missions - Southern Nazarene University

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