The document discusses the Perspectives Study Program, which is a ministry that aims to open students' eyes to the Bible, world history, culture, and God's purpose. It provides an integrated set of core ideas to understand the World Christian Movement. The document encourages the reader to get involved with this movement by learning about the various mission agencies, training institutions, associations, and churches that are part of the broader mission industry and global effort.
The document discusses the Perspectives Study Program, which is a ministry that aims to open students' eyes to the Bible, world history, culture, and God's purpose. It provides an integrated set of core ideas to understand the World Christian Movement. The document encourages the reader to get involved with this movement by learning about the various mission agencies, training institutions, associations, and churches that are part of the broader mission industry and global effort.
Original Description:
This article is by Ralph Winter and is part of the World Christian Foundations curriculum.
The document discusses the Perspectives Study Program, which is a ministry that aims to open students' eyes to the Bible, world history, culture, and God's purpose. It provides an integrated set of core ideas to understand the World Christian Movement. The document encourages the reader to get involved with this movement by learning about the various mission agencies, training institutions, associations, and churches that are part of the broader mission industry and global effort.
The document discusses the Perspectives Study Program, which is a ministry that aims to open students' eyes to the Bible, world history, culture, and God's purpose. It provides an integrated set of core ideas to understand the World Christian Movement. The document encourages the reader to get involved with this movement by learning about the various mission agencies, training institutions, associations, and churches that are part of the broader mission industry and global effort.
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Te Perspectives Study Program is a ministry of the U.S.
Center for World Missiona non-denominational para- church ministry that works with churches, mission agencies, and campus ministries around the world. Perspectives has a long and singular track record in the business of open- ing students eyes to the Bible, world history, international culture, and Gods purpose for it all in a way that no other course can oer. Te content of the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course is undergirded by an inte- grated set of core ideas. To see a detailed description of the core ideas of the Perspectives program and to see if a course might be oered near you, visit the Perspectives Study Program website at: www.perspectives.org. V hcn you dccidcd to sign up lor thc Pcr spcctivcs class you may not havc rcalizcd what you wcrc gctting intothat it is not so much a class as it an introduction to a movement. Pcrhaps you just didnt catch thc lull signicancc ol thc word movement in thc titlc ol thc courscPcrspcctivcs on thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Now you know. Now you undcrstand you arc bcing scriously invitcd to join that movcmcntthc Vorld Christian Movement! 8ut what arc thc ncxt stcps bcyond spcctator status: !t may not bc clcar to you yct just what God has in mind lor you. You dont want to makc a lalsc start. Vhat can you do lor surc: Vhat do you nccd to lcarn ncxt: How is thc calling to mobilization dicrcnt lrom, but as important as, that ol bcing a lrontlinc missionary: Most pcoplc think ol thc causc ol missions as a bunch ol missionarics out thcrc in a tropical lorcst work ing with thcir barc hands. Vcll, lor that mattcr, somc pcoplc think wars consist ol boys out thcrc on thc lront lincs popping away with guns. 8ut wars arc usu ally a war cort cncompassing many morc pcoplc than thosc right at thc lront. So, missions is a mission cort involving, ncccssarily, lar morc pcoplc in thc support structurc than thosc right at thc lront. To bc morc spccic, supposc you grcw up with a grcat intcrcst in thc drilling ol oil wclls. You saw a vidco as a young pcrson ol thc wildcattcrs who somctimcs strikc oil in uncxpcctcd placcs. You dccidcd you would likc to bccomc a wclldrillcr. 8ut, as you studicd thc subjcct you discovcrcd thc oil industry. You lcarncd all about oil rcncrics, oil diplomats who dickcr with lorcign govcrnmcnts, gcophysisists who makc prccisc mcasurcmcnts ol lccdback lrom dccp undcr thc carth, ctc. So you dccidcd you would rathcr bc a gco physicist! 8ut you wouldnt havc known such a possibility cxistcd il all you kncw about wcrc organizations appar cntly rccruiting only wclldrillcrs. !n thc samc way, thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt has bccomc a highly dcvclopcd intcrnational cntcrprisc. At thc corc ol this historic global movcmcnt arc prolcs sionals and hundrcds ol dcdicatcd, scasoncd organiza tions. !ts propcr to look upon this corc ol thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt as thc mission industry. !n thc USA alonc its a twotothrccbilliondollarpcrycar activityand its inucncc is lar bcyond what that moncy would do in any commcrcial vcnturc. To nd your way into this incrcdibly inucntial cntcr prisc, it is hclplul to distinguish thc rolcs ol lrontlinc tcams who labor crossculturally, lcts call thcm mis- sionaries, and thosc who marshal support lor thcm, lcts call thcm mobilizers. Vhatcvcr your rolc may bc, as a Join the World Christian Movement Ralph D. Winter Rcprintcd with pcrmission lrom Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, cd. by Vintcr, Ralph ., and Stcvcn C. Hawthornc. 3rd cd. Pasa dcna, CA: Villiam Carcy Library, 1999. Chaptcr 116, pp. 718723. + Joix :nv Vovib Cnvis:i~x Movv:vx: missionary or as a mobilizcr, you nccd a working rcla tionship with othcrs in thc mission industry. Villiam Carcy wasnt a loncr. Ncxt to doing nothing, thc most ccrtain way to squandcr your lilcs work would bc to maintain an ignorant dctach mcnt lrom this astounding movcmcnt ol dcdicatcd mis sion prolcssionals. Most ol thc important mistakcs havc bccn madc. Most ol thc crucial mattcrs ol missiological wisdom havc bccn cxplorcd. !l wc ignorc this scasoncd wisdom, thc tcmpcrcd couragc, thc provcn idcas, and thc hcartlclt praycrs ol thc gcncrations bclorc us, wc arc simply consigning oursclvcs to bcating thc air lor quitc a whilc. Tis may apply cvcn il all you do is join an organi zation that has not bccn around lor somc timc. Ncvcr conccdc to doing somcthing so small that it could bc accomplishcd cntircly in your lilctimc. 8c a part ol somcthing that bcgan bclorc you wcrc born, and will continuc onward toward thc lulllmcnt ol all that God has purposcd to accomplish. God has uniqucly lormcd you to bc part ol this signicant movcmcnt. You cannot participatc in what you do not know. 8ccoming a studcnt ol thc mission industry is thc bcst way to bccomc a valuablc part ol thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Mission Agencies As soon as possiblc bcgin to gct acquaintcd with thc astounding array ol dicrcnt mission agcncics. Scrvicc missions scrvc othcr agcncics. Somc arc purc ly tcchnical, likc Mission Aviation Fcllowship, with work ranging lrom junglc air strips to a marvclous in tcrnct scrvicc opcn to all agcncics. thcrs arc litcraturc missions, tapcrccording cxpcrts, or 8iblc translators, or radio cxpcrts. Missionary radio today outranks all sccular radio systcms lor blankcting thc carth with thc grcatcst sophistication and highcstpowcrcd transmit tcrs in usc anywhcrc. Standard missions conccrn thcmsclvcs with cvcry aspcct ol human nccd, ranging lrom mcdical, cduca tional, church planting, ctc. Placc grcat valuc on thcsc incrcdiblc organizations. No onc nccd start lrom scratch. Sincc agcncics arc dc signcd lor tcamwork, thcy arc not only ablc to sustain corts ovcr many gcncrations, vctcran workcrs arc ablc to pass on to ncwcomcrs thc cumulativc knowhow and cld knowlcdgc ol gcncrations ol carlicr workcrs. Training Institutions Springing lrom, but lccding thc mission agcncics, arc mission training institutions, scminarics and 8iblc collcgcs which havc long ocrcd programs in many disciplincs (such as thcology, linguistics, anthropology, history, and many morc) which togcthcr undcrgird thc grand disciplinc ol missiology. Tosc ocring lormal dcgrccs in a rcsidcntial sctting arc most visiblc, but it is gctting morc common lor training to takc placc away lrom campuscs. istancc cducation brings thc in struction not only to whcrc thc trainccs livc and work, it oltcn brings to lcarncrs thc matcrial that thcy most nccd and thc optimal momcnt lor thcm to takc it in. Prcssing thc cxtcnsion idca lurthcr arc lully accrcditcd 8A and MA dcgrccgranting programs ocring training by way ol mcntoring. !ntcrnct conncctions arc lascinat ing and hclplul, but thc most ccctivc training rcsourcc will continuc to bc local, lacctolacc mcntoring. 1 Associations and Societies All ol thc pcoplc in thcsc various missions and schools arc intcntionally nctworkcd by organizational as sociations and prolcssional socictics. 8c a studcnt ol thc mission industry. No missionary or mobilizcr can bc lully ccctivc without an awarcncss ol thc !FMA (!ntcrdcnominational Forcign Mission Association, now CrossGlobal Link) and thc FMA (vangclical Fcllowship ol Mission Agcncics, now Tc Mission x changc). Avail yourscll ol thcir mcctings and publica tions, which arc thc cutting cdgc ol missiology. Jointly thcy publish thc Evangelical Missions Quarterly. 2 You may ncvcr bccomc a prolcssor ol missions at a gradu atc institution, but you will likcly mcntor many othcrs in your lilctimc in crucial mattcrs ol missiology. Vhat you will do as a missionary or a mobilizcr is so impor tant that it is loolhardy not to gain prolcssional skills in your pursuit ol this high calling. Vhy not bccomc an cagcr participant in thc mission industry by joining a prolcssional mission socicty: Tc !SFM (!ntcrna tional Socicty lor Fronticr Missiology) might bc thc placc to start. 3 Mission Frontiers talks about thc cutting cdgc ol mis sions in thc lorm ol a 60pagc ncwsprint bullctin that gocs to 100,000 pcoplc all ovcr thc world. Produccd by thc U.S. Ccntcr lor Vorld Mission on a donation basis, it comcs out cvcry two months. 4 Ralph D. Winter + Local Churches Churchcs obviously play a crucial rolc in thc mission ary cntcrprisc. Many churchcs ocr componcnts ol training bcyond normal catcchism. Somc ambitious churchcs havc attcmptcd to scnd thcir own mission tcams. To succccd, ol ncccssity thcy lorm ncw mission structurcs. Such ovcrachicving vision is commcndablc, but is usually bcst cxprcsscd in alignmcnt with cxisting mission structurcs. Tc cntirc complcx tapcstry ol thc mission industry is acctcd by thc vision and knowl cdgc ol thc scnding churchcs. Tc good ncws is that, morc than any othcr lorcc, thc causc ol missions unitcs an cnormous varicty ol othcrwisc scpa ratc church traditions. !t is truly amazing what unity and undcrstanding has owed back from the eld to thc disparatc church traditions at homc. !t turns out that all our homc church traditions shinc bcst on thc mission cld. Sccm ingly dcad traditions oltcn havc marvclously dcvout and compctcnt missionarics on thc cld. Surprising to many pcoplc is thc lact that missionarics on thc cld lrom many traditions coopcratc vcry rcadily in all kinds ol joint proj ccts. vcr 225 mission agcncics arc involvcd in 36 rcgional partncrships with anothcr 25 in thc proccss ol lormation. Phil 8utlcr ol !ntcrdcv (a spccializcd mission that coordi natcs all this!) calls thcsc Stratcgic Partncrships. Church pcoplc back homc dont know all this. You dont vcry oltcn nd congrcgations holding joint picnicslikc Prcsbytcrians with Nazarcncs. Yct thcir missionarics coopcratc on thc cld with no troublc at all. Tc bad ncws is that congrcgations usually nccd to bc cxtcnsivcly cducatcd and mobilizcd to rcmain cl lcctivc in thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Tc cul tural momcntum ol church traditions, whcn imposcd clscwhcrcon thc mission cldis whcrc thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt has oltcn bccn impcdcd. !t is illusory lor any group anywhcrc to comc up with somc ncw cmphasis and makc it sccm so important that all thc othcr traditions arc considcrcd wrong or inadcquatc. Rcad thc story ol thc last two thousand ycars in thc most balanccd account cvcr writtcnKcnncth Scott Latourcttcs A History of Christianity. You will scc that cvcry agc has bccn markcd by all kinds ol spurting out in many dicrcnt dircctions as godly pcoplc havc strugglcd and gropcd lor bcttcr light. Vc can look back and improvc on practically cvcrything that wc scc, but mcanwhilc our own lorm ol Christianity may bc boggcd down by all kinds ol cultural baggagc! For cxamplc, missions itscll is a ncw cmphasis in thc Protcstant tradition. Vhy didnt thc Rclormation lcadcrs, who so highly prizcd thc 8iblc, nd thc Grcat Commission in thc 8iblc: !t took Villiam Carcy, a kid in a povcrtystrickcn backward gulch in rural ngland, to comc up with clcarcycd qucstions as to what thc 8iblc plainly said about Gods conccrn lor all ol thc pcoplcs ol thc carth. Surc, his cldcrs had all thc right thcology but lailcd 8iblc 101 in rcgard to thc main thcmc ol thc 8iblc. Vhy do thc widclyrcspcctcd Vcstminstcr Conlcs sion ol Faith, thc Luthcrans Nonaltcrcd Augsburg Conlcssion, and cvcn thc Niccnc Crccd (to which wc all plcdgc allcgiancc) say nothing whatsocvcr about thc Grcat Commission: !t is a wondcr that missions cvcr camc up at all. !n lcw Christian traditions around thc world is thc call ol missions anything likc a major or cvcn minor conccrn lor thc vast majority ol thcir adhcrcnts. How strangc! Why Mission Mobilizers? Tis strangc situation brings us to thc vcry rcason mission mobilizcrs arc so crucial lor thc advancc ol thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. !t is cvidcnt that thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt has movcd lorward by a dcdicatcd lcw calling thc church to its ccntral mis sion. vcr thc ccnturics thc Church has occasionally cxhibitcd powcrlul passion lor Christs global causc, and thcn, within a lcw ycars, sunk into a scllabsorbcd morass ol disobcdicncc. Congrcgations which havc sct thcir hcart on othcr things nccd a hcart transplant! How would you likc to havc a hcart transplant donc by an untraincd pcrson: Unthinkablc! Transplanting a hcart is too important to lcavc to an untraincd pcrson. 8ut, the task of reach- ing the nations is the most important task which God has assigned to His Church. And this rcquircs transplanting a hcart ol vision and undcrstanding in ordcr to do it right. A mission mobilizcr owcs it to thc church and thc nations to acquirc thc skill and knowlcdgc ncccs sary to hclp do an ccctivc hcart transplant ol vision and undcrstanding. Tis is cqually truc ol thc rolc ol a cld missionary. Tc mobilizcr who stays homc may nccd to lcarn about morc parts ol thc world, but thc missionary nccds dicrcnt tools. Missionary skills arc dicrcnt. Mobilizcrs and missionarics havc two vcry dicrcnt +6 Joix :nv Vovib Cnvis:i~x Movv:vx: kinds ol jobs, both ol thcm csscntialcqually csscn tialto thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt. Many pcoplc unthinkingly cquatc missions with missionarics. 8ut thcrc would bc lcw missionarics unlcss thcrc wcrc also intcnscly committcd and skillcd mobilizcrs. Tc lamous Cambridgc Scvcn staycd homc long cnougha wholc ycarto visit thc univcrsitics ol ngland bclorc thcy wcnt out to China. Vho knows, pcrhaps 500 missionarics wcnt out bccausc ol thcir prccld work as mobilizcrs! C. T. Studds oldcr brothcr ncvcr did go as a missionary. 8ut hc wcnt lrom campus to campus in thc Unitcd Statcs and, among othcr things, pcrsuadcd John R. Mott to go to thc Mt. Hcrmon mccting. Vhat il that had not happcncd: r, what if Mott had decided to be a missionary rather than a mobi- lizer? Probably no two pcoplc in history arc traccably rcsponsiblc lor morc missionarics going to thc cld than Mott and anothcr S\M studcnt, Robcrt . Spccr, who also staycd homc to bc a lulltimc mobilizcr. 8ut wcrc thcy qualicd to do that without cld cxpcri cncc: h, thcy cvcntually travclcd all ovcr thc world. !n lact, thcy gaincd a morc comprchcnsivc vicw ol global nccds than was possiblc lor any onc missionary. Mott could plan and lcad thc 1910 mccting at din burgh in a way no missionary was qualicd to do. 8ut thcy had signcd thc plcdgc to go. Tat mcant that thcy wcrc qualicd to stayil only bccausc thcy wcrc willing to go! Notc, howcvcr, il thcy had not bccn willing to go thcy would not havc bccn spiritually qualicd to stay. Vhy: 8ccausc thosc who arc not willing to stay, il that is Gods will, arc notand cannotbc qualicd to go! Ycs, bcing a mobilizcr is just as much a spiritual calling as bcing a missionary. Altcr all, missions is a causc, not just a carccr. !n thc cnd, as wc shall scc, a mobilizcr nccds to know a wholc lot ol things a missionary docs not usually know. And vicc vcrsa. 8ut, bcwarc! Just as missionarics lacc spccial problcms in thcir crosscultural work, so do mobilizcrs. !n somc ways it is much morc dicult to bc a mobilizcr. Most churchcs will not rcadily support mobilizcrs. r, worsc still, thcy can survivc missionary lcttcrs but it is too much to havc to copc with rcsidcnt, local mobilizcrs, constantly rcminding thcm ol thcir global obligations! Look again at thcsc two dicrcnt typcs ol work within thc Vorld Christian Movcmcnt: the mobilizer and the missionary. Mobilizer and Missionary Vhich onc is lor you: God obviously docs not want cvcryonc ovcrscas. !n thc days ol thc massivc Studcnt \oluntccr Movcmcnt lour out ol vc who voluntccrcd to go to thc cnds ol thc carth cndcd up staying homc. Tats right: 20,000 out ol 100,000 voluntccrs wcrc ablc to makc it to thc cld only because four out of ve were willing to continue to believe and work for the cause of missions back home. Stirring up thc church and kccp ing it cnvisioncd is a much largcr task than thc lront linc work itscll. ! cant bclicvc that God is contcnt with mobilizcrs that arc not thc 8iblc studcnts and praycr warriors mis sionarics havc to bc. ! cant bclicvc that a pcrson docsnt nccd to bc as committcd to thc Lord il hc stays homc to mobilizc. Mobilization, cithcr as a lull or parttimc task, rcquircs intcnsc praycr, vision and commitmcnt. 8y contrast thc missionary task is a rclativcly wcllac ccptcd calling, whilc mobilization is not! All pastors arc mobilizcrs ol many good things and can bc supcrb mission mobilizcrs. Tcy arc ccrtainly worthy ol sup port. Vc think ministcrs ol music and youth workcrs arc worthy ol support. Vhy not mission mobilizcrs: Mobilizing Yourself Morc basic than anything clsc: you cannot bc a mobi lizcr il you arc not yourscll mobilizcd! 8ut how do you bccomc mobilizcd: Feed yourself. Gct to conlcrcnccs, subscribc to pcriodicals, buy thc kcy books, study thc issucs lor yourscll or you will ncvcr bc all God wants you to bc as a mobilizcr. 5 You yourscll must bc caught up in thc drama ol thc global countdown ol thc kingdom ol God. !t is not cnough to bc caught up in local church goals lor ncxt ycar. Support missions yourself. Vhcrc your trcasurc is thcrc will your hcart bc also (Matt 6:21). Use the Global Prayer Digest daily in a lamily sctting. Pray lor spccic missionarics. Nothing that does not occur daily will ever dominate your life. 8cing a Vorld Chris tian is ol littlc valuc, rcally, unlcss you arc a daily Vorld Christian! Tc Global Prayer Digest can changc your lilc morc in onc month than many drivc by cxpcricnccs that gradually ladc away. 4 vcrything grows slowly. How can you kccp growing without daily rcncwal ol vision: Write to missionaries. 8c awarc ol thcir problcms and nccds. Tcy may want you to buy somcthing lor thcm Ralph D. Winter + and bundlc it up and scnd it to thcm. Takc thcm in ovcrnight as thcy pass through your arca. Go on pic nics with thcm and thcir childrcn. cbricl thcm. Sharc with thcm lrom your studics. Comparc notcs lrom onc cld to anothcr. l coursc, dont wait to bcgin mobilizing in your local congrcgation. Also, bc rcady to visit othcr local con grcgations. 8ccomc activc in dcnominational policics and mission stratcgics as wcll as intcrdcnominational mission cvcnts. How about You? And, arc you thinking clcarly about yourscll: You nccd to ask God on your knccs whcrc you t in. Maybc thc placc God has lor you is tcaching a Sunday School class with a rclcntlcssly intcrnational pcrspcctivc. Maybc God wants you to bc onc morc globallymindcd pastorthat kind ol pastor is worth morc than quitc a lcw missionarics. God will likcly ask you to do thc hardcst thing you arc capablc ol! Tc kcy thing is to rcalizc that thc dcvclopmcnt ol your own career must not bc your main conccrn, but rathcr thc dcvclopmcnt ol thc mission cause. The ques- tion of career vs. cause will be an issue in your heart of hearts again and again. Jcsus, today, might havc put it, Scck rst thc Kingdom ol God and your carccr will takc carc ol itscll. Vc havc alrcady said a lot about prcparations, cspccially thosc which can bc pursucd right on thc job. 8ut il you arc willing to prcparc and work, simultancously, lor thc rcst ol your lilc, God may indccd rcward you with a startling carccrbut you will probably not know the details in advance. Somconc has said, God rcscrvcs thc bcst lor thosc who lcavc thc choicc with Him. Anothcr (thc loundcr ol thc Navigators, awson Trotman) said, ont cvcr do somc thing that othcrs can do or will do il thcrc arc things to bc donc that othcrs cant do or wont do. Scc, gctting what wc wantby going altcr itis not in thc cards lor Chris tians. Jcsus turncd it complctcly around thc othcr way: Hc that sccks to savc himscll will losc his lilc, hc that will losc his lilc lor my sakc will nd it (Lukc 9:24). Gods will lor us is not mcrc advice. Vc cant takc it or lcavc it, wc must acccpt it or rcjcct it. His will is His command. Makc no mistakc. God honors thosc who scck His work abovc thcir worrics. nc ol our sta mcmbcrs oncc said, Now ! think ! undcrstand what laith is, it is not thc condcncc that God will do what wc want Him to do for us, but thc conviction that wc can do what Hc wants donc for Him and lct Him takc carc ol thc conscqucnccs. !s your problcm that you cant scc vcry lar into thc lu turc: As Trotman said, !l you cant scc vcry lar ahcad, go ahcad as lar as you can scc. Lots ol pcoplc would bc glad to lollow God il Hc would only tcll thcm in advancc cxactly all thc wondcr lul things Hc would do lor thcm and what highsound ing job titlcs thcy might onc day hold. 8ut, rcmcmbcr Gcncsis 12:1: It is characteristic of the Christian life that God asks us to go without telling us where! Tis is not to bc considcrcd unlair or capricious on His part. Tc lact is that whcn wc walk in thc littlc light wc havc, and kccp going on and on taking stcps in laith, thc ways in which Hc lcads us arc almost always, as wc look back, somc thing wc could havc ncvcr bccn told in advancc! Untold marvcls lic beyond cach stcp ol laith. You dont rcally havc to know what is bcyond thc ncxt stcp, and you cant nd out without taking thc ncxt stcp. Again, it is charactcristic ol thc Christian lilc that wc do not know vcry lar in advancc. !n lact, il you think youvc got thc ncxt lcw ycars lincd up you may wcll bc mis takcn, or you may still bc trying to makc your plans lor God to blcss. Vouldnt His will incvitably locus on your doing your utmost lor His highcst: !t is not a qucstion ol how much ol our own dcsircs wc can gct away with. Somc young pcoplc makc thc nal, dramatic dccision to bc a missionary and immcdiatcly bcgin thinking whcrc thc climatc would bc niccst. You cant bc any kind ol a solid Christian il you arc unwilling to do anything Hc asks. Vhat docs hc ask: Nothing morc than all wc arc and posscss. Tats all. Hc docsnt ask us to do thc casi cst job wc can think ol but thc hardcst wc arc ablc to handlc. Hc docs not ask us to do what wc cannot do, although Hc oltcn cnablcs us to do what wc could not do without His spccial gracc. Hc is not a tyrant who docsnt carc about our wcllarc in thc task. !t is amaz ingly truc that whcn wc arc willing to do thc most dicult thing, wc nd that wc arc bcttcr o bccausc ol it. h, surc, missionarics havc thcir sharc ol discasc and pain, but somc ol thc most discascd and paincd arc pcoplc who staycd homc in ordcr to avoid all that! Jcsus said, Arc you burdcncd and wcary: Takc my yokc upon you and lcarn ol mc, you will nd mc gcntlc +8 Joix :nv Vovib Cnvis:i~x Movv:vx: and kindly, and you will nd rcst lor your souls. My yokc ts pcrlcctly and my burdcn is light. Jcsus Him scll cndurcd thc cross and ignorcd thc shamc lor thc joy that was sct bclorc Him. 8ut wc somctimcs sccm morc gcarcd to do our ut most than wc arc to scck out paticntly, dclibcratcly, and painstakingly that rolc which will makc thc maximum contribution to His highcstthc coming ol His kingdom and powcr and glory to all thc pcoplcs ol thc carth. Again, bcwarc ol how casy it is to makc that dil cult choicc to livc lor Him rathcr than lor oursclvcs, throwing away our sccular aspirations, and thcn turning aggrcssivcly to try to nd out thc most plcasing assign mcnt within thc ncw arcna ol lilc. !t is not to plcasc oursclvcs that wc givc our livcs to Christ. Yct, wc may nd that His will involvcs grcatcr plcasurc and lulll mcnt than anything wc oursclvcs could havc choscn! A lamous missionary wrotc back to lcllow studcnts and plcd with thcm: Givc up your small ambitions and comc ast to proclaim thc glorious gospcl ol Christ. For mc to givc My utmost lor His highcst is no guarantcc ol hcalth, wcalth, or happincsswhich, incidcntally, is truc ol any choicc onc can makcbut that kind ol crucial choicc is, in thc cxpcricncc ol thousands who havc tricd it, thc most cxhilarating and dcmanding path ol all callings. You dont losc il you go with God. 8ut you havc to bc willing to losc or you cant stick closc to God. Endnotes 1. Tc World Christian Foundations program allows you to achicvc a lully accrcditcd M.A. or 8.A. dcgrcc whilc you continuc in work or ministry anywhcrc in thc world. !nstruction is ccntcrcd on wcckly mcntoring scssions which allow both work and study. For morc inlormation visit worldchristianloundations.org. 2. Tc !FMA (now CrossGlobal Link) and thc FMA (now Tc Mission xchangc) arc cach compriscd ol about 100 mission agcncics. Tc !FMA has Canadian mcmbcrs as contrastcd to thc FMA, which rcprcscnts only thc National Association ol vangclicals ol thc USA. Tc largcst mission agcncy not aliatcd with cithcr thc !FMA or thc FMA is thc Vyc lic 8iblc Translators. Anothcr largc mission not in cithcr thc !FMA or thc FMA is 8aptist MidMissions, which is thc main group within a smallcr associationthc Fcllow ship ol Missions (FM). Morc rcccntly A!MS (Association ol !ntcrnational Missions/Scrviccs) has ariscn within thc gcncral sphcrc ol thc charismatic tradition. Tc Association ol Prolcssors ol Mission (APM) consists ol scminary and collcgc prolcssors. Tc Amcrican Socicty ol Missiology was loundcd lrom its bcginning to intcntionally includc anyonc scriously intcrcstcd in missiology without rcgard to his/hcr dcnominational oricntation. Tc ASM publishcs thc journal Missiology, An International Review. Vhcn you join thc socicty you arc automatically a subscribcr to thc journal. Tc vangclical Missiological Socicty (MS) cvolvcd lrom thc Association ol vangclical Prolcssors ol Missions in ordcr to wclcomc into its mcmbcrship mission cxccutivcs as wcll as prolcssors lrom clds othcr than missions. !t has a ncwslcttcr but no journal, instcad it givcs mcmbcrs a lrcc book (or two) pcr ycar lrom its ncw MS monograph scrics. 3. Tc !ntcrnational Socicty lor Fronticr Missiology (!SFM) has choscn to locus upon thc rcmaining task in thc world today still rcquiring thc carlicr typc ol pionccr worklor cxamplc, thc initialbrcakthrough typc ol mission activity. !ts annual ducs includc a subscription to thc International Journal of Frontier Missions. For morc inlormation about thc journal, visit ilm.org. 4. For subscription inlormation, visit www. globalpraycrdigcst.org. 5. For rcsourccs and cncouragcmcnt in mobilizing, visit www. pcrspcctivcs.org and watch lor luturc updatcs.