IDEAS THAT WORK
Getting adults excited about missions
Paul Borthwick
July 1, 1986
GETTING ADULTS EXCITED ABOUT MISSIONS
After the commissioning service for our summer mission youth teams, an elder was asking about the group bound for Kenya. "Is that the capital of Africa?" He was completely serious, so I gently tried to explain that Nairobi was the capital of Kenya, but that Africa, being a continent and not a country, had no capital. He retreated, a little embarrassed. The incident got me thinking about our church's vision for, and understanding of, world missions. We were doing a satisfactory job educating our young people; our adults needed some schooling as well. Formulating our rationale
That summer we began planning mission trips for adults. I knew the first question people would ask: "Why should we do this?" Based on my experience, both personal and with our youth teams, I generated three reasons: 1. The church benefits. Giving, prayer, and a sense of partnership with missionaries had already increased in our youth groups. I knew the same harvest of benefits would be reaped by the church at large if adults got involved in missions firsthand. 2. Our missionaries benefit. Missionaries in a rather remote outpost once welcomed our youth team with these words: "In our thirty years of missionary service, you are the first people from a supporting church that have visited us on the field." Personal visits from a supporting church greatly encourage foreign missionaries who sometimes wonder, Does anyone know I'm here? 3. The pastor or other team leader benefits. When our minister of Christian education visited Haiti, he brought back mental pictures and personal experiences that affected not only his own life but the entire missions vision of the Christian education department. Getting there
First, we needed a place ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 18,013 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
