July 01, 1985 by Ralph D. Winter

Training for Relief & Development A Task for Christian Higher Education?

Dr. Teisunao 'Ted' Yamamori, president of Food for the Hungry International (FH1) recently announced a consultation to discuss the relation of evangelical relief and development agencies to institutions of Christian higher education.

To be held on the campus of Warner Southern College (Church of God, Anderson) in Lakevilte, Florida, October 3rd and 4th, the consultation will include leaders from evangelical colleges, universities, Bible colleges and seminaries, as well as representatives from evangelical relief and development agencies. Participation will be by invitation only.

The idea for the meeting arose from a question Yamaniori raised during a speech he delivered at the National Association of Evangelicals' annual convention held in Los Angeles this past April.

Evangelical relief and development organizations are having problems finding qualified personnel, said Yamamori. 'We're wondering where we can go, what we can do to find good, adequately prepared personnel.

Right now, it seems we have to go to seminaries and Bible colleges to find people with the theological qualifications of missionaries, but we have to go to secular schools to find people with the professional skills of relief and development specialists, 'If we are to be effective, if we are to fulfill our biblical mandate, we need people with both sets of qualifications"

Yamaniori is serving as general chairman of the consultation, and Dr. Ted Ward, dean of the International Studies Department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Jerry Ballard, executive director of the NAE's World Relief organization, and Dr. Leroy Futton, president of Warner Southern College round out the program committee.

Ward will set the agenda for the meeting in a keynote address to be delivered the first morning.Ballard plans to communicate the results of a survey he is doing concerning the educational backgrounds of career and volunteer staff members of evangelical relief and development agencies.

But besides these two prepared presentations, 'we're looking for a lot of intense dialog," says Yarnamori, "We're looking for discussion, interaction, a give and take. We want to identify issues, possible solutions, questions that need to be addressed, items that need further work.

"We're not going in with the attitude that we know the answers. We don't That's the reason for the question mark in the title. Is training for relief and development a task for Christian higher education? We don't know. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We know something needs to be done. We want to find out who should do it, who can do it, who is willing to do it.

'Maybe it has to be the relief and development agencies themselves who train their personnel. Maybe we need a model like that which Ralph Winter is pursuing with William Carey International University six months in the classroom, six months on the field. Maybe the model we (Food for the Hungry) are pursuing with Warner Southern College is the answer. Maybe all of them are answers."

Besides trying to answer the question of whether or not, to what extent, and how Christian educational institutions can be or ought to be involved in preparing relief and development workers for ministry to the whole man, Yamamori is hopeful the consultation will bring to light training programs and opportunities currently overlooked or unknown to relief and development agencies.

Above all, he is hoping the meeting will catalyze closer working relations between the two types of institutions.

"When all is said and done, we hope that the two groups' the leaders in higher education and the relief and development agencies  wilt have a greater sense of appreciation for one another, and a better understanding of how they can work together in years to come."

How Do You Witness in a Restricted Access ('Closed') Country?

Teaching Handicrafts

A girl went into a "closed 'country and established a time every afternoon when children could come to her home to do handicrafts.

Within six months, she had a stream of 30 to 40 children coming through every da)

She doesn't use a Vacation Bible School strategy. She doesn't use flannelgraphs and slide shows. But she takes opportunities when questions come up to bring out the Scriptures and the presence of Christ in her life.

The Birth of a Baby

One couple had a celebration for the birth of their daughter based upon the local customs of the people to whom they wanted to witness.

They invited about 25 of their neighbors for the party.

Because of possible negative spiritual implications, they refused to hire a group of professional musicians. So the guests created their own music except the women played white the men danced. Normally it would have been the other way around, it became a hilarious spectacle.

Meanwhile, the hosts had invited a national Christian to attend the party He began to talk with another guest about Christianity.

Soon a whole group of men were gathered 'round. During the course of the conversation, the Gospel was clearly shared.

But as far as the guests were concerned no proselytizing had occurred, the action had been brought to them. It was appropriate to their culture  an "inside job."

Celebrating Chris

A single woman had the opportunity to live in the household of a Muslim leader  a man who trained teachers in the mosque.

This Muslim noticed That the Christian was a devout person. When his family said their prayers, she said hers. She lived out the word among them.

He began to ask questions, and one day commented, "I don't see any problem with being a follower of isa (Jesus) and remaining a Muslim."

She said nothing, allowing the Holy Spirit to draw him on.

"Well, what about Christmas?" he asked, "What is Christmas?"

"That's the celebration of God coming down to earth," she said, and explained to him the Gospel message.

"We ought to celebrate Christmas!" he exclaimed.

So in that Muslim town, they went out and got a lamb, fattened I up for two weeks, slaughtered it. invited all the neighbors, and, for about five days, celebrated the birth of Christ!

As in the situation mentioned above, a national believer was tnvited to the celebration. He was able to share his faith with others of his own people, and his witness was brought to them in a non threatening manner.

Never Say Can't: Some Answers for Pessimists

Can't get there? In the 18th and 19th centuries, world travel was terribly dangerous. Twenty percent of those who set out from England didn't even make it to America, 'Getting there" is no problem today.

Can't get in? Curiously, in days gone by, "Christian" white men were often the biggest obstacles to entry into a foreign country. In the Congo, for in stance, European rubber plantation owners fought bitterly to keep the prying eyes of missionaries from seeing the way they treated their African workers. The British East India Company barred missionaries from India for decades, The Chinese government, of course, kept missionaries out for centuries. But today there is virtually no country in the world that is sealed to outsiders.

Can't survive? It wasn't so long ago that 33 out of 35 missionaries who went to West Africa under the Methodist board of world mission died within two years of arrival. Can you imagine getting on an airplane if 33 out of 35 crashed on takeoff?! Today, survival is hardly an issue.

Can't witness? Nothing outside a Christian can force him to stop witnessing for his Lord. The little known fact is, thousands of "traditional missionaries" are witnessing right now in so¬called "closed" countries, It's merely the case that, rather than jeopardizing such ministries, the agencies who send these missionaries must refrain from talking about them.

Fill and WCIU Linkage?

Discussions are currently under way between the leadership of Food for the Hungry and William Carey International University's Graduate Studies Program concerning possible cooperation in training experiences.

Said a spokesman for the University:

"If our hopes are realized, student interns will be able to earn graduate credit on the field while working for Food for the Hungry.

Following two years of field experience, Hunger Corps volunteers will be able to return to the United States with a great deal of progress already made, and sufficient funds in hand to complete a graduate degree program in International Development.

Introducing a New Slide Show To Reach All Peoples

A new production has just been completed by Frontier Media  To Reach All Peoples. This show will replace Cause for Rejoicing and will enable founders of the U.S. Center for World Mission to trigger awareness and compassion for the Hidden Peoples in the hearts of their friends.

It includes an updated glimpse of mission break  throughs around the world as well as testimonies from U.S. churches striving to help complete the task. The Centers role in this mission renewal is briefly highlighted and viewers arechallenged to become founders and receive matenals from the Center to boost their awareness of Frontier Missions, Available in slides with cassette or video Rental $ 12 00 Purchase $35.00 FREE use in "floor of Vision."

Over the years we have recognized the existence of many highly committed people in local churches who are just as dedicated to the cause of missions and the final frontiers as any missionary on the front lines. God has given these people a special burden and fascination with the ends of the earth and the end of history. Even church historians recognize the existence of such people and refer to them as 'Mission Friends.'

But there has never been an efficient and respectable way for these special "Friends" to be integrated into the mainstream of missionary personnel.

We feel it is high time for mission agencies  the USCWM as well as others to enlist these people into "fellowship and teamwork" on the local level, and to do so with the same formality and seriousness with which we induct the members of the full time professional missionary force.

Immediately, however, we must take into account the fact that many of these "Friends" have highly developed skills that took many years to develop, they are making good salaries, and they are making significant contributions in their respective professions.

We are not convinced that just because people are committed to "missions" they must leave their jobs and go to the front lines "overseas." Why should consecration to the mission cause require a person to be transplanted elsewhere?

Indeed, for "older" people especially, the most crucial mission contribution might well be a combination of a good hunk of the money they make plus the outworking of mission vision on the local level at home. At this moment of history, the biggest hold up in missions is not candidates or mission agencies, but the lack of funds and passion on the local level "back home," The home front needs people of high mission commitment, You may be just such a person. But many people in that category find that, to be most effective, they need to make some sort of special decision and become definitely involved as members of a committed team in the cause of missions. They sense that they would benefit from fellowship with others who have made the same commitment. They realize their effectiveness on the local level would be increased dramatically if they could work together with likeminded people on programs and activities that are larger than they dan create by themselves, The USC WM Mission Associate Plan, a pilot program other agencies can follow, is designed to induct people into just such a role. Participants are in some ways like missionaries on home assignment. In Pasadena we already have over 100 staff members who enjoy both fellowship and team efforts together. We need, and the cause needs, similar people in cities all across America (as well as more in Pasadena!). The Center is now prepared to accept on staff highly committed people who live anywhere in the country, and to set up field chapters in which their part time or full time work will be supervised. Thus:

It is possible to become a mission associate whether or not you can come to work in Pasadena, (There will be a brief orientation program in Pasadena, but it will not conflict with your secular work.)

It is possible to become a mission associate whether or not you can "raise support" from churches and/or other believers.

It is possible to become a mission associate whether or not you continue to work at your secular job. Your status as regular or associate staff is based upon where your support comes from, and also, indirectly, upon the degree to which you are answerable to a bonafide mission agency  the Center or some other agency. It is not based on where you live, where you work, nor, primarily, on what type of work you do. Regular staff members are supported by gifts designated for a ministry to someone other than the donor. They are supervised by a mission agency. Such personnel are clearly 'missionary staff." By contrast, associate staff members are supported by funds that come to them from the people they are serving, that is, from their employers. Their support is in the form of wages. Yet some of their spare time is directed by a mission agency in service to the mission cause. Things common to both types of staff are:

Both partners in a marriage must be on staff at the same time. (A person can be "affiliated" on a chapter level without his or her spouse being involved, but married staff members, whether regular or associate, must participate with their spouses and not as individuals.)

Both husband and wife are "under assignment" as part of a larger reameffort sponsored by the mission agency with which they are affiliated. This is true whether or not the husband or wife is employed in secular work, or whether or not the wife has small children to take care of. The nature of the assignment and the weight of the assignment, in each case, varies according to what is reasonable and feasible in the situation,

The financial arrangements are the same. The amount of money one receives to take care of his dependents or to spend on housing is adjusted according to family and ministry needs, and subject to further change in light of any special circumstances, but all staff whether regular or associate are paid according to the same salary scale.

Associate staff members who earn a salary in a secular job have their salary assigned to the mission agency with which they are affiliated (in our case, to the (JSC'Wlvl). If an associate is able to arrange with his employer to assign his salary to the agency with which he is affiliated, it reduces taxable income. You pay tax only on your actual ("missionary") salary, not on the amount of money earned in the work you are doing.

But while the money you earn beyond the amount paid back to you is not yours, it is the agency's to which you have given it (i.e., here, it belongs to the USCWM), it remains available for your use and/or determination, It is the undeviating policy of the USCWM to defer to your wishes concerning how the money ought to be used, since you are the person who earned it. Of course, minimally it is expected that these "over and above" funds will be dedicated to frontier mission efforts. If for any reason you want them back for some other purpose, they will certainly be returned, but in such a case you no longer retain the associate status. You drop back to an "affiliate" relationship, and, of course, if not previously taxed, you must pay tax on such returned funds.

In general, then, missionary associate status involves the same financial perquisites as those of regular missionaries.

Questions & Answers

Q: What if a person is willing to be 'assigned' as part of a team but has not quite figured out bow or whether to live on a lower level of consumption?

A: He/she/they can happily "affiliate" with a local chapter. Right now this category would not be classified as a missionary associate by the USCWM.

Q: What about the opposite? Suppose a person is quite willing to live on less, and in this way identify with the missionary tradition which always (ties to 'make money go further," but really cannot see himself involved on the parttime 'assignment" level.

A: Again, local affiliation would be fine, but this is not the missionary associate category. The Caleb Project has a 'Sender' category which fits this description.

In general, mission agencies are operated by and for people who both conserve money and give time. Such extremely high dedication, however, allows extreme leniency. We are not talking about a straitjacket. Totally inflexible rules are almost non existent in the mission world.

We assume that, like becoming a regular missionary, a mission associate lifestyle is not something that can be entered into without much prayer and a strong sense of leading. On the other hand it is fairly easy to 'try out" the missionary lifestyle as an associate since it does not involve uprooting oneself from one's current social matrix.

Indeed it is not only possible but necessary for there to be the usual candidating period during which both parties the prospective associate(s) and the mission administrators seek diligently the clear will of the Lord in this bold and adventurous step.

It is possible that associate status may lead to regular missionary status. The reverse is also possible. We need to break do some of the artificial distinctions that exist in this area.

Sponsor the Hour of Visionin your home.

You're excited. You know about God's missionary plan for the world. You share His heart which yearns to reach all peoples. And you want to give your vision to the Christians in your community. But how?

The U.S. Center for World Mission is proud to introduce the Hour of Vision.The Hour of Vision is a program designed to spread missions vision  through people like you, right in your own home. All you have to do is invite family, friends and other interested Christians to your home for one hour some evening or weekend. The media presentation will do the rest. Their faith will be challenged. Your faith will be stretched as you discover how God can use you to introduce a new world of hope to others.

Each Hour of Vision kit contains a copy of our most exciting media presentation to date To Reach All Peoples. Your guests will hear testimonies about how God has been moving dynamically around the world. They will learn about the 17,000 Unreached Peoples and why we can reach them. Missionary/author Don Richardson will help uncover the missionary thread which stretches from Genesis to Revelation. Dr. Ralph Winter will ignite hope in seeing the missionary task completed by the year 2000. The main message of the presentation is hope. And guests will be given an opportunity to share in this hope by becoming onetime $15.00 founders of the U.S. Center for World Mission. (Kit includes all necessary materials for the Hour of Vision incuding media presentation, brochures, envelope etc.)

People like you can spread the hope of seeing the missionary task completed in this generation. We can start a mission renewal movement in the local church  where it really counts.

Send for the free Hour of Vision kit today.

Hour of Vision U.S. Center for World Mission 1605 Elizabeth St. Pasadena, CA 91104

(Be sure to specify number of guests you expect and media format desired   slide show, Beta, or VhS)