Joshua Project 2000 Step 7: Finding Your Role
Joshua Project 2000 May Change Your Life Ten years ago my college Christian fellowship attended a presentation on frontier missions by Caleb Resources. At the end of the presentation, I filled out a response card saying that I wanted to be a missionary and would do everything I could to go overseas.
Filling out that card changed my life. I began reading Mission Frontiers and eventually took the Perspectives Class. My focus became the 10/40 Window. After college I became a youth pastor in a church in Montana. I had a nice paying job in ministry, but I wanted to see the 10/40 Window personally and go and see if the needs there were really as great as people like Luis Bush were saying. I resigned from my job and moved to a 10/40 Window country. That was one of the best decisions I have made in my life!
The frontier mission field is filled with adventures and experiences you will cherish your entire life. I experienced an incredible amount of love from the people I met in the 10/40 Window. I love the food, music, literature and especially the people. Do I want to destroy their culture? NO! I love the cultures in the 10/40 Window, and I want to see churches planted that will help the cultures to survive and combat sinful ways that are quickly ruining cultures around the world.
I probably would not have moved to the 10/40 Window if it had not been for that response card. Because of that card, I was occasionally sent information about opportunities to serve in the 10/40 Window. Eventually I took a step of faith and decided to become a missionary. Since then I have had the most rewarding ten years of my life working in or mobilizing missionaries to work in the 10/40 Window. Don't miss out on your opportunity to be involved in this unprecedented Joshua Project 2000. Take the time now and fill out the response form in the center tear-out section of this Mission Frontiers. It may change your life.
As You Fill out the Response Form, Think About the Next Five Years of Your Life
What will you be doing five years from now when we celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ? A year ago I wrote out a five-year plan for my life. Doing that exercise led me to come and work in the International Office of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement. I wanted to serve the missionary movement from Asia, Africa and Latin America. I observed such potential in this unified thrust for world evangelism by the year 2000. I felt if I did not get involved, in the year 2001 I would feel like I had missed a window of opportunity to help make sure the greatest potential of this five-year effort was reached.
Consider Working in the Joshua Project 2000 Office The international office of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement in Colorado Springs has only eight people serving a movement of thousands of workers in almost every country of the world. We need help. We need a few workers gifted in administration to assist current staff. We need someone to enter data into our database. We need someone to supervise our mailings to AD2000 leaders around the world. Our full-time staff must raise their own support. We also need some part-time volunteers. If you are interested in joining our team for this five-year Joshua Project 2000, then mail or fax your resume to: AD2000 & Beyond 2860 S. Circle Dr., Suite 2112 Colorado Springs, CO 80906, USA Fax: (719) 576-2685
Do Your Homework Mission Frontiers faithfully tells you about opportunities for further study about frontier missions. Take advantage of these opportunities.
What I have wished for these many years is a listing of people groups most needing of missionaries. You now have that list as part of this edition of Mission Frontiers. You can order additional copies of this edition of Mission Frontiers to spread the vision of Joshua Project 2000. Send your request to Records Office, USCWM, 1605 Elizabeth, Pasadena, CA 91104, USA. (Additional copies are free, but donations are appreciated. Make checks payable to Mission Frontiers.) The list of Joshua Project 2000 peoples in this Mission Frontiers is just a small portion of the data available on these peoples. In the box below, instructions are given as to how you can access information about these peoples.
Pray for the Steps of Joshua Project 2000
Step 1 - Identifying The Peoples Where Church Planting Is Most Needed • Pray for the researchers who are sacrificially working day and night on updating this list for publication each April. • Pray that other researchers would join this cooperative effort so that we all can work from the same source. • Pray that this information would not be used in a way to expose missionaries in restricted countries to danger. • Pray for ways God might use you as a people group researcher.
Step 2 - Cooperating with Church Leaders from Around the World • Pray for the missions movement in Latin America, Africa and Asia. • Pray for the safety of these missionaries as they are living in some very difficult situations. • Pray that these missionaries would have entry to countries where Westerners are currently forbidden. • Pray that God would give you an opportunity to assist a missionary from these areas.
Step 3 - Researching on-site and Preparing the Way for Church Planting • Pray that the Joshua Project 2000 workers would be able to locate and consolidate people research already done so that efforts are not duplicated. • Pray that God would raise up research teams that are needed. • Pray about joining a research team to go to one of these peoples. • Pray for the safety of research teams. • Pray that the evangelism efforts near and amongst these peoples would lead to the planting of an indigenous church. • Pray about your church adopting a people group.
Step 4 - Producing People Profiles and Facilitating Church Adoptions • Pray that the research done could lead to profiles that are produced for each of these peoples. • Pray that profiles produced could be distributed far and wide so that the necessary workers can be mobilized. • Pray that churches would adopt all of the peoples for prayer.
Step 5 - Praying for the Least- Evangelized Peoples • Pray that prayer teams would be raised up for the Praying Through the Window III in October of 1997 that will visit these peoples and prepare the way for church planting. • Pray that millions of people around the world will join this prayer movement. • Pray regularly for the peoples on the Joshua Project 2000 list and consider starting a Joshua Project 2000 prayer group.
Step 6 - Planting Churches in Each of These Peoples • Pray that 1,700 new long-term church-planting teams would be raised up from around the world. • Pray that the teams would be deployed to peoples without a team so that efforts are not duplicated. • Pray that these church planters would receive the training in Bible and cultural understanding that is needed. • Pray that the goal of "a church for every people and the Gospel for every person by the year 2000" will be realized. Ask God if perhaps you are to make a vocation change and commit yourself to a church-planting team that will stay with the people until they have their own self-supporting and reproducing church.
Step 7 - Finding Your Role • Pray and fast about what your part might be in Joshua Project 2000 and then return the center section response form. • Pray about how you might help financially. • Pray that God would give you opportunities to share about Joshua Project 2000 with others.
As you pray and study this edition of Mission Frontiers, remember that we are praying for you as we ask God for more workers. "Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV)
Resources Available from the AD2000 and Beyond Movement Phone (719) 576-2000 Fax (719) 576-2685 Address: 2860 S. Circle Dr., Suite 2112, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 USA Postage additional. You will be billed for orders. Minimum order: $5.
Video "The Unfinished Task: It Can Be Done" - an 18-minute overview of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement and what happened at the Global Consultation on World Evangelization (GCOWE '95) held in Seoul, Korea in May 1995. Available in English, Spanish or Korean language. Also available in PAL format (English only). Cost $7.50 each.
Audio Cassette Tapes
"GCOWE '95 Plenary Speeches" - set of 13 cassette tapes (26 hours) of international mission leaders GCOWE '95. Cost $35.00 per set.
"Songs for the Nations" - 12 inspirational songs professionally recorded for GCOWE '95. Cost $5.00 each.
Booklets
"The 10/40 Window: Getting to the Core of the Core" - eight pages by Luis Bush (International Director, AD2000 and Beyond Movement) introducing his concept of the 10/40 Window and outlining the needs of this strategic area of the world. Cost $.50 each.
"The Unfinished Task: It Can Be Done by AD 2000" - eight pages by Luis Bush (international director, AD2000 and Beyond Movement) showing statistically and graphically that the goal of "a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000" can be done. Cost $.50 each.
"AD2000 and Beyond Movement Handbook" - 75 pages detailing the specific plans and organization of the movement. Available in English and Spanish. Cost $2.00 each.
"GCOWE '95 Participants' Book" - 150 pages of information and text from main speakers at GCOWE '95. Available in English and Spanish. Cost $5.00 each.
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