With the line of the mission and vision of both International Missions and Strategic Missions Group, the year 2023 has been good time for missions. It is amazing when you listen how this year ends when missionaries are traveling twice within two last months( November-December 2023) in Africa( Kenya and Zambia). After ministering In Zambia and Kenya in November 2023, Respectively Dr. Joshua Baker and Dr. Celestin Ngirabakunzi are attending a Revival Conference in Busia Kenya by the invitation of Apostle Dr. Peter Itapala Ochieng
It has been difficult for longtime to send missionaries in 21 century especially in Africa where churches seem to be not putting efforts in this part of ministry. It is the time for the church to support missions” said Dr. Celestin.
WHAT IS MISSIONS
There is great deal of misunderstanding and confusion related to ” Missions”. Several Basic Concepts need to be clearly stated:
1. The word ” Missions” is not in the Bible, but the concept is in Acts of Apostles 13:1-4.
2. The “Mission” of the Church is to glorify God by bringing people to God and building them up in Christ. Col. 1:24-29.
3. Missions is part of the “mission”(goal or purpose 0 of the Church which sends specifically-selected and spiritually mature Christians to lost people:
– to evangelize and disciple and
– to establish local churches
to save people :
– To encourage and strengthen existing churches
– To equip and train local pastors and church leaders for the work of ministry.
The word “Missions” comes from Latin word which means “to send’. Therefore MISSIONS refers to:
1. The Process of sending people out
2. The people sent( eg. Missionaries) and
3. The program of ministry performed by the “sent ones”.
15 Reasons The Church Has Failed in Missions:
1. By being disobedient to the Great Commission and disregarding prayer and the ministry of the Word;
2. By concentrating on evangelism to the neglect of discipleship( eg; making converts not disciples).
3. By too small apart of the Church being in missions by praying, giving or going.
4. By focusing on social/physical needs and neglecting spiritual needs(sin)
5. By meeting spiritual need while ignoring social/physical needs.
6. By failing to identify with, respect, and relate well to the culture of the people evangelized.
7. By the missionaries doing all the work of ministry and not involving and equipping the Nationals.( When the missionaries leave the work usually stops0.
8. By Concentrating on buildings, facilities and equipment instead of relationships, building up the people and training the leadership in power of Holy Spirit.
9. By forgetting that Missions Missions is God’s business in which he has allowed the church to be involved.
10. By not translating the Bible into native languages.
11. By emphasizing numerical growth instead of spiritual growth.
12. By luck of adequate financial funding by the Church.
13. By refusal to modify traditional missionary methodology
14. By Contextualizing the message instead of communication
15. By neglecting to share the true Gospel and teach obedience to all of the Word of God.
The result has been
Too few missionaries ministering the gospel to too few people in too few places.
This fact, coupled with the failure to make disciples who could reproduce themselves, has doomed missions to its present day conditions.
