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A Missions Movement in an unlikely place
The man was quiet and unassuming. His most remarkable feature was his utter unremarkability. While other church leaders at this training session were more vocal, charismatic, or witty, there was something about this one man which spoke volumes to depth of fervency.
His church is seven years old, among a people group where there have been Christians for only 15 years. Only the New Testament is available in their language, and there is not one Christian training program among the entire people group (nearly 10,000,000 in several nations). Unemployment is almost 50 percent in his country, and the mean income is under $1,000 annually. There is persecution from both other religious groups and from the government, independently of each other. It is considered one of the five most repressive regimes in the world toward Christians. Believers constitute less than .05 percent of the population.
This sounds pretty bleak. Yet as he spoke, there was a fire in this man’s eyes and a calm, steely nerve in his voice. When he spoke, people listened.
His church today has just over 50 members, making it one of the largest in this people group. They have sent out members to plant another four churches in other regions of their country. Additionally, they have sent two of their own as missionaries to other countries. All this in spite of tremendous obstacles.
How could they do this? It is happening because missions was part of the DNA of the church from its birth. When something is part of your DNA, it will happen. It’s only a matter of time - no matter what the obstacles. Their DNA is to be a Great Commission church based on Mt. 28:18-20.
This is an example of emerging missions movements among nations across the globe that are changing the face of mission work today– believers rising up to spread the gospel not only among their own, but in other cultures.