Introduction: The success of missions can be measured by the degree to which nationals on any field are themselves fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. Different mission fields are at different levels of progression toward this goal. Missionaries serving with GFA Missions are involved in a number of different activities to bring nationals on their fields to the place of complete indigenization. In order for this goal to be accomplished, certain activity must be characteristic of the missionary endeavor.

  I. Adaptation (I Corinthians 9:19-23)

A. Purpose: The longevity and effectiveness of a missionary depend largely on his ability to acclimate to new surroundings. To the greatest extent possible, the entire family must become like the people to whom they are ministering. They must lay aside their own culture, traditions, food, and lifestyle and adopt the ways of the nationals without compromise of spiritual principles. Successful missionaries will love and enjoy those to whom they minister.

B. Plan: Several specific areas of acclimation should be pursued by every missionary and his family. 

1. Attitude: In following our Lord's example, every missionary must begin with the Scriptural admonition of servanthood. Each is to minister, not to be ministered unto. Success for the missionary can be measured by the ways in which he is the servant of those whom the Lord would have him influence. His reputation of being a servant must be his utmost goal!

2. Knowledge: Each new missionary should obtain a thorough knowledge of the region's history, government, economy, religions, health conditions, and manner of living before he arrives on the field. Upon arrival he should immediately begin to appropriate understanding about each of these areas and continue to do so during his entire tenure.

3. Language: The missionary must know the local idiom. Highest priority should be given to a complete and thorough course of study to learn the local language or dialect. Sufficient time should be afforded to the missionary for this purpose before committing himself to a public ministry.

4. Culture: While language enables the missionary to communicate his thoughts, an understanding of the culture enables him to communicate his heart. Missionaries should adopt the position of a learner with regard to local customs and beliefs. The entire family should strive to accommodate themselves to their new surroundings and develop a favorable attitude toward the place of God's calling. Care must be taken to insure that no member of the family becomes isolated from the native culture. However, since culture is the habitual behavior of man, there are always elements in it that are sinful. Therefore, the missionary must always keep the Bible as his guide and means for evaluating each custom. He must beware of adopting unscriptural customs in order to please the people.

5. Coworkers: Missionaries who are new to a field should be submissive to the experience and understanding gained by veteran missionaries on that field. They should also develop an attitude of meekness toward any nationals with whom they may be ministering.

6. Nationals: A primary factor in a missionary's success in reaching his target people will be his attitude toward them. Each must endeavor to gain their respect and confidence. Nationals must never suspect that the missionaries believe themselves to be superior. 

  II. Evangelism (II Corinthians 2:12)

A. Purpose: The reason that missionaries go to other countries is to reach lost people with the message of the Gospel. While this does not provide the sole motivation for missionary activity, it is evident that if a missionary is not proclaiming the Gospel, he is not fulfilling the Great Commission.

B. Plan: 

1. Understanding: The first step for evangelizing someone is to understand his mindset regarding God and salvation. Missionaries should study the religions of the people they serve. They should acquire a thorough knowledge of colloquial superstitions and cultural norms that will affect the national's response to the Gospel. The missionary should remember that the nationals filter what they hear through the grid of their past experience; therefore, missionaries must make sure that the terms they use are understood in the sense they intend.

2. Materials: Literature such as tracts, books, and study guides should be used by the missionary to assist in the ministry of evangelism. In many languages, printed materials of suitable quality already exist; in other cases such printed matter must be created by the missionary. Other forms of materials, such as recorded stories or Bible messages, Internet pages, Gospel films, or radio broadcasts, may be useful on some fields.

3. Means: Methods for evangelizing may differ based on the culture and conditions within a country, but the principal aim of the missionary is to lead people to Christ. On most fields the means used to reach lost people are very familiar. Visiting door-to-door, preaching in public places, distributing tracts, showing films, and holding special church services are all examples of evangelistic efforts. On some fields missionaries use medical clinics, religious education classes in public schools, and teaching English as ways to get the Good News to the unsaved. The missionary must prayerfully select those means that he believes will be most effective in communicating the Gospel clearly. It is possible to compromise the message of the Gospel through faulty methodology. Any GFA missionary who uses worldly methods to evangelize will not be retained.

 III. Nurturing (II Peter 1:1-11)

A. Purpose: The process by which a believer learns the basics of his spiritual life and faith is called discipleship. Christ's great command to His followers was to bring sinners, not to repentance only, but also to a complete conversion from their former life. The missionary has the responsibility to bring people to Christ and then to help them to become like Christ. As he invests his life in teaching them the ways and Word of the Lord, he becomes a mentor who enables the disciples to themselves become witnesses and teachers of Christ and His kingdom.

B. Plan: 

1. Edification: A personal relationship with each believer on the field should be fostered so that the missionary may become a very visible model of Biblical Christianity. Watching the lives of the missionaries as they walk with God provides a foundation for new converts to imitate. Encouragement toward faith in and obedience to the Scripture should be communicated at every opportunity.

2. Indoctrination: Because the Christian life can be experienced only in accordance with the Scriptures, new converts must be started on a course of regular Bible reading. Study courses or discipleship manuals may be used to help a new believer gain foundational realities about his new life. Great care should be taken to systematically inculcate immature Christians in the basic doctrines of the Word of God. It is impossible to walk with God if we do not Scripturally know Him. Presentation of essential doctrines should be done formally by preaching and teaching as well as informally through casual conversation and life applications.

3. Participation: A permanent and ongoing ministry is perpetuated as individual national believers learn to serve the Lord according to their capacity. Part of the process of discipleship for each child of God is to take a role in accomplishing His work. As soon as a person responds to the Gospel and the claims of Christ, some ministry activity should be provided for his Christian growth and maturity. In addition to learning to evangelize others, he may lead singing, take the offering, publicly read the Scripture, assist with outreach to children, maintain the order and cleanliness of the assembly place, or be involved in a host of other types of ministry responsibilities.  

 

  IV. Church Development (Matthew 16:18)

A. Purpose: Local churches are God's means of accomplishing His purposes in every community. The Lord Jesus Christ is the architect of the church, and its development is implemented by the Holy Spirit. As nationals respond to the Gospel, they form an assembly with others who also experience true fellowship with the Lord. There they can be instructed to think and act Biblically. Together they learn to worship and serve God according to His Word. In their church they can be trained to communicate the Gospel message of salvation to their countrymen. While many differing aspects of missionary ministry may be employed to cooperate with and augment the establishing of local churches, the end goal must be indigenous assemblies which themselves become responsible for carrying on the work of the Great Commission. Indigenous principles should be taught from the first day that a church begins to form. GFA missionaries should not become American pastors on foreign soil. They should have specific goals and plans for developing the local believers to become the leaders of their own churches and to extend the church's ministry into other areas. In some situations it is expedient for missionaries who are specially gifted in the reproduction of national leaders to spend the greater part of their field ministry developing and working in connection with a single church or ministry through which they are reaching, training, and sending out national workers.

B. Plan: 

1. Self-support: Notwithstanding the economic conditions of many peoples around the world, the nationals of any society should be able to support a local church ministry at the same level as their collective lifestyle. That is, a meeting place should be accessible which is comparable to the living quarters of its congregation. Likewise, financial remuneration at a rate similar to the average income of the families of the church should be available to their pastor. Generally speaking, the reason ministries on the field do not become self-supporting is not due to the economic conditions of the region, but rather because of a lack of a thorough and systematic teaching about Biblical stewardship.

2. Self-governance: The future of any missionary work depends on the translation of that work into the hands of the nationals. The indigenous people should be led to consider the ministry theirs from the very beginning. Care should be taken by the mission agency and the supporting churches to allow for the autonomy of the national church to the greatest extent possible. Missionaries should prepare leaders among their converts who will progressively determine the future of the assembly.

3. Self-propagation: The Lord's commission was given to all believers, not to Western churches alone. Every Christian in every nation should be taught the importance of communicating the Gospel at home and abroad. As national believers begin to share Christ with their compatriots, the local assembly will grow and eventually sponsor its own missionaries to other locations. 

 

 V. Formal Training for Nationals (II Timothy 2:2)

A. Purpose: Missions is about bringing other people in other places to the point where they no longer need missionaries. For that reason, every GFA missionary is expected to be involved in the training of nationals to the greatest extent possible. Missions begins with the Gospel and ends with the Gospel. Successful missions means that the responsibility for propagating its message simply changes hands. For that to be accomplished, a thorough understanding of the nature of the ministry, its philosophy, and its practices needs to become a vital part of the lives of any future leadership.

B. Plan: 

1. Identification: Every missionary should be seeking an individual or individuals that could be mentored for the ministry as Paul did with Timothy, his own son in the Lord. A constant search should be maintained for those who seem to demonstrate an ability and call for spiritual leadership.

2. Education: In addition to one-on-one mentoring, missionary coworkers will establish an organized training program for the development of spiritual leaders who will become pastors, teachers, and missionaries. This may involve the establishment of a local church-based Bible institute or a full seminary complete with housing facilities.

3. Commission: Public recognition of a national candidate's completion of various levels of preparation for the Lord's service should be made. This can take the form of presenting a diploma or certificate, turning the work over to a national pastor, or supporting the individuals as they go out themselves as missionaries.

VI. Ancillary Programs (II Timothy 1:16-18)

A. Purpose: The desire of GFA for the success of our missionaries causes us to seek ways to use our contacts and resources to aid them in their ministries. We currently have three programs to that end.

B. Methodology: 

1. Mission Teams: In order to assist our missionaries with specific ministry projects such as evangelism, vacation Bible school, building, and camping, GFA sponsors occasional teams. In addition to the benefit provided to our missionaries, teams also benefit their members by providing the opportunity to experience missionary life and practice firsthand. Each team member is responsible to raise his necessary funds.

2. Professor Partnership Program: In order to assist our missionaries who are engaged in a program of formally training nationals for ministry, we seek to find qualified teachers in the United States who can go to the field to teach one or more courses to the nationals. Each visiting professor is responsible to raise his necessary funds.

3. Short-term Missionary Program: In order to assist our missionaries who have projects of extended duration, we can offer a short-term approach to missions for periods of six months to two years. Short-term missionaries must complete an application and be approved by our candidate committee. They will receive most of the same benefits and services as our career missionaries. While short-termers may be involved in such things as building or maintenance programs or computerization projects, most are engaged as home-school teachers. Many of our missionaries educate their children at home. Having a short-term missionary available to assist with schooling enables the career missionaries to devote more attention to their ministry endeavors. Each short-termer is responsible to raise his necessary funds.

Conclusion: GFA Missions exists to serve missionaries and the churches and individuals that support them. This statement of philosophy is intended to provide an overview of our attitude toward the various components of missionary activity. Those who desire to identify themselves with us should possess a similar concept of ministry to that stated here.