Tag Archives: Missions

Contextualization in Missions Today

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The very mention of the word “contextualization” in evangelical circles has engendered a variety of reactions. For some, contextualization is absolutely indispensable in cross-cultural ministry. For others, it is a word fraught with compromise that diminishes the purity and clarity of the gospel message. What accounts for these two opposite reactions? In this edition of the Faith Pulpit, Professor Mark Lounsbrough, chair of the Missions and Evangelism Department at Faith Baptist Bible College, examines the issue and gives clarity in this important debate.

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 3

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Adopted by the Board of Directors—September 15, 2006 FBBC&TS exists as a Fundamentalist Baptist institution of Christian higher education to disciple vocational Christian workers and leaders. Faith stands committed to pressing the claims of Christ upon our students. We want our students to consider vocational Christian service, and we view such a calling as a sacred trust and a high honor. Annually, members of the Board of Directors, the administration, the faculty, and the staff reaffirm their support for the school’s objective, as mentioned in the “Historic Position Statement,” to train men and women for leadership roles in Christian service within fundamentalism.

Why Should Missionaries Attend Seminary?

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Missionaries should attend seminary because they ought to train well for the challenges on the mission field. The apostle Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the church, certainly was well trained. His life and accomplishments would constitute an impressive resume, which would include the following: apostle personally called by Christ, theologian par excellence, and published author whom the Holy Spirit used to pen some of the letters included in the Bible—the world’s all-time best seller, with an estimated two and a half billion copies sold since 1815.

Mission Statement: Conformity or Conviction?

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“At First Baptist Church we are committed to…” “Our mission is…” Do you have such a statement in print or posted at your church? If any organization should have a mission statement, it would be a local church. But a mission statement must be more than an implementation of a popular trend, as one book on church evaluation reminds us: “For some organizations, including congregations, vision statements are just so much window dressing. Like earlier ventures into management by objectives and strategic planning, formulating vision statements can function primarily as a ritual—a rather empty one—that a congregation engages in because other organizations and congregations are doing it, or because a denomination requires it, or because the congregation’s leaders think it might be a good idea.

Whose Expectations Are We Fulfilling?

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As I was reading a letter from a missionary to a supporting church, I was struck with something he wrote. I am personally acquainted with the missionary and believe him to be a very sincere and serious servant of Christ. The sentence that forced me to do some personal meditation was this: “We want to be doing the job that you, our supporters, expect of us.” I am a strong believer in accountability because a clear sense of accountability is a good discipline to help us focus on our effectiveness.

What Killed the Idealism?

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And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23). There are those among us who remember the state of the churches about the end of World War II. The veterans were coming back, seeking home, jobs and education. Youth movements, notably Youth for Christ, Young Life and Hi B-A, were reaching crowds of high school people. With admitted help from the G.I.

Faith’s Distinctive Goals

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Founders usually form their institutions to express some compelling idea. Ever since it opened, Faith Baptist Theological Seminary has published its goal to train Christian leaders who are Bible expositors. To train such leaders involves several compelling ideas. Since Faith is a seminary, not a church, it includes some activities and excludes others. Now that we are in our third year, we are in a position to assess what we have begun and to reaffirm what we are trying to do.

The Missionary We Would Like to Produce

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Some years ago a notable Baptist leader was fond of remarking that the only thing more important than sending out a missionary is training a missionary worth sending out. There is much to be said for this idea and Faith Baptist Theological Seminary is concerned to see its graduates worthy of serving either abroad or at home. To this end we purpose to encourage several qualities in them. 1. Walk With God “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech.

The Mission Field of Youth

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The statistics shout the facts. Over one-third of the population of the United States is under the age of 21. There are over 31 million teenagers in this country alone. The youth of America are a large mission field. Pure numbers alone indicate that teens desperately need to be reached by effective and relevant ministries. The enormous number of young people is staggering; yet, those figures pale in comparison with those of the previous two decades. Even though the actual percentage of teenagers in America is dwindling the pressure facing adolescents are growing.

Why Evangelism and Missions

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Why should evangelism and missions be high priorities for believers and local churches today? True, they are the proper things to do, and they carry an air of respectability as they are mentioned frequently in our circles. This is all well and good; but are we really burdened for the unsaved, and do we weep for those around the world who have never trusted Christ as Savior? And who is going to tell them about their Savior? What kind of strategy do we have individually and corporately to reach those close to us and those around the world with the gospel message?