So...What are you doing?

A Typical Conversation:

When friends hear that I am going into missions, the conversation goes something like this:

Friend: I heard that you are going into missions. That's so cool! Where are you moving to?

Me: Umm... nowhere?

Friend: Oh, so you are a missionary to the US?

Me: Well, no, I'll be focused internationally.

Friend: So, wait. You're not moving, but your working overseas?

Me: Yeah, I'll probably take a few trips a year internationally, but I'll mostly be based out of headquarters in Lancaster, PA.

Friend: So you're doing short-term trips primarily?

Me: Sort of. It's full-time work based out of headquarters in Lancaster, PA, but I'll take about four trips a year to connect with our missionaries overseas.

Friend: Oh, so where will you work primarily.

Me: Well... everywhere.

Friend: Oh... cool? Well, good luck with that I guess...

The Confusion:

When most people think of missions, they picture a person or family moving to another culture, working among a people group who don't know Jesus. Often there are jungles, deserts, and poverty surrounding the missionary who is either holding a Bible or meeting some sort of physical need. Typically in these mental pictures, the Westerner has the gospel, and the nationals (people from the country where the missionary serves) are the ones receiving the gospel. For a long time, this has been the stereotypical dynamic of how missions works.

A New Era of Missions:

While there are still many unreached people groups globally (people groups with too few Christians for the gospel to spread effectively without outside help) who still need the gospel, there are also many people groups that have been Christians for many generations now. These cultures have churches with pastors from the local culture and often have Bibles in the local language, and churches reflect the culture of the nation they're located in. This has been a beautiful shift, as the church is looking more and more like it will in heaven with Christians from various tribes, tongues, and nations worshiping the Lord together, however this new era of missions brings with it new challenges.

One challenge in this new era of missions is how to equip national ministry leaders around the globe. In America, if someone wants to become a pastor, they typically go to a Bible school for four years to study the scriptures in depth. Some may go for a Bachelor's degree, others will go on for a Master's or Doctoral degree, but no matter the track the goal is to learn more about how to interpret the Bible and serve the church well. Students will pay thousands of dollars to listen to qualified teachers, read books from the experts, and discuss their ideas with peers seeking the same understanding. This assumes that students have the background needed to begin the degree, that there are teachers with the qualifications to teach, that there are books written in the local language, and that there is money to pay for it all. Unfortunately, in most of the world, these assumptions are hurdles preventing ministry leaders from getting training in the Bible that they desperately desire.

My work will focus on finding ways to remove or at least lower these hurdles for ministry leaders globally.

My Role:

I will be serving as the Director of Global Education for Bible Centered Ministries International (BCM). The Global Education department oversees all educational ministries that are part of BCM around the world. This includes everything from conference centers serving local pastors, to seminaries and Bible schools, to leadership development of missionaries themselves, just to name a few. My role as director will involve coming alongside of these institutions as they seek to fulfill BCM's goal of reaching children and strengthening churches worldwide.

My Day-to-Day:

Most of my tasks will surround the skills of coaching, coordinating, training, and networking. I will come alongside of international training institutes that already exist within BCM to help them grow. I will coordinate meeting between ministries on different parts of the globe. This means that if Ministry A in Uganda has solved problems that Ministry B in Nicaragua is currently facing, I will set up a meeting between the two ministries so they can help one another. I will also be developing informal training programs for missionaries within BCM to ensure that all missionaries, no matter what country or what background they come from, have a baseline training in the scriptures. Finally, I will network with other organizations, learning from the strengths of others, and partnering with them for the sake of equipping others for the sake of the gospel. Practically, this looks like a lot of research, emails, video calls, and curriculum writing. I'll also take about 4 trips a year to visit local ministries, attend global conferences on the topic, or to conduct initial trainings in-person.

In Short:

My ministry definitely qualifies and non-traditional missions, however I see the need for this type of work globally. I don't know what all God has in store, but I'm excited to use the gifts he has given me to partner with so many wonderful, gifted people around the world.