These are exciting days!  If we can lift our head out of  the news – filled with divisive elections, atrocities of war and debilitating disasters – and see into the unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18) into what is happening in the Kingdom of God, these are certainly exciting days.  We live in a world that has been inverted; now there are more Christians in Africa than any other continent, with Central/South America having the second largest number and nations that were once ‘mission fields’ are now embracing the call to bring the gospel in all its fullness to those who have not heard nor experienced the good news – within their own borders and beyond.  

We live in days when alongside the traditional method of sending people to make disciples we can embrace a plethora of methods of sharing the good news with the nations.  Radio broadcasts, internet based ministries, Bible translation, compassion ministries, missional business, supporting local workers.  Each of these methods is valid and good, though each has its limits, challenges and failings.

In the current environment the question is sometimes raised – “Should we stop sending?” More particularly: “Should we stop sending Westerners?”  The scope of Jesus’ commission to the church to make disciples of all ethne might now be achieved without the need for (Western) missionaries.  Perhaps we might be able to answer Paul’s question of Romans 10 “how shall they hear?” without having to be so arrogant as to send an outsider to preach to them?

In this edition we have four articles which, while not denying the validity of other forms of missionary activity, discuss the need for continuing to send people of any ethne from New Zealand.  The first article is from the leader of a mission agency, Johan Linders (OMF).  The second is from Mark and Faye who work in Niger, where 99% of the population identify as Muslim, while our third is written by Bruce Turner, a former missionary with AIM to Uganda, a personal perspective of trying to create the opportunities to share, finally we have Ajay Malik (pseudonym) reflecting on the need for missionaries in his home country of India.  

(Note that these authors state their own opinions, MI does not claim to endorse every single thing that is written.)  

Joseph Bateson

Interim Director

In a recent meeting I attended, a NZ mission agency leader proposed that we no longer need to send workers overseas to do evangelism, suggesting instead that we should focus solely on training and funding nationals to reach their own people. The importance of equipping local leaders cannot be overstated, and we agree that national missionaries are best equipped to engage with their own people. However, this perspective overlooks a crucial reality that there are still billions of people in our world who have never heard the good news about Jesus and have no access to it within their own communities.

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A Call to Action

As Kiwi Christians, we must not shy away from our responsibility and privilege to be directly involved in global missions. Here's how we can respond:

1. Pray: Commit to regular prayer for Frontier People Groups (FPGs) and for more workers to be sent.

2. Go: Consider if God is calling you to serve cross-culturally among unreached people groups.

3. Send: Support missionaries financially and emotionally who are working in FPGs.

4. Advocate: Share the need for reaching the unreached with your church and community.

5. Welcome: Engage with people from FPG’s who come to our country as migrants, temporary workers, students, or refugees. Share God’s love with them.

6. Partner: Collaborate with mission agencies focused on FPGs.

Let's not settle for a diminished vision of mission. Instead, let's use the gifts of adaptability, resilience and multicultural engagement that we have as New Zealand Christians to embrace the fullness of our cross-cultural calling. We have a vital role to play in ensuring that every person can hear and respond to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

The task is enormous, but so is our God. Will you join in this great endeavour?

Imagine the scene. Jesus is about to leave his disciples to carry his mission on earth. They can’t picture what life will look like after all the excitement of being on the road and imagine they will simply go home and carry on where they left off. We have already seen Peter suggest a fishing trip to some of the other disciples. So what is Jesus going to say? “Stay safe”? Not at all! We all know his words:

“…go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19) and in Mark’s words “…Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).

Have we (His disciples) completed that mission? No! There are still many unreached ethnic groups in the world.  We are living amongst several of them here in Niger... 

It’s a Sunday morning, and today we have arrived early at the trees where the people will come for prayers. So, Emmanuel and I set off to visit some close-by manyattas to let the people know that we are here. Emmanuel is my companion and language helper on this occasion; he is a young lay reader with the Church of Uganda (Anglican). As we walk through one village, we come across a group of young men being taught by a blind elderly man how to make a large granary out of woven canes. These hold about 1,000 kgs of grain.

I think, “How do we share with them? Will they engage with us? ... 

The need for missionaries in India, especially northern & central India is more urgent now than ever before. According to  www.joshuaproject.net/  95% of Indians are still unreached. Missionaries in India are playing a significant role in spreading the gospel. I believe India needs missionaries who are willing to invest in training the local pastors and leaders, who can then go and share the gospel to their own people group effectively.

India is now the most populated country in the world. The majority of the people are Hindus and are bound in darkness, worshiping evil spirits. They don’t know what they’re worshiping, all their lives they have worshiped idols. The gospel is the only answer to set them free from the kingdom of darkness and bring them to the Kingdom of Light. Jesus is the only answer. The harvest is plentiful in India and needs workers willing to go to take the message of the Cross. Is God calling you to India? Has God given you a heart for a specific people group in India? If the answer is yes, I’m so excited!

The task of reaching the unreached is huge in India, so if you’re thinking of mission in India, think long term, plan, and think teamwork i.e. joining an existing team. If you don’t have a team, create a team with local believers. Wherever in India God calls you to, from my perspective it's important to plan for living amongst the people for at least 2-3 years, to let the people in that community get to know you and build relationship with them. I think 2 years is a good amount of time for people to know you personally and see what you’re doing in their community. If people have seen you around in their community long enough, they will trust you and will be open towards you when you share the gospel...