Some Future Goals of the
US Center for World Mission
Perspectives
Where we are: 60,000 U.S. alumni have taken this revolutionary course (introducing many key mission insights) and been inspired to do more for the cause. More than 200,000 copies of the basic text have been sold worldwide. Those exposed to this material form a potent resource for further strategic advance of the Gospel. A handful of dedicated staff serve the continued growth of this course (more than 130 sites will be offering the course in North America in Spring of 2004).
Where we are headed: Continued national and international expansion of the influence of Perspectives and the insights it promotes is an important factor in continuing to enlarge the personnel resources of the mission effort. The Perspectives movement has potential for growing much faster than the central staff can support and coordinate.
Staffing Needs:
- The greatest need is for experienced coordinators who can serve as a resource to others.
- Administrative assistants are a continuing need.
- Web skill is also needed for increasing the efficiency with which resources are made available to those extending the influence of Perspectives.
Mission Frontiers
Where we are: International circulation is over 100,000. Church and mission leaders around the world and key activists on the ground look forward to this continuing stream of inspiration and insight.
Where we are headed: Continued national and international expansion of the influence of Mission Frontiers and the insights it promotes is an important factor in continuing to enhancing the effectiveness of the mission effort.
Staffing Needs: Researchers, writers, graphic artists and administrative assistants.
World Christian Foundations
Where we are: Enthusiasm for missions has out paced serious understanding of the realities involved. The Perspectives course introduces many fascinating complexities of the mission effort.
World Christian Foundations complements Perspectives as a complete masters program (or half of an undergraduate program) designed for extension study under a local mentor. It provides the essentials of seminary interwoven with a thorough understanding of the mission effort. The basic curriculum is now available for credit from a variety of institutions.
Where we are headed:
- Every church needs at least one member with a serious grasp of the complexities of the missionary task. If this study is pursued under the pastor's mentorship, the whole church can be influenced with serious mission insight.
- This accredited program also provides opportunity for young people to avoid debt and gain mission field experience four years earlier than traditional paths (before language learning ability has eroded too far).
Staffing Needs: More academic, administrative and clerical staff to continually refine and update this curriculum.
Grass Roots Vision Spreading
Where we are: Through a grass roots effort of empowering individuals to share the vision of "Unreached Peoples" with their friends, more than 100,000 people have come in contact with the resources and vision of the USCWM. This has effectively complemented efforts to awaken specific denominations and widely scattered "seeds" of vision around the U.S. and the world.
Where we are headed: Our founding vision anticipated a grass-roots campaign eventually reaching 1,000,000 believers in the U.S. Revamped materials are now ready for such a coordinated effort.
Staffing Needs:
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- Writers
- Willing laborers to handle mailings, etc.
- Web expertise to develop potential electronic distribution
Denominational Vision Spreading
Where we are: Denominations in the U.S. are parallel to peoples on the mission field. "Insiders" have an affinity for and trust in one another, and sometimes special vocabulary that facilitates effective communication. In a few cases small but significant efforts are being made to employ these dynamics to more effectively spread a vision for completing the missionary task.
Where we are headed: Separate offices cooperating with one another in serving the full diversity of the body of Christ in this country.
Staffing Needs: Denominationally savvy writers and speakers, and administrative help.
International Vision Spreading
Where we are: A loose international network of Centers for World Mission operate in relative isolation from one another, yet with a common vision for the completion of the missionary task.
Where we are headed: Increased communication between these centers would greatly enhance the effectiveness of the global effort.
Staffing Needs:
- Culturally sensitive representatives to visit and interact with existing centers and aid in the development of new centers.
- Writers
- Administrative assistants.
Missionary University
Where we are: In every accredited university, missions is a minority interest, and thus is dominated by conventional perspectives and interests. We are closely affiliated with the only university seeking full accreditation which is owned and operated by missionaries for the benefit of the whole mission effort.
- This university offers PhD, M.A. and B.A. credit to missionaries anywhere in the world without requiring a residential period in Pasadena.
- This university pioneered training in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) as an effective skill for gaining entry to "creative access countries."
- This university offers a foundational education in global perspective integrating the essentials of seminary in a program offered by several other accredited institutions.
Where we are headed: Because of the enormous training needs of the global mission effort, we measure our success in terms of our effectiveness in getting others schools to adopt programs of our design.
Staffing Needs:
- Additional faculty with academic credentials
- Administrative assistants
- Clerical assistants
- An experienced registrar
- Additional maintenance and office workers
- Additional technical and computer staff
Strategy Institutes
Where we are: Mission field experience and insight has surfaced increasingly effective approaches to establishing "people movements" among unreached peoples. These insights and approaches need to be collected, evaluated, refined and promoted.
Where we are headed: Separate strategy institutes for the Muslim, Hindu, Tribal, Chinese and Buddhist spheres can harvest and award academic credit for valuable research.
Staffing Needs:
- Faculty
- Students
- Staff
Serving the Called
Where we are: Each day, on average, 500 new individuals contact one or more mission agencies in the U.S. to inquire about service opportunities. Each agency typically replies with a packet of information about their work. These individuals sense God's stirring in their heart, but most of them are not ready for the kind of assistance the agencies can provide. Eighty percent of these inquirers are never heard from again.
Where we are headed: Most agencies would be glad to include a little information about resources for those not yet ready to sign up for service. A careful plan has been developed for better serving this amazing, untapped resource of inquirers.
Staffing Needs:
- A few mission agency insiders to promote this idea
- Administrative assistants
- Web skills for making resources more easily accessible
Reducing the Support Barrier
Where we are: The largest deterrent to service for qualified mission applicants is the difficulty and emotional barriers involved in raising financial support.
Where we are headed: Increasing ease of communication and travel has greatly expanded the potential for supporters to benefit from personal relationships with mission workers, both on the field and behind the scenes. Promotion of this benefit can open the door to greatly increased numbers of mission workers.
Staffing Needs:
- Writers, speakers and statesmen in the church
- Web experience to facilitate effective communication
Another Step in Medical Missions
Where we are: Medical missions have long been the "can opener" for communicating God's love to "resistant" peoples. Missionaries have taken the lead in moving beyond treatment toward the elimination of leprosy. New medical technology has opened the door for communicating more of God's love and character through the elimination of many other terrible ailments that plague the unreached peoples.
Where we are headed: Increased awareness of this significant opportunity can inspire and guide many believers who are called into medical research rather than mission field presence. We envision an Institute for the Study of the Origins of Disease as an effective catalyst for this important dimension of the global mission effort.
Staffing Needs:
- Writers, speakers and statesmen already inside the medical community
- Web experience to facilitate effective communication
Fueling Daily Obedience
Where we are: Tribal Burmese Christians for some years have maintained a discipline of setting aside a handful of rice at each meal. This is collected and sold to support their missionaries.
Following in this pattern, the USCWM years ago began producing a daily digest of prayer needs and breakthroughs among unreached peoples to support a small daily sacrifice of setting aside loose change for the unreached peoples. Among Presbyterians this discipline has grown to generate more than a million dollars each year for Presbyterian work among unreached peoples.
Where we are headed: The Global Prayer Digest is ripe for additional adaptation for additional audiences, and for promotion of the discipline of setting aside loose change.
The Holy Spirit is moving mightily among intercessors in the two-thirds world. Although the Global Prayer Digest is already in English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese, there are many serious intercessors who do not yet have access to this prayer tool. We would like to get the GPD translated into Portuguese and French for Brazilian and African intercessors. Hopefully it will someday also be available in African languages like Yuruba, Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu. This might also be a good tool for Indian intercessors in the Tamil, Telegu, Kanada, and Malayalam languages, etc.
Staffing Needs: Researchers, writers, proof readers, publication managers.
Children in Community
We find that natural, regular interaction with peers is helpful, but also see in our community many opportunities for children to interact with those who are both older and younger. These community relationships are of great benefit to those at every age level, but especially valuable to upper elementary and middle school aged children. At times limited opportunities for volunteer service for children allows for such "cross-pollination" and deepens the mutual understanding of each level of experience and maturity.
Needed: community services coordinator, to help match school aged kids with age-appropriate service opportunities
Mission Fellowship to Facilitate Further Visions
Where we are: Undergirding these diverse visions is a committed community listening eagerly to the Lord and seeking to serve the global mission effort together. This is the essential manpower reservoir which flexibly facilitates the birthing and development of these various visions. This community has grown over the years into a mature mission fellowship of tremendous global influence.
Where we are headed: Continued study of, and response to, the changing needs of the global mission effort.
Staffing Needs: Members willing to put their skills at the service of the King, and to place the needs of the mission effort ahead of personal career goals.
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