Are American missionaries still needed in global missions work?
Missionaries from all nations are still needed! There are over 7,000 unreached/least reached people groups totaling 3.19 billion people in the world today. This means that that these people have little to no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, out of over 6900 languages spoken in the world, approximately 2,200 language groups do not have a single verse of Scripture available.
Beside these staggering statistics, the world is filled with unwanted children needing a home, elderly and handicapped people needing care, and people dying from hunger, various diseases, and addictions. Slavery, human trafficking and child prostitution are real problems in the modern world. In many of the “reached” countries there are still these same problems and the church may still need to be mobilized and reenergized every so often. Truly we need “the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the Whole World.”
So then, where then does the priority lie for those who have the means and resources to do something in global mission?
In short, I believe it comes down to: Engaging the Unengaged & Reaching the Least Reached.
A man focus of global mission today should include finding a way to begin a movement where there are currently no known believers. This means we must direct a greater percentage of new resources to places where missionaries have yet to impact yet there is an openness and willingness to hear the message.
Most of our mission’s resources in America at the local church level are being directed to local outreaches or being sent to places that already have large concentrations of Christians. It has been estimated that only .01% of our missions giving in America goes to reaching the least reached and unengaged.
If there are native believers waiting to go, but need support, let’s come alongside them. If God is calling an American team to go and start a work because the natives have yet to engage a certain province or area, then support them. If God is calling someone to mobilize the American church as a full time role and they have proven their calling, then support them! –
Instilling the vision and leadership principles that will create disciple making movements into those God is preparing to lead among the unreached should also be a priority. When we focus on equipping and empowering leaders, this will in turn create many other types of support ministry that will bless the people where the churches are being planted. Many times, American missionaries have started out with the intention of reaching an unreached people and have transitioned into this supportive role as God has raised up local men and women to carry the torch.
By far, America still sends more cross cultural missionaries than any nation on Earth. We should not abdicate our responsibility to play a part in God’s global purposes. We are a blessed nation, but we are not blessed simply for ourselves, but rather we are blessed to be a blessing to all of the families of the Earth. If God has blessed your nation, if he has blessed you with a passion for the nations, then you can be used to cross cultures and barriers for the sake of the name of Jesus.
