Global Mission

     William Cameron Townsend, who founded the Wycliffe Bible Translators, was born in 1896 in Eastvale, California. Townsend was brought up in the Presbyterian faith according to Winter and Hawthorne, [Townsend] “Starting out as a student to distribute portions of the Bible in Spanish, he was overtaken by the conviction that Spanish Bibles were inadequate for the Indian tribes of Guatemala.” [1] This inadequacy leads to Townsend to engage in linguistics to be able to reach others hindered by the language barriers in proclaiming the gospel to all. Once Townsend had settled in with the Cakchiquel Indians, he realized the importance in learning their language; after all, he had Spanish Bibles among a tribe of people that were not Spanish nor understood the language. According to Hibbard, Townsend’s secretary, “In 1926 Townsend made a structural analysis of the Cakchiquel verb system and became one of the first men in the world to succeed in analyzing a complicated vernacular language system in reference to its own structure.”[2] This not only opened the doors to the Cakchiquel Indians but to other “Bibleless” people in other regions in the world.

     The structural analysis Townsend made was by far his major contribution to global mission history. According to the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, 

 In 1934, Townsend with colleague Leonard L. Letgers, took over a small farm near Sulphur Springs, Arkansas and created “Camp Wycliffe”. Within a short time Townsend had begun his Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and Wycliffe Bible Translators and by the beginning of American involvement in World War II had nearly a hundred missionaries in place in Central and South America working on translations for small language groups. Aided by the rapid expansion of American involvement around the globe that followed the war, Townsend was able to greatly expand Wycliffe’s potential reach, even as it’s adventurous Gospel exploits appealed to many potential missionary candidates back in North America.[3]

Without the dedication and conviction to reach those people who were without the Word of God, many mission areas would not be reached. Townsends work has been a platform appealing to many. His dedication and obedience to the convictions he had is a fruitful work continued to be seen today. William Cameron Townsend died in 1982 at the age of 85 years of age.  

Bibliography

"Cam Townsend." Cam Townsend. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://www.wheaton.edu/isae/hall-of-biography/cam-townsend.

Hibbard, Calvin. "William Cameron Townsend 1896–1982." Biographical Sketch of William Cameron Townsend. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://www-01.sil.org/wct/wct_bio3.html.

"Tribes, Tongues and Translators" In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, by William Cameron Townsend, 327-328. Fourth ed. Pasadena,, Calif.: William Carey Library, 1981

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     [1] William Cameron Townsend, "Tribes, Tongues and Translators" In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, 327

[2] Calvin Hibbard, "William Cameron Townsend 1896–1982." Biographical Sketch of William Cameron Townsend. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://www-01.sil.org/wct/wct_bio3.html.

     [3] "Cam Townsend." Cam Townsend. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://www.wheaton.edu/isae/hall-of-biography/cam-townsend.

Current phenomenon of missionary movements from the non-Western world

Describe the current phenomenon of missionary movements from the non-Western world

     The current phenomenon of missionary movements from the non-Western world is exploding at a rate unlike ever before seen. Whereas most missionaries have originally emerged from the west, such as Europe, the rise of global mission is now advancing from many fronts in other foreign countries. The CSGC reports that "of the ten countries sending the most missionaries in 2010, three were in the global South: Brazil, South Korea, and India."[1] While the United States leads the mission field of sending missionaries to foreign countries, the advancement of the global south has risen at an unprecedented rate.   

     Current global missionary movements are a result from the seeds planted by other missionaries many generations prior to our current era. Huneycutt gives us three eras of modern mission movements that planted the seeds for future harvest. The first era, “to the coastlands”, marked by William Carey was of European dominance and geographic strategy – who “was convicted by the Church’s mission responsibilities regarding the Great Commission being limited to the 12 disciples, led a movement spreading the gospel to every continent in the coastlands.”[2] From this, Huneycutt reports that a transition took place into the second era, “The Untouched Inland Areas”, ushered in by Hudson Taylor, whose heart was broken for the unreached millions in the interior of China. Taylor’s appeals to send missionaries to this untouched region were resisted and in turn, he formed a new mission that was called, China Inland Mission”[3] From these two eras, seeds were planted and harvest was soon to sprout in areas never once thought could be penetrated. The third era, called, “To Unreached Peoples,” Huneycutt states, “… is now in full swing. The mission force is rapidly changing to a more non-western face.”[4] After generations of seeds planted with a European/American dominance, and a geographic strategy, this new era is non-Western dominance, and non-geographic strategy focused on people groups – a phenomena of rapid gospel advance among socio-ethnic populations.[5]

      The current phenomenon is a result of fertile grounds prepared by missionaries from past eras – through prayer and support among other believers and a unification of Christians as a result. Johnson and Lee state, “Global Christianity is a phenomenon, not of uniformity, but of ever-increasing diversity.”[6]

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     [1] "Christianity in Its Global Context, 1970–2020 Society, Religion, and Mission." Christianity In Its Global Context. June 1, 2013. Accessed April 6, 2015. http://wwwgordonconwell.com/netcommunity/CSGCResources/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf.

[2] Yvonee Wood Huneycutt, “New Pioneers Leading the Way” In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, 377-378

[3] Ibid., 378

[4] Ibid., 379

[5] Ibid., 379

[6] Todd Johnson and Sandra S. K. Lee, "From Western Christendom to Global Christianity" In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, 392

Paul's Methods of Ministry

     The apostle Paul is one of the greatest missionary examples in Christianity apart from Christ himself. His missionary journey took him on a course to bring the gospel to the gentiles as he embarked on many mission trips. There are many characteristics of Paul’s missionary methods, but we will examine five. 

1.      Paul is Committed to Introducing the Gospel

     The first characteristic ascribed to Paul’s missionary methods was his commitment to introducing the gospel to people in regions where it has not been heard.[1] It was Paul’s goal and heart to reach those for the sake of Christ Jesus. Glasser states that “Paul was determined to see the church grow” and “regarded it her chief and irreplaceable task: to preach the gospel to all mankind and to incorporate all those who believed into her communal life.”[2] Today, this method must be the foundation on reaching the lost. It currently remains within the scope of church ministry – a calling placed on one’s life. Without commitment and a calling – the mission will fail. 

2.      Duration of Paul’s Ministry

     Paul’s duration at any one point is the second missionary method he used. According to Moreau, “the maximum duration Paul remained at a single location was less than three years.”[3] Paul, as mentioned earlier, was determined to see the church grow and therefore planted the church and moved on in his journey. Paul had every opportunity to stay and remain the church pastor but instead his calling and commitment was the driving forces that pushed him on. 

 

3.      Paul’s Focus on Church Planting

     While Paul preached the gospel and proclaimed Jesus as Lord, his focus was on gathering people together within a congregation and moving on to the next. After Paul had left the churches he planted, he expected them to stand independently on their own feet – apart from his own.[4] Once he established the church and stability reached, he moved on to his next assignment. 

4.      Paul works as a Team

     As the church today, sends out missionaries and supports missionary works, so the beginning of this method was derived from the characteristics of Paul’s methods. Paul was considered a leader of a team of people. His teams recruited and trained their own members, were financially self-sufficient, and on occasion, disciplined their own members.[5] This was important in establishing and building a union of support for the missionary work that ensued. Working in a team during the time of Paul was also important because of dangers when traveling alone. Moreau states, “Traveling in groups was one of the best ways to ensure safety.”[6]

 

5.      Paul Accepts Persecution 

     Paul warned the church of persecutions, which he eventually experienced himself. This however, did not stop the mission set forth by Christ Jesus. Paul was beaten (Acts 16:22), imprisoned (Acts 16:16-40), and eventually killed for his missionary work of proclaiming he gospel. These realities are implemented even today. According to Moreau, “more Christians are martyred in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined stands as a stark reminder that what Paul said twenty centuries ago still applies in many parts of the world today.”[7]  

     There are many other characteristics of Paul’s missionary methods, but for me, these five are important in understanding and applying to mission. Paul gives us an example to model after and even though these methods were used many centuries ago, they are still vital in the church today.  

References

"The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task." In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, by Arthur F. Glasser, 149-153. Fourth ed. Pasadena,, Calif.: William Carey Library, 1981.

Moreau et al., Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2004

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     [1] Scott A. Moreau, Gary Corwin, and Gary McGee. Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2004. 62.

[2] "The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task." In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, by Arthur F. Glasser, Fourth ed. Pasadena,, Calif.: William Carey Library, 1981. 151

[3] Scott A. Moreau, Gary Corwin, and Gary McGee. Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. 61

[4] Ibid., 63

     [5] Arthur F. Glasser, "The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task." In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne. 150

[6] Scott A. Moreau, 64

[7] Ibid., 65