Mission
by
Lieut-Colonel Ian Southwell
President,
The Salvation Army,
Australia Southern Territory World Mission Fellowship
Jesus – a
Man with a Mission
The Gospels leave us in no doubt that Jesus’ greatest
desire and aim was to bring the whole world to accept the
kingship of God his Father.
Mark 1:15
15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near.
Repent and believe the good news!"
Matthew 10:5-7
5 ‘These twelve Jesus sent out with the following
instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town
of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
7As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is
near.'
Initially, Jesus wanted to gain the support of the chosen
people of Israel for his mission to take the good news to the
world. They had been chosen, not for privilege, but to fulfil
God’s initial vision for their great ancestor Abram and the
world (Genesis 12:2-3):
2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you." (My emphasis)
Hence his focus initially was on the ‘lost sheep of Israel.’
If they could be ‘found’ (see the parables in Luke 15), they
could be put to work world-wide.
When Samaritans came to hear him near Jacob’s well, Jesus saw
‘fields ready for harvest’ (John 4: 35-38).
35Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I
tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe
for harvest. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now
he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and
the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows
and another reaps' is true. 38I sent you to reap what you have
not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have
reaped the benefits of their labour."
When Greek seekers came to visit him just before his passion,
Jesus could see this as a foretaste of the world being drawn
to him (John 12:20-32).
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to
worship at the Feast. 21They came to Philip, who was from
Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we
would like to see Jesus." 22Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew
and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be
glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat
falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves
his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in
this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me
must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My
Father will honour the one who serves me.
27"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father,
save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I
came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!"
Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will
glorify it again." 29The crowd that was there and heard it
said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine.
31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince
of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when I am lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (My emphasis)
Our biblical mandate for mission
Following his atoning death and resurrection, Jesus
commissioned and equipped his followers to take the message to
the world.
Luke 24:45-49
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the
Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The
Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in
his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are
witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my
Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been
clothed with power from on high." (My emphasis)
Matthew 28:16-20
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they
worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and
said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age." (My emphasis)
Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (My
emphases)
The Acts of the Apostles outlines the progress of that mission
from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, to Asia and to Europe
within a generation. Your reading of church and Salvation Army
history will help you comprehend the spread of Christ’s
message ‘to the ends of the earth’.
The task has not been easy. Jesus never promised it would be!
Christians have faced opposition by followers of other great
world religions such as: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and
Buddhism; and also in areas where animistic practices are
common. ‘Missionary’ became a misunderstood and reviled term
because certain world powers manipulated the efforts of
sincere Christians. Missionaries were identified with traders,
enslavers and colonising invaders in the 18th to 20th
centuries in some parts of Africa and China. Sadly, less-than-Christlike
behaviour by some followers of Christ in certain situations
reflected badly on the church and our Saviour. The pressures
of constantly re-teaching the message to each new generation
take their toll, too. Fast progress is rare.
International overview of Salvation Army mission
“Where can I find such heathen as these?” William Booth
asked as he saw the poverty and degradation in the East End of
London in the 1860’s. His heart for mission throbbed in tune
with the heart of his Saviour. Members of the successively
named East London Special Services Mission, East London
Christian Mission, The Christian Mission and The Salvation
Army fanned out – officially or unofficially – across England.
Then they moved on to Scotland and the Channel Isles (1879);
USA, Ireland and Australia (1880); France (1881); Canada,
India, Switzerland and Sweden (1882); Sri Lanka, South Africa,
New Zealand, Isle of Man and Pakistan (1883).
In other words, within five years of becoming The Salvation
Army, we had outposts in Europe, North America, Africa,
Australasia and Asia – five continents!
Frederick Coutts, p.140 points out that, ‘National boundaries
meant less and less to him (William Booth). “I thought”, he
once wrote to Bramwell, “that the word ‘foreign’ had been
banished from Salvation Army language.” “In our attempts to
save the lost”, he declared, “there must be no limitations to
human brotherhood.”’
By William Booth’s promotion to Glory in 1912, Army work had
commenced in 35 other countries. On his death bed, he made
this request of his son, Bramwell:
‘I have been thinking very much about during these last few
nights about China. I greatly regret that the Lord has not
permitted me to raise our flag among that wonderful people.
Promise me that you will begin the work in China.’ (Check-hung
Yee, p.2)
Today The Salvation Army works in 115 countries and uses 175
languages including tribal languages to communicate the Gospel
(The Salvation Army Year Book 2008. p. 29f).
The following map comes from the back inside cover of The Year
Book 2008.
Namibia and Mali, not marked on the map, now have a Salvation
Army presence in 2008.
The scope of our work
The scope of our work largely depends on the greatest needs of
the people in the country in which we work.
• Proclaiming the Gospel is the first and foremost priority,
in languages the national people understand and in culturally
sensitive manners.
• Needed administration in business, finance and property
especially.
• Medical programmes (hospitals, clinics, mobile, and
specialist centres).
• Education programmes (schools from kindergarten to high
school, vocational education, staff training, universities and
colleges).
• Social services (residential; day care; addiction dependency
support; services to armed forces; emergency relief
operations; services to the community such as: courts and
prisons, counselling, employment programmes, accommodation,
anti-human trafficking, and agriculture projects including
water supply, electricity supplies and micro-credit projects.)
• Training of local people to provide ministry and leadership
in all the fields mentioned above in a Christian context and
within the ethos of The Salvation Army.
Personnel Needs, and Ideal Qualifications
Who do we need to do this work?
• Persons with a deep love for the Lord, with an established
prayer life and knowledge of God’s word and the
Christ-culture.
• Persons with psychological, emotional and social maturity
(people-skills), and in good physical health.
• Persons with specialist skills in one or more of the areas
mentioned above in The Scope of our Work section above.
• Persons adaptable enough to work in different cultures with
limited resources and, if needed, in different languages to
their own.
• Persons who are humble enough to be teachable.
• Persons with enough knowledge and skill so as to be able,
ideally, to work without a translator in a language other than
their own. Some can be learned in Australia such as: French,
Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian,
Korean, Russian or other European languages. Arabic and
Nepalese may be helpful for the future.
• Persons prepared to work long hours, often in difficult
climatic conditions, with few opportunities to de-brief; all
the time attempting to reflect the beauty of Jesus in what
they do.
• Persons prepared to be ‘servant leaders’ to equip national
personnel to take over their roles.
• Persons prepared to serve for two or three years without any
return to their homeland that is paid for by the Army – except
in the case of the death or serious illness of a parent or
child.
• Officers with most of the qualifications outlined above,
usually with a minimum of three to five years of good
experience in their homeland.
A quarterly Service Opportunities List is issued to all
territories by the International Personnel Department of
International Headquarters. This list is compiled from what
territorial/command leaders indicate are the current needs
that are impossible to cover within that territory/command.
National visa restrictions make movements of personnel around
the world for service very difficult at times. Your
territorial personnel secretary or overseas personnel
secretary could keep you up-to-date with current needs.
Prayerfully consider the needs listed now and prayerfully
reflect on the potential needs such as countries in the ‘10-30
Window’ roughly between latitudes 10o and 30o north of the
equator (North Africa, Middle East, China, Thailand, Cambodia,
Vietnam; plus former Soviet Union countries, and North Korea
…)
Share these needs and opportunities with suitably qualified
soldiers you know. Some of these may be delighted to serve
internationally and return to their corps enriched in spirit
and experience – or step into officership.
Prayerfully consider the gifts and talents God has graciously
given you. Could these be used beyond your country in the
interests of Christ’s mission? Should you be offering for such
service? Should you be preparing for such service with
language, cultural or other specialist skills such as those
mentioned above?
If you are an officer and have skills, abilities and
availability to serve beyond these shores, inform your leaders
– in writing. Keep on reminding them or your availability year
by year – in writing! Learn all you can about the scope and
needs of Army work internationally. You will be asked where
and in what type of specialised field you feel you can best
serve to fulfil Christ’s mission. Seek to equip yourselves
with knowledge, skills and attitudes – including, above all, a
passionate love for the Lord – that will allow you to be the
most use in his service.
What if you are a soldier, with dedication and skills outlined
above? Two-year or three-year terms of service are available
in mission situations outside your homeland in many of our
grant aided territories supported financially by The Salvation
Army. Speak and write initially to your local corps officer or
divisional commander about your conviction regarding doing
mission service outside of your homeland. (They will be the
first to interview and recommend you – or otherwise.) Outline
your testimony to your relationship with God. Provide a CV
(curriculum vitae) outlining your family situation, schooling,
qualifications and professional experience. Indicate with your
application how much notice you would need to give to your
present employer. If you are married, you should make a joint
application. If you have school-aged children, be sure to
state this as early as possible and indicate their educational
levels. As with officers, state where you believe your
knowledge and skills would best be used. Be aware that
processing applications may take six months to a year due to
challenges of international communications, plus visa and work
permit processing. Do not resign or seek leave from your
present work until you have confirmation of acceptance and
your actual appointment.
Seriously consider, however, if God is calling you to be an
officer. My observation over 20 years of service out of my
homeland is that you can do so much more and have better short
and long-term support for international mission work if you
are an officer. Of course, officers usually bring tested
qualities of dedication and availability. Mostly they can
serve as and where needed. Such availability makes a
significant positive difference and opens doors to easier
placement in international mission initially and on return to
one’s homeland.
Terms shorter than the standard three or two years have to be
negotiated by the individual. Such negotiations need to take
place with the territorial or command leader in the particular
territory of proposed service rather than International
Headquarters. Terms of service, travel costs, luggage support,
insurance and so on all have to be negotiated individually.
For very short terms, they may become your responsibility
entirely. Grant aided territories have little flexibility in
these matters due to lack of available finance.
If you are a non-Salvationist friend of the Salvation Army
with specialist skills and a heart for world mission, you can
also be involved. Some of the staff at our secondary schools
and hospitals in Africa have been dedicated Christians from
other denominations. They were seeking opportunities to make
positive differences in the lives of young Africans – and did
so. This would apply particularly if your own church or
associated mission agency cannot offer you suitable
opportunities. All of the steps outlined for soldiers (full
members of the Army) as outlined above would be required for
you. Probably more detailed scrutiny would be given to your
application and recommendations sought from your church
minister and others who know you well. You will understand
that we want to protect the reputation of The Salvation Army
worldwide for high integrity and credibility. You would take
similar steps for any who wanted to work in your denomination!
Financial Needs
Most territories and commands in Third World Countries are
grant aided from International Headquarters. To give the
needed support to these Grant Aided Territories, International
Headquarters needs increasing Self Denial giving from all
territories.
Please set the example for others by giving at least One
Week’s Salary (allowance) on Missionary Sunday annually. My
wife and I have done so for many years – even when we served
in grant aided territories ourselves. Much of our Salvation
Army work in the developing world would not be possible
without the generous support of Salvationists and friend in
the developed world.
Prayer Needs
If you cannot go to the frontline for international
mission service, please pray for those who do. Pray also for
those national officers and soldiers who work there. They need
all the spiritual and material support we can possibly give
them.
News of Army work is readily available from many sources. For
instance: http://www1.salvationarmy.org/ihq/, The Salvation
Army International Headquarters website, carries much current
news. Save it as a Favourite on your Internet browser!
The Salvation Army Year Book (annual); All the World
(monthly); On Fire (fortnightly) are all excellent sources of
information and inspiration.
World Mission Fellowship (or similar territorial support
group)
The Salvation Army World Mission Fellowship in the Australian
Southern Territory has been operating for 53 years (although
under the name The Salvation Army Missionary Fellowship until
October 2006). Our Fellowship supports the Overseas Personnel
Office in this Territory. We do this by trying to keep the
territory up-to-date with news about officers and non-officers
who serve internationally. We try to provide spiritual and
moral support for such personnel before, during and after
their overseas service.
Your territory may have an equivalent group. If not, you may
want to encourage your territory to commence one.
Currently we have 244 members (including some from overseas)
who, for a fee of (A) $10.00 annually, receive the monthly (or
bi-monthly) Intercessor Letter with news from our personnel
around the world. Members also receive an annual Prayer
Calendar (updated from time-to-time) with a person, family or
other significant topic listed daily for prayer. Additionally,
we have a weekly international prayer topic so that each
Salvation Army territory, command or region is the focus for
one week each year.
The Intercessor Letter can be delivered by post or
electronically to save the environment and postage. Whatever
we save, or fund-raise, the Fellowship uses the money to
provide small Christmas recognitions for those on
international service in grant aided territories; or a small
recognition when they leave for or return to overseas service.
If you are interested in becoming a member and obtaining our
Intercessor Letter, contact our Secretary, Captain Tim Lynn at
timothy.lynn@aus.salvationarmy.org or The World Mission
Fellowship, PO Box 479, Blackburn, Vic 3130, Australia.
We hold a monthly meeting in Melbourne on the first Monday of
each month (except January) currently at Inala Chapel, 220
Middleborough Road, Blackburn South, from 6.30 – 7.45 pm. In
these meetings we receive reports from those serving
internationally, spend time in prayer and usually hear from
someone on homeland furlough or who has recently served
internationally. Meetings are held for South Australian
members and visitors four times a year at Norwood Citadel in
Adelaide.
Having been supported in prayer and love gifts by the
Fellowship during the 20 years of our service internationally,
my wife and I commend to you membership of the Fellowship (or
your territorial equivalent). The prayer support of the
Fellowship is wonderful!
May I encourage any officer-readers to invite your people in
each appointment to be members of your territorial fellowship
as well? The more prayer support we have for those on the
front line of international mission, the better they will be
able to fulfil Christ’s mission.
Conclusion
The world mission of our Lord still continues today. If
your area of mission can only be in your homeland, serve here
faithfully. Give sacrificially to assist the mission. Pray for
those serving internationally. Encourage your people to give
and to pray as well. Look for those with potential to serve
internationally and encourage them to prepare.
If you have skills, abilities and availability to serve beyond
your shores, apply as outlined above as soon as possible.
Learn all you can about the scope and needs of mission work
internationally. Seek to equip yourselves with knowledge,
skills, attitudes and, above all, a passionate love for the
Lord that will allow you to be the most useful in his service.
If you are still a student, seek courses of study that will
help you make positive contributions to the lives of others in
developing countries. Grow in your spiritual experience and be
as involved as you can in your local corps. In so doing you
will learn much that will help you to fulfil Christ’s mission
on earth in the years ahead.
Reference List:
Coutts, Frederick. 1974. No Discharge in this War, A one
volume history of The Salvation Army. Hodder and Stoughton,
London.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. 1978, 1980, 1985.
International Bible Society, New York, USA.
The Salvation Army Year Book 2008. 2007. The Salvation Army
International Headquarters, London.
Yee, Check-hung, Good Morning China – The Chronicle of The
Salvation Army in China 1916-2000. 2005. The Salvation Army
Crest Books, Virginia USA
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