April 01, 1985 by

Over two bilion people alive today have never had a reasonable opportunity to become Christians. These people are non Christians, not because they've said "no" to the gospel, but because they haven't bad a chance to say "yes"!

Without the efforts of today's and tomorrow's rnisionaries  those who minister in Christ's name in cultures different from their own  the needs of most of these people will go unmet. The church desperately needs more missionaries. But it needs people who are "sent" more than it needs people who volunteer logo. This does not mean that the Lord of the haivest does not call or lead individual people to His service, It is important, however, to stress the important role of the 'sending" church, where the call of the Holy Spirit to cross cultural service can be heard, nurtured, confirmed, and supported.

Where are these "sending" churches? A Gallop survey, conducted in 1980, posed a number of questions to evangelicals, One: "Do you feel that missions is a priority for the church today?" Over 50 percent of the people surveyed said, "Yes," Then the survey asked how many pastors felt their local churches were adequately involved in world missions. Only one pastor out of ten answered yes... local churches are both the primary agents and a "weak link" in the missions chain.

The Association of Church Missions Committees (ACMC) was born out of the conviction that local Christian churches are both the primary agents of world evangelization and a "weak link" in the missions chain! Of course, no single church can reach the world alone. But ACMC believes that a movement of North American churches  joining with similar missions movements around the globe  can change the world. This is what ACMC is all about.

ACMC exists to aid in multiplying and strengthening missions minded congregations in North America, ACMC does this by equipping church leaders (pastors and lay people) to develop effective missions programs in their congregations. ACMC also creates opportunities through which congregations can stimulate one another in their missions ministries. The result of this has been a growing number of "sending congregations  churches with a balanced involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission among people groups both near and distant,The 'ACMC movement" was conceived in the fertile womb of Southern California. It began like this:

• Mission strategists Ralph Winter, C. Peter Wagner, and An Glasser became convinced that the local church was a "weak link" in the world evangelization chain,
• Dr. C. Peter Wagner wrote Stop the World! Want ro Get On, identifying the need for alay organization dedicated to equipping local churches for world evangelization.
• Fuller Seminary and the William Catty Institute organized a National Institute for Mission Committee Chairmen in 1974; 63 churches sent a total of 165 representatives.
• Delegate Steve Tavilla, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler and member of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, suggested the formation of an ongoing association of churches; this fledgling body was called the Association of Church Missions Committees (ACMC) and was given the mandate to help multiply missionsminded congregations across North America!
• Donald A. Hamilton, a former Xerox Company executive and director of the William Carey Institute, was asked to be ACMC's first Executive Director, John C. Bennett (a student at Fuller Seminary's School of World Mission) came on as his assistant
• Don Hamilton led ACMC from 1974 to 1980, establishing the Association's reputation for excellence and as an advocate for constructive change in the churclvmission community. In 1980 Hamilton left ACMC to serve as the Executive Director of Overseas Counseling Service, John Bennett was asked to serve as the acting Executive Director and, in 1981, took the helm as Chief Executive Officer, Only 29 years aid when he became Executive Director, he is representative of today's generation of young and visionary mission leaders. Though Bennett suggests that perhaps ten percent of the 350,000 churches in North America are actively involved in world missions today, he stresses the impact that Association members can have by working together to multiply mission minded congregations across North America,  ' ACMC does not exist merely to help churches have better mission programs, " he says. "We wan' that five or ten percent to grow to twenty percent!" ...the Holy Spirit is sovereignly creating a global movement.

ACMC's goal to quantitatively multiply missions minded congregations across North America is gaining momentum. In 1974,37 churches became founding members. 1984 church membership stood at 626, and total membership reached 942. (See chart.) This membership is representative of over 50 denominational bodies. Member churches pay annual dues (for basic services) according to the church's annual missions budget: $60.00 for churches with a missions budget of $20,000 or less, and more on a sliding scale for those with larger budget. While ACMC sells resource materials to non members and anyone may participate in Association activities, ACI4C's services are best utilized byjoining the Association.

ACMC is targeting increased attention to today's students, essential to the health and multiplication of tomorrow's mission minded churches, A special member category allows students to partake in Association activities and buy resources at significantly reduced prices.

ACMC serves both denominational and independent churches throughout North America in several ways:

• North American Conference. Every summer, hundreds of delegates  pastors, laymen, and mission agency representatives  gather for four days of input and interaction at ACMCs annual North American Conference. In 1984 the Conference was held in two locations: Santa Clara, CA, and Washington, D.C. Eleven hundred people attended, representing 249 churches and organization. The 1985 North American Conference convenes July 17 20, 1985 at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, under the theme, "Your Church Can Grow World Christians!" (For further details, see pages .)
• Regional activities. Dozens of locally sponsored activities are held across the continent each year. Programs range fro one hour workshops to weekend mint conferences.
• Regional staff. Five regional staff are available to provide personal consultation to individual congregations and to facilitate "churches helping churches in missions' in their regions.
• ACMC Newsletter. Published quarterly, this helpful publication keeps members to up to date on Association activities.
• Resource Desk and Document Center. This is a comprehensive information service for ACMC members. Materials tailored to each church's special needs are available to answer questions and solve problems.
• "Your Church" brochures, Key isues of interest to missions minded churches are introduced and discussed in this bi monthly resource. In depth supplementary packers and video cassette courses are also available.
• Special publications. Each year ACMC undertakes research projects of benefit to the local church. Past projects have included: the Missions Policy Handbook (identifies and guides congregations in developing missions policy for sixty key issues), the SelfEvaluation Profile (a three panel chart designed to help church leaders measure their church's level of missions involvement) the Mission Agency Information Invetory (provides a standardized process for information exchange between churches and agencies), and the Missions Education Handbook (a comprehensive tool helping local churches integrate missions education into their existing Christian education programs). ACMC's newest resources include A Disciple's Bifocals, a four¬unit, hands on curriculum for young adults and adults that helps Christians grow as disciples, disciplers, world Christians, and cross cultural disciple makers; and the Missions Conference Planner, providing step by step instructions in a workbook format, along with "how to" ideas for conducting a mission conference that will grab a congregation's attention.

ACMC is one of the most valuable resources a local church can have.

ACMC is also helping to spawn similar movements worldwide. In April of this year a team of six from ACMC traveled to Brazil to conduct a missions seminar for pastors in conjunction with SEPAL's (a division of CC Ministries) annual pastor's conference. A special one day seminar the following weekend concluded with a grass roots call for continued gatherings of pastors interested in helping their churches become sending churches and in Brazil becoming a sending base! Bennett and two other members of an ACMC seam are currently carryong on a similar ministry in Indonesia, These ministries have developed in response to the initiative of Brazilians and Indonesians. Bennett feels that the Holy Spirit is sovereignly creating a global movement in which it is ACMC's privilege to play a part.

ACMC leaders and member churches are asking God to raise up a movement of "sending" churches from North America and around the world who, together, can meet the needs of a world without Jesus Christ. According to Frank Barker, Pastor of Briarwuod Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, "Considering the importance of the task of world evangelization and the urgency of the time, ACMC is one of the most valuable resources a local church can have."

Over two billion people have yet to have a reasonable opportunity to say 'yes" to the gospel, The ACMC movement is one of the ways that God is working to heed their cry.

Help your congregation discover the global implications of the gospel!

Ask what people think about missions these days and you will hear a lot of confused thinking. "Missions is for the super spiritual." "Missionaries went out with pith helmets and bermuda shorts." "Loving my neighbor will evangelize the world.' The truth is, many people need a thorough 'reeducation' about missions!

Growing world Christians in your church will change things! World Christians are simply disciples Jesus Christ who are discovering the global implications of the gospel. Though it isn't always easy, they are learning to love people who live nearby, and those at the ends of the earth.

The local church is the best place to grow world Christians. And the 1985 ACMC North American Conference can help it happen in your church! Six plenary sessions will set the stage for what needs to be done. Fifteen theme workshops will center in on concrete ideas for growing world Christians in each segment of your congregation. Ten general workshops will answer other questions about missions and the local church.

Do you believe that your church can grow world Christians? We do! Make plans to talk this week with your pastor. Discuss this opportunity at your next missions committee meeting. Together. organize and send a delegation to the ACMC North American Conference and learn how your church can grow world Christians!