July 01, 1986 by Ralph D. Winter

Commentary by Ralph D. Winter

Ten Thousand Evangelists (About the Cover Story, p. 8)

Phenomenal! In an auditorium complex with the floor space of 16 1/2 football fields, the most representative gathering of human beings ever assembled studied and prayed and wept and worked together during a packed 10 day experience. I wonder how many people realize that massive group of wonderful men and women were only a tiny fraction of the globe girdling Christian family. David Barrett lists 3.6 million Christian workers in the world today, but there must be at least a million of the kind of pastorevangelists that gathered at Amsterdam.

The most electrifying question was not answered: how many nations (ethne) were represented? Much was said about how many countries: of same 200 political territories, 173 were represented. But how many nations, or peoples? At this point, we do not know.

There were over 400 evangelists from India (one country containing 3000 nations). Even if each evangelist came from a different nation, at least 2600 Indian nations went unrepresented. But more likely, the 400 evangelists from India came from less than 5001 that country's 3000 sub nations.

It is hard to shift gears from thinking about countries to thinking about nations and people groups. But that's what the Bible talks about all the way through! And such thinking is now widespread in the circles of mission leadership all around the world today.

We are deeply indebted to Billy Graham for the faith and verve with which this meeting was carded off. I will never forget it. And yet I have a nagging question: I wonder if all our legitimate glorying in the existence of the church whereever it IS does not lend itself to our ignoring all those other groups from which no evangelists could be invited because no evangelist is yet there.Of the 4000 Muslim peoples yet to be reached, for example, perhaps only one out a hundid has within it anyone who could have been invited to a conference like this. It is one thing to be concerned that the church grow where it is. It is something else to make sure the church goes where it isn't!

Kenneth Kantzer's reasoned coverage of Amsterdam in Christianity Today (Aug. 8th) states, "Recent centuries saw two waves of missionaries. Now a new wave of national Third World evangelists is forming to meet unprecedented openness."

I'm afraid this is comparing apples to oranges. Not one in a hundred of these evangelists is in any ordinary sense of the word a missionary.

In the same issue of CT, Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, says. "God has raised up a mighty force of nationals to do the work of evangelizing India."

Let's face it, 99 percent of these dear believers and evangelists are hardly even thinking about people groups beyond their own. Evangelists normally reach out to their own peoples. There is a growing conviction in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, however, that Christians must deliberately seek out groups where the gospel has never been preached. Missionaries (national or foreign), not evangelists, are needed for THAT job.

New Regional Center

The New England Center for World Mission now exists. Another the Rocky Mountain Center is about to begin in Denver. The New England Center's address is on page 10. Beginning almost immediately, every type of material you can order from Pasadena can be ordered from this address. We hope that the many friends we have in Vermont, New I lamp shire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut will get better service, now that there is a Center only a local call away. The three couples operating this Center expect to handle all routine correspondence on behalf of the U.S. Center in Pasadena.

By way of comparison, the Midwest Center is completely autonomous and owns considerable property. The New England Center is starting small and, at this stage, is an official branch of the Pasadena office.

New Video "Magazine"

Already over 50 churches have asked for this service. We will begin shipping these 15 minute VHS or Beta tapes in September. With a retail price of $24.95, the Mission Frontiers discount price will be $12.95. Three months at a time: $9.95 per month.

For those who live near a regional center with the capacity to make copies, the price will drop to about $2.50. I imagine this service will be available very soon from the five North American Centers. All you do is buy a blank cassette for about $5. It will last you a long while if you drop it off for a few days each month to get the latest installment added to it.

We expect this Video Magazine to cover a lot of things each month that are only a few days old. Key people will be introduced, breaking news of things across the world, background information on the Global Prayer Digest events for the month, and so on. The first ten minutes will be a complete unit. The last five minutes for optional One USCWM Staffer's Reaction to Amsterdam '86

Amsterdam as was a phenomenal meIing it certainly evidenced the awesome truit of the missional movement, yet if gave no credit forthat movements past achievements nor any indication of is present need. Indeed, when the possible need for missions was brought up at a press conference the subject was tactfully avoided.

As I reflected on this, read Luke 6. That passage seemed to provide both an encouraging amid strategic answer to my perplexity the Lord Jesus had just experienced severe oriticismtor doing good on the Sabbath trying to make a more religious observance serve a dynamic and useful purpose for man.

The religious establishment began to make plans to kill Him.

Astonishingly. Jesus does not lament or worry about this profound rejection (I would have taken the first flight to Cairo!) but rather, He spends the night in prayer for personnel to launch a woridwide mission movement (LR 6:12). Fancy that!

Then, amazingly, after He selects the men He wants and gives them a glimpse of the power of the ministry ahead (ft. 6:17 20). He proceeds to tell them what it will be like to want for His mission agency.

He tells them how happy they are to be because they will be poor, hungry, sorrowtul, hated, insulted, ostracized and slandered. He says, Isn't this an awesome privilege? You guys should be jumping for joy you get to share the same treatment the prophets did.

Hearing that, I'd be looking at brochures from center agencies ....

'Ed. note: Graham cerfainlybe I/eves in missions. His wife was born in China. But he must be super cautious lest he jeopardize his phenomena/ministry behind the iron curtain or damage possibilities for a visit to China.

This ten minute plus 5 minute structure will allow a comprehensive input into all kinds of meetings, even if only 10 minutes is available. Student groups, Bible studies, prayer meetings, mission committees, church committees of all kinds may wish to take advantage of this kind of monthly updating.

An audio cassette version will be available for small groups where no video cassette recorder is at hand.

The Case for the Campus

About 600 key people visit the USCWM each month. Why? What benefits do they receive?

There are at least two answers. In the first place, things going on here, like the Global Mapping Project, attract key people from around the world. For example, tomorrow, Patrick Johnstone, one of the world's top mission strategists and author of Operation World, will be stopping through. (The new edition of his book is a quantum leap forward in terms of charts and graphs.) Also coming tomorrow are Joe and Barbara Grimes, Wycliffe specialists in the remaining task among tribal peoples and authors of the authoritative Ethnologue.

It often happens that when people come here with one purpose in mind, they discover other things they never thought of before. Key leaders from one denomination came to consult with us about their using our Global Prayer Digest While they were here, they discovered the Global Mapping Project.

The Global Mapping Project itself was able to get off the ground and into orbit because of our computer center and its highly capable and devout staff.

Two of the three families on the ground floor of the New England Center for World Mission got the idea by being here and seeing how this Center works. A number of other Centers for World Mission began through much the same process as well.

Probably a thousand visitors have unexpectedly discovered the Zwemer Institute for Muslim Studies by visiting our campus for some other reason  Meanwhile, 80 students on our campus right now who were attracted by the Zwemer Institute are finding out about other agencies they'd never heard of before, such as Frontiers and Pioneers.

The Zwemer Institute has a staff composed of people from ten different missions. The leader of one of those missions was once asked, "Why do you send staff to the Center for World Mission?" His answer: "We send one man and get back the work of ten?'

Forty two separate organizations are represented here already. People with backgrounds in over 70 mission agencies are here. Our 300 full time staffers will grow to 500 before we are to fill this modest, smallish campus. We wish it were bigger.