January 01, 1995 by Rick Wood

What Is the Forgotten Key to World Evangelization?

What is the one ministry that is the most critical to completing the task of world evangelization? Is it Bible translation, church planting, or showing the JESUS film? No, as wonderful and so very important as all of these activities are; there is one ministry which is of greatest and most critical importance to the completion of world evangelization. It is a ministry that everyone reading these words can be involved in and it is likely the most neglected and misunderstood of all ministries. I am talking about the ministry of "mobilization."

Without aggressive mobilization efforts by pastors, missionaries, churches, mission agencies and church members by the thousands, we will not see the numbers of missionaries going to the field that are required to reach all of the unreached peoples. We will also not see the prayers and funds go forth to support these new missionaries.

This is why the U.S. Center for World Mission and its staff are working here and not out planting churches or translating the Bible. We believe that in order for world evangelization to be accomplished, some must stay and mobilize others to go. Those of us who are working in the ministry of mobilization could each go to plant a church among one of the unreached peoples but if we stay and mobilize 100 or 1,000 other people to go, then we will each have multiplied ourselves many hundreds of times over.

We believe that by staying we can be much more effective in accomplishing the ultimate goal of a church for every people than if

we went to the mission field directly ourselves. The wonderful thing is that you do not have to join us here in Pasadena in order to be very effective in the ministry of mobilization. You can have a tremendous impact right where you are. We want to help you be successful in sharing the vision of reaching the unreached peoples as you mobilize your church and others to adopt-a-people.

The AD2000 and Beyond Movement.--It could finish world evangelization in just the next few years.

A large portion of this issue is also dedicated to reporting on the growing AD2000 and Beyond Movement. I have just returned from a major AD2000 meeting in Colorado Springs where 235 Christian leaders from 60 countries reported an astounding move of God all over the world.

If you still think nothing much is happening or that it is impossible for there to be a church for every people by the year 2000, please read the report of this "Pre-GCOWE" meeting which begins on page 29. All of us at the meeting were awestruck as we heard reports of God's powerful hand at work in every region of the world. God is accelerating the progress toward world evangelization. Don't miss these wonderful reports.

The meeting was named "Pre-GCOWE" because one of its purposes was to prepare for the earth-shaking Global Consultation on World Evangelization. This consultation is scheduled to begin May 17, 1995 in Seoul, Korea, when 4,000 Christian leaders from 200 countries will gather to plan the completion of world evangelization. There is no way to calculate the tremendous impact that this meeting will have on the course of world evangelization, especially if we will all get behind this incredible movement and its leaders.

I urge you to give your full support to the AD2000 and Beyond Movement with your prayers, participation and financial support. (See p. 53 for more information.) Spread the news of this movement to your pastor and church leaders and urge them to get involved. I believe that if we will all get behind AD2000 and work together, then there will be a Church for every people by the year 2000. I believe that God has raised up AD2000 for such a time as this. Give them a call and see how you can be involved.

Hab. 1:5 Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

Do the prospects for AD2000 seem too good to be true? Read pages 29- 43 and be utterly amazed at the wonderful things God is doing in and through the AD2000 and Beyond Movement.