October 01, 1989 by James J. Hudson

A Moving Target

Editor’s Note: The mobility of modern times transforms missions into a motion picture, making many peoples more reachable—if we can shift gears strategically in order to reach them.

In the past missionaries usually felt called to a particular people living in a specific geographical location. The pioneer missionary often went where he was not wanted. He usually stayed until the new church felt it could get by without him, and then he would move on to another “Macedonian Call” or another assignment from his mission board.

However, even then he expected the people to whom he had earlier gone to remain and faithfully continue to build the church. And this was the way it usually was. The missionary sought to train and prepare the new converts so that they could realize their leadership potential and give direction and leadership to the emerging church in their country.

A Colony of Restless Ants

Prior to World War II most people rarely traveled far from the place of their birth; there was little opportunity for travel. Thus, trained national workers were readily available to serve the people of their own culture and language. A people was a stationary target for evangelism, church-planting, church growth and discipleship.

However, soon after World War II the peoples of the world began to move as if the earth were inhabited by a large colony of restless ants.

People began to move from villages to towns, from the towns to the cities, and from the cities to the great metropolitan centers of the world. Also, the natural flow of immigrants increased dramatically from country to country as poor farm workers from one country were welcomed in another country to provide cheap, back-breaking labor that local citizens were not willing to do.

For example, in the Caribbean, workers moved from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, and Jamaicans went to the USA to cut sugar cane. Others went from Mexico and Central America to the USA to pick farm produce. Haitians moved out to almost every other nation in the Caribbean to pick peanuts, cut sugar cane and harvest bananas.

A Task of Greater Complexity

And then from different parts of the world came the civil wars, the attempts to overthrow governments and the conflicts of “Liberation,” causing hundreds of thousands of refugees to spill over into neighboring countries and seek greater opportunities for work and personal freedom.

Across the world, the target of missions is no longer stationary. It is a moving target. The task of missions thus becomes more complex and more difficult.

In my region, a dramatic example of the moving target problem is the population of Haiti. Because of the lack of political, social and economic stability in Haiti during the past two generations, Haitians have been migrating to almost every other island and country throughout the Caribbean and also to the USA, Canada and France.

Wherever Haitians have gone, they have also planted the church. We in the Nazarene Church now have Haitian churches in 20 different districts: eight in Haiti; two in the Dominican Republic; and others in Venezuela, the Bahamas, French Guyana, Suriname, Florida, New York, Washington, Canada and France.

A Changing World Requires a New Strategy

Some traditional missionary concepts, as well as our general church strategy, will need to change if we are to more effectively minister to these new moving targets. Here are some areas that need to be explored:

1. Missionaries and church leaders in a given country must now begin to think in terms of ministering and serving a particular people not only in their country of origin but wherever they may be. An adaptation of John Wesley’s concept of “The World is my Parish” is needed.
2. The curricula and policies of our theological training programs should be designed to address this ever-growing, mobile target. For example, the Haiti Bible College that now serves students from eight Haitian districts should be developed into a regional Bible College to serve students of Haitian origin in 20 districts within 13 different countries and Caribbean Islands.
3. The most important adjustments should come in the international organization and administration of the church. A comprehensive strategy must be developed to more effectively minister to a particular people, no matter where they are, rather than a strategy targeted to a single field or geographic location.

It is now urgent that we develop a strategy that will effectively coordinate the responsibilities of “home” and “foreign” mission organizations as well as the autonomous jurisdiction of individual districts. The needs of people are more important than the structure of traditional church organizations. These organizations have often served effectively in the past, but they must now be re-evaluated.

We must never change our biblical message since it is based on God‘s revelation to man.

We must, however, always be ready to change our methods in order to meet the contemporary needs of God’s people and a fast-changing world.