September 01, 1984 by David Moore

In 1978, delegates to the General Council of The Christian and Missionary Alliance voted unanimously to double the North American constituency by the centennial year of 1981. It Is a commendable, perhaps presumptuous, action to mandate, doubling in ten years of inclusive membership and churches that took ninety years to achieve; however, the doubling includes overseas ministry as well as North American. How can a North American church impose... its doubling goals on 49 autonomous. Independent national churches? It can't! After all, 1987 is not the centennial year for those overseas churches.

However, increased evangelism and spiritual renewal has been a concern of many of the overseas churches for some time, in some countries, church and mission had already been working together to measure growth and establish goals. Some churches have set goals far more ambitious than those of the North American Alliance. Three of the overseas churches have already doubled their inclusive membership. Outstanding growth has occurred in places such as Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where in 1981) there were no churches and today there are seventeen with an aggregate attendance of almost thirty five hundred persons; Kinshasa, Zaire, where the number of churches has Increased to 82 In addition to 250 prayer cells; Manila, Philippines, where in the past year the number of baptized members grew from one thousand to fourteen hundred.

What has occurred in the years since 1978 is a matter of record. It is the story of what God is doing. Statistically, growth in the overseas churches over the last six years may be summarized as follows. It should be noted that the statistical compilation of the overseas churches is always two years behind because of the logistics of data gathering. The figures giver for 1978 are actually those of 1976, and those for 1980 represent the status In 1982. Centennial reporting on overseas churches In 1987 will reflect 1985 date.

Probably the Inclusive membership of the overseas churches will double by 1087. It is likely that doubting goals will be achieved in other categories as well.

Doubling of the mIssionary force in the decade 1978 1987 was not targeted. The goal set was a net annual increase in missionary staff of 3 percent, which would mean growth from 915 Missionaries to 1.200. As of January 1. 19811, the number of staff stood at 1,0711. To reach the goal of 1.200 by 1987 will necessitate a net increase of 112 a year over the next three years, or a total of 126.

Significant Increase in the number of missionaries poses formidable problems for a missionary denomination with a structure like that of The Christian and Missionary Alli ance.Alliance missionaries do not raise their own support. They are supported from the Great Commission Fund giving, 90 Percent of which is received through faith promises made during local Alliance church missions conferences. Support for missionaries covers both personal and support allowance. The latter includes housing, basic furniture, vehicleoperating budget, payment of foreign taxes, medical coverage, a Social Security grant for selfemployed ministers, insurance, transportation to and from the field, children's education, subscriptions to three periodicals, and service increment for those with at least ten years of service.

To absorb an increase of 126 additional missionaries will require approximately $1,890,000 added budget income for the Division of Overseas Ministries. That represents an Increase of over IS pe,'cernt of the present budget of $12,300,000.

Presently the Alliance has 825 accredited missionary cnedidates. Approximately 55 new missionaries mutt he appointed each year to replace those retiring or leaving the field for other reasons. Therefore, 97 new appointments would have to be made annually to reuse the net increase of 42 missionaries each year for the next three years. In our system the road from accreditation as a candidate (usually occurring In the senior year of college) to actual appointment Is a long one. In the case of a couple, both husband and wife must Qualify since both will be appointed as full time missionaries. A minimum of one year of graduate study and at least two years of full time ministry in North America are required. Most candidates are now completing graduate degree programs which, for an M.Div., means three years. Many are serving longer than two years in home service. These are factors contributing to the long period between accreditation and appointment. However, that arduous process also serves to further screen candidates so that the attrition rate among missionaries actually reaching the field is relatively low.

Valuable as it is in measuring a candidate's suitability for overseas service, the home service reguirement creates an obstacle to a large increase in in candidates, it means that Places must he found for ministry in North American Alliance churches. That becomes more difficult as the number of new pastoral candidates surpasses the total of full time mm istry opportunities available.

Overseas churches related to the CMA have their own missionary sending program. Six churches have a total of 37 missionaries in 14 countries. This does not count the 200 missionaries from churches In Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and the Netherlands who serve under the administration of the Division of Overseas Ministries of the CMA in the United States. While we intend to increase the Alliance missionary force from the North American churches, far more strategic in world evangelism Is a significant increase in the number of missionaries from Two-thirds World Churches!