September 01, 1984 by

In a recent article (THEEVANGELICAL BEACON. June 15, 19815) the Evangelical Free Church reported its goals for the year 1990. six years free, now.

The Evangelical Free Church has 900 churches In the U.S. and another 600 churches on eleven mission fields. According to their report, the church has committed itself to maintain an annual growth rate of 7 to 10 percent for the planting of new congregations, the emphasis being on places where there is no church.

The goals of the Overseas Missions Department were especially interesting to MISSION FRONTIERS.

We notice, for example, that not only is this plucky denomination encouraging overseas national churches to double In number and triple in membership by 1990, but specific field by field goals have been set. Belgium. Germany. Malaysia and Singapore, for instance, are expected to double Their number of churches, but in Belgium. the projected membership is six times as large.

It is exciting to notice that EFCA expects to enter five unreached people groups in the next six year.

But let us reproduce in full the Overseas Missions part of their report:

Goals for Overseas Missions Department

To fulfill the mandate of Jesus Christ and the mission of the Evangelical Free Church. your Overseas Missions Department will endeavor to do the following between 1984 1990.

I: We will build a missionary force of four hundred Career Missionaries and eighty short-term missionaries.

At present, we have 247 career missionaries, which translates into one career missionary to 3.67 churches. If we continue to grow in the number of new churches as we have in the last few years and if our ratio stays the same, we should have 360 missionaries by 1990. However, our goal is 400 in the light of the following:

1. Increased opportunities for missions ministry as new fields are opened.
2. Increased enrollment at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and its School of World Mission with an emphasis in church planting, church growth, missions and evangelism.
3. Increased effort by our Over. seas staff to enroll more candidates for overseas service.
4. Increased emphasis on missions in our local churches and a responsiveness on the part of our young people. In the light of this, we project the following.

• 1986 260 career missionaries and 50 short terriers
• 1987 285 career missionaries and 56 short termers
• 1988 315 career missionaries and 63 short termers
• 1989 355 career missionaries and 71 short termers
• 1990 400 career missionaries and 80 short termers

II: We will hold regional, national, and international strategy sessions for our home and overseas staff

We plan to develop a combined, comprehensive strategy to reach the nations in which we serve for Christ and His Kingdom. To achieve this, we will hold strategy sessions:

1. Nationally annually
2. Regionally bi-annually.
3. Internationally quad-annually

III: We will identify, target and enter five bypassed people groups

1. By cooperating with sending agencies from our own national churches.
2. By using means of literature. radio, television, telephone evangelism, educational, and medical missions

IV: We will open at least two more fields to which missionaries will be sent

V: We will encourage the national churches with which we work to establish their own missionary sending agency

VI: We will develop a total mission educational program to assist our churches with their mission emphasis

1. By providing printed and video material for Sunday school departments
2. By preserving decisions made by youth and adults during missionary conferences.
3. By continually emphasizing missions at all of our camps