I was given a book in November that got buried underneath a bunch of other books (most were not as good as this one!) K.P. Yohannan, founder and director of Gospel for Asia, made me uncomfortable, and caused me to re-think some ideas I have about the philosophy of missions. At the core of his heart's concern is the need for American churches to support native missionaries. He writes, "Hungry, hurting native missionaries are waiting to go to the next village with the Gospel, but they need your prayer and financial support." He observes it can cost $50,000 annually for an American missionary to go overseas whereas a native missionary can be supported for as little as $1500 a year!
Our small church gave over $73,000 to missions last year, with the primary portion of it supporting American workers--a worthwhile accomplishment. I wonder, though, as I reflect on Yohannan's passionate cry for help, if we should think about the idea of investing more in native workers--who already know the language, already live there, and already have connective links. Yes, they will need to be guided and trained, but an evaluation of this alternative merits our prayerful attention.
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