King's Business - 1961-07

by Herbert W . Cassel

IM Z is s io x ie t r y " in C e n t r a l A m S hould it be the aim of missionaries to “ work themselves out of a job” as soon as possible? More than two hun­ dred missionaries of the Central American Mission, working in seven countries, from Mexico to Panama, might well pause to consider this question, as the mission moves into its 70th year since its founding by C. I. Scofield. Trends and events the world over are causing every thinking missionary to ponder and even to question the future of his work. Churches in the homeland seem to be losing their vision for aggressive missions. As a result, there is the danger that mission strategy will be dictated largely by the threats of sudden closed doors. Psycholo­ gically, there may be the feeling, thinking now, for example, of the very real threat in Latin America: “ Cuba is closed and our field may be next. We must, therefore, extricate ourselves as soon’ as possible from our committments on the mission field.” However, if the right foundation has been laid and the current missionary activity is being ap­ plied in the places and by the methods which help to strengthen the national church, it is conceivable that mis­ sionary activity will continue as long as there are open doors. Threfore, it may be worthwhile to think of the unfinished task of missions in the light of what God has done in Central America and of what yet remains to be done in that area. Suppose all CAM missionaries were suddenly obligated to abandon their fields, what would be left of permanent value to show after seventy years of missionary endeavor? The First Line of Defense

In Central America seven facts point to a functioning and virile in­ digenous church, which is autonomous and non-dependent upon the Mission. 1) There are thousands of believers in 650 congregations. 2) Most of the congregations have built and now own their churches, many with pastoral houses. 3) The CAM churches are organized on the local, regional, na­ tional and even the international levels, being totally self-governing on every level. 4) The churches are self- supporting in all that relates to local work, the support of pastors, and all church organizations. 5) They have the Word of God to guide and to teach them, principally in the S p a n i s h language but also in a number of Indian dialects. 6) There would be a public that in its majority would be tolerant and friendly to the evangeli­ cal churches, this being, in part, evi­ dence of the impact that the Gospel witness has made on the attitude of unbelievers. 7) Lastly but of greatest importance, a capable and spiritual national leadership has been prepared to carry on. In the seven countries, there are scores of capable pastors and workers, most of whom were trained in mission schools. Each country has Pictures at left: Top, students, faculty and visiting guests at seminary. Bottom, Ted Koehler and Honduran evangelist share responsibilities in the Panama campaign.

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THE KING'S BUSINESS

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