Eight years to go

If you knew that you only had 8 years left in ministry, what would you spend it doing? Preaching to your friends? Training potential leaders? Building a library? Creating a trust portfolio that would leave scholarships for years to come? Or just going crazy in your neighbourhood evangelising anyone and everyone, because for you, the end is near!

When I think of people involved in missions and their longevity, I have to say that it is like we only have 8 years left to live. The average life span of a long term missionary in SIM at the moment is roughly 8 years. That means you have 8 years to learn language, build some sort of ministry, maintain a family at high stress levels and give glowing reports to your supporters, and then..... Dead! Well at least you're gone.

Stated so bluntly, this may sound a bit crude, but I think the point is clear, there is a massive investment in creating and supporting a missionary to get onto the field and if we are not thinking strategically about the roles we take and the legacy we leave then we might as well only have 8 years to live!

There is often a lot of flexibility in the way a missionary structures their time and what their ministry looks like. And so there is a need to think carefully about the activities we get involved in and the reason for doing it....how is it bringing glory to God? Is this a sustainable ministry for local believers to continue or I am creating something beyond their reach? Is this an appropriate activity for a season with a specific goal, or is it better not to pursue a particular idea? There needs to be some sort of framework for decision making.

For me personally, I like to have my plan sorted out, I have my vision and I have a few strategies to help me get there. Sometimes I need to stop and wait on God for an answer, in fact, if I'm honest I have to chain myself down, but as time goes on depending and waiting on God is getting easier and easier.

I would say to fellow and potential missionaries to explore the options for a few years, get some good friends and then send roots down that will leave a lasting legacy. Get the local church on board, if there is one, and help them with their goals, if they let you. If there is no church, plant one and let them take over sooner rather than later. And whilst doing all this, wait on God and learn to wait on God, because he will bring his purposes to fruition.

For His glory.