EMQ asked David Howard, veteran missionary and, for several years, director of Urbana, to share in a more personal way lessons he learned over his five decades of missionary service.
Even though Christians are only a small percentage of China’s 1.3 billion people, two Christian names are well recognized throughout the country.
I would like to propose a few important considerations that I have found helpful for long-term survival, that every thinking missionary should make a priority.
Where did we get the notion that literacy is a prerequisite to understanding the Bible?
The Western church and missions need to fully awaken to the church in Africa. Historically, the Western church seems like a teenager in contrast to the long and complex history of the African church.
One of the most challenging tasks for Western missionaries to Africa is fitting into the local rhythms of money management. At the core of the misunderstandings that often develop is the mutual obligation and interdependence that shapes African life but clashes with Western independence.
More” is not always better. Neither is “new.” And nowhere is this more true than with regard to the gospel.
Most missions operate in areas with high unemployment, no employment opportunities and low job skills. Often when missions incorporate business into their ministry, they begin to lose the ministry aspects and become focused on the economics.
The world has changed a lot since I first “went” to the mission field. Traditionally world missions has been viewed geographically from a “here and there” view point.
This manual effectively addresses a critically important issue—how can those who are functionally illiterate have access to the Bible?
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