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Wake Up Call

I received the following and wanted to share it with you.  This is food for thought and preparation.  I think that time on deputation should not be for raising money but for preparation in your life for the field. Think the following points through and do a personal evaluation.  Very challenging material.

We just recently had a good friend of mine with me.  His name is Pastor Aké.  He is a pastor of a totally indigenous church inIvory Coast(very rare).  They are located a few miles out of Abidjan.  His church gives him a good salary, they support missions at about $250 a month and they are building some of their own buildings.  I was letting my young men ask him a few questions the other day.  They didn’t ask too many so I asked him, why he thought the work in West Africa is weak?  Not every church is but the majority is.  He replied with a great attitude and here are his remarks.

 

1. The beginning of the work is usually very bad.
2. Most missionaries lack vision.  They have no plan and set no goals.
3. Most missionaries come here and haven’t been a pastor of even a leader in a church in America.  They come to the mission field and are now learning.  Many mistakes are made because of this.
4. The older missionaries don’t help the younger missionaries learn and be effective.
5. The missionary leaves the church too early.  They don’t have a strong church and they leave is weak.
6. When they do leave, they haven’t left a good trained leader.
7. A good bible college has never been started.  Fundamental Baptist missionaries have been in the Ivory Coast for many years and this year the only Bible College (that I know about) that is running in the Ivory Coast is one that Jason Hamby started.

 

He also shared many problems with the nationals.  He said that too many of them were lazy, lacked vision, got too greedy(he told my young men that they didn’t need to try to live like an American but live like an African, work hard and don’t complain). 

 

He said also that many of them were uncommitted to giving sacrificially to the work.  They always expected the missionaries to supply the needs of the church.  They didn’t like to get off the baby bottle.  They liked sucking from the missionary to long.  He told them that they needed to grow up and be men.

 

They also lacked a missionary vision.  Only about 4 or 5 of the fundamental Baptist churches that I know about in Ivory Coastsupport missions. 

 

I am sure that I missed some things but I thought that he gave many truths and appreciated his attitude in giving them.

 

Have a wonderful and blessed day,

Keith Shumaker

Bro. Keith is a missionary with Macedonia serving in Africa.  He is a fine man of God doing an exceptional work. Thank you Bro. Keith for sharing this.

I love you guys.

Bro. Tony

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