In a “state of the vision” report to missionaries serving on far-flung fields of service throughout South Asia, the International Mission Board’s leader for a region known for the “lostness” of its people called upon the missionaries to continue “chasing the vision” until “the glory of God covers South Asia as waters cover the sea.”
David GarrisonDavid Garrison, speaking at the annual general meeting of South Asia missionaries and their families, had praise for the missionaries, their families, and their work toward the goal that “Christ will be born anew in the lives of people in South Asia.”
Paying tribute to the dedication of the missionaries on assignment in the region of South Asia – India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives – Garrison cited the “very low rate of attrition” among the missionaries, saying, “Our folks often get knocked down, but they get up again.”
South Carolina Baptists have forged a five-year partnership with the region, to run through 2009, which Garrison views as part of the “wave of global volunteerism” that is making an impact on efforts to spread the gospel in a part of the world inhabited by some 1.5 billion people who are not Christians – and most of those living in India. Evangelical Christians number about 22 million.
“We need to learn to ride that wave,” Garrison said, noting that the surge in volunteers coincides with last year’s largest Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions in history.
Garrison said that one reason for the hike in numbers of volunteers is what he called “personalization.”
“We must help people see that the Great Commission has not been outsourced to someone else,” he declared.
He challenged the more than 400 missionaries serving in the region to “be strategic” in their use of volunteers from South Carolina and elsewhere, making it possible for them “to do more than just have a good experience.”
Garrison said the work of the volunteers, which has included several hundred from South Carolina, must be something that can be “reproduced” in that culture, as well as work that can be “sustained” long after the volunteers, and perhaps even the missionaries, have left.
Reliance upon volunteers is vital for the work of the International Mission Board, whose missions force of more than 5,000 represents only a single missionary for each 1.2 million people in the world.
A key to success in South Asia is the planting of churches among “every people, tribe and tongue.”
Currently, there are some 22,000 churches in South Asia, which includes a spurt last year that saw the birth of 3,500 new congregations. Additionally, 1,700 outreach groups were organized, which IMB leaders believe will grow into churches.
Church size is on the decline in South Asia with more emphasis given to starting house churches, representing what is termed a “moving away from brick and mortar.”
There were approximately 50,000 baptisms in South Asia last year, which the IMB says is “down,” while noting that “we don’t count professions of faith that stop short of baptism.”
Of special concern to leaders at the International Mission Board are those identified as UUPGs – that is, unreached, unengaged people groups. By definition, the unreached are those people groups of more than 100,000, with fewer than 2 percent of them Christians. The unengaged people groups are those who, as one IMB official put it, “don’t appear on anybody’s radar.”
The IMB has identified 639 UUPGs in the world, 345 of them in South Asia. They represent 400 million people. India contains the most UUPGs – 310 of them.
According to the International Mission Board, the vast majority of these UUPGs are “accessible today.” Ed Cox, the prayer support leader for the IMB, said that an original goal of reaching the UUPGs by 2008 has not been accomplished yet, but that “God is at work all around.”
“We still want to reach that goal,” said Cox,”because that goal represents people.”
Cox expressed his hope that a growing number of churches will “adopt” these people groups through long-term commitments. Such commitments, he pointed out, lead to a “passion” that prompts the churches and their members to do more.
He challenged South Carolina Baptists, as well as all Southern Baptists, to “pray, give, and go.”