Have you ever heard the phrase, “Can’t see the forest for the trees”? I believe the opposite is the problem concerning major missions strategies at this time.
I believe we have become so overwhelmed by the lostness of the world that we are missing the opportunities God is giving us to make a difference. Both of our Southern Baptist Convention mission boards — the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board — currently have their sights focused on reaching major cities. This is a good strategy, especially for reaching “the forest,” but it cannot be our only strategy.
Consider a simpler, less costly strategy that most churches could begin to implement immediately: We believe international students currently in North America are the most strategic agents to fulfill the Great Commission.
The barriers keeping us from reaching the nations are many — distance, danger, language, culture and cost, to name a few. But notice that God has miraculously broken down all of these barriers by bringing international students close to us.
Here are 10 reasons to consider international student ministry as a major missions strategy for your church.
- Finding a frontier mission field close by may very well awaken and breathe new missional life into your church. Not only is it easier to share the gospel with someone who has never heard it before, it is also much more exciting. Most of the international students I have encountered actually want to know what Christians believe and are open to hearing what the Bible says.
- International students are more likely to return home than immigrants, creating a greater likelihood that the gospel travels with them. Imagine the possibility that your student, after coming to faith in Jesus, opens the door for ministry among his or her completely unengaged, unreached people group. Even if the student never returns home, their influence could still be felt there.
- International student ministry can be done quite well even by smaller-membership churches located in proximity to a university. It does not take a big budget or lots of people to care for one, or even several, international students. We have seen something as simple as hand-me-down furniture create a real bond between a church and students. One piece of advice, however: Don’t try to reach them all. Focus on loving a few really well.
- International students are more likely to have greater and longer-lasting influence back home, since many return as leaders. For the most part, college students have a lot of life ahead of them. Internationals will have the distinct advantage of cross-cultural experience when it comes to being influential.
- Empty-nesters and retirees are a great relational fit for international students, and many of these members of our churches are relocating to smaller cities in the South. International students miss their parents and other people they love. You could very likely become a person of great influence simply by helping one adjust to and begin to feel at home in their new community.
- In our experience, the fastest-growing populations of international students have come from Middle Eastern and Central Asian (Muslim) nations — some of the most difficult places on earth to send missionaries. It is most exciting to share Jesus where He is not known. It is invigorating to bridge the gap of misunderstanding with the truth that brings hope.
- Many universities are in smaller cities and are accessible to our wide base of Southern Baptist churches. For example: Clemson University has just over 2,000 international students from almost 100 nations. The university is surrounded by over 250 SBC churches close enough for members to form caring relationships with students. What universities are near enough for your church to find an opportunity?
- The largest populations of international students in the U.S. are from the two nations with the largest numbers of unreached people groups: China and India. Could this be a coincidence? No. God does nothing by accident!
- Since strong relationships are vital to real-life change, and since there are large numbers of international students, it only makes sense to target those areas where we have many healthy and vibrant churches (i.e., the South). For the most part, students do not come to enduring faith easily or quickly. A relationship that endures some personal difficulties is usually required. There is not usually time for this to develop on a mission trip. Relationships are much more likely to grow close when we are close and can spend extended time together.
- The cost of implementing an international student ministry is far less than any other international missions strategy. It is likely that we could finance a year’s worth of hospitality ministry for what it would cost us to go on one week-long mission trip.
God has already broken down the barriers to international missions. The student has bought the plane ticket, crossed the ocean, learned a foreign language, and decided to immerse himself or herself in a new culture. In a traditional international missions context, these would all be required of us, but God has opened a new window of opportunity. The question is, will we be faithful to His Commission and take up this opportunity with urgency?
— John Varner directs Friends of Internationals for Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Clemson University.