by Joseph Patrick » Tue Mar 11, 2014 10:38 am
From Joseph Patrick...
Ed, Sandy, Flick, Fox and William, allow me to apologize for something that I do not like to see, I. e. a posting then the original poster goes away for a week or more...MY BAD.
Sandy asked for some indication that the statistics might not be accurate... looking at the IMB website, Fast Facts:
Number of Personnel on the field 4826 (not all are career missionaries, mind you).
Number of church starts in 2013: 6192
Number of Baptisms in 2013: 114571
Now, at any one time one fourth of the personnel (about 1200) are on state-side assignment, leaving 3626 on the field. This is not excluding those in support roles (treasurers, administrators, etc.) or missionaries in hospitals or schools. So by using these figures, each missionary started 1.75 churches last year and each missionary on the field baptized 31 persons. I just find that these statistics are a little over the top.
Now, as to accomplishments of Tom Eliff, I admit to being too judgmental. I was looking at his three predecessors and expecting like innovations, when maybe his mandate was to "Hold us together until we find someone else." If so, he did that. I still hop-e that someone who is a recognized missiologist is appointed as his successor.
When Bill Clinton lied, no one died...