by Joseph Patrick » Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:12 pm
From Joseph Patrick...aka Gerry Milligan
Sandy said, "Do you get individual reports from all 4,800 missionaries on the field? I only hear from a few, who are friends of mine, but from what they tell me, if you add it up collectively, across the spectrum of countries where SBC missionaries work, 138,000 really isn't all that big of a number. One of my friends, in Brazil, has been there through two 4 year terms, and in that time, in their area of the country, the number of churches has doubled, and many of their new church plants are over 500 in attendance, in a very short period of time. It's not just 4,800 missionaries doing the work."
Sandy, I receive electronic updates from many colleagues who are still IMB missionaries, also I receive updates from the Arabian Peninsula Partnership, Middle East Partnership, MICN and C&MA missionaries and OM missionaries. Generally the reports are requesting prayer for believers. Recently the number one request from a team of Frontiers missionaries was to find one person of peace.
I know that there are some being saved via IMB personnel, but when you have 4842 missionaries you must consider that at any one time one fourth (about 1200) are on home leave. Also, there are several hundred in administrative positions who are not engaged with evangelism. To me, these are "Chamber of Commerce" figures which would not stand up to close scrutiny if looking at DIRECT imb involvement. But will admit that I am wrong with definitive evidence.
Grace and Peace Joseph Patrick...aka Gerry Milligan