Two weeks ago I met a seasoned missionary to Malaysia. He has spent the past almost two decades reaching unsaved Malaysians. He was lamenting how the majority of Malaysians would never ever hear the Gospel because no one was reaching out to them. And lamenting the fact that even the few that desired to reach them were totally unprepared and untrained to reach them.
He shared with me how that a few years ago he did a survey of the major Christian Bible-schools in Malaysia and found out that they shared one commonality, namely, that evangelism was a tiny part of their curriculum. The rest of the curricula of these Bible schools were subjects on how to deal with Christians. In his words “They were taught how to take care of the 1 sheep that was in the church, while neglecting the 99 lost sheep that were outside!”
What he said is not true of Bible-schools in Malaysia only but of almost all Bible schools that I’ve known. Sad to say, most missionaries are sent to be trained in such Bible schools. In fact, most mission boards will not send a missionary abroad till he has first graduated from such a school.
After spending three to four years learning many subjects that pertain to Christians and just one subject called “Evangelism,” a missionary candidate can hardly be blamed for believing that evangelism is just a small part of his life.
It is no small wonder that most missionaries can hardly wait to plant a church – where they can then put to good use the lessons that they have learned in Bible school.
It is no small wonder that most missionaries then put their energies into taking care of the “1 sheep” in the church rather than try to reach the “99 sheep” outside.
Please pray for missions schools that will be more balanced!
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thank you so much for this post… it is very much true.. i have seen this in so many churches and it is sad.. but that is the reality… how i pray that this would change… as for me, there is simplicity in Christianity that even an uneducated personl would understand the very meaning of it… it is all about Jesus Christ.. it is not bad to study about discipling christians or doing the discipleship itself because there is really a need to… but then we must not also forget that the reason why Jesus came is to save that which was lost… let us hope and pray really hard.. it’s just that harvest is so white ready for reaping… and it is so wide that it needs more labourers… Godbless you admin.. thank you so much… im always excited to open this site…
thank ou for the post, hope and pray, more of us christians should find it the same way… for the house is full but the field is empty, of laborers.