Progress of the Christian Mission: Gospel For Asia And Other Organizations
The work of Christian mission organizations such as Gospel for Asia mainly consists of evangelism and church planting. Evangelism is commonly known as “spreading the Gospel” and is basically the communication of the Christian faith to new geographical areas and cultures. On the other hand, church planting is a process that results in a new Christian church being established.
The majority of non-Christians live in an area that extends from West Africa to East Asia. It is commonly known among missionaries as the 10/40 window, so called because it covers the area from 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the equator. It has the largest population of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.Many of today’s mission organizations are founded locally, such as Gospel for Asia in India, which was founded by KP Yohannan. This is unlike in the past, when most Christian missionaries came from the West, notably the US. In fact, there are several advantages that a local missionary has over their western counterpart.Having few or no cultural barriers to overcome is a big advantage that national missionaries have over their western counterparts. Being able to speak in the local dialect or language makes it easier for them to reach their target groups. Many areas in the 10/40 window are restricted for or closed to foreign missionaries, while local missionaries may have better access to the local people.Helping with missionary work comes in many forms. In fact, one need not be a missionary to make a difference. Donating one’s time as a volunteer is already a big help. Volunteers can assist with the coordination and organization of activities and events.People can apply for regular jobs within the ministry. These include positions that provide administrative, financial, technical and communications support. Inviting speakers from missionary organizations to one’s church, distributing reading materials and generally supporting ministry activities is also helpful.Donations and sponsorships are also a common way for people to show their support for missions. Donations can be in the form of cash or material things like Bibles, tools, equipment and food. For instance, missionaries talk about the Gospel in classroom setting, so they are often in need of teaching aids. Sponsors, on the other hand, send cash support monthly to be used to buy supplies or subsidize education for a selected missionary or child.Thanks to technology, Christian missionary organizations can reach more people with their message. They utilize the Internet, radio, TV and print media to help people know more about them and how they can be a part of the effort to bring Christianity to non-Christians. Missionary leaders and founders like Gospel for Asia’s KP Yohannan write books and do tours to different places to get people involved in what they are doing: to spread the Gospel and bring in as many people as possible to the Christian faith.
