Window on the World

The changing face
of mission

By Randal Dick

PASADENA—Jesus came to redeem God’s creation. Before he ascended to heaven, he charged his disciples to take the good news of the kingdom to all who would listen “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

As a fellowship, the Worldwide Church of God takes this commission seriously. We are a small denomination with a global reach—with congregations in more than 78 countries on every inhabited continent.

James Henderson—Africa

In the past few years, however, we have radically changed the way we organize and coordinate our worldwide work.

What has changed?

Church Administration was originally organized into two complementary but distinct departments—U.S. and International.

The International department was subdivided into regions, each supervised by a regional director. The regional director administered his region, which sometimes involved two or three dozen countries, on behalf of headquarters. Most decisions concerning human resources, media and finances were made at headquarters.

Standing on their own feet

This approach began to change under the administration of Joseph Tkach Sr., who saw the need to allow overseas churches to be given responsibility for their own affairs. Responsibilities for day-to-day decisions of media, human resources and governance were to be transferred gradually from Pasadena to the various national churches. This process has continued to the present, and has been a challenging, and at times painful transition.

Rod Matthews—Oceana and
South Asia

As a result, the WCG is no longer an American church with overseas branches, dependent for their existence on a steady transfusion of U.S. funds.

Instead, we are now a network of mature, independent national churches, sharing a common history, common beliefs and a strong desire to work together to advance the kingdom of God around the world. The international churches planted by the U.S. church over a 30-year period have now grown up and stand beside the U.S. church in a mature, interdependent relationship.

Today, virtually no money is allocated by the denomination as a direct subsidy for any international church.

The new financial partnership

Most international churches are now self-supporting financially, and are responsible for their own internal affairs. And all of them are involved in outreach, setting aside a portion of their national income to spread the gospel. Most of our larger national churches also allocate funds for gospel work outside their own borders. Germany, for instance, funds gospel work in Bulgaria—and now Russia. The German work also supports mission in the tiny African nation of Togo.

Mission is becoming a priority for all our national churches, and such outreach is no longer dependent on a subsidy from abroad.

Mission developers

But headquarters still plays a vital coaching and mentoring role in our worldwide mission effort. If mission is to be effective, it needs more than just enthusiasm. A successful mission strategy has to be developed. Our denomination, therefore, funds four mission developers and two headquarters-based support staff.

“Mission developer” is much more than a new name for those who were once called regional directors. The mission developer’s job is to nurture mission workers and the churches that come into being through their efforts.

The WCG has four mission developers: James Henderson—Africa, Rod Matthews—Oceana and South Asia, Charles Fleming—Caribbean, and Hector Barrero, Central and South America.

Mission developers are not over or in charge of the church’s work in their regions. Their full-time service is on a denominational basis—they are accountable to the pastor general through the superintendent of missions.

They provide core training and equipping to our national churches. They encourage and help bring together people whom God is drawing into mission work. They also identify leaders God is calling, mentoring them until they in turn can produce other leaders.

Mission developers instruct in sound doctrine, supervising and nurturing young churches in their early stages of growth.

The mission developers also bring the needs of the areas they serve to the attention of the rest of our worldwide church. If the occasion demands it, they marshal resources to address a particular need, and coordinate the church’s response to an emergency, like the recent tsunami relief effort.

When individuals or congregations choose to contribute to WCG mission, their gift goes to provide such things as disaster relief, Bibles, printing of literature, church planting costs, livelihood programs, food and supplies for orphanages, and many other worthy ministries.

Members around the world are involved in these kinds of ministries on an ongoing basis. When financial resources are made available, we can provide these ministries with an infusion that allows them to produce even more good works. This happens because of your generosity.

The relationship between the Worldwide Church of God outside the United States and the Worldwide Church of God in the United States has changed from that of dependency to a relationship of interdependency.

All of these facets of WCG mission are greatly enhanced and facilitated by the work of the mission developers in each region. It would be beyond the resources in the individual nations in these regions to provide this ministry for themselves.

Those around the world who are reached and served in the international arena are grateful.

Hit Counter