International (MNN) ― Interserve USA is an integral part of a global network that's now seeing big things happen. They're made up of Christian professionals and highly-trained personnel who use their professional skills to minister holistically.
Interserve's Doug VanBronkhorst says they're excited to see the growth around the international church. When retelling the newest 'business-as-mission' partnership in Kyrgyzstan, he says he's reminded of the growing numbers of eastern Europeans who are involved in mission. It's not a typical "sending" area, struggling as it is to recover from decades of Communism.
But that points to another trend that's more widespread, says VanBronkhorst. There are many groups sending missionaries from former "field" areas. "The newest Interserve partner for us is an Interserve organization in Brazil. They're starting to send out a good number of partners, particularly to the Muslim world. We are working with the Chinese church right now within their own country, but I think eventually they'll cross those borders, too. There's a longstanding, active Interserve organization in India. There's a new one in Pakistan, and then Africa is involved, and of course, Korea. It's the second-largest sending country in the world, close behind the U.S."
The growth itself has not suddenly appeared on the radar screen. VanBronkhorst says it's been a long time coming. The areas sending missionaries is where the church has been growing and where it has been most impacted by missions.
The team is focused exclusively on the Muslim, Hindu, and Tibetan Buddhist peoples. They are consciously working in the places that are underserved. Interserve places people on the field who understand how to integrate their work and faith and the incarnate the love of God in Christ through everyday relationships, both vocationally and socially.
More than that, though, is the mindset. VanBronkhorst says it's all about an attitude of service to others. When their teams are distracted by the current events or by the cares of the day, they are vulnerable to discouragement. "Pray for Christians from the global south and Christians from these new churches. They need discipling, and they need training, but they have all the zeal in the world. Pray for them that God would give them wisdom and courage."
