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."
