World Missions Director Discusses Career Missionaries
Tim Hill, World Missions General Director, recently focused his attention on Church of God career missionaries as part of the Year of the Missionary project. Here’s what he found after careful study:
Career Missionaries of the Church of God
“The missionary resource of Church of God World Missions is difficult to define in terms of “full time” only. We have well over 30,000 individuals and families united in global ministries outside the United States and Canada among various classifications of ministry and missionary calling.
Career Missionaries from the United States totally dependent on the funding they receive from donors is now 53 individuals. The Associate, Part Time and Short Term Missionary list is considerably larger. Add to that the list of specialized ministry personnel, seminary presidents, professors and national leaders along with indigenous workers plus national pastors and families. “
Missionaries are reaping an End-time Harvest
“All of this combined historically has helped garner a harvest around the world. In 2013-14 they were used of God to bring in 1.8 million souls into the Kingdom of Heaven. Since September of 2014 until now, this army of men and women has planted almost 4,500 Churches around the world. That is a new church every two hours of the day.
The number of missionaries being funded by donors and commissioned by World Missions is part of a larger picture. The face of missions has changed, and while the North American church is still most active and largely responsible for funding global ministry, it is being verified more and more that as others before me have said, ‘The Mission Field has become a Mission Force.’ “
An Invitation to Help ‘Hold the Rope”
“Initiatives, such as the Miracle Missionary Offering of the 2012 General Assembly, eliminated almost $300,000 in individual Career Missionary account deficits and have since disbursed another $300,000. Now the Year of the Missionary emphasis with 12 different Care Connection Points through the year, hopefully will assist Career Missionaries in meaningful ways, expressing the love and concern of the Church of God constituency.”
Project Number 102-9389 is the number to use to help raise a Million Dollar Emergency Trust Fund for Career missionaries. Examine the work, study the results, and help hold the rope for them.
(Source: Church of God World Missions)
