IF MISSIONARIES NEED TO come on furlough for their own good, it’s also for the good of churches.

What is a furlough? The dictionary defines furlough as "a leave of absence." For a missionary, it is a leave of absence from duties in their assigned place (country) of service. The EMC Missions Handbook states that "The purpose of a furlough is to return the worker for rest, for renewal of contacts with his/her family and the churches, and for deputation."

It is my privilege as Foreign Secretary to regularly interact with missionaries on furlough. Each missionary has unique dynamics in their life, so the specific needs vary, but there are common needs. Family, friends and churches need to find out those needs and seek to meet them.

At this time, though, I want to address another need: We, the church, need to have the missionaries come on furlough. We need to hear of the dynamics of their ministry, the spiritual battles they face, the limitations they deal with, and their family life. We need to hear this so we can provide better spiritual and moral support. We need to allow them to inform us and to challenge us with the task of world missions.

Recently I was challenged by a presentation made by a medical doctor. He told us of the need for more missionaries in south-east Asia, particularly on ministry to the Muslim population. He said the country in which they work, with a population of 130 million, only has several hundred missionaries. Historically, work among Muslims has been difficult, so most become involved with the one-percent nominally Christian population. Very few focus on sharing the message of Jesus with the ninety-eight percent Muslim population.

The doctor spoke about the need for more Christians to respond to God’s call to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to people without opportunity to hear this message. He made an important point. He said that many Christians say they are willing to go, but are, in fact, planning to stay. "What we need", he said, "is people who are planning to go, but are willing to stay."

I need to hear that. Most of us have our roots so deep that it is difficult to move, especially to a foreign country. We have so many reasons to stay that we hardly consider God’s call to go.

The church in Canada needs to hear from missionaries. Often, though, we don’t take time to hear a missionary report. Many churches neglect to expose their congregation to missions. Special services with a missions report or challenge are becoming less frequent; unless a missionary is available for a fifteen-minute report on a Sunday morning, they are not included in a program. Missions conferences are less frequent and shorter. Youth go on mission trips, but are seldom present during missionary reports.

Missionaries need to come on furlough to expose us to the needs of the world beyond. We need to listen to them so that God can speak to us and give us a burden for those who have not heard.

"How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14).

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June 21, 2000
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