CMS has made more mistakes in missionary work than most other organisations! That's a function of having been in the business since 1799. Hopefully that means we're getting a bit more competent at what we're doing.
We've learnt that contentment in relational status is a major indicator of a person's ability to thrive on location as a long-term cross cultural worker. If married, then happily married. If single, then happily single. Couples who have marital issues and are discontent, or singles who are unhappily single, tend to not last the distance in our kind of work.
It's easy to understand why. Living and working cross-culturally puts you under lots of stress and pressure. New language. Foreign culture. New relationships. Different Christian culture. Getting on with other missionaries. The list goes on and on.
If you're unhappily married or unhappily single, then there's no real relational 'safe space' where you can simply 'be' to process all that other stress. Things can quickly overwhelm you. Married or single, you may end up coming home a little bit more broken.
Part of getting ready to go as a missionary involves doing a realistic self-check on how you're going in your relational status. Am I happily married? Are we happily married and both united in our hearing God's call to go? Or am I happily single, and content to remain single as I go?
Some single people go hoping to be married one day, and perhaps hoping to meet someone overseas. That's altogether possible, but that scenario comes with a heap of complications. I would want our CMS missios to be thinking through them before they leave, not after!
If you're less than content with your relational status - work on that before you go, work on that before you decide to go - it's worth the preparation.
Click here for Part Two
Showing posts with label CMS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CMS. Show all posts
Monday, June 03, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Getting Ready to Go! - Part Two
CMS requires that its missionaries have at least a year (or equivalent) of Bible or theological college studies under their belts. If the assignment is to ministry leadership or teaching position, then more formal qualifications will be required. Indeed in many Majority World countries, a research degree is now almost a standard requirement for teaching positions in their training colleges.
If you're getting ready to go, you'll need to factor in the time and expense involved in such studies. Here are a couple of example pathways based on stories of people I know.
Andrew finished his undergraduate studies and did a Diploma in Education to qualify as a teacher. He thought he might be a teacher in a mission setting overseas. All the while he was actively involved in his local university student group, getting ministry experience in student work. When he finished his DipEd he went straight to Ridley to begin theological studies. As a Ridley student he began his application process with CMS and upon graduation went straight to St Andrew's Hall for CMS training before going overseas as a missionary working in university student ministry.
Emma completed medical studies and an internship. She then took a year out to study at Ridley, before commencing specialist medical training. She then took a posting in a remote area hospital which enabled her to support the local church as a CMS affiliate. Mission remains high on her agenda and she is thinking about an overseas posting with CMS.
Jonathan finished his law studies and worked for five years, all the while remaining active in local church work. He saved aggressively in order to be able to study full-time for the next four years, in preparation for full-time ministry either in the local church or as a missionary. He ended up being ordained with the Anglican church, serving in local churches, doing more theological study and ending up the State Director of CMS Victoria. Hey, that's me!
Each of these stories indicate that planning to take some time out to do serious Bible or theological studies is essential and costly. If you don't plan for it in a deliberate way, it might not happen. So plan!
Assuming that you're already a young worker, you might plan to:-
- take a year out of full-time employment to do a GradDip or similar one year course
- chip away at subjects part-time while you work, aiming for at least one full-time semester
- develop an appetite for theological study, upgrade and take time out to complete a degree.
I tell Christians that Bible college study is valuable for anyone who wants to increase their involvement in and passion for God's work in his world. Do it! You may even end up getting ready to go overseas with CMS!
Click here for Part One!
Click here for Part Three!
If you're getting ready to go, you'll need to factor in the time and expense involved in such studies. Here are a couple of example pathways based on stories of people I know.
Andrew finished his undergraduate studies and did a Diploma in Education to qualify as a teacher. He thought he might be a teacher in a mission setting overseas. All the while he was actively involved in his local university student group, getting ministry experience in student work. When he finished his DipEd he went straight to Ridley to begin theological studies. As a Ridley student he began his application process with CMS and upon graduation went straight to St Andrew's Hall for CMS training before going overseas as a missionary working in university student ministry.
Emma completed medical studies and an internship. She then took a year out to study at Ridley, before commencing specialist medical training. She then took a posting in a remote area hospital which enabled her to support the local church as a CMS affiliate. Mission remains high on her agenda and she is thinking about an overseas posting with CMS.
Jonathan finished his law studies and worked for five years, all the while remaining active in local church work. He saved aggressively in order to be able to study full-time for the next four years, in preparation for full-time ministry either in the local church or as a missionary. He ended up being ordained with the Anglican church, serving in local churches, doing more theological study and ending up the State Director of CMS Victoria. Hey, that's me!
Each of these stories indicate that planning to take some time out to do serious Bible or theological studies is essential and costly. If you don't plan for it in a deliberate way, it might not happen. So plan!
Assuming that you're already a young worker, you might plan to:-
- take a year out of full-time employment to do a GradDip or similar one year course
- chip away at subjects part-time while you work, aiming for at least one full-time semester
- develop an appetite for theological study, upgrade and take time out to complete a degree.
I tell Christians that Bible college study is valuable for anyone who wants to increase their involvement in and passion for God's work in his world. Do it! You may even end up getting ready to go overseas with CMS!
Click here for Part One!
Click here for Part Three!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Getting ready to Go! - Part One
What kind of preparation is required for missionary service? What do you need in your kit bag before you go with CMS to another country and culture? How much experience - and of what kind?
CMS sends long-term workers who cross cultures with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Let's assume that you're already a follower of Jesus Christ and someone for whom the Good News is simply the best news ever. Living for the Lord Jesus and his mission in the world is already your number one priority. In fact, God's heart for all the nations, and for all peoples and cultures, is something that resonates strongly with you - to the point that you've considered some sort of missions work.
That being the case, the next step is to get some serious cross-cultural ministry experience under your belt. CMS looks for people who have a proven record of such ministry. Many have worked with overseas student ministries, or with churches that have multicultural or ethnic-specific congregations. Others have gone on missions exposure trips overseas, or to Australian indigenous communities - often more than once! Get as much experience as you can!
Getting this sort of experience will help you work out if you enjoy cross-cultural work. You might find yourself developing an interest - even a passion! - for a particular people group or language. Relationships might come easily for you within a certain culture. Finding joy in cross-cultural ministry is important. It is one of the things that will sustain you in the long term. If, upon persisting, you find that ministering cross-culturally consistently frustrates you, then it's probably not a good long-term option!
There are lots of options for getting this sort of experience in Melbourne and across Australia. If you need help finding something - drop me a line!
Click here for Part Two!
CMS sends long-term workers who cross cultures with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Let's assume that you're already a follower of Jesus Christ and someone for whom the Good News is simply the best news ever. Living for the Lord Jesus and his mission in the world is already your number one priority. In fact, God's heart for all the nations, and for all peoples and cultures, is something that resonates strongly with you - to the point that you've considered some sort of missions work.
That being the case, the next step is to get some serious cross-cultural ministry experience under your belt. CMS looks for people who have a proven record of such ministry. Many have worked with overseas student ministries, or with churches that have multicultural or ethnic-specific congregations. Others have gone on missions exposure trips overseas, or to Australian indigenous communities - often more than once! Get as much experience as you can!
Getting this sort of experience will help you work out if you enjoy cross-cultural work. You might find yourself developing an interest - even a passion! - for a particular people group or language. Relationships might come easily for you within a certain culture. Finding joy in cross-cultural ministry is important. It is one of the things that will sustain you in the long term. If, upon persisting, you find that ministering cross-culturally consistently frustrates you, then it's probably not a good long-term option!
There are lots of options for getting this sort of experience in Melbourne and across Australia. If you need help finding something - drop me a line!
Click here for Part Two!
Friday, April 05, 2013
My theme verse for the year ahead
It's a bit late for new year resolutions, but then I've had an unusual start to this calendar year with a new job and all. Each year, as I pray and plan ahead, I pray for a Bible verse that will perfectly encapsulate God's leading for me for the season ahead. Here is the Word for the season ahead. Paul, apostle, evangelist, church planter and missionary, writing to the Corinthian Christians says:
And as your faith grows, I hope that our sphere of activity, our involvement with you, your involvement with us, our partnership together, may greatly expand.
Why? For what reason? So that we can preach the Gospel, take and sow the seeds of the Good News of Jesus Christ in regions beyond you.
That's how missions societies like CMS work. They work together with local Christians for the sake of taking the Gospel to regions beyond.
They have a dual work: first, to see that faith continues to grow locally, to be active among local believers; and second, to build partnerships locally so that the Gospel goes beyond the local into all the world.
I am sometimes asked to defend the existence of missions agencies. 'Isn't CMS just a 'middleman'? Why can't a church do their own thing in country X?' Of course they can! I'm tremendously excited by churches that want to engage globally, and encourage such activity!
But there are many smaller churches that do not have the resources or connections to engage directly. So the missions agency acts to gather up such enthusiasm and resources. Because we've been doing it for a long time, we've also developed a large body of expertise around the enterprise of global mission. We've made a lot of mistakes in the past 214 years!
Churches and Christians who 'go it alone' run the risk of making mistakes we've already made and hopefully have learnt from. There are many examples of bad missiology unfolding all over the world today - well meaning people who are painfully unaware of everything from sheer cultural blindness to blatant neo-colonialism. To grow in faith means to grow in wisdom too - and mission specialists exist to encourage churches (large and small) in that. All for the sake of telling the whole world about Jesus.
15 ...Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,
our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand,
16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you...
What perfect words for someone involved in missions work! My great hope is that your faith - the faith of mission partners in churches everywhere - may continue to grow. And as your faith grows, I hope that our sphere of activity, our involvement with you, your involvement with us, our partnership together, may greatly expand.
Why? For what reason? So that we can preach the Gospel, take and sow the seeds of the Good News of Jesus Christ in regions beyond you.
That's how missions societies like CMS work. They work together with local Christians for the sake of taking the Gospel to regions beyond.
They have a dual work: first, to see that faith continues to grow locally, to be active among local believers; and second, to build partnerships locally so that the Gospel goes beyond the local into all the world.
I am sometimes asked to defend the existence of missions agencies. 'Isn't CMS just a 'middleman'? Why can't a church do their own thing in country X?' Of course they can! I'm tremendously excited by churches that want to engage globally, and encourage such activity!
But there are many smaller churches that do not have the resources or connections to engage directly. So the missions agency acts to gather up such enthusiasm and resources. Because we've been doing it for a long time, we've also developed a large body of expertise around the enterprise of global mission. We've made a lot of mistakes in the past 214 years!
Churches and Christians who 'go it alone' run the risk of making mistakes we've already made and hopefully have learnt from. There are many examples of bad missiology unfolding all over the world today - well meaning people who are painfully unaware of everything from sheer cultural blindness to blatant neo-colonialism. To grow in faith means to grow in wisdom too - and mission specialists exist to encourage churches (large and small) in that. All for the sake of telling the whole world about Jesus.
My hope is that your faith will continue to grow... so that we can preach the Gospel in regions beyond.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Finding the friendlies on mission
I'm preaching this fortnight from Acts 18, at St Mark's Forest Hill. What a delight to be in the book of Acts! It contains the story of the beginnings of Christian mission, as the first followers of Jesus took the Good News from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and then to the ends of the earth.
Last Sunday I looked at the first half of Acts 18. Here's the basic outline:
Two principles of Christian mission
We also looked at the encouragement from God in verse 10 of that chapter. I won't give it all away, you might like to listen to the sermon, available from St Mark's here:
http://www.stmarksfh.org/Home/downloads
Blessings on you this weekend.
Last Sunday I looked at the first half of Acts 18. Here's the basic outline:
Two principles of Christian mission
- Find the Friendlies
- Expect the Enemies.
We also looked at the encouragement from God in verse 10 of that chapter. I won't give it all away, you might like to listen to the sermon, available from St Mark's here:
http://www.stmarksfh.org/Home/downloads
Blessings on you this weekend.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
What's your ten year plan?
A wise friend once said something very very wise. I've never forgotten it.
I found myself giving that advice - not for the first or last time I imagine - last week to some prospective missionaries. The wise saying captures the truth that we are often over-ambitious when it comes to what we think we can achieve in a calendar year. Every January we make our new year's resolutions and the list grows as long as both our arms! Lose weight, get healthy, wake up earlier, less alcohol, less food, better quiet times with the Lord, etc. etc. etc.. And we never get anywhere near ticking off everything on that list of planned achievements. We achieve less than we plan in a year.
But we can achieve more than we imagine in ten. So, add ten years to your current age and ask the question, 'Under God, what would I like to have achieved in the next decade?' That gives you permission to Dream Big and aim for what Bill Hybels calls Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals ('BHAGs').
When I was thirty and in my second year of studies at Ridley, my wife and I prayed and dreamt big for the Lord Jesus. We came up with three BHAGs for the next decade:
You can achieve less than you plan in a year
But more than you imagine in ten.
Now, just read that sentence again.I found myself giving that advice - not for the first or last time I imagine - last week to some prospective missionaries. The wise saying captures the truth that we are often over-ambitious when it comes to what we think we can achieve in a calendar year. Every January we make our new year's resolutions and the list grows as long as both our arms! Lose weight, get healthy, wake up earlier, less alcohol, less food, better quiet times with the Lord, etc. etc. etc.. And we never get anywhere near ticking off everything on that list of planned achievements. We achieve less than we plan in a year.
But we can achieve more than we imagine in ten. So, add ten years to your current age and ask the question, 'Under God, what would I like to have achieved in the next decade?' That gives you permission to Dream Big and aim for what Bill Hybels calls Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals ('BHAGs').
When I was thirty and in my second year of studies at Ridley, my wife and I prayed and dreamt big for the Lord Jesus. We came up with three BHAGs for the next decade:
- Finish studies, get ordained, have a ministry track record that means you can be trusted with a senior ministry leadership role.
- Start and finish doctoral studies.
- Start and finish having as many kids as we're ever going to have.
Under God - and it must be stressed that it was God's goodness and doing and strength - not ours'! - we achieved more than we imagined (and in nine years, not ten!). Having those BHAGs kept us moving towards those specific targets; gave us permission to say 'No' to many many good things that came along in the period; and helped us to understand how staying at work in the bank or taking on this ministry and not that one fit into the big picture plan.
Let me encourage you to take out a big white piece of paper and draw a line across it. Mark out ten evenly spaced spots along the line. Start with your current age, and pencil in the next ten years.
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Start praying and dreaming! Love to hear how you go! (Or, as someone else has said publicly before, 'God has a plan for your life, and Wei-Han has the details....' : )
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
How to become a missionary
My post on How to become a CMS missionary generated some feedback. Including the notion that for younger folk, "Wei-Han is a scary monster, heavy-duty CMS dude... what if I'm not ready to talk to him yet?" If that's you, re-laaaxx.. as an ex-young adults pastor, I eat your type for breakfast. (Just kidding - I'm more a brunch kind of guy.)
If you're the kind of person who loves Jesus and is thinking about spending a life working in Christian ministry or missionary work, then the right thing to do is:
To find out more about missionary work, follow this advice from one of our missionaries, given at a recent CMS young adults' gathering:
At CMS Victoria we have a couple of staff whose job it is to be friendly, chat with you about missions, and encourage you along the way. If you mention this blog post and the code phrase ('Wei-Han would like a meconopsis betonicifolia for Christmas') I'll make sure they pay for the coffee.
If you're the kind of person who loves Jesus and is thinking about spending a life working in Christian ministry or missionary work, then the right thing to do is:
- pray and seek the Lord's direction
- talk and pray with your pastor
- talk and pray with your close Christian friends
- make contact with someone who is already working in the sort of ministry you see yourself moving towards
To find out more about missionary work, follow this advice from one of our missionaries, given at a recent CMS young adults' gathering:
- find out more about the country or people group you're interested in
- sign up for newsletters or prayer material
- talk to missionaries who’ve been there
- speed date some missions agencies (like CMS) to ask them what they know/ think
At CMS Victoria we have a couple of staff whose job it is to be friendly, chat with you about missions, and encourage you along the way. If you mention this blog post and the code phrase ('Wei-Han would like a meconopsis betonicifolia for Christmas') I'll make sure they pay for the coffee.
Monday, February 25, 2013
How to become a CMS missionary
What are the steps to becoming a missionary with CMS? The question comes up quite a bit, which is tremendously encouraging for someone in my position!
The person who has administered applications in Victoria has just retired. Myrla left me a document outlining a forty-eight point process!!! What??!?
Let me make a few brief points about CMS missionary culture:
- we aim to place long-term cross-cultural Gospel workers
- long-term means something like a decade or more
- we believe that the longer a missionary stays on location, the more effective they are for the Gospel
- that kind of staying power requires thorough preparation, training and careful selection
- it also requires a high level of support and pastoral care throughout the deployment
- under God, everything depends on the quality of the people we send
So the forty-eight point process reflects the care we take in selection and training. Truth be told, it also reflects on the history and complexity of a missions society that's been around since 1799!
I'd be happy to talk about more details - just ask if there's something you want to know. If you're a person interested in missionary service, here are a few pointers:
- talk to your pastor and ask what they think
- start a prayer group with trusted friends who know you well, get their wisdom and discernment
- get to know the different missions agencies - we're different!
- check out websites, publications, missionaries, keen supporters
- make a time to have a coffee n chat with a staff member (like me!) or drop us an email
CMS....
- requires that our missios have the equivalent of one year of full-time theological or Bible college training
- never works independently, all our missios work under the authority and leadership of a local partner with whom we have a partnership agreement
- the CMS process can take up to two years
- it all starts with a conversation with someone like me (good thing I'm friendly, and like good coffee)
Mmmm... coffee...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The 1 Samuel 1-8 Rap from CMS SUTS 2008, Senior Youth Bible Studies
Here's the closing rap from the SUTS senior youth Bible studies!
You had to be there to experience it!! (Ah well, there's always SUTS next year!)
CMS SUTS 2008
The 1 Samuel 1-8 Rap
Chorus:
God’s got a book it’s called the Bible
It’s our guide to spiritual survival.
God’s got a King his name is Jesus
He lived and died and rose to save us.
He lived and died and rose to save us.
1.
Hannah was a woman without a son
She pleaded and begged, “O God just gimme one.”
The Lord remembered her prayer and did his thing
She had a son and he made her sing:
2.
Eli and his sons thought they were pretty cool
But Hophni and Phineas were evil and cruel
God said, “It’s simple, live right or die”
But the guys didn’t listen, their lives were a lie.
3.
Well the Ark of the covenant was mighty big
The Israelites took it to battle ‘gainst the Philistine pigs
They thought it was super and nuclear and dynamite
But God deserted them to set them right.
4.
Them Philistines thought they could rule the Ark
But the Lord Almighty had a great big laugh and lark
He knocked their Dagon down lower than the lowest pit
He made their bums so sore they couldn’t .... sit.
5.
Israel then said, “We want a king and lord,
Just like the other nations, pretty please O God.”
God was so sad he could have cried
Instead he gave His only Son who came down and died.
(C) JWH Kuan, 2008
You had to be there to experience it!! (Ah well, there's always SUTS next year!)
CMS SUTS 2008
The 1 Samuel 1-8 Rap
Chorus:
God’s got a book it’s called the Bible
It’s our guide to spiritual survival.
God’s got a King his name is Jesus
He lived and died and rose to save us.
He lived and died and rose to save us.
1.
Hannah was a woman without a son
She pleaded and begged, “O God just gimme one.”
The Lord remembered her prayer and did his thing
She had a son and he made her sing:
2.
Eli and his sons thought they were pretty cool
But Hophni and Phineas were evil and cruel
God said, “It’s simple, live right or die”
But the guys didn’t listen, their lives were a lie.
3.
Well the Ark of the covenant was mighty big
The Israelites took it to battle ‘gainst the Philistine pigs
They thought it was super and nuclear and dynamite
But God deserted them to set them right.
4.
Them Philistines thought they could rule the Ark
But the Lord Almighty had a great big laugh and lark
He knocked their Dagon down lower than the lowest pit
He made their bums so sore they couldn’t .... sit.
5.
Israel then said, “We want a king and lord,
Just like the other nations, pretty please O God.”
God was so sad he could have cried
Instead he gave His only Son who came down and died.
(C) JWH Kuan, 2008
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