Modern Times For Foreign Missions
Before 1940, a majority of foreign missions work was done by
missionaries from Western Europe and North America. Since 1945 the vibration has swung into a new direction. The torch
has passed to indigenous missions. They have taken over virtually all the tasks that were formerly carried out by Europeans
and Americans. Today, fully 90% of pioneer missionary work among unreached peoples is being done by native missionaries who
are near neighbors of those being reached with the gospel. They serve with mission boards based within those regions.
Leading The Way
Standing behind more than 70 of these indigenous missions is OMNI, making their work known and seeking financial
assistance for thousands of gospel workers who have gone out on the fields of the world with no other means of support. The
70 plus ministries receiving financial assistance from OMNI deploy a combined total of more than 900
missionaries in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Expanding the Kingdom
Their primary goal is to plant Bible-believing church congregations
of born- again Christians among those people and in those places where heretofore our Lord has had no people for His name.
They also carry out all of the diverse ministries that were formerly the province of foreign missionaries from industrialized
countries.
Of high importance among these are Bible institutes and missionary
training centers to prepare workers for evangelism, church planting and Bible teaching. In mainland China alone Christian
Aid supports hundreds of short term training programs that prepare over 30 workers for Christian service
every year. These include 8 fully established Bible institutes that offer advanced instruction in Bible and
missionary courses.
Greater Works Shall You Do
Indigenous missions also operate primary and secondary schools
for thousands of children who otherwise would have no chance to learn. Plus medical clinics, orphanages, leprosariums and
ministries to the deaf, maimed and blind.
They provide food, clothing and shelter for impoverished families
in famine areas, and also for victims of fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, wars and persecution.
Indigenous missions print and distribute Bibles and Christian
literature in the languages of the people they reach. They make Bible translations into languages which have never had it
before, and often reduce to writing newly discovered languages spoken by tribes that have never before had a written language.
Where facilities are available, native missionaries broadcast
the gospel by radio and TV. They conduct open-air evangelistic meetings to audiences from 5 to 500. And, always, the object
of every ministry is to establish self-supporting church congregations which bring the believers to maturity of faith in Christ.
Providing Support
Even though the local churches may be self-sufficient, most
are located in lands of extreme poverty, or where unfriendly governments restrict religious freedom. So most of them have
nothing extra that can be given for the support of missionary operations. Local churches can hardly meet their own needs in
poorer countries. So native missionaries can only pray, and believe God to miraculously meet their needs.
That’s where OMNI comes in. We seek out and evaluate
native missionary operations.
> Make sure they love the Lord and
believe His Word.
> That He is using them in effective
ways.
> That they are honest and accountable
in handling finances.
Then we make their work known to churches and individual Christians
in America to encourage financial and prayer support.
