Ro4mission

“ROMANIAN LEADERS GOING TO HISTORIC CONFERFENCE: DYM reports that at least three official delgates from Romania will attend the Cape Town International World Missionary Conference, Oct 16-25. They are George Ritisan, President of the Romanian sending agency (APME) as well as Pastor Vasilica Croitor, and Iliana Hrisca, Administrator of the CRST missionary training school at Agigea.

These Romanian delegates are among 4,000 missionary leaders from 200 countries to receive official invitations. The Cape Town, So. Africa conference follows the Lausanne Movement’s two previous meetings held in Switzerland in 1974, and at Manila in 1989. Purposes for discussion at this international follow-up meeting (Lausanne III) include dealing with other faiths, world poverty, HIV/AIDS, and persecution.

The two previous Lausanne conferences resulted in formation of many new international missions partnerships, and an historic focus on the thousand of unreached people groups (ethne). The LCWE (Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization) is a thoroughly evangelical movement, which endeavors to define an holistic approach to missions, combining evangelism with compassion and justice.

Additional thousands of ministers and missionaries will observe the Cape Town sessions electronically through “Globalink,” at hundreds of locations throughout the world…”

“ANOTHER LOOK AT THE HARVEST FIELD: Recent research identifies 3,300 unevangelized “nations” with a populaion of 540 million. There are still 2,251 tribes where there is no part of the Bible in their language. The largest religion on earth is animism, which teaches that physical objects embody spiritual powers. These spirits are basically hostile, and require sacrifice or incantations to appease their anger. A large percentage of all Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists seek the help of a shaman or witch doctor for healing, guidance and peace of mind in daily life. Religion brings bondage — only the gospel sets people free…”

“RoMisCon-12″ AT DEVA AUGUST 25-28: Are you interested in knowing whether you are called to Christian service??? Attend the 2010 “RoMisCon” where you will meet missionaries, and hear the challenge of world missions from many excellent speakers. Get more information by Email from < office@APME.ro >, or see the website : www.APME.ro

WORLD MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH: “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature. For it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she takes her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father” (Ad Gentes, 1965). These solemn words tell us something profound. World Missions does not arise from Church activity, as though missions were one of the Church’s many good functions. Just the opposite is true, the true Church arises from missions. That is — missions is her origin and her life’s breath. “The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning” (Emil Brunner).

As we watched world missions ignite within the Romanian church movement, we could see that most pastors thought of world evangelization as an extra obligation that was introduced by some Americans like “Fratale Cameron.” No doubt many Romanian congregations still feel that way. In such places, missions competes with any number of firmly established religious ethnic traditions like weddings, retreats, engagement parties, church trips, construction costs, etc. In these settings, world missions usually loses out. However, here and there we joyfully find a Romanian church that has caught the New Testament Antioch vision which caused the early Church to have explosive growth across the hostile Roman Empire.

What about your church??? If you are still bound by the notion that world misions is merely one of many options, then please ponder the words of Dr. John W. R. Stott; “Our mandate for world evangelism is the whole Bible. Individual Christians and local churches not committed to world evangelization are contradicting, either through blindness or disobedience, an essential part of their God-given identity. The Biblical mandate for world evangelization cannot be escaped.” …

Tags: Discover Your Mission, misionari romani, misiune, mission