by Jon Konnerup
Not only are there economic issues affecting our missionaries’ outreach, but there are also natural disasters affecting their ministries and the people to whom God has sent them. The flooding in the Philippines and the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile have wreaked havoc. They have been devastating to the believers in those countries as they have lost family members, homes, and churches.
The first missionaries associated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship International were actually missionaries before our Fellowship was organized. Then, in 1950, they joined with our Fellowship understanding that reaching our world for Christ through planting churches was the focus. They wanted to be a part of that.
As churches were established and worked together with other like-minded churches, more missionaries were approved and supported. They were sent out by local churches and used the new Mission Office of the BBFI as their service center. The missionary force began to grow, circling the globe with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Thousands of churches have been started, with over a million attending, and the Lord knows the number of salvations through the efforts of our churches and missionaries.
As you see the numbers below, I might point out that they include deaths and resignations. While God has blessed our efforts, our numbers are not keeping pace with the population growth of our world. Right now our world has the highest population ever in history. Yet, the number of our missionaries is slowly declining. We must increase our passion for the lost and dedication to the Great Commission. May we turn the tide in 2010.
