One of the key terms that was thrown around a ton in 2020 was “essential ________”. The blank could be anything. Workers, businesses, and services were all used at one point or another. There was a ton of talk about what we truly needed and what was fluff. This can be a good discussion and in any other season would have naturally led to questions regarding the meaning of life and what is the “point of it all”. However, instead of leading to those questions the debate gave many the temptation to classify things which should be considered essential as not essential and things that are not essential as essential. Things like freedom, personal responsibility, the right to make a living, and a lack of dependence on the government were all vilified. Whereas a generation ago those were seen as highly virtuous. It’s now no longer essential to be able to work in your business and not need a government handout. As I type this out a major multi-trillion dollar spending bill is being debated on in Congress. It’s to give relief to those effected by the shutdowns. Of course, the ones who caused the shutdowns are the ones handing out the relief. Strange times we live in.
It can’t be understated how our values as a culture are shifting both inside and outside the church. Before I was a converted in college, I spent a ton of time in church (ironic I know). My high school years were marked by the passage of time based on Youth Camps, Disciple Nows, and Mission Trips. The last item on that list was always my favorite. Mexico, New Orleans, and Galveston were places that I got to put my hands to work and try to impress the girls in our youth group (look, just being honest haha). Despite my shady motives even I picked up on the essential nature of missions. It was always stated from the pulpit, in Sunday School, and in small groups. This was only reinforced by the numerous times a year missionaries were given chances to speak and were commissioned by our church. Yes, there were other ministries that were just as important. Everything from homeless outreach, prison ministry, children’s programs, and senior care were all supported and did amazing work. It’s just that we all knew that missions was one of those things we just couldn’t drop. No matter what.
Even before 2020 I saw this attitude start to fade. I got the response “Don’t you see the work that needs to be done here?!” So much that I almost anticipated the types of people that were going to say it. Missions became something that I saw fewer and fewer churches really invest in. Of course you had some churches that were all in on it but they were an increasingly rare breed. By the time I graduated college and knew I wanted to do missions the difficult road ahead was very very clear to me. It wasn’t enough that I had to convince people that I was adequate for the job of fulfilling my place in the Great Commission. I now had to convince them that the Great Commission had to be fulfilled at all!
Now in the waning days of 2020 many churches have been shut down for months, gone to “virtual services”, and are cutting programs left and right. Most of the missionaries that I know who have stayed on the field say that no significant cut in their support has happened but there is definite uneasiness in their home churches. 2021 will, Lord willing, see a return to operations as normal for most congregations. When that happens there will be some serious discussions on which mission endeavors to support.
Here’s my call to churches in the future: prioritize missions. Look, we aren’t near the end yet because there are many places in the world that have no gospel presence whatsoever. Let’s use 2021 as the year we collectively got back on mission. The year we took the gospel further than any year before. It will be a challenge for sure. Traveling across the globe will change for the foreseeable future but no matter what the future holds our marching orders are the same. Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. I’ve dedicated my life and future to that cause. We’ll need many more to do the same.
Here’s my call to you: pray and ask for reasons why you should NOT participate in missions in 2021. Ask the Lord to show you clear reasons why you can’t give or go yourself. Of course, these reasons will need to be tied to Scripture. No private revelations needed. Search the scriptures and let the Holy Spirit guide you. I’m confident you will come away understanding what role you will play in 2021 concerning missions.
Let’s work together to reclaim that same focus we had in the past on the Great Commission. Let 2021 be the year that a Christian Mission Renaissance starts. Let it be the year we see more people than ever in recent history answer the Great Commission. I hope that Silk Road Mission is a part of that but would still be happy if it happens elsewhere. More workers are needed. That’s what I’ll be ending my 2020 praying for: more Gospel workers. Will you do the same?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kenneth See
Silk Road Mission Founder