From My Heart…
Your Investment in the Future of the Global Church
By Byron Garmo, President
I came across a global mission trend that caught my attention. I wonder if it will catch yours.
According to one organization: “By 2050, 1 in 2 evangelical Christians will live in Africa.” Anyone familiar with global mission trends will know this statement is credible. It’s not hard to imagine a future in which the African church is the hub of missions not only to the East, but also to the West.
Our work in African countries primarily involves gospel outreaches—evangelizing and feeding children. Currently, we’re working in Uganda, Kenya, Mali, and God willing, Zambia later this year.
Uganda already has a high population of evangelical Christians. At one point it made me wonder: Should we keep promoting gospel outreaches in Uganda if it’s mostly Christian? I asked this question to a ministry partner. He chuckled and quickly replied, “Byron, there are many “gospels” in Uganda. We need to keep sharing the true gospel with children.”
Gospel outreaches are not about making Mission to Children known—they’re about making Christ known through the local church. Focusing on the church wherever we work is a core value of Mission to Children. We must build up the church, not replace it.
“Our work must build up the local church, not replace it.”
1 Timothy 3:14-15
Valuing the church also means that we ought to encourage children and families toward their local church. In the African countries where we work, a well-trained pastor leads every gospel outreach. The pastor is then able to personally connect with children who want to learn more and can welcome them into his church.
In perspective, it never ceases to amaze me that God puts Mission to Children—a relatively small ministry—on the front lines to make Christ known among the nations. And if Mission to Children is on the front lines, that means you’re on the front lines with us.
By God’s grace, may the children we reach today become the faces of the global church tomorrow. To God be the glory.
