Short Term Missions

Meeting with the Short Term Missions Team

from First Baptist Church, Prince George

Among the many joys of serving in Africa with Canadian Baptist Ministries, we often have the pleasure of hosting, or connecting with, Canadian volunteers. Short term missions is an important part of our mandate to strengthen mutual learning and support between Canadian churches and our international partner churches. As Canadian Baptists we call this ministry "Global Discipleship".

Global Discipleship is the experience of growing in our faith as we become a part of the movement of God throughout the world. It involves a deeper appreciation and understanding between people that live across cultural and ethnic divides. As Christians from around the world come together, we often discover new perspectives on Scripture, theology and life. Global discipleship involves these rich experiences of vulnerability, relationship, worship, service and profound exchanges of ideas and perspectives.

This morning, we met with a group of six volunteers from Prince George, British Columbia, who have been serving with the African Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S) with our friends and colleagues Wayne and Maureen Morgan. It was encouraging to hear each member of the team share how they were impacted by the time of ministry and connection with the people of the ACC&S. As one member of the team shared, "It is like a tune up for the soul".

Global Discipleship is not a one way street. We believe strongly that God has gifted and resourced his entire people throughout the world to participate in God's great work of healing, reconciliation, and transformation. Short term missions is one way that we can give and receive. It also provides a tangible way of demonstrating solidarity and unity within the Global Church. 

This same week, we are witnessing similar exchanges as representatives from several of our African church partners are visiting one another in a food security gathering in Tanzania. Over the past three years, CBM has helped facilitate regular cross-partner exchanges and exposure visits as our East and Central African partners share and learn from one another. 

Global Discipleship is much bigger than us. Over the past century, Christianity has dramatically shifted. Christian scholars like Timothy Tennent have shown that the "majority world church" has dramatically shifted to the Southern hemisphere. Christians of Asia, Africa, and Latin America are now the majority (approximately 67% of Christianity is outside the Western World).

As Canadian Baptists, we are increasingly aware that we are a part of a much bigger family of faith. 

Tennent, in his 2007 book Theology in the Context of World Christianity, describes five trends in the new Majority Church: 

(1) These believers are theologically "conservative, orthodox and traditionalist". 

(2) They are "morally and ethically conservative". 

(3) "These new, young churches are more likely to be sensitive to Christian responsibility to address issues related to poverty and social justice".

(4) They are experienced at "articulating the uniqueness of the gospel in the midst of religious pluralism".

(5) "Majority World Christians are more likely to grasp the corporate (not just individualistic) dimensions of the teachings of the New Testament"(Tennet, 15).

We are thankful for the opportunity to grow in our faith with our global partners.

You can learn more about opportunities to serve on a short term mission or support the wider work of CBM by checking out our website at www.cbmin.org