Category Archives: Indigenous ministries

“This amazing incident makes me cry”

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, Stories and reports
Key leaders Negash & Bekelech Gemeda of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Key leaders Negash & Bekelech Gemeda of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The following true story is from the last quarterly report from Negash Gemeda, the team leader in Addis Ababa who overseas Mission ONE’s cross-cultural partnerships in Ethiopia.

A Muslim man, probably around 55 years, came to the clinic for help. As he was about to leave the compound where we give the medical help, the Lord spoke to me to talk to this man. The place was packed by people and almost all were Islamic by faith. You can feel the atmosphere not very easy to talk to an old Islam, especially about faith.

Finally I called Kay, who is the team coordinator, just to be with us and pray as I talk to the gentleman. It took me a while to really get in to the main talk, and as I start telling him about the new life in Jesus, I see his eyes getting bigger and his face start smiling.

After sharing with him the true faith life in Jesus, the man asked me what to do, and I told him to receive Jesus the Christ as his Lord and Savior. Within no time, in tears he prayed with me the Sinner’s Prayer and gave his life to the Lord.

Finally he went into his pocket and took out his Muslim hat, for which he has great attachments all his life, and handed me to burn it there on the spot.

This amazing incident makes me cry. Not only me, Kay and other ministers who were with us praying. Anyway I told the man we don’t want to burn his hat there in the church and we told him he can do anything he wants when he gets to his house.

The reason I said this was because we are there to do medical help, and the people around us will see and big problem will take place and we don’t want the local church to suffer unnecessarily. Also God did not speak to us to burn his hat, but instead to burn his heart with his word. Anyway God used the medical people and the rest of the local to proclaim his message to the lost in an amazing way.

Praise the Lord for the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ! We at Mission ONE are extremely grateful for our partnership with our dear brother Negash—and the teams he oversees in Ethiopia—as they evangelize and plant churches among many lost peoples.

“She put out all the idols from her house”

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, Stories and reports, ,

The last quarterly report from the HBI India Team supported by Mission ONE indicates that they are ministering among diverse groups of peoples or ethnic groups. They are the …

Pallar, Sutar, Khatik, Maki, Konawi, Lohar, Agrawala, Lingayal, Uphar, Kadasiduru, Badegiru, Banjara, Vanniar, Aasari, Marwadi, Goundar, Naavidar, Sanapallulu, Setti Balija, Patil Majhi, Kunabi, Aadivasi, Bari, Mannga, Sabar, Reli, Khanda, Chettiar, Aadi Dravidar, Parayar, Saanar, Kuyavar, Marvadi, Reddy, Kurumbar, Koundar, Narikuravar, Madiga, Mala, Balija, Brahmins, Vyshyas, Chakali, Mangali, Erukala, Aranavadi, Uppara, Kamma, Kapu, Semapatterlis, Golla, Indiga, Boya Vadde, Savara, Relli, Jathapu, Perikivally, Naidus, Sundhi, Yadava, Barber, Yanadi, Lambadi, Blacksmith, Kampa, Pandara, Majala, Kuvi, Gabari, Baldar, Bhil, Dhangar, Kunbi, Koruku, Mali, Udayar, Pillai, Harijan, Mudaliyar, Yanadulu, Naidu, Dhobis, Gabali, Patel, Banjari, Adibasi, Badari, Roldi, Chamar, Oree, Yadavar, Hakkipikki, Sudugadu Siddar, Mahar, Dangar, Muli, Kumuti, Gauda, Liari, Bunabi, Saha, and Teli people groups.

Isn’t the diversity that’s represented by this list simply amazing? Praise the Lord!

The HBI team supported by Mission ONE comprises some 35 indigenous Christian workers and pastors who are doing evangelism and church planting. The peoples whom they are serving are primarily Hindu, but they also comprise Muslim and tribal peoples.

They reported in the last three-month period that … 260 people received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior … 65 were baptized … 22 new churches were planted.

Praise the Lord!

Here’s a story from Pastor N. J. Meshram—one of the HBI leaders supported in part by Mission ONE:

Sithubai, a non-believer, suffered from some unknown sickness. She was unable to move her body for the past four years. She was taken to various temples and underwent treatments but everything ended in vain. During house visitation time, she told the Pastor about her suffering and asked him to pray for her. Along with his believers the Pastor prayed and asked for His grace to heal her. The Pastor could see the faith within her heart that Jesus Christ can cure her. After few days, the Pastor visited her again. He was happy to see that she put out all the idols from her house. After prayer, she felt some kind of peace filled her heart and gradually she received her physical healing. God did a great miracle in her life by delivering her from the sickness which took hold of her for the past four years. She was much grateful to the Lord and accepted Him as her personal Savior. Now she is regularly attending the church of Pastor Meshram. All glory and praises to our Lord Savior Jesus Christ!

HBI stands for Hindustan Bible Institute and is one of Mission ONE’s long-standing indigenous ministry partners. HBI is led by Dr. Paul R. Gupta. If you are interested in …

  • getting a copy of the last Mission ONE/HBI quarterly report,
  • investing with regular monthly support in the HBI India Team, or
  • would like to serve as a Mission ONE Ambassador on behalf of the HBI India Team (we will train you and equip you!) …

… simply write to me, Werner Mischke, by clicking here.

Today, risk is different

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership

If our single, all-embracing passion is to make much of Christ in life and death, and if the life that magnifies him most is the life of costly love, then life is risk and risk is right. To run from it is to risk your life. –John Piper [1]

There have always been great risks in following Jesus Christ and living in obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission. I think of missionaries like Jim Elliot … “Philip James Elliot (1927–1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.” [2] The story of Jim and Elizabeth Elliot has, indeed, inspired thousands who have gone from America, Canada and other western nations to serve “overseas” on the mission field.

Risk was right for them despite the loss of life. Many Waodani people have come to Christ, and God has been greatly glorified. Of course, over the course of church history, there are millions who have given their lives for the cause of Christ. I am humbled by the thought of it all.

But the world of missions has changed dramatically in the past generation. For one thing, the success of the world Christian movement has dramatically increased the cross-cultural missions efforts coming from many nations that were once “receiver” nations (nations that received missionaries from the west). Nations from the “Global South” such as Nigeria, India, China, the Philippines, South Korea, and South Africa come to mind as new “sending” nations. As Samuel Escobar says…

… despite the present shift of Christianity to the South, in coming decades Christian mission to all parts of the globe will require resources from both the North and South to be successful. Pakistani missiologist Michael Nazir-ali has expressed it well in the title and content of his book From Everywhere to Everywhere (Collins, 1990) in which he offers “a world view of Christian mission.” It is increasingly evident that responsible, mission-minded Christians today must work together in order to turn into reality the proposal of the Lausanne Covenant: “Missionaries should flow ever more freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service” (par. 9). [3] [My emphasis in bold.]

There are those who look at partnership with indigenous ministries as a healthy mission enterprise, one that is not especially risky, and for whom the rewards greatly outweigh the risks.

There are others who operate out of a high-control, low-trust mindset relative to partnership with indigenous ministries. This post is for them, and the words for risk relative to cross-cultural partnership are: 1) wait and listen, and 2) trust and follow. Again, this may not sound too risk-laden to some of you, but for leaders who want to go fast, control outcomes and lead aggressively, it can be very risky, indeed.

Big risk #1: WAIT and LISTEN. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Is fast my normal mode of ministry? Am I expecting my cross-cultural partners to operate in even half the same speed?
  2. Have we spent time in solitude before God—listening to his Word and Holy Spirit concerning the important issues regarding our cross-cultural partnership? Have we considered, What would Jesus do?
  3. Have we listened with our hearts to one another in this cross-cultural partnership? Have we taken ample time with the Christian leaders on the other side of the partnership to listen—really listen—to their hopes and dreams?
  4. Have we listened and gathered counsel from others in the body of Christ who are experienced practitioners in healthy cross-cultural partnership—in order to avoid making unnecessary mistakes and squandering resources?
  5. Have we spent any time together with the key leader(s) in this cross-cultural partnership—just getting to know one another as friends? To hear about one anothers’ families and stories, struggles and victories?

Why is “WAIT and LISTEN” such a big risk? Because many western Christian leaders have the general attitude of speed-it-up and get-it-done! You may discover that your own ministry peer group is not willing to wait before diving into a full-fledged partnership. Even if you want to wait and listen, your colleagues, ministry team members or donors want to move fast. They may even  think you are lazy, spending too much time listening, building relationships, waiting on God, developing friendship with your cross-cultural partners. The cultural pull of going fast—putting task ahead of relationship—is like swimming in a very strong river. To go against the flow of this river can be a big risk.

Big risk #2: TRUST and FOLLOW. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Having spent time listening with your heart to your cross-cultural partners, are you ready to trust one another? Do you have confidence that they will indeed have the wisdom and knowledge to best serve the community in which they minister—and that you can be trusted to come through on what you have promised?
  2. Do your partners have the confidence that you genuinely understand their ministry? Since the activities of this partnership are primarily happening in their nation and community—do you see that you are coming alongside their dreams more than them coming alongside your dreams? In humility, are you willing to follow Christ and serve their ministry vision, having mutually agreed-upon principles and guidelines for the partnership?
  3. What about money? Do you trust your partners to handle funds appropriately? Or do you want to control how funds are managed? This practice, though common, is offensive to the indigenous Christian leaders—it is like a father-to-son relationship more than brother-to-brother. Are you willing to relinquish control of funds—knowing there is appropriate accountability—willing to believe the best, and work through challenges with patience and grace?

Why is “TRUST and FOLLOW” such a big risk for some western Christian leaders? It challenges the prevailing attitude that we in the west know best. Many western Christians are simply uncomfortable with this. And if you challenge them, it may generate suspicion or conflict. Because of their success, many western Christian leaders only understand one approach: control and lead. Whether from the business or ministry environment, they simply have not developed the skills to build the cross-cultural relationships where this kind of cross-cultural trust is essential. Consequently, for you to move from a control-and-lead mindset toward a trust-and-follow mindset could jeopardize your relationships with influential people in your ministry team.

Risk is right for the glory of Christ, but risk—in the missions world today—is different.

I want to know: What do you think? Your comments are welcomed!

1. John Piper: Don’t Waste Your Life (Crossway, 2003)
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Elliot
3. Samuel Escobar: The New Global Mission: The Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone (InterVarsity, 2003) p. 18

Know your cultural style

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Indigenous ministries, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership
Brooks Peterson has provided a huge service to help you acquire cultural intelligence—to help you work with people from other cultures
Brooks Peterson has provided a huge service to help you acquire cultural intelligence—to help you work with people from other cultures

What is culture? This book will teach you.

What are the five basic culture scales? Read this book and you will understand.

How do you define cultural intelligence (CQ)? Peterson gives a great definition.

What is your cultural style? How does your personal cultural style compare with the cultural style of the nation where you are serving (or the ethnic group with which you are involved)? This book and Peterson’s web site, AccrossCultures.com, give you outstanding tools to make the comparison.

This book is available from Amazon. Combine this with the corresponding web site and you have a simply great resource.

When westerners partner with indigenous ministries in the global south, there are so many challenges. Why not invest in understanding deeply the cultural differences between yourself and the ones with whom you are partnering? The money and time you will save—and the heartache you’ll be spared—will be so valuable!

Inter-related competencies for cross-cultural partnershipWhy do I believe this so important for healthy cross-cultural partnership? Because cultural intelligence is one of the big three—godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence—each one is vital if your investments in a cross-cultural partnership are to really pay off in the long run.

Learn more about cultural intelligence as it relates to partnership with indigenous ministries by visiting the various pages in The Beauty of Partnership learning journey that are part of this web site.

Risk in cross-cultural partnership, part 3 of 3: Navigating risk

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence, Short-term missions
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?

The first post in this series looked at avoiding risk; the second looked at underestimating risk. This blog post considers a third option—navigating risk—as an act of wise obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission.

3) Navigating risk: Wise entrepreneurial leaders are skilled at assessing risk. They have a knack for ‘knowing that they don’t know,’ and then investing in the knowledge, skills and attitudes to overcome the gaps in their knowledge and experience. Wise leaders know that Jesus Christ commands us to assess the risk and count the cost in following him:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? –Luke 14:26–28 ESV

Likewise, when western leaders who are following Christ realize their journey is leading them into partnership with an indigenous ministry in the majority world, wise leaders know that they don’t know. The wise leader knows there are risks involved and says,

  • Let’s slow down and assess both the opportunity and the risk.
  • Let’s listen to God, and seek the wisdom of his Word for these matters.
  • Let’s go on an exploratory search do discover what we don’t know about cross-cultural partnership.
  • Let’s listen to other leaders who have been down this road before and have been successful.
  • Let’s navigate the risk, knowing that the opportunity for reward is tremendous, while recognizing that the risk for disappointment is just as real.

The wise leader invests in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are necessary for a healthy cross-cultural partnership. He or she knows that developing these KSAs is not just a matter of information; it is rather, the result of a journey that will take time. The wise leader knows that there are many varying cultures in the world—and navigating the vast differences between cultures, worldviews, and social values may be as difficult as navigating across an ocean.

The wise leader invests in the journey to gain wisdom in the practice of healthy cross-cultural partnerships—and once having done so, he or she can truly begin to think big and responsibly pursue significant risk-laden dreams for the kingdom of God. The wise leader is thrilled to be a part of God’s Story, and knows that the impact of their decisions and actions in serving a cross-cultural partnership could ripple across the globe and throughout eternity to the glory of Christ.

To see a video about risk and cross-cultural partnership, go to this page—Week 3: Risk.

If you are interested in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes
to wisely navigate a cross-cultural partnership,
then you may be ready for The Beauty of Partnership learning journey.
Click here to learn more, or simply write to me,
Werner Mischke, at werner@mission1.org.

Risk in cross-cultural partnership, part 2 of 3: Underestimating risk

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence, Short-term missions
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?

The first post in this series looked at avoiding risk. This post considers a second option: underestimating risk.

2) Underestimating risk: One of the common blessings of going on a mission trip or serving cross-culturally is to discover that the person who I’m getting to know is so different from me, and yet, because we have a common faith in Jesus Christ, we are part of the same family and have a built-in sense of deep spiritual connection. We discover just how true the Bible really is: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4–6).

How wonderful! With this knowledge, many Christians believe it is easy to begin a cross-cultural partnership, confident that whatever obstacles there may be, their common faith in Jesus will enable them to overcome any problems.

A year goes by; so far so good … Another year, and questions emerge … Over time, mistrust develops, and sure enough, obstacles arise along with misunderstandings. From one side are accusations of mismanagement; from the other side, accusations of colonialism or arrogance. It is discovered that expectations for the partnership are radically different, and what seemed at first to be an exciting “can’t-lose enterprise for the kingdom” becomes mired in disappointment and cross-cultural conflict.

What happened? They underestimated the risks. They underestimated the need for developing new knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs); they did not know that you must develop godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence for healthy cross-cultural partnership.

Risk in cross-cultural partnership, part 1 of 3: Avoiding risk

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk relative to cross-cultural partnership?

I believe there are three basic ways to think about risk relative to cross-cultural partnerships—or partnership with indigenous ministries. They are: Avoiding risk, underestimating risk, and navigating risk. This blog post considers the first option:

1) Avoiding risk: People who avoid risk relative to partnership with indigenous ministries do so for various reasons—perhaps because they have heard someone say, “You can’t trust the nationals”—or they tried a cross-cultural partnership and had a bad experience. So they simply conclude, “No way” or “Never again.”

They resist learning lessons of how to adjust their approach; they don’t know about the need to learn new skills. Maybe they are unaware that there is a specific skill set necessary for someone to be a partnership ambassador. So they never consider developing the Christlike servanthood, the listening skills, the cultural intelligence, the organizational systems that are necessary to succeed. They give up, thinking that partnership ought to be easy, or that partnership just doesn’t work. They may still have a nagging sense that the body of Christ really is supposed to work together around the world (the Bible surely seems to say that it’s possible), but they see no way to get there.

Sadly, their default response to the possibility of cross-cultural partnership is to avoid the risk, and thus, to forgo the enormous potential for greater blessing for the peoples of the world. They also forgo the privilege of a deep cross-cultural friendship, not to mention the opportunity to better know the Lord Jesus Christ through the journey of working with Christian leaders from other cultures.

Tomorrow’s post: Part 2 of 3—Underestimating risk

“Thank you, Mission ONE team, that you have blessed us”

Cross-cultural partnership, Indigenous ministries, Short-term missions, Stories and reports

By Bob Schindler, President, Mission ONE

ThaiLeadersListening“Thank you, Mission ONE team, that you have blessed us”… These sentiments were expressed over and over again by the 18 couples that attended the Mission ONE marriage retreat in Thailand during March 9-13, 2009. The retreat was designed to encourage, strengthen, honor, and refresh the leaders of Mekong Evangelical Mission (MEM), Mission ONE partner in Southeast Asia. Heartfelt worship, sweet fellowship, honest sharing, and lots of laughter highlighted the week. God uses your prayers and support to make events like this possible. Rejoice with us! Here are just a few of the participants’ comments:

ThaiCoupleListening

  • “We have learned to be good listeners. In the past, we have did not put to use these principles in our marriage. Mostly, we expected the other person to listen to us.”
  • “Unresolved issues in our marriage were discussed by the two of us, and we amended those broken relationships. We forgave each other and got rid of things between us.”
  • “We have learned that a holy and sanctified marriage life is important in leading others to salvation. Solving problems must be intentional.”
  • “Because of the retreat, we learned to trust God together as marriage partners in confronting obstacles in our lives.”
  • “The advice for marriage was based on the Scripture and all of the speakers had real-life experiences from which to share. The marriage retreat gave us the best/happiest time in our marriage life in the 10 years of our marriage.”
  • “We learned that we must be open and let God heal our wounds.”
  • “After hearing from the speakers, we realized that we all face similar problems. The difference between each marriage is how each couple views their problems and reacts to them.”
  • “We learned that in our marriage, we must fear God and honor each other. Because of the retreat, we love each other more.”
  • “Thank you, Mission ONE, for this opportunity that you have given to us—the rest for just the two of us that we were never going to get if someone did not give this opportunity to us.”
  • “Thank you for all the encouragement that the Mission ONE team has given. We feel close to you. We now want to make our marriage a model for others to follow …”
  • “Thank you, God, for Mission ONE and their supporters for making the retreat possible. We are grateful for the gift of the retreat that we have received. Words cannot express how thankful we are.”
The marriage retreat team served 18 couples from Thailand and southeast Asia
The marriage retreat team served 18 couples from Thailand and southeast Asia

Note: This is an excellent case study of an investment in a healthy cross-cultural partnership; this marriage retreat represented far more than an investment of funds. This was about strengthening bonds, building for the future, healing relationships, and protection from attacks of the enemy. According to Dr. Chansamone Saiyasak, Director of Mekong Evangelical Mission, the marriage retreat had an impact on the entire “culture” of the organization. Since all ministry involves communication skills, developing new or deeper listening skills became a catalyst to improve every facet of MEM’s ministry. Praise the Lord. –Werner Mischke

Favorite memories from the Middle East

Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, Stories and reports

My mission trip to visit Mission ONE’s ministry partner in the Middle East
in May 2009 has these favorite memories

I remember learning together with mostly first-generation, Muslim-background believers—in a one-day Bible study—“Honor and shame in the book of Philippians.” It was so rewarding to observe some of the believers make profound discoveries about seeing their own cultural values of honor and shame reflected in Scripture. One woman overcame feelings of shame concerning her faith in the Jesus—by the truth of God’s Word—and became much more free and bold in sharing Christ with others.

I remember laughing a lot (A LOT!) with my Arab Christian friends as I tried to pronounce a certain name in Arabic—in a feeble attempt to show respect for their language. The name was not an Arabic name, and as I pronounced it, I soon learned that with my pronunciation, it meant “stinky.” Hilarious.

Shoes for beautiful feet: I took this photo in early May of an elderly Christian leader who shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims in his neighborhood. A family-based community of Muslim-background believers meets weekly in his home.
Shoes for beautiful feet: I took this photo in early May of an elderly Christian leader who shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims in his neighborhood. A group of Muslim-background believers meets weekly in his home.

I remember during a Sunday gathering in a picnic setting, I further explored the “honor and shame” theme with our ministry partner and their first-generation believers. “And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15). The principle is this: Sharing the good news of the gospel is so honorable and wonderful in the eyes of God that it transforms the feet of the one preaching into beautiful feet! (Note: In that culture, feet were often thought of as dishonorable or associated with servitude and shame; see Psalm 8:6, Psalm 110:1, Matthew 10:14, John 13, Ephesians 1:22, etc.)

We stayed at the home of the father and mother of our ministry partner. I found this very classic Arabic home to be a place of peace and honor. The father is an elderly and much-honored Christian leader. He had many years ago given up his career with the government and began to follow Jesus. This gentle man is a man of great peace and great prayer. He rises early every morning for an extensive time of prayer. He also loves to tell people about Jesus. Not long ago, he led a religious leader from his neighborhood to Christ. Now, he is discipling this man and his immediate family—along with some extended family members who have become followers of Jesus.

For some time, I had been talking with our ministry partner about a special gift to honor his father. 
So on the drive to his father’s home, we stopped at a shoe store and bought a pair of shoes for him. When we were sitting in their home courtyard listening to these great stories about his life with Jesus, I thought it would be a wonderful moment to give the gift. With tears, I quoted Romans 10:15, 
“…How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”—and we gave this gentle man of God 
a new pair of shoes, a joint gift from his son and me.

Are you interested in learning more about Mission ONE’s partnership with this ministry in the Middle East? Contact Werner Mischke.

Five reasons for this blog/site

Cross-cultural partnership, Entrepreneurship, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries

Reason #1: VISION. Bob Schindler, Mission ONE Founder/President and Werner Mischke, Mission ONE Executive Vice President, have a vision to make Mission ONE more of multiplication-oriented ministry. God has taught Bob and Werner a lot over the years. They want to inspire and equip others in the body of Christ about the practice of healthy cross-cultural partnerships.

Reason #2: NEED

  • OUR PARTNERS IN AFRICA, ASIA, & THE MIDDLE EAST: There are significant unfunded needs and opportunities among Mission ONE’s ministry partners. Mission ONE can be a lot more effective in developing new funds for its cross-cultural partnerships. Mission ONE Ambassadors will assist in alleviating these needs, developing deep friendships with key leaders of the ministry for which they are advocating, and developing resources to “help their dreams come true for the glory of God.” This is already happening with Ed Smith, Mission ONE’s first Ambassador. Ed is the Ambassador for Transformation Nepal, and is volunteering as an advocate for this highly effective ministry. Our goal is that every partner ministry of Mission ONE in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East will have their own highly-skilled Ambassador to befriend and advocate for their work of evangelism, church planting and holistic ministry.
  • LOCAL CHURCHES: Thousands of local churches are taking short-term mission trips and getting into partnerships. Large numbers of individuals and churches are making mistakes they don’t need to make, “reinventing the wheel,” while hurting the cause of Christ—for a lack of training in cross-cultural partnerships. The Beauty of Partnership learning journey meets a need for training concerning cross-cultural partnership.
  • STEWARDSHIP: We believe that the resources of the Lord’s church could be invested much more effectively for world missions. People, time, money, prayer—all could go so much further in global missions—if done with the proper integration of three key areas: godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence. These three areas form the core of The Beauty of Partnership learning journey.

Reason #3: UNIQUE ABILITY. Werner Mischke has a unique combination of skills to champion this—with overlapping passions in graphic design, world missions and teaching.

Reason #4: TRACK RECORD. Mission ONE has had success developing and promoting a missions curriculum—the Operation WorldView Video Series (produced by Werner Mischke)—which has been used in some 600 churches. In addition, Mission ONE has had a leadership role in serving the greater national missionary movement through its involvement with COSIM: Coalition on the Support of Indigenous Ministries. Werner Mischke served as chairman of the steering committee for from 2004–2009. Bob Schindler has served as a plenary speaker at COSIM conferences on a number of occasions.

Reason #5: UNTAPPED POTENTIAL. There are many under-challenged entrepreneurial individuals and churches whom God can use to serve as advocates for healthy cross-cultural partnerships, if they could only get the training. Many successful Christian entrepreneurs are marginalized in the Great Commission enterprise, and yet, these entrepreneurial individuals have many of the qualities needed for effectiveness in world missions—because they are already professionally skilled, creative, team-oriented, and missional in their abilities. But without additional training, they can easily falter in the work of cross-cultural partnership.

Download the brochure for the Mission ONE Ambassador Program here.