It's All About Who You Know & Where They Live

A few years ago while trekking with a seasoned missionary we got to talking about the bigger picture of missions. I had finished reading some weighty books in missiology and some others by popular leading thinkers and doers, and wanted to get my friend’s opinion and thoughts on how this good stuff plays out on the field.

I mentioned a well known mission expert and his latest book. My friend had not heard of him or his book. I wondered how this could be, since my friend was so accomplished in the area of missiology himself. So, I explained the thesis and some of the ideas. The issues were relevant and he appreciated the usefulness of the insights and we interacted for a while. 

Then I mentioned a second book. He had not heard about that one either. I really respected this friend of mine, but was starting to think that he had been gone too long and had lost touch. How about the journals, surely he kept up with these, even wrote for them on occasion? No. 

The conversation turned as he now mentioned some names to me I didn’t recognize. He went on to talk about great advances taking place in Kingdom work in this particular country and asked me if I had heard the stories or knew the leaders. I knew a couple of the stories, none of the leaders though; and so, I really knew very little at all. 

He kindly proceeded to explain to me that the people and ideas that matter the most in his context are the ones right there, not in America. And they included nationals as well as expatriates working together, perhaps no-names elsewhere but respected in their context because of their work. I knew this, but now I knew it better. 

There is a mysteriously long list of names in Romans 16:1-16. Some of them we know something about; most of them we know nothing about. As we read through the list we wonder who all these people were. What did they do for the Gospel’s advance? What were their amazing stories? And why were they so important? The individuals and the ideas that are most valuable depend on the context and the needs. 

Today, there are even more Gospel servants all around the world, and many of them have great ideas to share and stories to tell. It is important to learn from everyone. Sharing our connections and telling the untold stories brings encouragement, develops partnerships and enhances everyone’s missionary practice.