English
Korean
Spanish
Editor’s note: The Jan. 31 edition of the Southern Baptist TEXAN featured a book review of “Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience,” by Southern Seminary missions professor David Sills. The book mentioned the International Mission Board at points, but without directly addressing IMB strategy. So the TEXAN asked Clyde Meador, interim president of the International Mission Board, to answer a few questions related to how the board carries out its worldwide mission. The search for a new IMB president is ongoing.
TEXAN: Explain how the IMB employs the “2-percent reached” figure in evaluating where to distribute/redistribute its people and resources?
MEADOR: A generally accepted (by the evangelical missions community) definition of an unreached people group is a people group in which fewer than 2 percent of the population are evangelical Christians. That is one among many data that are used to determine priority in placing personnel. The reason that datum is important is that, if 2 percent of a population are evangelical Christians, there is reason to think that those believers can pick up the responsibility to continue to evangelize that people group. Of course, that is only one of many factors to be considered in prioritizing the assignment of personnel.
Currently, just over half of the people groups with whom IMB personnel are working are classified as unreached, while just under half of the people groups with whom our personnel work have more than 2 percent evangelical Christians among their population.
TEXAN: Do you foresee changes to how the 2-percent figure is used in determining reached and unreached people groups?
MEADOR: No, for we see this as an important factor to consider in determining the placement of personnel. Again, this is by no means the only factor considered.
TEXAN: What is the discipleship strategy for new converts won by IMB missionaries?
MEADOR: The strategy for discipleship varies greatly from place to place, depending upon the resources and situations peculiar to that place. In every circumstance, there is a desire and effort to see that believers are discipled. More than a million believers are being discipled currently in ongoing Bible studies related to our work, while about 57,000 are reported as being personally mentored.
Discipling and training opportunities are continually being developed, with a clear realization that a church planting movement can just as well be called a leadership training movement. The approach to discipleship that is probably being used more than any other by our personnel at this time sees 18 months as the targeted, intentional discipleship involvement time with a new believer. A basic emphasis of discipleship is teaching believers to obey?knowledge without obedience does little.
TEXAN: What benchmarks does the board use to consider an international convert equipped for carrying on the ministry?
MEADOR: We take what we understand to be the approach of the New Testament, where a person is expected to be a witness immediately after he comes to faith. As that person is discipled, and practices what he is taught, he grows in being able to minister to others.
TEXAN: How has the belief by some that Jesus cannot return until all people groups hear the gospel influenced the IMB’s strategy?
MEADOR: The emphasis on taking the gospel to every people group on earth is based upon the clear command of our Lord that all peoples are to be discipled, baptized, and taught to obey; the consistent testimony of Scripture that Abraham and those following him will be a blessing to all peoples; the clear word of Revelation that believers will come from every tribe, tongue, people and nation.
The urgency to make the gospel available to every people group has much to do with the fact that a large number of people groups still do not have real access to the gospel; that at least 60 million people will die this year; that many, many millions of them will have had no opportunity to hear the gospel. How long can we leave those people groups without the gospel? How many times must others have an opportunity to hear before we give opportunity for those to hear the first time?
We do not see that what we do or don’t do controls the return of our Lord. The words of our Lord in Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10, and Luke 24:47 are intriguing, but not the foundation of strategy.
TEXAN: If a discrepancy arose between the board’s statement on what a local church is and an instance on the field where church planters were skirting that (none is known; this is hypothetical), what is the IMB’s protocol for such a scenario?
MEADOR: The personnel involved would be corrected by their leadership, and expected to respond to that correction. Also, anytime there is any question whether a “church” is really a church, that group is not included in any statistical reporting that we do.
