Texan leads students on mission

“As we have observed God’s working in this generation of students, we have clearly seen him stirring in their hearts for the nations and giving them a desire to join him on mission,” said Lance Shumake, the director of iWitness Ministries.

“The students in this generation continue to amaze me. Many of the students that have served with us overseas are so passionate about God’s purposes, and their desire to make him famous is so strong. They continually challenge me with their passion and zeal. They don’t show any desire to pursue the American dream, but instead, they continually demonstrate the desire to passionately pursue a life on mission with God ? no matter what it costs them.”

The purpose of iWitness Ministries, which is based in the Rockwall and was founded by JR Vassar, is to mobilize high school and college students to participate in short-term mission expeditions to facilitate their desire to make God known around the world. Vassar, who graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1995 with a master of theology degree, is a teaching pastor at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall. Before establishing iWitness in 1998, Vassar, served as the minister to students at MacArthur Blvd. Baptist Church in Irving.

After serving for three years as the director of youth ministries for the Indiana Baptist Convention, Shumake joined the team in 2000. Shumake attended Dallas Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received a master of divinity degree. Following graduation, Shumake served as a missionary in Indiana with the North American Missions Board.

“God called me to iWitness and now has given me the leadership role with this ministry,” Shumake said. “I feel like God has been preparing me for this all my life through the various experiences He has given me. iWitness and this vision consumes my thoughts and continues to drive my life as a minister. It has changed me as a husband and father, as well. I want my kids to grow up with a clear understanding of God’s global agenda and for them to have a heart for all people. I can’t wait for the day when my children will join me on their first mission trip.”

As a father, Shumake understands parents’ apprehension to send their children overseas in the mission field, but reassures them to put their trust in the Lord.

“Even though many parents today are afraid to allow their children to travel overseas, and I can understand their fear, I know that God is and will be faithful. I trust God with so much, why not trust him with my family?” Shumake relates.

The way iWitness Ministries works is when students sign up, they are placed on teams with other students from all over the country, with a large representation from Texas. From there, they are assigned team leaders with international experience, as well as the ability to spiritually guide and disciple students on the trip. All of the short-term mission teams receive intense training before they depart for the mission field and are required to attend the Mission Base Camp, where they concentrate on spiritual preparation through worship, prayer, team building, and project assignment training.

“We focus on taking students to places that would be considered the least reached or in some cases where those people have immigrated,” Shumake explained. “At iWitness, we also receive many opportunities to speak at student-focused events. We seek to take advantage of all opportunities to teach students about God’s global purposes and his desire for them to join his mission to raise up worshippers of him from all nations, tribes, and tongues.”

“Our teams usually are involved in work related to evangelism and church planting. However, our strategy is to find missionaries that have a clear vision and a strategy that can involve students, and we work alongside them in a way that assists their ongoing ministry. It is our goal that students return from the field with a clear picture of God’s global agenda and an understanding of their role in that plan. We want them to see missions as much more than a trip, but instead as a lifestyle.”

In addition to doubling the number of teams that will embark into the missions field over the summer, iWitness has teamed up with Mercy Me to create the Go Foundation, with the goal of “reaching more students on the field while getting mission organizations in front of students.” During a 52-city “Go Show” tour with Mercy Me and Audio Adrenaline, a challenge was extended to join God on mission by taking a mission trip in the next 18 months.

“At iWitness, we are facilitating the Go Foundation by sending out e-mails and letters to each per