Missionaries or "nationals"?

"Is it still appropriate to send missionaries from Britain to the rest of Europe? Shouldn't we concentrate on training & supporting workers in their own countries instead?"

Questions of this kind are being asked by many missionary societies. The role of missionaries has certainly changed, and many indigenous churches are now producing their own leaders, pastors & evangelists.

Until recently, OAC has grown solely through recognising & training national workers. Our recent work in Denmark is a good example of this.

However, it has also become clear that in countries where the evangelical population is small, such as most of Southern Europe, it may become necessary to send in foreign workers on a long-term basis. Similarly, some of the doors which are currently open in Eastern Europe may soon close, and so a rapid response is required.

Europe Now believes that both missionaries & national workers have their place. Missionaries need careful selection, training & support in order for them to be effective in a different culture. National workers already understand the language & culture, but may find training in a second language difficult.

Both groups of workers need to receive adequate financial support. In Denmark, Torben is employed by the Inner Mission, who allow him to spend part of his time involved in OAC ministry. Jørgen is currently training with OAC GB, and intends to work full-time for OAC in Denmark in the future. His ministry in Scandinavia should eventually be self-supporting, but in the meantime Europe Now hopes to cover some of the initial set-up costs.

Missionaries almost always need to be supported financially from their home country, although often some of their expenses can be covered by gifts from the country in which they are working.