Global Access Partnerships–Part One

By The GAP International Director

It is increasingly apparent to even the most casual observer that “go-it-alone” missions programs will never have the worldwide spiritual impact that can be accomplished when we work together for the sake of the gospel. Strategic alliances between like-minded churches and mission agencies must become a priority, entered into with all seriousness, if we are to capture the attention of a waiting world and proclaim Christ to the nations.

In obedience to the Great Commission of our Lord, Christians throughout history have taken the gospel to the far corners of the earth. Like torches lighting a path in darkness, their sacrifice–even unto death–have resulted in such a following that the light of the gospel now shines brightly even in some of the most remote destinations.

With a growing sense of responsibility to be Great Commission Christians, the church, on all fronts, is simultaneously rising up to go into all the world. Those committed to this task often seek out others for prayer support, mutual encouragement, and at times, the necessary resources to assist them in their outreach efforts.

In 1994, ABWE established Global Access Partnerships (GAP) as a strategic link between churches here in North America and Christians around the world in order to promote missions through mutual partnership and to encourage the participation of God's people everywhere.

In the ten years since its inception, GAP has established ministry relationships with believers in more than twenty countries, and has assisted North American churches to develop mission strategies which emphasize international partnership and outreach to unevangelized places. These partnerships are beginning to bear fruit, as fledgling mission agencies take root in places not previously known for such activity, and missionaries from various cultures and language groups continue to respond to God's call to make disciples of all nations.

Handing out Tracts in India

Thousands of Christians–including beggars, rickshah wallahs, and bankers–share the gospel by faithfully passing out tracts to the more than one billion souls who live in India. More than 42 million tracts in sixteen major languages have been distributed and read with great interest.

Through the years of this ministry's operation in India, literally tens of thousands of individuals, representing various language groups and many walks of life, have responded to the simple invitation found in each tract: Believe in Jesus. As a result, there are now hundreds of groups of new believers throughout the country that need direction and training in the faith. These groups often turn to the tract distributors for this direction, but many of those who faithfully pass out tracts have never had such training themselves.

At the request of the tract ministry leaders, GAP has encouraged churches in North America to enter into partnership with these brothers and sisters in India. The churches will provide training for these eager new believers, which will lead to church plants and ongoing missions outreach. One church has worked closely with the national leadership to develop specialized courses, and representatives from this church gather with the Indian nationals three times each year for training. Another organization is using a discipleship method of training and hopes to produce thousands of trained leaders in the next decade.

International Missions Teams in England
by Jack Shiflett

One exciting result of emphasizing missions as the responsibility of every believer from every nation is that international mission teams are becoming more commonplace. Individuals gather together, with each contributing their spiritual giftedness, language aptitude, cultural background, and natural abilities to the mix. This is happening throughout the ABWE world.

A missionary team is being formed under the auspices of our Western Europe Administration and GAP to minister to the burgeoning Asian community in England, in partnership with local churches. Team members include Christians from Pakistan, India, Canada, and Britain. The team's immediate goal is to establish a resource center to train local church members and leaders in effective outreach to the Asian population. England is the country where the modern missions movement was started, sending missionaries like Adoniram Judson to India. Now India is coming to England's front porch and the need to reach these immigrants with the gospel is growing.

Short-term Teams in Jamaica
by David Smith

In 1997, David and Cathy Smith returned to Jamaica for short-term ministry at the invitation of the National Baptist Church Association. The purpose was to strengthen the churches in reaching their communities. Over the past six years, more than 800 North Americans have traveled to Jamaica on short-term teams to evangelize, instruct, teach, sing, act, and love the people.

ABWE's goal is to encourage Jamaican leaders in their desire to establish churches on their own. The Association of Independent Baptist Churches in Jamaica elected five pastors to form a board to head the Baptist Agency for Church Planting and Missions.

Some of the larger churches planted their works in large Jamaican cities. One pastor resigned from his church to plant a new work. Seven church plants have been started in the past five years, a growth of over fifteen percent of the total number of churches in this small island nation. Some of the works have flourished, while others have struggled to grow. Two new churches are planned for 2005.

Not only have churches been planted, but a renewed foreign missions vision has been ignited. One Jamaican pastor resigned his church in order to go as a missionary to Grenada. Other churches are planning ministry trips to Cuba and Haiti. By God's grace, Jamaica has changed from being a mission field to becoming a mission force.

*Because of security concerns, many of the people and places in this article cannot be named.