Pray for the Agencies

We were recently saddened by the sudden (to us) closing of a sister mission agency. The agency in question has been used of God to enhance the work of missionaries all over the globe. We have many personal friends who worked with this group. This agency was one of the ones Itacyara and I considered joining back when we were contemplating our own future in missions.

Now, as of yesterday, it is no more.

I don’t pretend to know all the back-story behind the closing. There will be plenty of people who will second-guess, and present what they consider to be the inside scoop. What grabbed me was that literally hundreds of missionaries around the world were left with no infrastructure whatsoever. They had two weeks to figure out what they were going to do with their finances, health insurance, donor relations, etc.

All of this leads me to this conclusion: if you value the work of missionaries, pray for their agencies.

I understand that fulfillment of the Great Commission is not predicated on the existence of mission boards. And yet, for decades these boards have provided an infra-structure that has greatly advanced the cause of Christ around the world. It’s as if the missionary has a magic carpet under his feet that allows him to move and operate with relative ease in a foreign environment.

And when the carpet gets yanked out from under him, some sort of free-fall is inevitable.

When you pray for the agencies (and we serve with an outstanding agency that, as far as we know, is in no imminent danger of closing its doors), here are some specific requests:

Integrity of leadership: Any organization rises and falls on the quality of leadership. Pray that God will raise up wise, godly men to continue to hold up the work of missions.

Focus on missionaries: It may seem obvious, but it bears noting that mission agencies, like any other organization, can lose sight of why they exist. Pray that the focus of the agency will always be on the individual missionary and his/her well-being.

Financial solvency: No organization is guaranteed success. Think of the many businesses that were household names when you were growing up, which–because of bad financial decisions or lack of capital–no longer exist. The same thing can happen to mission agencies.

We are grateful for the agency with which we serve. In light of recent events, our own prayers for its continued success have taken on a new urgency. I recommend that all believers with a heart for missions (which should indeed be all believers) redouble their prayers for and involvement in the work of the agencies.

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And be sure to read the action-packed adventures of Missionary Max: Missionary Max and the Jungle Princess and Missionary Max and the Lost City.