Adventist church members in the Northern Asia-Pacific region are not satisfied with just sending out missionaries who are already young adults. Now, they are training children to have a "mind for mission."
Adventist church members in the Northern Asia-Pacific region are not satisfied with just sending out missionaries who are already young adults. Now, they are training children to have a “mind for mission.”
The Children’s Missionary Movement, voted in Hong Kong in June by church children’s ministries directors from the region, aims to develop a “missionary consciousness” in children and train them to be missionaries.
“Right now [the church in the Northern Asia-Pacific region] is going full-force in missionary work,” says Linda Koh, children’s ministries director for the world church. She explains that the church there has set up an office, headed by Kwon John Haeng, that trains missionaries to go all over the region planting churches and become Global Mission “pioneers,” volunteers who give their time to begin Bible studies and eventually churches.
The goal is to prepare 10,000 children to develop a sense for mission, which includes saving a certain amount of their allowances for their missionary fund until 2010. “By then, they can use this missionary fund to do missionary work,” Koh says. Out of this 10,000, the hope is that 1,000 will ultimately join the 1,000 Missionary Movement when they are a little older.
“The Children’s Missionary Movement will serve as a feeder organization for the 1,000 Missionary Movement, which has successfully sent out hundreds of young people as missionaries annually to Asia and to other parts of the world,” Koh says. The 1,000 Missionary Movement began in 1992 with 60 youth missionaries.
“We need to train and raise more qualified and prepared missionaries,” says Joshua Shin, Children’s Ministries director in the Northern Asia-Pacific region, who helped begin the 1,000 Missionary Movement. “If we do this, then more young people will dedicate their lives for the Lord.”
Shin points out that his church region is challenging because “we have almost a quarter, 25 percent, of the whole world population.”
He says in Korea, men are required to serve in the military for two to three years. “Since we serve the government for years, why not serve the Lord for a year?” he says. “I really want to train our children to be the best and faithful missionaries for God ...”
Koh explains the movement is to filter down to the local church levels all over the Northern Asia-Pacific.
Children’s Missionary Movement participants are encouraged to attend a camp every year, and participate in training courses, seminars and short-term mission projects. A Children’s Missionary Movement magazine, to be published quarterly, will also be sent to those involved.
“Many church members and children are already very excited about this movement and they started to join this program,” Shin says.
The church in the Northern Asia-Pacific region also has a missionary program for pastors, as well as a Silver Missionary Movement for retired people, which is in the planning stages.