The missionary’s role includes teaching disciples who will make disciples, because the fulfillment of the Great Commission in every nation of the world requires the multiplication of laborers. Missionaries work to replace themselves in missions. What do we mean by that? Is this idea biblical? Why is this task urgent? How practically is this done? The panelists for this roundtable are Phil Kamibayashiyama (director of Bob Jones Memorial Bible College in the Philippines), Jonathan Latham (faculty member at Instituto Universitario Cristiano de las Americas in Mexico), and Walter Loescher (faculty member and administrator at the French Pastoral Bible Institute in France).
We need to view the end goal of missions as the advancement of God’s work through biblically healthy ministries, not just indigenization. This means looking for the person whom God has called who is already a faithful servant, preferably a national. Training takes place formally, communally, informally, and personally, and the body has a role in identifying people’s gifts. Underlying this task of reproducing yourself in others is God’s promise to build His church. We can all pray for the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers and look to Him to continue to build His church.