Gospel Fellowship Association provides many programs that allow believers to experience cross-cultural missions in person. We delight in helping like-minded believers find individually appropriate opportunities to serve in internships or short-term ministries across the globe. These opportunities provide mentoring from veteran missionaries and eye-opening experiences in Great Commission ministry.
COVID-19 brought many of these opportunities to a temporary but firm halt. Travel restrictions through the world continues to make short-term assignments and internships nearly impossible. These limitations left us brainstorming about ways to connect with Christians who wanted to learn about missions firsthand but were unable to travel to other countries. In His kindness, the Lord gave us the idea of hosting periodic panel discussions live over Zoom, which would allow attendees to hear missionaries around the world address a variety of missions topics.
Season 1 of Roundtables
We have now enjoyed eight monthly sessions held on Saturday mornings for one hour each with another 30 minutes for questions and answers. Beginning with the first roundtable in September 2020, thirty-two different panelists have shared from Scripture and their own experience about many important missions themes:
The first roundtable highlighted the lavish grace God has shown to us and our responsibility to use these privileges to take the Gospel to the nations.
In October, the panelists shared testimonies of God's work in their lives to bring them to full surrender to Christ and His cause. We heard from three panelists live and one worker in a restricted access country by recording.
The emphasis in November was the urgency to keep disciple-making central in missions. Our task is not to build up institutions or American forms but to make true followers of Christ and to help them know and be like Him.
The fourth session examined several hazards that have frequently prevented people from following through on a burden for missions, such as debt, fear of risk, an unwilling family, fear of failure, or a misunderstanding of deputation.
In this roundtable session, we heard many lessons and benefits of short-term missions, both from the perspective of former short-term missionaries as well as from career missionaries who hosted them.
Christ displayed compassion toward physical as well as spiritual needs, and many missionaries today follow His example by using medicine in Great Commission ministry. Our panelists in February included current medical missionaries as well as a non-medical missionary who has hosted many medical teams.
In March, the panelists helped us understand the importance of identifying places, peoples, and opportunities that can serve as launching points for further extension of the Gospel. A special emphasis explored the need to identify in every place disciples who can make disciples elsewhere.
The most recent session addressed the topic of appropriate cross-cultural adaptation. Without abandoning or despising the cultural identity that God has providentially given them, missionaries must be willing to deny themselves and adopt their host culture as much as is biblically permissible.
Season 2 of Roundtables
The Lord has brought attendees from around the world, and many have expressed appreciation for the content. As a result of the interest in these roundtables and the spiritual encouragement they have been to many, we have decided to prepare a second season of roundtables. Here are the dates and topics for season two:
- September 4, 2021: Commanded, Called, or Both?
- October 2, 2021: The Local Church: The Vital Role of Senders
- November 13, 2021: From Interest to Burden to Field
- February 12, 2022: Trailblazers Needed: Meet the Challenge by Faith
- April 2, 2022: What's in Your Hand?
- May 14, 2022: When is Mission Accomplished?
Are you interested in missions? Do you want to learn more about the Great Commission and the needs of the world? Pastor, could your congregation benefit from exposure to these topics? Consider this opportunity to hear live from the frontlines, learn, and be challenged. Please register here to receive the Zoom links for second season of virtual roundtables.