The missionary call and aggressive recruitment for missions – is there a conflict?

[Pergamum]

As a stimulus and an appeal for greater numbers of missionaries to be raised up various slogans have been put forth.

One such slogan is as follow, “The need is the call.” Another slogan that missions mobilizers often put forward in an effort to recruit new blood is, “You don’t have a call? The call came 2,000 years ago in the form of the Great Commission – what are you waiting for?” Others assert that “everyone should head towards the mission field unless God stops them.”

These slogans highlight the need for personnel. How do these slogans, however, line up with the Biblical evidence concerning the missionary call?

If the missionary call is a special and exclusive divine calling, should we re-cruit for missions? And if so, how?

As David Hesselgrave phrases it, is this a matter of “a call for missionaries or a Divine calling?” In short, is there a conflict between aggressive recruiting for missions and in “waiting on the Divine Call?”

How do we resolve this conflict? And how do we recognize that that the Lord is, in fact, raising up and serve to nurture these? Is enough being done in our circles to do so?

 

[Contra_Mundum]

In an effort to not waste precious resources, the OPC evaluates potential fields. The church then seeks out qualified people to fill that need. Managing these fields should not exceed the OPC's span of control.

In the last few years, the OPC has added an associate secretary for the Foreign Missions Committee. This position was deemed necessary in order to maintain the span of control, given the breadth of the mission and the present world-circumstances.

The OPC does not simply recruit. And this church does not "recruit" and then expect the missionary to "show up" with his "support" in hand, and get deputized. This church calls the minister of the gospel, and in this capacity she sends him "free of worldly care."


That's how we do it, anyway.

 

[ChristianHedonist]

I don't see a necessary conflict between a divine missionary call and aggressive recruitment for missions. Just as God uses the means of grace, such as the preaching of the word, as a means to inwardly call his elect, I think missionary recruitment can be a means God uses to inwardly call missionaries.

 

[Pergamum]

In an effort to not waste precious resources, the OPC evaluates potential fields. The church then seeks out qualified people to fill that need. Managing these fields should not exceed the OPC's span of control.

In the last few years, the OPC has added an associate secretary for the Foreign Missions Committee. This position was deemed necessary in order to maintain the span of control, given the breadth of the mission and the present world-circumstances.

The OPC does not simply recruit. And this church does not "recruit" and then expect the missionary to "show up" with his "support" in hand, and get deputized. This church calls the minister of the gospel, and in this capacity she sends him "free of worldly care."


That's how we do it, anyway.

Cool, could you explain the particulars a little more.

If one desires to serve in a missions capacity, what happens? How do churches send them and how does the OPC send them and nurture and sustain them?

 

[jd.morrison]

I don't see a necessary conflict between a divine missionary call and aggressive recruitment for missions. Just as God uses the means of grace, such as the preaching of the word, as a means to inwardly call his elect, I think missionary recruitment can be a means God uses to inwardly call missionaries.

Mega

We are all called to be witnesses for Christ, you may just be the means that God uses to get people to follow there call...

Personal experience, God often has had to use His "Holy 2 x 4" over my head many upon many times... Aggressive does not mean ungodly... Sometimes people need the aggressive response to be moved to act...