Westminster Biblical Missions is committed to planting and multiplying Reformed churches on the foreign field. To accomplish this, believers must be trained to teach their own people of Christ and His truth. The role of foreign missionaries should not be that of doing the work so much as that of showing nationals how to do it-training them to stand in the faith, defend the faith, and spread the faith.
These principles of missions adopted by WBM have been ably set forth by John L. Nevius (1829-1893), a Presbyterian missionary to China, in his book Planting and Development of Missionary Churches (1885). Nevius called for the establishment of self- supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating national churches. This approach keeps national churches from dependency upon foreign aid. When combined with training national believers in the Word, it is certain to have far greater results than anything a foreign missionary force could accomplish on its own. It is also incredibly cost effective. And, if the door should close to foreigners, the work will go on.
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” (Jn. 4:35-36) |
