Mission Can Take Many Forms. Here’s What Some Experts Have to Say.

Mission can take many forms. Sometimes it requires traditional methods, while other times it requires more innovative approaches. Some mission initiatives become a reality in rural areas while others seek to share God’s love in urban settings. Reaching out to specific people groups requires specific preparation regarding their culture and faith values. Geographical and political challenges, on the other hand, demand the missionary’s willingness to adapt and be flexible.

These were just a few of the insights shared in brief talks and presentations during the South Pacific Division (SPD) for Christ launch event held at Watson Park outside Brisbane April 28-May 2. The event took place in preparation for major evangelistic initiatives across several island nations in the Pacific in July and August, in a region increasingly diverse and challenging to reach with the gospel.

Below is a summary of some of the ideas and experiences that mission leaders suggested can assist missionary hopefuls to become more open to God’s leading when approaching others.

Inspiring Hope and Wholeness

According to SPD president Glenn Townend, the key, as Seventh-day Adventists embark on missions, is that every church member lives out the hope that is in Jesus. “We want people to know that when we are in the community, we inspire hope and wholeness of life.” It is the reason, he said, that the Adventist Church keeps engaging in wholistic initiatives that help people’s physical, mental, and spiritual health. And in the process, those Adventists who get involved are the first ones to be blessed, he said.

Townend recounted how inspired regional church leaders have been by participating in mission beyond their borders. He shared how before the major evangelistic initiative PNG for Christ in 2024, some union presidents were reluctant to spend time as guest speakers there. “There’s so much to do in our own territory,” they told Townend. After they decided to go and get involved, however, they returned ecstatic, saying, “This is going to change the way we do our strategic planning,” he shared.

Who Is Your George?

At the same time, when we are open to God’s leading, He can guide us in ways we never imagined, acknowledged Saeng Saengthip, director of the Center for Adventist-Buddhist Relations at the General Conference (GC). Saengthip shared his experience when he prayed for a ministry partner during a church planting project in the United States. “I was working on an audio Bible for my language group,” he shared, “and God send me George, a Buddhist with a perfect voice for the job” of recording God’s Word.

As they worked together, Saengthip began to pray for him: “Lord, help George to see Jesus as he reads,” Saengthip prayed. A few years later Saengthip had the privilege of baptizing George, his wife, his neighbor, and two others.

“Whoever your George is, remember that God is wanting to use you to reach that George,” Saengthip concluded.

The “Missionary” Bread

For ChanMin Chung, director of the Global Mission Centers at the General Conference, doing mission in difficult contexts requires being always ready to be creative to tackle challenges. He shared how in an undisclosed city, the Adventist Church struggled to support local church pastors and Bible workers, as the government had blocked all financial transactions between the regional church and local congregations. Church members then came up with the idea of baking and selling bread to support local church workers.

“For three years, without any help, church members sold bread to support pastors and Bible workers,” he shared. After three years they decided to transition breadmaking into a mission enterprise. Community-oriented production and aggressive marketing followed.

“That bread became very popular in the city,” Chung shared. “Even the city mayor selected that bread as a regular part of his breakfast.” The result? People changed their perception about the Adventist Church. “Don’t mess with the Adventist Church,” they would joke, “or they will stop baking, and the mayor will go without breakfast!”

Eventually the breadmaking ministry turned into health talks and seminars. “The result is that from baptizing 20 people a year, that place is now baptizing 200,” Chung reported. “And they are producing and selling between 2,000 and 3,000 loaves a day.”

Holy Curiosity for Urban Ministry

On a different note, Manny Arteaga, director of the Center for Urban Mission at the GC discussed the often-conflicting relationship Adventists have with cities, a place historically challenging for the gospel. “How do you do mission to a people or a space that you don’t love?” he asked, recounting an experience with a guest speaker in an urban setting who openly acknowledged that he “hated cities.” “How do you go and bring the good news of salvation and redemption to a city you have no heart for?”

Arteaga acknowledged that cities are “a complex place to do ministry.” But there’s too much at stake to ignore them, he emphasized. “Repeatedly we see God moving to work [on them].”

Against that background, we must pray for God to reveal Himself to us. “God is already at work in the city,” Arteaga explained. “Mission does not begin with our arrival but with God’s arrival.”

Arteaga called mission hopefuls to develop what he called a “holy curiosity,” asking ourselves, “Is God moving in the city more than you realize?” Our prayer to God should be “How are You, God, moving in my city?” Arteaga emphasized. “And the follow-up question would be ‘May we join You?’ ”

Coming Into God’s House

Another presentation by Petras Bahadur, director of the GC Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations, highlighted the importance of building bridges of understanding with Muslim communities around the world. “God has a plan for Muslims,” Bahadur said, revealing what he calls a “missed prophecy” in Isaiah 60:6, 7.

Bahadur explained that in those verses, God refers to some of Ishmael’s descendants who “shall proclaim the praises of the Lord” and “shall ascend with acceptance on My altar.”

After a brief analysis of the names mentioned in those verses, Bahadur developed the idea further: “God says that when they [some of Ishmael’s descendants] come into my house, then I will bless the mission efforts of my church.”

In the next few minutes Bahadur applied that belief to the current migration situation across the world. “God is driving [Muslims] into our countries so they can hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then God will bless the church,” he said.

Everything we do as a church should have that goal in mind. “Whether you’re in education ministry, women’s ministry, or any other ministry, God wants you to use that ministry to reach out to Muslims,” Bahadur said. “Don’t misuse your ministry; use it as effectively as you can to reach out to these people that have come from thousands of miles away, not by chance.”

Pointing to the Ultimate Reality

Finally, Umesh Nag, Global Mission Center for South Asian Religions director, shared some insights as Adventists seek to connect and befriend people from the Hindu religion.

Nag explained that the automatic Christian assumption is that Hindus are mostly polytheistic, “idol worshippers serving many competing gods.” The inside reality is more nuanced, he said, as Hinduism is “a broad, diverse tradition,” with many of them believing that behind all names and images “lies a single Supreme Reality.” As the Rig Veda writings, considered sacred by the Hindu, express: “Truth is one; the wise call it by many names,” Nag quoted.

In this context, the shared belief in a Supreme Creator can help Christians find connections with the God of the Bible, Nag emphasized. In this regard he suggested that we should recognize Hindus’ sincere search for truth, identify “the unknown,” as Paul did in Acts 17, to finally transition from the Supreme Truth to the personal revelation found in Jesus Christ.

“Always use a respectful, redemptive approach . . . replacing accusations with curiosity,” Nag said. “That approach will certainly open doors for dialogue.”