by International Director, Malcolm McGregor

On 8 January 2005, just outside London, the ‘Seize the Day’ evaluation process officially drew to a close. What are the big things that SIM has discerned?

About 80 recommendations emerged from Seize the Day, and these will define a road map for our next 4 years of leadership at International. It is a road map that takes us into uncharted landscapes of mission.

‘Faith Effects’, based on 2 Peter 1:3-11, is the name I have given to the implementation process. All that we have learned and understood we now must do. As SIM purposely moves forward, the effects of faith on all we do must be clearly evident.

The overarching historical realization coming from Seize the Day is that a glorious age of mission, started in the 1790s, has come to an end. God has richly blessed the past 200 years of mission effort.

The Church in Africa, Asia, and South America is vibrant, and growing to such an extent that the centre of gravity of the Christian faith has moved south and east. We are now in a new age of mission in which God’s global Church is taking the gospel to those who haven’t heard or haven’t believed.

This is something to really celebrate! South Americans are taking the gospel to Asia; Africans are evangelizing many of Europe’s great cities; Asians are marching fearlessly into places untouched by the gospel. It is clear evidence that God’s Church all over the world is on the move.

A two-way street
Mission is now a two-way street, with traffic going both ways and at times bumping into each other. It is no longer the paradigm of the 20th century, with systems and procedures for every eventuality. What does this mean in practical terms for SIM?

Simply put, it means that mission is going to be messier! One thing we must do is re-examine our organizational processes––not to discard them, but to remove procedural road blocks and narrow mindsets that can limit our effectiveness. It is a time for innovation and creativity. 

It also means that all of our offices must develop a sending and receiving approach to mission. This certainly will mess up the neat ways of the past, but I believe it will inspire new initiative and creativity across the SIM community.

An ‘us-to-them’ approach no longer drives us as an organization, but rather the mindset that all of us together are partners in the gospel to the ends of the earth.

This is the ‘WOW factor’ of ‘Seize the Day’. It is something we’ve all read about in missiological writings over the past 10 years, and now we intentionally take it on board in SIM.

Here is a summary of the major changes:

• Sacrificial lifestyle
  We will rekindle an ethos of sacrificial service and enduring hardship for the sake of the gospel, in an effort to identify with the cultures in which we work.
  
• Discipling and mentoring
  SIM missionaries will be held accountable for transferring skills, mentoring and discipling one another and the people they seek to serve.
  
• Sharpened focus
  We will allocate resources according to strategic ministry priorities.
  
• Emerging missions
  We will collaborate enthusiastically with emerging mission movements from the churches of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
  
• Redefinition of ministry
  Planning and evaluation will ensure that each ministry is governed by clear goals, with a proposed strategy for transfer to local partners.
  
• Stimulating partnerships
  We will redefine the basis of our relationships with churches and like-minded organizations. Strategic partnership relationships are vital for the future.
  
• Short-term ministries
  We will abolish distinctions based on length of service, recognizing that all assignments play an important part in ongoing ministry.
  
• Children and youth
  We will place high priority on ministry to children, youth and young adults, and will allocate resources accordingly, including training and recruitment.
  
•  Simplification of SIM
  We will streamline our structures, policies and procedures, seeking simplification wherever possible.
  
• Celebration of diversity
  We will intentionally pursue a growing ethos of multicultural and multigenerational diversity.

SIM has been able to undergo a rigorous review in a healthy way.  I believe this shows the robustness of the organization and the quality of people who serve in it.

I am encouraged by the significant journey we have embarked on over the past months. This is an exciting time to be involved in God’s work through SIM. 

Please continue to pray as we implement ‘Faith Effects’.