RTIM REVIEW
A LOOK INTO THE LORD’S WORK AT REACHING & TEACHING QUARTER 1 | 2022
Reflections on CROSS, Short-Term Updates, Long-Term Worker Profiles, Resources, Upcoming Events & more inside!
ISSUE 1
A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT Earlier this month, I was able to travel to Dubai to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Evangelical Church of Dubai (formerly known as The United Christian Church of Dubai), pastored by John Folmar. Concurrent with the anniversary celebrations was a gathering of pastors from the region for two days of encouragement and equipping. During that gathering, Mark Dever shared a quote from the very last page of John Paton’s autobiography: “Let our Churches then go forward on the lines which God the Lord hath blessed. Complete the pioneering work on the New Hebrides, bring the Gospel within reach of every creature there, and then set free your money and your men to do the same elsewhere. But even in India and in China and in Africa with their countless millions, learn a lesson from the work in the New Hebrides. Plant down your forces in the heart of one Tribe or Race, where the same Language is spoken. Work solidly from that centre, building up with patient teaching and lifelong care a Church that will endure. Rest not till every People and Language and Nation has such a Christ-centre throbbing in its midst, with the pulses of the New Life at full play. Rush not from Land to Land, from People to People, in a breathless and fruitless Mission. Kindle not your lights so far apart, amid the millions and With thanks,
RYAN ROBERTSON
the wastes of Heathendom, that every light may be extinguished without any of the others knowing, and so leave the blackness of their Night blacker than ever. The consecrated Common-sense that builds for Eternity will receive the fullest approval of God in time.” Friends, I love that vision! Oh that we would see a healthy church, as Paton termed it a “Christ-centre throbbing,” in every community around the world. May we not rush from people to people or from pragmatic solution to pragmatic solution in a breathless and fruitless effort. Later in this newsletter, you’ll find a book that we’re recommending to churches, supporters, and prospective missionaries. “No Shortcut to Success” advocates for the diligence that I see in those serving overseas with Reaching & Teaching. I highly commend it to you! The last few months have been busy ones for our team. We’ve said goodbye to missionaries deploying overseas, exhibited at the CROSS conference in Louisville, held our largest orientation ever, gathered our staff together for three days of planning, held a regional Preview Day in Texas, and appointed another seven units to various locations around the world. Our Short-Term ministry team is
ramping up efforts to lead training efforts around the world as we watch a variety of countries relax their travel requirements related to the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at Together For the Gospel (T4G) – in just a few weeks. Many of our stateside staff will be there in addition to a number of those who are heading overseas in the coming months to build up the church “with patient teaching and life-long care.” I’m so thankful for each church and each individual who faithfully, prayerfully, and financially supports our missionaries and staff. I’m thankful that we can partner together to see healthy churches glorify God by brightly shining the light of the gospel into the darkest of places. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
BLOG HIGHLIGHTS
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE GLOBAL INTERNSHIP AT HIGH POINTE January 25, 2022 | Juan Sanchez
As the senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, I’m writing this article with just one goal in mind: to tell you how excited our church is to partner with Reaching & Teaching in their firstever Global Internship. Here are four reasons why: 1. THE RTIM GLOBAL INTERNSHIP PROVIDES A PIPELINE FOR OUR CHURCH TO SEND MISSIONARIES. We regularly ask the Lord to raise up workers for his harvest from High Pointe. Sometimes it feels like we talk about it a lot, but there’s not a clear pathway for sending. RTIM’s global internship changes that. We now have a pipeline
to send our members through a likeminded agency. Admittedly, there’s much work that needs to be done before the internship. It doesn’t replace the normal discipleship process that encourages godliness and wisdom, and identifies possible missionaries. Nonetheless, this internship will help us guide those who come to us with a desire for international missions. 2. THE RTIM GLOBAL INTERNSHIP PROVIDES TRAINING IN ECCLESIOLOGY THAT MANY MISSIONARIES LACK. I realize that’s a broad statement, but in my experience with various sending agencies, it’s clear that many current
missiological methods fail to emphasize biblical ecclesiology. Too often, popular missions methods turn out to be little more than rapid multiplication strategies that actually undermine the health of the church. When we consider both Jesus’ promise to build his church (Matthew 16:18–19) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:1822), it’s clear that Jesus means to build his church through church planting. The Great Commission mandate it to make disciples by going to preach the gospel, baptizing those who repent and believe, and teaching those disciples to obey ... Read More
THREE HELPFUL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR MISSIONARIES January 18, 2022 | Chris Phillips
“How have you been?” “So, you really like it there, huh?” “What kind of food do you eat there?” “What’s your take on the recent geo-political changes?” Any missionary on furlough has fielded these types of questions in Sunday school classes, during mission board presentations, and over dinner tables. Of course there’s nothing inherently wrong with these questions, as they can certainly lead to enjoyable conversations. But take a close look and notice what is missing in these questions . . . they have absolutely nothing to do with the Great Commission. Really, you could ask those same questions to a returning Muslim student or secular businessman friend. As churches who send out missionaries, we should have far better and more eternally valuable questions. We want to encourage our returning missionaries, we want to be encouraged by them, and we want to spur on the good work of the Great Commission. To help, here are three questions, or three categories of questions that are drawn from Matthew 28:18-20. Read More
WHAT DO RTIM MEMBER CARE TEAMS DO? November 29, 2021 | Ryan Robertson
I watch a lot of sports. I also enjoy using sports analogies wherever I can, so please bear with me if you’re not much of a fan. The way we approach supporting and caring for our missionaries around the world reminds me of critical personnel on every athletic team. At Reaching & Teaching, every missionary directly reports to a Regional Leader – we have 3 of them, each of them responsible for a different geographic area in the world. Our Regional Leaders are our coaches. They hold teams accountable for the strategy that they’ve been sent to implement – a strategy authorized by the churches that send them. Every respectable athletic team also retains a training staff. Training staff have two main goals. First – they assist athletes in preventing injuries. Second – they help athletes who are recovering from injuries. Our member care team are Reaching & Teaching’s “athletic trainers” – focusing on the preventative and restorative health needs of our team. Read More
“MILLIONS ARE DYING WITHOUT CHRIST”: THINKING THROUGH A POPULAR BUT INSUFFICIENT REASON TO MOVE OVERSEAS December 8, 2021 | Scott Logsdon
As a pastor, I talk a lot with Christians who are overcome with emotion at the vast lostness in the world. “This is why we need to go, pastor,” one of them might say. “Millions are dying without Christ, so I need to become a missionary!” How should I respond to this? There’s much to love about this impulse. First and foremost, what this sweet saint is saying is heart-crushingly true. Men, women, and children are dying—their lives are ending and their eternities are beginning. And those who don’t know Christ are utterly without hope and lost forever. They will forever and personally bear the righteous wrath of God against their sin. This ought to cause our hearts to swell with impassioned compassion. And yet, I try to remind my Christian friend that this fact by itself isn’t a sufficient motivation for someone to enter cross-cultural ministry. For at least two reasons. Read More
SHORT-TERM UPDATE SHORT-TERM PARTNERS Scott Mescher
Years ago a young man from a small community in the Peruvian Amazon learned about the greatness of God and the authority of Scripture under the pastoral leadership of his father. As a young man he had the opportunity to leave the jungle and prepare for ministry in a Baptist seminary. God did not leave him content to stay in the comforts of the city so he returned to the small jungle community with a grand vision. Pastor Jairo Sangama has been a faithful pastor for Igleisia Evangelica Central Chazuta for 26 years. He has led the church through several seasons of growth and development in Chazuta. The church of more than 300 members continues to grow through clear Gospel presentation, intentional discipleship and biblical leadership development. With four elders serving with him in the church, his vision for the kingdom extends across the jungle. On the campus of Iglesia Evangelica Central is a radio station that broadcasts gospel messages and music in 15 different languages. It is an incredible ministry a large area and a variety of people groups. In 2016, Pastor Jairo learned that Reaching & Teaching would send teaching teams to remote areas to deliver theological education in person. He gathered a variety of local pastors and potential leaders for the first series of nine modules taught at Chazuta, Peru. In May, 2019 a group of 20 pastors completed the nine modules and celebrated with a graduation ceremony
complete with gowns. Among the men in that group was Pastor Alfonso, a 60 year old pastor. Alfonso had recently sold his home to move to a small community to revitalize a local church. God used some encouragement from Jairo and the ongoing teaching of RTIM modules to prepare Alfonso for the opportunity he embraced. When many would be looking to retire soon, Alfonso has the joy of seeing the church grow in health and number from biblical teaching and careful leadership development. After an intentional break, Jairo contacted us again with a new vision for leaders. In May, 2021 RTIM sent a team to Chazuta to work with a new group of students. Jairo’s heart for the indigenous leaders stirred him to bring in pastors from the tribes of the Quechua Pastaza, Achuar, Shawi and Wampis. It is a privilege to teach a new group of students in the common language of Spanish. On breaks and in the evenings the men gather in groups to clarify and reinforce the teaching among themselves in their own indigenous languages. Because many consider Peru an evangelized country some question the value of shortterm missions. However, ministry with Pastor Jairo demonstrates an effective model for short term ministry among these underreached people groups who still wait for sections of the Bible in their native tongue. The Gospel is present among these groups but the pastors and leaders need much equipping to establish healthy growing churches since many come from regions of the jungle where education may only be offered through eighth grade. Providing biblical and theological education to pastors
who are functionally oral learners and only have the Scriptures in their second language serves the leaders and the churches well. Pray for a young man named Nicolas. He is a sharp young man and gifted musician from the Wampis. He is able to travel to Chazuta to learn from the teaching and see biblical models reinforced by Iglesia Evangelica Central in Chazuta. He carries what he has learned to a location in the jungle many will never visit. RTIM is thankful for like-minded pastors like Jairo Sangama who have a vision to equip pastors well. Our desire is to serve these men who strive to establish healthy churches at the ends of the earth. May God be exalted among the nations.
Discover more about our short-term ministry here
MEET SOME OF OUR LONG-TERM WORKERS
THE D FAMILY
MARSEILLE, FRANCE T and C D along with their children B, R, B, R, and G have been living in Marseille, France since August of 2018. Before moving to Marseille, the D’s lived in Brighton, Colorado in the Denver metro area where T led a team in planting Redeemer Bible Church. T served as the lead pastor of Redeemer before the family became convinced of God’s leading to ministry in Marseille, France. Redeemer serves as the Ds sending church. Marseille is France’s oldest city, having been discovered by Greek explorers around 600 B.C., and it remains France’s second largest city after Paris. Marseille has been a harbor city for two and a half millennia, linking it to the rest of the world, particularly in the region of the Mediterranean Sea. It has become home to many displaced peoples over its history, and has also welcomed many immigrants from African countries that
were formerly French colonies. Marseille is equal parts French and Mediterranean, a crossroads between Europe and Africa, especially North Africa. The largest single university in the French speaking world is also found in campuses across Marseille and nearby Aix-en-Provence. These realities make Marseille a place of great gospel need and opportunity. The Ds along with a team of coworkers are seeking to engage this opportunity in and with and through their local church in Marseille. In addition to their involvement in various discipleship opportunities within the church, the team is opening a community center alongside the church as a tool for engaging the people of their community in relationships and service to introduce them to Jesus Christ and his gospel. This community center, once fully opened, will include an art workshop and cafe to welcome people in and will also offer services like language classes and homework help to address particular needs in the community. The Ds and their team also are seeking to take advantage of Marseille’s geographical
location and international ties to support and strengthen gospel ministry in nearby locations. This focus includes bringing theological training to church leaders and offering care and support to cross-cultural workers embedded in these other local ministry contexts. These elements of their ministry are in the developmental process to determine the strategies and tools that will best address these needs. In all these efforts, the team in Marseille is seeking to use their gifts and experiences to strengthen the local church for its central role in making new disciples and establishing new churches through biblical gospel ministry. This crosscultural effort requires much wisdom and patience, so the Ds and their co-workers are seeking this provision from God. And, they are rejoicing in his grace that is uniting them in ministry partnership with their local church in Marseille and with other faithful ministries around the western portion of the Mediterranean region.
ROOTS
OAXACA, MEXICO We are the Root family serving in beautiful Oaxaca, Mexico. There are 8 of us that make up our tribe plus a bunny, cat and dog. It has been almost 7 years since we left the border town of Brownsville and headed south. We have been stretched, broken, humbled, and blessed throughout our journey these few years and are still learning our daily moment by moment need for Jesus. Our children too get a front row seat to the brokenness of a culture kept in darkness for generations, but I think that helps them to see more clearly the difference Christ makes in our lives. Brethren Reformed, our sending church located in Brookville, Ohio, has been such a huge blessing in their support, love and care for us. When we are in the States, our times with them are always such encouragement; and their faithful prayers and check-ups for our family show us the love of our heavenly Father.
Weston is pastoring a local church along with 2 other national pastors where we’ve served for nearly 6 years. It was planted just a few months before we arrived in a part of the city with few churches and the need for gospel light is great. There have been many trials that our little church has had to navigate and at times it has been very discouraging. Working in an area so steeped in sin has often felt oppressive and hopeless, but God has been so faithful in bringing hope and healthy growth when we needed it most. Opportunities are opening up again to resume pastoral training and Weston is planning to start teaching again in different villages where he had previously gone with AJ. We are excited to see God opening these opportunities to help strengthen and serve other churches after COVID limited our access to these places. After 5 years in public schools here, our children are now going to a private Christian school that’s open to all children, but the staff and teachers are all Christians. We are grateful for the school’s vision and that we can be a small part of this ministry. I (Heidi) am currently teaching English there and it’s
been a blessing to see how the teachers and staff work hard to love, pray for, and teach the children about Jesus while also giving them a solid education. My students are so fun and have made teaching very interesting. We recently played the “telephone” game and of course, by the end it was a completely different phrase which made them all erupt into laughter. As I watched their puzzled, confused faces struggling to remember the words, I remembered having to play the same game in Spanish a few years ago at a party. I had that same strained, slightly embarrassed face as I repeated a series of strange words. Those memories help me sympathize daily with them and I can honestly tell them I know exactly how they feel. Please pray for Mexico and for our state, Oaxaca. It’s a wonderful place but one that faces many challenges. We are confident, though, that through the power of prayer and the proclamation of the gospel light can penetrate darkness, souls can be saved, and healthy churches can be raised up.
OUR TIME AT CROSS AT A GLANCE This past December, Reaching & Teaching had the privilege of being a major sponsor of CROSS, a missions conference for 18-25-year-olds and their church leaders. CROSS emphasizes the necessity of the gospel, the centrality of the local church, and God’s heart for the nations, and we were thrilled to be able to sponsor this event. Over 5,000 students attended the conference and were able to hear from a host of speakers including John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, Mack Stiles, and David Platt. The local church was emphasized repeatedly as the speakers cast vision for the needs around the world. There were also a few different breakout track options, both missions and discipleship. We loved getting to interact with hundreds of students at our booth throughout the conference. We were encouraged by their intentional questions and humility as they prayerfully consider what is looks like to both go and send well. Several of them commented at the end of the conference, “I have a desire to be a missionary, but after this conference, I realize I am not ready yet.” We praise God that they are heading back to their local church to continue to mature, and then will be sent out more equipped and ready for the task ahead of them. We also had the joy of hosting two late-night panel events. The first was a conversation with friends from the Pillar Network on the importance of the local church and missions, and a second panel with 9Marks was dedicated to defining church-driven missions vs. movementdriven missions. We had a great turnout
of students for both events and have received a lot of great feedback from many of them that those events helped fine-tune some of the ways they are thinking about missions. We also had the opportunity to lead several breakout sessions and participate in a number of panels on the main stage. Our President, Ryan Robertson led several panels on the main stage, and taught a breakout session entitled, “Five Things You Can Do If You Want To Be A Missionary,” and, “Why Go Overseas When There Are Lost People All Around Me?” Rachel Ware, our Director of Mobilization, facilitated a panel discussion for women on persevering in the faith, and participated in a panel on Goers and Senders. Several our own missionaries attended CROSS conference, which was a highlight for our team and the students in attendance. Several of our workers shared their stories on the main stage throughout the week. We are blessed to have so many incredible units partnering with us in the work of the Great Commission and were delighted that the students attending the conference would see such faithful examples in our missionaries. Our team had a blast working together to see the event succeed and agreed that it was a genuine privilege to be a shaping voice in the conversation as students are considering their role in the Great Commission. We praise God for this opportunity and look forward to seeing how the Lord may use this event to bear fruit in years to come. Hear for yourself! Find all CROSS talks here
HAVE YOU HEARD?
Preview Day
DISCOVER REACHING & TEACHING Whether you desire to move overseas as a career missionary or are looking for ways to mobilize your church towards global missions, our Preview Day is a great place to learn more about the heart and opportunities of Reaching & Teaching. We would love to have you join us!
Register to attend at rtim.org
Why You Should Come Here’s what you can expect from the day: Discover Reaching & Teaching’s DNA Connect with like-minded Christians Expand your missions horizons Take the first steps Learn how you can partner with us
Upcoming Dates: June 2, 2022 Atlanta, GA Mount Vernon Baptist Church July 11, 2022 Louisville, KY Third Ave Baptist Church November 4, 2022 Washington, DC Capitol Hill Baptist Church
No Shortcut to Success A Manifesto for Modern Missions By Matt Rhodes
We recommend this resource to current and prospective missionaries, sending churches, and anyone else who has a passion to see healthy churches established throughout the world. Read our Review on the Book Here
RTIM GLOBAL INTERNSHIP Biblical Missions and the Local Church The Global Ecclesiology and Missiology Internship is a one-year internship designed to train the next generation to understand and apply biblical convictions about the local church and the call to make disciples of all nations.
Term 1
Term 2
The first six months will be spent as a member of a healthy local church in the United States. The internship involves reading, writing, and discussion with the elders and staff coupled with local evangelism and church-based discipleship.
The second six months will be spent as a member of an English-speaking International church around the world, learning and serving in a cross-cultural context.
Participating Church Locations:
Participating Churches:
- Middle East - Central Asia - Southeast Asia
- Third Avenue Baptist Church, Louisville, KY - Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA - High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, TX - Hinson Memorial Baptist Church, Portland, Or
rtim.org