From the Coordinator: 50 Years of Missions—Looking Back, Looking Forward

As MTW turns 50, we look back and give thanks to God for His great faithfulness and grace to our beloved missions community. When my wife, Eda, and I joined MTW as missionaries about 20 years ago, we met people who were passionate about the gospel, God’s grace, and the glory of Jesus filling the world. We thought, “Wow, these are our people. We are not alone.”

The more time we spent in this community, the more grateful we were to be colleagues with some of the best people on the planet. Many of the people who have gone before us are like the men and women the author of Hebrews describes as those, “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). Indeed, we give thanks to God for those who have served faithfully over these past 50 years.

I recently spoke with a Kenyan PCA pastor who came to the U.S. as a young adult. He told me how his grandfather planted the first Presbyterian church in Kenya with the help of some Presbyterian missionaries. In fact, his father had worked closely with MTW missionaries, and he grew up calling many of them Uncle and Auntie. Now he is serving in the PCA, mobilizing many for global gospel ministry. I’m simply amazed at God’s perfect providence and plans.

As we look ahead to the next 50 years, our prayer is that God would raise up a new generation of saints who will take the baton and engage in global missions—those from many different backgrounds and experiences. We are praying not only for the 1%, who will go and make disciples among the nations, but the 99% who will stay, pray, and give generously to the cause of Christ for the nations.

But as grateful as we are of those who have served in the past and present, and as hopeful as we are of those who will take the reins in the future, our ultimate confidence rests solidly in the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), Jesus Christ. He has been, is, and will be the center of MTW and all our global mission efforts. His grace for us has been, is, and will be the fuel that ignites missions fire in our hearts as we labor in building up His Church all over the world to the praise and glory of His name!

Check out a graphic timeline of MTW's history in the latest issue of Network magazine.