by Malcolm McGregor, SIM International Director
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SIM International Director
Malcolm McGregor |
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As the new International Director of SIM, I have devoted the past year to listening and learning, largely through the Seize the Day review process. What BIG things has SIM discerned? About 80 recommendations emerged from our study, and these will define our road map for the next few years. I’m calling the implementation process “Faith Effects,” based on 2 Peter 1:3-11. (Please study these wonderful verses.) All that we have learned and understood we now must DO. As SIM purposefully moves forward, the effects of faith must be clearly evident.
Seize the Day has helped us understand that we have entered a new age of mission—one in which God’s global church is working together to take the gospel to those who haven’t heard or haven’t believed. The glorious age of mission that started in the 1790s, during which Europeans dominated the mission force, has come to an end. The church in Africa, Asia, and South America has grown to such an extent that the centre of gravity of the Christian faith has moved south and east. This is something to 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.
As SIM embraces this new paradigm, we recognize that mission is going to be messier—less predictable and sometimes uncomfortable. Mission is now a two-way street with traffic going both ways, colliding at times. No longer can we expect our systems and procedures to cover every eventuality. We must re-examine our organizational processes in order to remove procedural roadblocks and rigid mindsets that could limit our effectiveness. It is a time for innovation and creativity.
All our offices will develop both a sending and a receiving approach to mission. The lines of demarcation will be less neat than in the past, but I believe fresh energy and creativity will be unleashed, both within the SIM community and in the churches that partner with us. Our mindset is not “us-to-them,” but rather “all of us together to the ends of the earth.” We have all read about this new paradigm during the past decade, and now we look forward to seeing it in practice in SIM. Pray for us as we seek to move forward in new ways and put into action all we have learned and understood.
The simple illustration taken from high school physics captures the entire Seize the Day process of understanding, discernment and action. The priorities emerging from the review, as reflected through the lens, reveal the top ten areas for change shining through the prism.
Here is a summary of the top ten areas for change:
Sacrificial Lifestyle
SIM will continue to rekindle an ethos of sacrificial service and of enduring hardship for the sake of the gospel, in light of disparities and unstable conditions in today's world.
Discipling and Mentoring
SIM missionaries will be held accountable for mentoring one another and the people in their ministries, and for transferring skills in the context of authentic relationships.
Sharpened Focus
SIM will allocate resources according to strategic ministry priorities.
Emerging Missions
SIM 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.
Partnerships
SIM will redefine the basis of our relationships with churches and like-minded organizations. Strategic partnership relationships are vital for the future.
Short Term Workers
SIM will abolish distinctions based on length of service, seeking to maximize contributions from all workers.
Children and Youth
SIM will place high priority on ministry to children, youth and young adults, and will allocate resources accordingly, including training and recruitment. Some of these needs and ministries are featured in this issue of the magazine.
Simplification
SIM will streamline its structures, policies and procedures seeking simplification wherever possible.
Diversity
SIM will intentionally pursue a growing ethos of multicultural and multigenerational diversity.
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