Individual Involvement
People-Group Advocacy
A new role in missions has come to light in the last ten years. These missionaries rarely share their faith, publish literature, or preach in a foreign language. Some never even meet a person from the ethnic group their ministry emphasises. Yet without their catalytic influence, the work among these unreached people groups might never begin.
These missionaries are people-group advocates. An advocate is one who pleads another's case (a lawyer) or a person who speaks or writes in support of something. Advocates adopt another's needs for fluent representation in a realm inaccessible to the other. Each people-group advocate helps bridge the gap between a specific unreached people group (realm 1) and specific resources within the kingdom of God (realm 2). Kingdom resources might be local churches, missions agencies, individuals, emergency aid organisations, community development teams, financial donors, prayer warriors, Bible and literature translators and producers, church planters, or even ministry support services like schools for missionary kids. Unfortunately, these two realms are completely inaccessible to one another except by those God raises up to bridge this gap.
Because Advocates Bring People Groups Into Focus
Unreached peoples need advocates within the kingdom learning about them, praying for them specifically, and calling for co-operation in loving and strategic initiative. For the church, "out of sight" usually means "out of mind." Advocates bring the unreached peoples clearly into our vision.
Have we taken steps to assure we are working in co-operation? Have we assigned project-hours to cultural understanding, partnership, and co-operation? Advocacy builds people-group oriented relationships that form the infrastructure for culturally enlightened co-operation.
Because Each People Group is a Treasure
Each people group is like a field with a treasure buried in it. That treasure is God's unique plan of salvation for that people. It is the joy of advocacy to become fully invested in one of God's nations and then to behold the "Day of Mercy" for that people -- perhaps only by faith. Few, however, are willing to buy the field.
No Such Thing As a Closed Country
No people group is inaccessible today. Advocates can help find access for long-term and short-term workers. Those working in these "creative-access areas" are often quite restricted both on and off the field. However, because advocates may work entirely outside of restricted areas, they can often operate very publicly and with few restrictions. As a trusted "front" for workers in the field, an advocate can support the field operations effectively.
Furthermore, missionaries from the developing world can enter where others cannot. In these situations advocates are critical for building bridges of co-operation, benefiting these workers and the wider missions community.
Learning, Linking, and Loving
Advocates learn about two areas: (1) about the people group, their culture, environment, and current status, and (2) about the kingdom resources: who is working with or who could work with the people group. Each advocate will develop a unique network among kingdom resources. Then advocates link the right resources with the right opportunities.
Advocates seek God to build love in their hearts for the people group. One of the best ways to begin is regular prayer for the unreached people group. As an advocate prays and encourages others to pray, God builds compassion.
More than anything today we need advocates who can seek out others with potential interest in their chosen people and help them into ministry. We need individuals who will work together as a team, building relationships of trust and partnership with people from other churches, denominations, traditions, approaches, and countries. People-group advocates must reach across the barriers which have kept the unreached peoples unreached.
Communication: An Advocate's Commitment
Commitment to an unreached people group is the defining element of advocacy. Without this commitment there can be no advocate. God often uses the advocate's commitment to draw others into ministry among the advocate's chosen people group. Advocates commit to build bridge-relationships for co-operative ministry based on a healthy understanding of the people group.
If you would like more information on how to become an advocate please write: Caleb Project . Or look<> at their AdvoNet on the Caleb Project Web page.
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1/18/99
