During the report of Mission to the World (MTW) to the 38th General Assembly today, MTW highlighted its growing partnership with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), noting the agencies’ shared missions emphasis and worldwide perspective.

Over the past year, several hundred RUF students have participated in MTW short-term mission trips, with many focusing on ministering to university students.

“In some ways, the large campuses of the world are some of our biggest unreached people groups,” said Paul Kooistra, coordinator of MTW, speaking with byFaith. “These campuses are centers of learning, policy-making, and creativity—they are places where the gospel is needed.”

The new cooperation between MTW and RUF draws on the strengths of each agency, with RUF focusing on recruiting and training, and MTW focusing on deploying, caring for needs on the field, and connecting with the local church.

“That’s the strength of missionary work—connecting with the church,” said Kooistra. “If you don’t do that, the fruit doesn’t last.”

Kooistra sees several denominational lessons within the growing relationship between MTW and RUF. “It’s an example of how two PCA agencies can work together by embracing the gifts and strengths God has given us, without turf-guarding,” he said. “That’s the challenge of the PCA and the American church—will we abandon everything for Christ’s sake, or try to preserve for ourselves the resources God has given us? Ultimate freedom comes in dying to self and embracing Christ.”

Embracing National Partners

“There’s never been a time of more opportunity for the power of the gospel to spread all over the world,” said Kooistra. “To see church growth in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and places we can’t mention for security reasons, is beyond expectations.”

The rapid globalization of the world is not only affecting politics and business, says Kooistra, but also creating an international, global church. Given this reality, MTW is seeking to better understand how God is at work in the areas where it ministers as it tries to become a part of that work. “The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of national partners with whom we work directly,” according to MTW’s report to General Assembly.

“We can no longer do missions as if we’re simply taking the gospel to people in need,” said Kooistra, noting that there are now few areas of the world with no presence of the Church. “The ‘sending/receiving churches’ language isn’t that helpful anymore. We need them as much as they need us.”

Kooistra reports that there are a number of benefits of working more intentionally with nationals. “Some of our bright spots [in MTW ministry] are our work with national partners,” says Kooistra. “God has raised up some outstanding national leaders and partners, and MTW missionaries are seeing how they can be more effective working through these leaders.”

In fact, the shifting dynamics of missions is requiring many missionaries to learn a new skill set. “Today, to be a missionary means to have a great sense of servanthood and to have a Christ-like spirit to be most effective,” said Kooistra. “You have to be able to encourage and support national leaders instead of simply directing them.”

This model seems to be working well in Mexico, where one of MTW’s team leaders is a national. And in India, many MTW missionaries serve as facilitators instead of pastors or church planters. Key facilitation areas include education, strategy, and missions training. “This approach has been productive in India,” said Kooistra. “We’re planting 25 churches at a time instead of spending seven years building one church.”

To learn more about MTW, visit www.mtw.org.