Overcoming Barriers to Effective Missions

Much today is known regarding the Great Commission of Christ to the church before his ascension for which every member is called to actively engage in missions until Christ’s Second Coming. The Greek word ethne, translated in English as “nation” is better understood as people groups (Matt 28:19). The challenge and responsibility of the Adventist Church, therefore, is to reach the diverse and numerous people groups proximal and distant, by employing all possible means and methods that God has provided for this task. The assignment undoubtedly may appear daunting, however, it still is “mission possible.” For this goal to be achieved the church, especially its leadership, needs to overcome certain barriers inhibiting effective mission. This paper seeks to highlight a few of those barriers; however, it is not exhaustive in scope due to certain understandable limitations. Its objective is to enlighten and arouse mission leadership concerning obstacles to be overcome in order for more effective mission to be conducted in all respective territories. It seeks to create awareness of the reality of the mission situation, the acknowledgment that there might be barriers occurring within our territories, and engender action plans to rectify the present scenario. Other literature may provide several different perspectives on this subject; however, from the present Adventist standpoint the focus is on five issues I consider crucial at this point in time. The five barriers to effective missions discussed in this paper include knowledge, timidity, identity, spiritual, and logistic barriers

Towards a Missiological Model for Worldview Transformation Among Adherents to African Traditional Religion in Yorubaland

Seventh-day Adventist missions in the western region of Nigeria are a century old, yet reversion to pre-Christian practices such as divination and sorcery are reported, especially during periods of personal crises. This study sought to understand the influence of the traditional worldview on the practices of divination and sorcery and to develop a model that would move the Yoruba Adventists from dependence on these practices to a biblically shaped faith and praxis. A grounded theory approach was adopted for conducting this qualitative research. Data were collected from two focus group discussions and from face-to-face interviews with five pastors, five diviners, and three members who had once consulted diviners. Concepts that emerged from the analyzed data revealed the need for a theory of worldview transformation. This theory entailed having better biblical explanations to counter existing worldview assumptions, the exigency of encountering the power of the gospel in a power-oriented context, and the importance of experiential relationships with Christ to replace the role of diviners in that context. The study culminated in a worldview transformation model that would lead Yoruba Adventists away from dependence upon pre-Christian customs to a biblically shaped worldview, and authentic faith and discipleship. Central to this worldview transformational paradigm is the Adventist doctrine of the Great Controversy