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Enabling Gospel Ministry
It may come as something of a surprise to realise that our Lord Jesus needed and appreciated daily support from His followers as He fulfilled His ministry. Luke gives us a fascinating glimpse into His day to day life (Luke 8 v1-3), where we are told that His disciples, and in particular Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, provided for His practical needs out of their own means and resources. What an example! The Lord of Glory, the Creator and Sustainer of all, in His humanity depending upon the support of His faithful followers.
If ever justification were to be made for the concept of Leadership Support, it is to be found here. It ought to be obvious to us that it is not only those in the foreground who carry on the work, but the army of prayer warriors and practical givers behind the scenes, as it were, without whose support Gospel ministry would be severely, if not critically, hindered. It is this fact which underlies SGA’s Leadership Support ministry, and which has been blessed of God in the Mission’s expansion into new areas of spiritual and practical need.
The most obvious and critical need is for more workers in God’s harvest field, and Leadership Support is particularly concerned with the appointment of Christian workers and provision for their needs, so that full time and attention can be given to sharing the Gospel. Among the 200 or so national workers supported across the regions of SGA’s ministry are pastors, evangelists, church planters, children’s and youth workers. Authors and writers, translators, Mission School directors and Christian house-parents are among the other ministries represented in Leadership Support. We are indebted to those individuals and churches who have taken up the challenge to sponsor workers in vital and challenging areas of the work.
As well as direct financial support for day to day living, Christian workers must be supplied with the ‘tools’ to fulfil their ministries. A heart cry from the past – ‘Give us the tools and we will finish the work’ – is still relevant and applicable today. The mission field needs workers; it needs the supply of their daily needs; it needs the practical resources to enable effective Gospel service, including learning resources, meeting-places/houses of prayer, transport, and many others. All of these come under the banner of our Leadership Support programme.
Will you be one of that great ‘army’ of supporters in the background, without whose prayer, generous giving, and sympathetic support the work would critically suffer?