That is a strange question for a missions magazine! Why would anyone want to lock the church doors? There would only be one reason . . . when no one comes! Some would say that would never happen in America. But as you read this magazine and hear the testimonies of missionaries in Europe, it has been happening there for years. In an article written on August 10, 2005 in USA TODAY entitled Religion Takes a Back Seat in Western Europe, a 39 year-old man from Dublin, Ireland stated, “I don’t go to church, and I don’t know one person who does. Fifteen years ago, I didn’t know one person who didn’t.” Did you understand that? He does not know one person who goes to church! If church attendance can change that much in fifteen years in Ireland, could it happen in Milford, Ohio? You know that answer! The same article goes on to say, “Though many Europeans say they consider themselves Christians, far fewer actually attend services.” Does that sound familiar? You ask your neighbors to come to church and they claim to be members of a particular church, but you know they never attend.
The same article in USA TODAY goes on to say, “One need only see the overwhelming number of gray-haired heads in church pews to know attendance will keep falling if something doesn’t change dramatically.” We all love and respect the “grey-haired heads” in our church pews, but they are the leaders of today and yesterday, who will be our leaders in the future? We need children, teens, and young parents in our pews! You may call that little five year-old boy that stepped off the bus “Little Buddy” today, but in thirty years, you may be calling him, “Pastor.” In 1964, a little six year-old girl roamed the halls of this church for the first time; she is now our pastor’s wife. Abb Thomas has said for years, “Never underestimate the potential of a child.” In what would seem to some as yesterday, a little boy named “Eddie” preached his first message in Master Clubs. However, in Loveland, Colorado, they now call that man, Pastor Edward Barclay. His baby sister would tell Bible stories in Sunday School and on the bus here. She is still teaching, but now she is in Northern Africa with her husband and daughter. These are not isolated stories, but just a few of the many testimonies of lives changed by the Word of God. Some are now in India, Mongolia, Mexico, Africa, and the list goes on. We all know and many have memorized Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” But even though God has allowed our church to send missionaries “into all the world,” we must never forget to reach our communities within America . . . or the church doors will be locked. One preacher said, “Some churches are so focused on reaching the world, they forget to reach the world around them.” May that never be the testimony of our church . . . or our country!
Boys and girls, you are not ready to be a missionary in a foreign land . . . yet, but there is a mission field waiting for you at the baseball game, the store, the restaurant, and in your neighborhood. At BSWE missionaries learn that the most effective missionary is the national missionary. That would be a missionary from a specific country seeking to witness to “his own people.” They are more effective because they speak their language and understand their customs. Children are warned today not to speak to strangers. Consequently, it is very difficult for an adult to witness to a child at the ballpark or on the street. But they will listen to you . . . you are a native child! You understand their lingo and their customs. They will listen to you . . . if you will talk. What do you say? Tell them what you already know about the Lord; tell them your testimony. Need help? That would be a great conversation to have with your parents. And if you need more help, ask your Sunday School teachers, Junior Church workers, or Master Club leaders. Your leaders at church want you to know the facts in your Bible, but even more than that, they want you to understand your Bible. When you understand your Bible, the promises within it, and the love that God offers you, those truths will compel you to reach your own country with the gospel so that our doors will never close!
