The facts are staggering. According to Frontier Harvest Ministries, in the unevangelized world, there are 20,500 full-time Christian workers and 10,200 foreign missionaries. In the evangelized non-Christian world, there are 1.31 million full-time Christian workers.

The whole enterprise is something that started with 12 men who were mentored by Jesus, the son of God himself in the small community of Galilee and its surrounds. The fact that I was given a role to play in this great world of fulfilling the great commission in an international arena sometimes astounds me. Everyone of us can play a role…by praying, giving or going. Most of all it starts with a heart of compassion and a desire to take the message of redemption to a world crying out for it. And it may begin with learning what God is doing around the world and deciding how to join Him. It’s an overwhelming task to share the good news with the world…but many churches make it a high priority in the life of their church seeing it as obedience to God’s plan to use each one of us.

I celebrate how God allowed me to play a part in one church in the Chicago’s suburbs that influences and supports about 100 of these missionaries. During the 10 years that I directed these efforts at Wheaton Bible Church we put on many events and conferences to raise awareness and enthusiasm to reach the world and it was a great ride.