OPEN THE DOORS - Global Mission Centers · Urbanites Z New Ways to Reach Buddhists Jews Hindus Urbanites Muslims Secular/Postmoderns OPEN THE DOORS the global mission centers. 2 GlobalMissionCenters.org

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OUTSIDEthe 10/40 window

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If the population of the world walked past the UN building at 1 per second, an Adventist would pass by every 6 seconds. If the population of Egypt filed by the pyramids at 1 per second, it would be 32 hours between Adventists.

Two-thirds of the world lives in the 10/40 window, but only 15% of our Adventist churches are there.

Outside the 10/40 window, there is 1 member for every 155 people whereas inside the 10/40 window there is just 1 member for every 1,759 people.

Ankara, Kabul, Meshed, Pyongyang, Dammam, Turkey Afghanistan Iran North Korea Saudi Arabia

5LARGEST

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he challenge of sharing the Three Angels’ Message of Revelation 14 can seem overwhelming if you are

standing in Saudi Arabia, Northern India, or Cambodia. Seventh-day Adventists have made very little progress in reaching many of the massive people groups of the 10/40 window, and multiplied millions in these areas know nothing of a Savior. But we aren’t giving up. In fact, the difficulty of the situation is calling us to even greater focused attention.

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Number of Adventists inMiddle East & North Africa.

Estimated Sabbath attendance at the Loma Linda University Church.

3,514

3,800

The General Conference has established six Global Mission Centers to find ways to unlock the doors that keep us from effectively reaching Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, postmoderns, and other groups. These centers are like laboratories that are experimenting with new approaches to sharing our faith while remaining faithful to our Bible beliefs. They have developed a knowledge base, resources, and working models which can help equip you to reach your neighbor and can guide the church as it sets out to start new work in unreached people groups around the world. The Global Mission Centers are opening doors which, for centuries, have appeared to be closed to the Gospel. Global Mission Center directors are consultants, experimenters, collaborators, mentors, practitioners, and resource producers. Discover how they can help you in your outreach.


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rGregory Whitsett, [email protected]

Amy Whitsett, associate [email protected]

Older than Christianity, Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world. It influences the perspective of many Asians, including those who

consider themselves non-religious. Today, Buddhist philosophy is growing in the West.

The Center for East Asian Religions (CEAR) is finding better ways to open the hearts of Buddhists to Jesus. Progress comes with understanding the Buddhist mindset. Significantly, Buddhists don’t believe in a supreme god or a corrupt human nature. Rather, religion is a system for helping improve oneself.

Below are some keys to unlocking doors with your Buddhist neighbors.

Trust: Invest in establishing genuine friendships.

Experience: Buddhists use experience to know truth. Share your own experience with Jesus. Ask God to reveal His love.

Wisdom: Introduce the historical Jesus who performed miracles; who taught the human heart was incurably controlled by lust, hatred, and ignorance; and who offers to heal the heart.

Reform: Buddhists value self-discipline. Model and coach them into a new life of victory made possible only by Jesus.

Whether you want to reach an Asian neighbor or a whole community, the Global Mission Center for East Asian Religions can help you avoid common mistakes.

CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS

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Ellen White wrote that reaching out to Jews “is a work that is to be treated with special wisdom. It is a work that must not be ignored” (Letter 96, 1910).

Seventh-day Adventists have a special calling to reach out to Jews, a calling that has not been completely fulfilled. The World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center has studied ways of sharing with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Many Adventists of a Jewish background are assisting the center in its mission. Their work is revealing effective ways to approach Jews. Here are some keys for reaching out to our Jewish friends and neighbors:

Invite them to your home to enjoy refreshments or a meal.

Talk about current events, but avoid controversial topics.

WORLD JEWISH-ADVENTIST FRIENDSHIP CENTER

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Richard Elofer,[email protected]

Listen to stories about their spiritual journey. Discuss the beauty of the Psalms or the love

of God as found in the Torah. Share the meaning of the Sabbath from your

experience.

Contact the World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center to find out more about how to build bridges between Adventists and Jews.

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Although Jews make up only 0.2 percent of the world population, they have won 28 percent of the Nobel prizes for medicine.

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Clifmond Shameerudeen, directorshameerudeenc@gc.adventist.orgCSAR.globalmissioncenters.org

An ancient religion, Hinduism has been passed down for hundreds of generations in India and surrounding countries. When someone changes religion, it can greatly disturb a family.

That is one reason why church growth is slow in parts of India. In 14 large cities in Northern India, you cannot find more than 50 Seventh-day Adventists.

The Center for South Asian Religions (CSAR) is taking on the challenge of reaching out to Hindus as well as Sikhs and Jains. They have found several keys for opening the door to share with these faiths:

Visit people in their homes since many South Asians believe that having visitors brings blessings to the host.

Avoid being alone with persons of the opposite gender.

Take every opportunity to pray with people, especially for health and family issues.

Converse on day-to-day topics such as health, family, and children’s education.

Share a meal to help build strong friendships. Dress modestly. If possible, wear the

South Asian cultural attire. Use titles of respect for older persons, i.e.

“Bapuji” for men, and “Mataji” for women. Share your personal testimony, especially

the stories of healing from sickness.

Indian Hindus have moved throughout the world as entrepreneurs and professionals. They can be found in almost every conference territory and local community. Find out how your outreach can be more fruitful by consulting with CSAR.

CENTER FOR SOUTH ASIAN RELIGIONS

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Doug Venn, directorvennd@gc.adventist.orgURBAN.globalmissioncenters.orgmissiontothecities.org

Ellen White wrote: “When I think of the cities in which so little has been done, in which there are so many thousands to be warned of the soon coming of the Saviour, I feel an intensity

of desire to see men and women going forth to the work in the power of the Spirit, filled with Christ’s love for perishing souls.” (Pacific Union Recorder, October 23, 1902)

As the world’s population continues to flock to cities, we urgently need to reach urban areas with the Three Angels’ Message of Revelation 14. The Global Mission Urban Center explores key ways to assist fields in addressing Mission to the Cities using Christ’s method through:

Establish Centers of Influence in urban areas that offer a variety of programs from heart health and fitness to money management and photography. These are platforms to put Christ’s method into practice in urban communities.

Involve every member in building relationships in order to provide points of contact and build trust in urban areas.

Start small groups in homes and workplaces in the community.

Identify needed ministries for different population groups.

Help enhance urban communities in specific ways. For example, Pathfinders may paint over graffiti or clean up empty lots.

GLOBAL MISSION URBAN CENTER

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Since 2009, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities.>50%

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As the newest major religion, Muslims believe that their faith supersedes all that has come before. They see no reason to investigate Christianity, and there are

many disincentives for those who do. Converts can lose their property, have their children taken away, and find that their marriage has been annulled. It would seem that Islam has locked the door to the gospel. But the Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations has found some keys to open that door:

Show hospitality--it’s very important to your Muslim friends.

Talk about current events. Many Muslims realize that the last days will bring the judgment of God, and they want to be ready.

Be respectful about differences when discussing spiritual topics.

Ask about their families and be willing to share about your own family.

CENTER FOR ADVENTIST- MUSLIM RELATIONS

Petras Bahadur, [email protected]

Samuel Lumwe, associate [email protected]

Ask questions about their culture and share about your own culture.

Be open about your Adventist identity.

We are beginning to see hope for better relations with Islam. In Germany and other places there has been dramatic growth in Islamic immigrants deciding to follow Jesus. Muslims already recognize Jesus as a great prophet. By working together, we can help them recognize Him as the Savior.

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I don’t go to church, and I don’t know one person who does,” said Brian Kenny, a 39-year-old Irishman interviewed in USA Today. “Fifteen years ago, I didn’t know one person who didn’t.” His experience reflects

a trend in Europe where more and more of the population reflect the postmodern proposition that institutional religion does not matter. How do we share the good news about God with people who don’t believe He is relevant?

The Center for Secular & Postmodern Studies is developing methods to engage postmodern populations. Here are some of the keys that will help you open a dialogue with postmoderns, who:

Share concern for people who have been neglected by society or discriminated against.

Value interaction with people from many cultures.

Appreciate genuine friendship and hospitality, including an invitation to experience community as part of the church.

CENTER FOR SECULAR & POSTMODERN STUDIES

1.1 BILLIONPEOPLE IDENTIFY AS“NON-RELIGIOUS”

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Will often respect you for sharing your personal experience with God (so giving your testimony can be a meaningful point of contact).

Want to experience belonging to a group before they believe what the church teaches.

So much of our evangelism practice has been based on speaking to other Christians. Now the Center for Secular and Postmodern Studies is helping us talk to those who have dismissed institutional religion, but need God just as much as we do.

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RESOURCES & SERVICES THAT OPEN DOORS

The Seventh-day Adventist church was born in the United States, a nation with a predominantly Christian heritage. In that

environment, we began developing our approaches to Bible teaching and evangelistic methods. As we grew, we naturally exported much of what had worked in the United States, and while some adaptations were made to methods used as the work expanded to other countries, we generally retained the rationales used to reach those from Christian backgrounds. The result has been that our baptisms around the world have come, in a large degree, from people who had already become Christians but who were members of other denominations. Our

dream is to find much more effective ways of sharing the gospel with people from non-Christian backgrounds. Rapidly fulfilling prophecies tell us that we have no time to lose. Billions of people still don’t know there is a Savior. We must learn ways to move past the barriers—to open the doors to hearts from all religious backgrounds. The Global Mission Centers offer tools and training to reach the 42% of the world’s population that is a part of 6,741 unreached people groups (Joshua Project). A few of the resources are listed here. Register online to access many more, including videos and online classes, at GlobalMissionCenters.org.

New Ways to ReachBuddhistsJews

HindusUrbanites

Muslims Postmoderns



FEATURED TITLESWinning Hearts: Leading Buddhists to Faith in God Edited by Gregory and Amy Whitsett

It’s Time: Voices from the Front Lines of Urban Mission Edited by Bettina Krause

God’s Mission to the Nations: An Old Testament Study Applied in the Hindu Context By Andrew Tompkins

Narrative, Meaning & Truth: Fulfilling the Mission in Relativistic Contexts Edited by Bruce A. Bauer and Kleber Gonçalves

OTHER TITLESMinistering to Mourners: Funeral Rituals and Christian Witness in East Asian Contexts Edited by Gregory and Amy Whitsett

Ministry to the Cities By Ellen G. White

New York City, A Symbol Compiled by John Luppens

Edited by Gregory and Amy Whitsett

VOICES FROM THE FRONT

LINES OF URBAN MISSION

IT’S TIMEHEARTSWINNING

LEADING BUDDHISTS TO FAITH IN GOD

Mission to the Cities Committee, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Edited by Bettina Krause



IT’S TIME

Andrew Tompkins



IT’S TIMEMISSIONTO THE NATIONS

GOD’S

AN OLD TESTAMENT STUDY APPLIED IN THE HINDU

CONTEXT

Edited by Bruce A. Bauer & Kleber O. Gonçalves



FULFILLING THE MISSION

IN RELATIVISTIC CONTEXTS

&TRUTHNARRATIVE, MEANING

All of these resources and more can be found online at GLOBALMISSIONCENTERS.ORG GlobalMissionCenters.org 11


“...they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had

opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”Acts 14:27 NKJV

GlobalMissionCenters.org

Z“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV

Documents

OPEN THE DOORS - Global Mission Centers · Urbanites Z New Ways to Reach Buddhists Jews Hindus Urbanites Muslims Secular/Postmoderns OPEN THE DOORS the global mission centers. 2 GlobalMissionCenters.org