INTRODUCTION Significant amounts of time, sweat, thought, finances, and patient work has been and continues to be expended by many Protestant and evangelical churches in foreign missions. Much effort is devoted, for example, to the area of Bible translations throughout the world into many languages that still do not have faithful translations. Along with that, much work is done to bring the Word to those who have not heard the gospel in their recent generations and who dwell in the bondage of idolatry, a cult, the occult, or a world religion. What is of concern in this article are the...
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Previous article in this series: October 1, 2025, p. 24 REFOCUS A phrase that molds our consideration of the last stage of re-entry from a field of mission labor and into a new and different field of labor is found in “The Form for the Ordination (Or Installation) of Missionaries.” The phrase is worded thus: “…until it pleases the Lord to lead [the missionary] along a lawful way to a different field of labor.”1 This phrase helps the minister of the Word, released from his mission labor and going back to his home churches, with an edifying reminder about...
Previous article in this series: January 2025, p. 148. RENEWAL As we continue a consideration of the main parts of re-entry from a field of mission labor and move now into the phase of renewal, it becomes evident that the phases of the re-entry process can be divided into two main groups. The first group of phases in the re-entry process involves looking back. For example, when the apostle Paul was released from his labors in Ephesus and needed to bid the elders farewell (Acts 20), the perspective was clearly on what was being left behind in the Lord’s hands....
pastor of Randolph PRC in Randolph, Wisconsin In addition to the steps of release, return, and refreshment, another significant step for a foreign missionary’s departure from his field of labor and going back to his passport country and sending churches is the step of rehearsal. While the activity of rehearsal should be a part of a missionary’s lengthy furlough from his field of labor, it also should be part of a missionary’s permanent release from his field of labor and return to his passport country and sending churches. REHEARSAL Rehearsal was an activity that the apostles had been trained...
pastor of Randolph PRC in Randolph, Wisconsin Previous article in this series: June 2024, p 427. RETURN (CONTINUED) The hearty farewells have faded, and the foreign missionary and family have begun their journey out of and away from the field of labor in which they lived for some time and from which the Lord has released them. They are returning, but to where? Responding to the return of the missionary family, members of calling and supporting churches in the region or country to which the family is returning might normally think that their return is in a direction toward “home.”...
Former PRC foreign missionary to the Philippines, and pastor of Randolph PRC in Randolph, Wisconsin For a foreign missionary, much time, energy, thought, and excitement goes into preparation for service on a foreign mission field in behalf of his calling and supporting churches, especially in a cross-cultural setting. In fact, recognizing the importance of that, many denominational mission committees, including the Foreign Mission Committee of the PRCA, have developed programs of preparation for their foreign missionaries in order to train themselves for effective and long-term service on their respective foreign fields. This policy of preparation is supported by Scripture in...
Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma, minister-emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches and member of the PRC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Rev. George Lubbers began his mission labors in Hope Reformed Church of Loveland, CO in May of 1955. This church had before this time severed its ties with the Evangelical and Reformed denomination, the Reformed Church in the US (RCUS), and now existed as an independent congregation under its own constitution and elders. Missionary Lubbers, therefore, actually performed the work of a pastor in this congregation while carrying out the duties of a missionary in other places. During the years 1956 and 1957,...
Rev. Richard Smit, pastor of Randolph PRC in Randolph, Wisconsin Previous article in this series: April 1, 2024, p. 324. In this article, we conclude our observations from the book of Acts that the early New Testament churches, established by means of the mission labors of the apostles, manifested in their institutional life the threefold Christian character of being self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting. In particular, we consider now that these churches were self-propagating and self-supporting. After the history of the Jerusalem church at the end of Acts 2, newly established churches were self-propagating. Although this would be true of all...
Rev. Richard Smit, pastor of Randolph PRC in Randolph, Wisconsin Previous article in this series: April 15, 2023, p. 327. It is important and encouraging to know that there are examples of the three-self formula in the early New Testament church according to the book of Acts. There is evidence that the church did manifest aspects of the three-self formula in its early, developing institutional life. This is true not just in the later years of the history of Acts, but even in the early history soon after Pentecost. Already then, the church manifested the threefold Christian character of...
Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma, pastor-emeritus of Pittsburgh PRC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania About 100 miles northeast of the Badlands of South Dakota, tucked away between two Indian reservations, the Standing Rock Indian Reservation on the north and the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation on the south, lies a small grain-farming community with the name Isabel. This small town in western South Dakota was established in 1910 and named after a railroad employee’s daughter. Through the years this town has dwindled in size so that today it numbers 145 people and about 38 families. In the 1950’s, however, it numbered a little over 500...
