The Plan of Action for the Mission Impossible

Last part of this story series … (Some figures recently corrected and updated ...)


I can’t use his name, because this blog goes worldwide, and we’re concerned for his personal safety.


So let’s just give him a good ole’ American name: Joe. You can take my word for it that Joe exists and that he has come up with a plan of action for the Mission Impossible in West Bengal, India.


Joe is the person with whom Quest Community Church has partnered.


Here is the way that Joe plans on bringing the good news about Jesus to a hostile area of the world, according to John Musick, who heads up our Global Team:


Usually with missionary efforts, a church will pay to send one of their own – an American just like them – to the foreign country. Just for fun, let’s hypothetically say that Quest decided to send Brent, me and Neil over to West Bengal and start up this effort.


John Musick did the math for me. At a minimum, it would cost the church $70,000 per year. That would include a salary, health benefits, living arrangements and schooling for our 6-year-old, he says.


Now let’s look at the plan that Joe has.


Joe is using locals – people who have just become Christians – to spread the news about Jesus. Our church sponsors each person so that they can do this full-time. As I wrote in the last blog entry, that amount comes to $60.84 per month per person, or $730 for 10 people each month, or about $7,300 per year.


Now look at what these 10 people can accomplish: They know the language. They know the culture. They know the communities. They know how to get around. In short, they are ahead of any learning curve.


What if we expanded this 10-person team to 400 people?


That would amount to $24,336 per month, or $292,000 per year.


Yes, that cost is much more than sending said American family. But remember – there are 400 PEOPLE, not one guy and a wife and kid, and they already know what they need to know to get this thing off the ground as quickly as possible.


John tells me that after year one, they would go on a sliding scale where they would be increasingly responsible for more and more of their own support. After four or five years, they would be fully supported by the believers and local churches they plant.

There are five things you can do to help Joe: 1) Pray for partners who will help with this problem. 2) If you’re from Quest, you can strengthen the fellowship with the folks in West Bengal – get involved with Global and find out how you can help specifically. 3) Pray that Joe will be able to recruit more first-generation Christians to do this task. 4) Empower new believers by helping them become self-sufficient with your contributions. And 5) Help Joe locate training programs for various trade skills so that people can become employed while working on ways to share their faith.


Joe would like to see 20 percent of West Bengal come to Christ by the year 2020.


Is it doable?


Does it seem like a Mission Impossible to you?

It did to me, but then I had to remind myself … I’m not the One who has the power to make it so. And yet … I know the One who has the power to make it so.


Will you pray with me for West Bengal, India?