University Student asks missionary hard questions
May 14th, 2008 by admin
Name: Kyla Campbell
Comments: Hi, my name is Kyla Campbell. I am studying to be a missionary in a Christian university in Florida, USA. I’m doing a mission research paper for a missions class, and I wanted to ask you some questions for my paper. We are to contact full time missionaries to find out their stategies and what they do in their field.
1. Why did you decide to minister in La Rochelle?
2. What way is the best that you have found so far for reaching people in your area of France? How did you find that way?
3. What ways have you found that are not good for reaching the lost in your area and why aren’t they effective?
4. Do you disciple converts, and if so, for how long do you disciple them?
5. Which age group do you find to be most responsive to the gospel, and why do you think this is?
6. What types of obstacles to ministry have you encountered in La Rochelle?
7. Can you tell me any experiences where you have witnessed to someone with the way you have found best and the way you have found is not good? What were the outcomes of those situations?
Would you please respond to me as soon as you can? I greatly appreciate it. God Bless You Both!
-Kyla Campbell
Jim Vernon’s response here:
Dear Kyla:
I will try to answer your questions
one by one and as honestly as I can.
1. Why did you decide to minister in
La Rochelle, France?
This could be a difficult question because
there were practical family relationships
involved and the plan that God was working
in our lives before this decision. You might
want to look at my write-up on our website
at:
which goes into detail how God worked in my
life up to this decision.
From a practical standpoint, my wife is French,
was raised in La Rochelle, France and has 7
brothers and sisters there. Yet, before 1996, I
had never had the desire to go visit her family
in France. I also was a computer consultant
with my own business at this time. In 1996,
we were invited to a neice’s wedding and during
this visit God gave me a deep burden for my
wife’s family and their friends.
This was unexpected and started a 6 year process
by the Lord to clarify what this meant.
We arrived as Missionaries to La Rochelle, France
in 2002.
I think this shows that there are practical circumstances
that God weaves into your life that prepare you
for his plan and sovereign visitations by him to clarify the
decisions you need to make to know his will. It’s
not all intellectual but something he does in communicating
his heart to you.
2. What way is the best that you have found so far for
reaching people in your area of France? How did you
find that way?
I think this question can be answered differently for
different countries because each people group has different
base belief systems that effect how they see the world
and life in general. But I think there is a fundamental
truth that is true for all peoples and that is "relationship".
We believe that the most effective method to evangelize
is through Friendship Evangelism.
Of course this is not the only way to reach lost people
but it is a fundamental way of life that I believe every
missionary or believer should live. We have found that
the Alpha Course is a great tool and is inherently
relational.
Here in France and before in the USA, we tried to
reach out to the unsaved people that God put in our path.
We became their friends and worked at the relationship
to gain their trust, so that we would be able to share
our faith more effectively and with greater impact. It is
a statistical fact that most people come to Jesus
through a close relationship.
I think this is especially true of people groups which
have an inherent distrust of people who talk about
quote "Religion" or "God". Remember you need to
see from their perspective and past history. Many
of these peoples have been conditioned by corrupt
religious leaders of the past and cold religion that
had a religious form but no loving relationship with
the living God who is relevant to their daily lives.
There are mental and emotional barriers to cross and
strongholds to be brought down which have completely
blinded them all their life. It is hard for us who have
been brought up in an atmosphere of faith to comprehend
how they could think the way they do. It is rare in
these countries that the non-believer comes to the
Lord Jesus hearing the Gospel for the first time.
3. What ways have you found that are not good for
reaching the lost in your area and why aren’t they
effective?
I think the most ineffective way is to hand out something
written that explains the Gospel. In France, first they are
very suspicious and think that you are probably a culte,
which they consider very dangerous. Also if they read it
they will read the truth in a way that is completely warped.
They will read things into the Gospel that you can’t
believe they would think such a thing. Remember they
are looking through glasses that your not wearing.
Usually their warped perspectives are related to the
character of God and they have been conditioned by
the devil to see God the way he does. For a believer
it can be shocking but because God gives you love
and the patience for this people, you are able to understand
where their coming from, even if it is a lie. It is a
real battle for their minds and hearts. Only the Holy
Spirit can penetrate and bring down these strongholds.
Sometimes we think that if we present the "Pure" Gospel
and present it the perfect way that that is all the person needs.
Sometimes we look for the perfect or most effective
"method" but it’s really a "Process" for each individual.
It is also the Holy Spirit who knows the person and
what it is going to take for them to come to salvation.
We must be willing to be led by him and be willing to
pay the price to be used by the Holy Spirit the way
he wants to use us. After all it’s the Holy Spirit who
really does the saving.
4. Do you disciple converts, and if so, for how long
do you disciple them?
Yes, we disciple converts!
All believers need to be discipled.
Of course, discipleship can mean different things
to different people. But I think the key foundation
of discipleship is not intellectual but to look for
transformation change in their lives. The disciple’s
personal relationship with God is essential.
How does he or she communicate with God?
How does he or she hear what God is saying?
Do they obey what God tells them to do?
What is their part in his Kingdom and Family?
What is their reponsibilty towards those around
them that don’t have what they have?
If you read John 17:3, eternel life is to know the
Father and Jesus who he has sent.
We want to help the new believer have a close
relationship with God. Help him or her overcome
any barriers and be there when they need us.
It’s like walking along side the person. You
share with them in this relationship with a loving
God and that you are in the same family (boat) as they are.
How long?
Perhaps, this begins with some foundation type
teachings that are common to the Christian faith
that can take weeks or years. Remember our
goal is not intellectual knowledge but transformational
change (heart change).
Discipleship in some form can go on for years
depending on the connection God has given you
with this person. Also as the new believer starts
growing in their relationship with the Lord you’re
probably going to start learning some things from
them. As the believer starts to mature you start
walking together with the Lord. Of course, this
relationship depends on the time the Lord gives
for you to be together. Sometimes the window
of time to have influence in somebody’s life can
be very short and will not develop to this stage.
God’s plan and our openess to the Holy Spirit
can decide this.
5. Which age group do you find to be most responsive
to the Gospel, and why do you think this is?
Certainly, it is almost always the younger generation who
is open to a relevant Gospel.
I believe it is because when your younger you have
not settled all your belief systems and you are more
open to new things. I know this is true for all cultures
because I went to the University of La Rochelle for
3 semestres and the students in my class were
from 20 different countries. All these young people
were so vulnerable, to the good and the bad. It is
really a special time in their lives of great openess.
But also the younger generation is looking for honest
reality. If God is real they really want to see the God
of the Bible. Dead "Religion" is repulsive to the next
generation.
I believe it is true that the younger generation is the
most open but God will send you to those he has
called you to influence. Only you can reach this
group.
6. What type of obstacles to ministry have you
encountered in La Rochelle?
I believe the greatest obstacle to ministry is our
own character ( It’s You!).
The devil is easy to defeat through prayer and the
activity of the Holy Spirit through our lives but
if our prayer life is blocked and the activity
of the Holy Spirit is quenched then the real
ministry stops.
Our internal struggles are the greatest cause
of our ineffectiveness and possible defeat.
When you go overseas to minister in another
culture there are new pressures on your life
that you have never experienced before, no matter
how long you have been a Christian. These
come in many forms. They could be financial,
personal relationships, such as on a team or in a
marriage or internal personal conflicts such as self-worth,
or significance.
For example, when we came to France in 2002
our financial support was a little below minimum.
We had made the decision that if we didn’t go at this
time and step out in faith we probably would never go.
As the dollar began to drop and has continued to
drop since, it put tremendous pressure on our marriage.
There was also a pressure to perform to be worthy
of the financial support from the States. Of course we all
know that this is not what we want to happen but God
allows these pressures.
The character issue is how we handle these new
circumstances and how it effects our relationship
with those around us and with God himself.
The local language for a missionary is a key to ministry
in a new culture and without being proficient in it can be
a tremendous obstacle. It effects all your relationships
with the people and can also cause undo pressure within
a team or marraige. The people in the culture which you
are trying to reach will judge you by how well you speak
their language and it effects how well they give value to
what you say. This a practical fact and of course is
human nature.
7. Can you tell me any experiences where you have
witnessed to someone with the way you have found
best and the way you have found is not good? What were
the outcomes of those situations?
Good experience:
While at the University of La Rochelle learning French,
I met a young Mexican man who told me that his Mom did
crafts. I told him my wife also did crafts and could she
contact his Mom.
My wife started going with his Mom to her Crafts Club
and soon we started eating together as couples. As our
relationship with them deepened and trust was developed
we started sharing about our relationship with Jesus.
We then asked them if they would like to eat a light meal
together each week and go through an investigative
Bible Study. They were very open to doing this.
During these weeks of meeting together they were able
to ask us their questions and they had the freedom to
express their points of view no matter how weird.
Be the end of this time together the Mother received the
Lord. The husband was open to us and the sharing of
the Gospel but his internal light bulb didn’t come on yet.
We continue to be close friends and to sow into their
lives.
Bad experience:
Really we have tried to stay away from strategies
that we feel are ineffective and to not do them.
The closest thing that we have done to handing out
something written is "The Book Without Equal" Project
where I created a brochure and DVD film to deliver
to every home in our village. We delivered the kit to 1000
homes in our neighborhood. In the DVD film box
was an invitation to come to an investigative Bible
Study in the neighborhood. The invitation was to
the first opening evening of the Alpha Course.
During this outreach we received zero response
even though we don’t know who watched the
God’s Story Film that was in the DVD box. It
is possible to recieve the Lord through this film.
Also I do believe that the Lord told me to create
this DVD and to distribute it. I felt that I had
done what the Lord asked me to do.
Ineffective or not I believe I obeyed the Lord.
It remains to be seen what impact this DVD
might have had on families.
You can read about the details of the kit that
was delivered into the homes at:
If your interested.
Well that’s all 7 questions. I hope our experience
will be useful to your walk with the Lord at this
time in your life.
Blessings from us here in La Rochelle,
Jim and Michelle Vernon