While we look forward in mission and strive to develop strategies for reaching a rapidly changing world with the gospel, we must also look back. How were churches planted? Who were the missionaries? What were their strategies? What mistakes did they make? What innovative approaches did they take? What do these voices teach us for mission today? To look back and reflect is an exercise in humility. It means that we actually have something to learn from the past. It first means that we accurately understand the past--the good, ...
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While we look forward in mission and strive to develop strategies for reaching a rapidly changing world with the gospel, we must also look back. How were churches planted? Who were the missionaries? What were their strategies? What mistakes did they make? What innovative approaches did they take? What do these voices teach us for mission today? To look back and reflect is an exercise in humility. It means that we actually have something to learn from the past. It first means that we accurately understand the past--the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is an honest inquiry. When we've humbly engaged in the study of mission history, we realize that this is ultimately God's work and we get to participate in it. In this work, Josh Lovelace invites us to grasp the story of the Assemblies of God mission in Cambodia, which began in the late twentieth century. The decades of war and even genocide in the southeast Asian nation seemed to prompt a greater openness to the gospel message. Assemblies of God missionaries responded to the call and have faithfully served the peoples of Cambodia in evangelism, church planting, and other aspects of Christian mission over the past few decades. As we meet the growing church in Cambodia, let us learn from the Assemblies of God mission journey, and reflect on how we ought to move forward in twenty-first century mission. In the end, let us pause and give thanks to God for his faithfulness to bless all peoples (Gen 12:3). From the Foreword by --Edward L. Smither, PhD, Dean, College of Intercultural Studies, Columbia International University
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