OverLand Missions is the organization that we are prevaliged to work with this month and I thought that I would give you an overview of who they are, what they are about and how we'll get to play a role in their mission.
Overland Missions exists to take the Gospel of Christ to the most remote and forgotten places on earth. They identify these regions and begin the process to spread the good news of Christ until the Gospel has reached its full effect. This means not just sending a team of missionaries over to preach the Word, but deploying a measurable, accountable and effective strategy to empower the local believers to carry on the mission of spreading the Gospel among them in a sustainable way. They do this in for different stages.
Stage One
Once an area is identified, usually via satellite images where they can see remote villages, they designate it as a sector. This 100 kilometer by 100 kilometer sector gives them a measurable and accountable area to work in. Immediately, they send a reconnaissance team to identify local pastors in the nearby area with the vision to reach out to these neglected areas; they strongly believe the local church is the answer to their geographical domain and they look for such a visionary leader. Evangelism begins, along with learning about the area and how to best reach this sector for Christ. Their Expeditions department is the primary arm for evangelism and will be in charge of deploying teams of believers from multiple countries to go share the good news of Christ in a relevant way. Through their Advanced Mission Training (AMT) course, they can effectively train any believer how to reach remote locations, communicate the Gospel and come back alive!
Stage Two
Stage two happens almost immediately after evangelism starts. Here, they need to raise up indigenous leaders and provide them basic skills to allow the Gospel to start spreading among them quickly. Through Sector Management, the sector managers ensure all departments work in concert to evangelize, disciple, care for their needs, and leave the sector in the hands of developed local leaders within a five year period.
Stage Three
After a solid relationship has been developed within this village or area, the next stage is to care for their needs and show them a way to sustain themselves if no established means are set. The LIFE Project’s mission is to create an indigenously-led, sustainable system of care, which empowers rural villages to thrive within their culture while addressing the needs of education, health and care for the vulnerable. Next, The SAM Project’s mission is to create sustainability through agriculture and micro-enterprises in impoverished communities in rural sectors. Humanitarian care is redefined through Overland Missions. This type of care stems out of relationship through faith and is not merely driven by need- traditional humanitarian care. The goal is to equip the locals to learn a way to care for their own in a long-term way.
Stage Four
Stage four is our exit strategy- sustainablity. The challenge in any missionary endeavor is how to leave the area without neglecting the work completed. The only way is to empower the local church to continue the work of the Gospel. The Rural Pastors Network (RPN) is a department deployed to gather, unify, train, and equip rural pastors in the presence and Word of God, in doctrine and ethics for the healthy growth of the rural church.
Overlands Statement of Faith
What Overland Missions believes causes them to travel to the hard to reach places and environments, lose sleep, work diligently and view every person the way God does and not from man’s viewpoint.
Overland Missions understands that Christians can come from many different denominational backgrounds. Overland Missions is not affiliated with one specific denomination but works with all denominations. They believe that the body of Christ should be strengthened, encouraged and function as a whole.
They attempt to create teams that are well-rounded with members that vary in giftings and backgrounds. This creates a fully functional ‘body’ of believers (as outlined in reference here) to accomplish each expedition. Though this is our inclination, we value unity and sound doctrine above it.
My team this month will go out into some of these hard to reach places and love on the people and proclaim the Gospel. We will teach bible studys, walk village to village praying for people that need healing, and let them know that God loves them and we do too. I can't wait to tell you all about what God did in the bush so stay tuned….
