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Why Support National Ministries?
 Reach Ministries
International assists national disciplemaking movements in the Philippines, India, and Russia. Nationals are trained to walk with God, study His Word, pray, memorize
Scripture and share their faith. They also lead the ministries. Here are a few reasons why we believe it is a good use of God's
resources to support national ministries.
1. North Americans cannot accomplish the Great Commission alone.
Since 1900, practicing Christians have dropped from 29 percent of the world’s population to 24.9 percent. We are losing ground to the enemy.
There are only 138,492 Christian workers on the mission field, many of them short-term missionaries. (That compares with 1 million in the U.S. which has 5 percent
of the world’s population.) This imbalance can be changed by supporting responsible national ministries.
2. Evangelical growth in non-Western nations has exploded since the early ‘70s.
Currently 62 percent of the world%#8217;s Christians live in non-Western countries. However, 69 percent of people living in non-Western nations still are not affiliated with Christianity.
3. Financial resources around the world are unevenly distributed.
Ninety-six percent of all Christian finances are spent in the United States where 5 percent of the world’s population resides. Although national disciplemaking
ministries accomplish miracles with meager finances, strategic financial support can make them even more effective.
4. Several nationals can be supported for the cost of one North American missionary family.
Third World nationals have a lower standard of living than the average North American missionary.
- A low standard of living often eliminates potential barriers to the gospel in a Third World environment. For example, it is easier for a Filipino missionary to adapt to the Mexican standard of living than for a North American missionary.
- Support for a missionary family is often $30,000 to $80,000 a year. A national worker may only require $3,000 to $15,000 a year.
5. No time is lost learning the language or understanding the culture when Third World Christians minister in their own culture.
National missionaries can often overcome cultural barriers more readily than North American missionaries. For example, the common Spanish heritage allows Filipino missionaries to adjust readily to Mexican culture.
The Great Commission is a monumental task. It requres commitment, teamwork, and sacrificial investment by Christians in all nations.
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