Actscelerate.com

Foreign Missions Department

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/17/15 8:31 pm**

If I read right at (http://www.faithnews.cc/?p=21232) we have 53 full time paid career missionaries on the fields from the USA. I have always thought that we had more.

And if these dedicated men and women raise their own budgets, I get a little confused as to the missions expenses sent to HQ. I was privileged like many before me to tour HQ, Both Church and missions. Now it causes me to wonder why I thought we had more men and women supported on the field.

I must have been thinking of the local ministers under the Missionaries. Embarassed

We had a big discussion on Acts awhile back, but I do not remember the number coming up.. Embarassed

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from Tim Hill

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1274 **10/19/15 8:40 am**

In response to an earlier question by my friend, Pastor Wayne Guilliams, who by the way is a tremendous supporter of World Missions, I wish to share the following report and personal point of view. Wayne's questions was ...
"Is it true the AOG has 2,800 full time missionaries, compared to our 35?"
Response:
I can't attest to the numbers of full time missionaries in the Assembly of God. The missionary resource of Church of God World Missions is difficult to define in terms of "full time" only. We have well over 30,000 individuals and families united in global ministries outside the United States and Canada among various classifications of ministry and missionary calling.
Career Missionaries from the United States totally dependent on the funding they receive from donors is now 48 individuals. The Associate, Part Time and Short Term Missionary list is considerably larger. Add to that the list of specialized ministry personnel, seminary presidents, professors and national leaders along with indigenous workers plus national pastors and families. All of this combined historically has helped garner a harvest around the world. In 2013-14 they were used of God to bring in 1.8 million souls into the Kingdom of Heaven. Since September of 2014 until now, this army of men and women have planted almost 4,500
Churches around the world. That is a new church every two hours of the day.
I'm sure the question has more to do with the North American number of missionaries being funded by donors and commissioned by World Missions. However the face of missions has changed and while The North American church is still most active and largely responsible for funding global ministry, it is being verified more and more that as others before me have said, "The Mission Field has become a Mission Force."
Initiatives such as the Miracle Missionary Offering of the 2012 General Assembly that eliminated almost $300,000 in individual Career Missionary account deficits and disbursed over another $300,000 to career missionaries since then, and now the Year of the Missionary emphasis with 12 different Care Connection Points through the year, hopefully will assist Career Missionaries in meaningful ways to express the love and concern of our organization.

here is the ag stats

Acts-celerater Posts: 935 **10/20/15 6:27 pm**

http://agwm.com/assets/agwmvitalstats.pdf

2807 full time missionaries in over 255 countries with another 5490 intl missionaries from 94 countries. Over 65 million adherents. 207 million given to foreign missions last yr. This does not include the home (usa) missionaries.

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **10/20/15 10:13 pm**

It is amazing what the CoG has been able to accomplish with so few missionaries. The AG would be hundreds, if not thousands, of times bigger than the CoG is worldwide if the AG missionaries were as effective as the CoG missionaries are.

God bless both us and them, that the last-days harvest be brought in!

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/21/15 9:31 am**

Mr. Cojak, I don't think

Acts-celerater Posts: 935 **10/21/15 11:14 am**

Mr. Quiet was doing anything more than rationalizing or he was being tongue in cheek. Surely he was not demeaning the greatest missions movement of the last 100 yrs? It's appropriate to support your own organization but not at the expense of depracating others efforts. Smile

Re: here is the ag stats

Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia Posts: 4955 **10/21/15 11:22 am**

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **10/21/15 11:22 am**

Just pointing out the quite obvious fact that COGWM is evidently far more efficient and effective, per missionary, than AGWM. God bless both us and them, of course.

Hey, I was raised in the AG (4 generations deep) and pastored with them before I saw the light and joined the COG. I have lots of family in the AG still. I know, from personal experience, how superior the AG likes to think they are. Careful attention to the numbers and ratios reveals they are doing well, but the CoG is actually doing quite well and has no reason to feel inferior to the AG.

Re: Mr. Cojak, I don't think

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/21/15 11:49 am**

John

Acts-celerater Posts: 935 **10/21/15 1:11 pm**

While the term "full-time" may not be mentioned specifically, we have no "part-time" foreign missionaries. All of those listed raise their own support and are ergo, "full-time". The missionary associates are full time as well but serve in support capacities or have not been approved yet to be on their own and serve under another missionary on the field but are still full time.

facts vs factoids

Friendly Face Posts: 312 **10/21/15 8:35 pm**

I certainly am not trying to poke the bear here, but did anyone else notice that the A/G quote claims to be in 255 countries? That's a bit like BHO claiming to have been in all 57 states. There are only 194 countries in the world - not sure where that number comes from - maybe some subdivisions referred to as countries the way we call N.GA and S.GA 'states' in the COG, but that number is glaringly and substantially overblown and brings the other claims (members & such) into question.
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Re: facts vs factoids

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/21/15 8:40 pm**

I hadn't noticed the number of countries

Acts-celerater Posts: 935 **10/21/15 10:00 pm**

Before but according to this:

Your Guide considers there to be 196 countries in the world, which is probably the best current answer to the question, "How many countries are in the world?"

However...

Recognize that there are dozens of territories and colonies that are sometimes erroneously called "countries" but don't count at all - they're governed by other countries. Places commonly confused as being countries include Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Palestine, Western Sahara, and even the components of the United Kingdom (such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England - they're not fully independent countries, states, or nationS.

I checked with agwm and that is the case. They are counting territories and some divisions as countries for the sake of simplifing the reporting.