Assisting Indigenous Ministries, International

 

AIM seeks to advocate for and support the work of indigenous mission groups that are reaching the unreached with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Our vision is based on Matthew 24:14:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

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There are an estimated 7 billion people in the world today. Approximately 2.8 billion remain unreached with the Gospel. This means that nearly 40% of the Earth’s population has not heard about Jesus.

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Since the 17th century, Western missionaries have taken the Gospel to some of the most remote corners of the world. Colonial expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries provided new opportunities for foreign missionaries to interact with the local people. During this same period, God was also preparing an army of indigenous (native) missionaries. Unfortunately, few Western missionaries recognized the far-reaching impact native believers could have as they shared the Gospel with their own people.  With the rise of national independence movements at the end of the 19th century, some countries started to expel Western missionaries. In foreign lands such as communist China, local Christians were the only available option to continue God’s work. The value and necessity of native missionaries sparked extensive discussion and debate.

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Even today, the traditional Western missions mindset casts doubt on the effectiveness of indigenous missions. But in reality, indigenous missionaries are much more effective. They speak the language and understand the ways of unreached people inside their own countries. These believers are also not viewed as outsiders coming to impose their Western values and religion.

Indigenous missionaries work in difficult places among the poor and the persecuted. They often labor without financial support. As a result, they frequently lack resources for their ministries, their co-workers, and themselves. Despite these handicaps, they are very fruitful. The reason is simple: they have learned to be totally dependent on a faithful God for their ministry work—even for their very survival.

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AIM’s desire is to be a bridge between overseas indigenous ministries and God’s people in Western nations, providing both with opportunities to be a part of global missions. In so doing, we work together to fulfill the Great Commission and proclaim the blessed news of the Savior to a lost and dying world.