A while back we began this new feature called “AM Mailbag.” Time constraints kept me from developing the category further until now. In this area we give a voice to readers in order to open up a chance for others to see some of the things the Lord is doing through Apprising Ministries.

The following letter comes from a missionary couple for Jesus. The letter was originally sent to Ingrid Schlueter of the website Slice of Laodicea. As pastoral advisor and contributor there she sent it on to me. The home church of these missionaries had been undergoing changes while they were overseas and was now becoming more a part of the seeker sensitive movement and even Emergent.

As a matter of fact they were asked to come back to be “re-oriented” to these changes. While they have been here they’d begun to do some open air preaching using The Way of the Master but the missions director from the church actually told them to stop! As a pastor myself I can tell you that if I had people in my congregation who were so willing to preach the Gospel they would go out and create opportunities to do so I’d be all for it.

Well, we were able to give them some advice and pray for them. I invite you to do the same. But I offer their story as anpther example to show how God is using the medium of the Internet and ministries like Slice and Apprising Ministries to aid the Body of Christ:

“the world is big and tangled and dark, and we are never sure where a true Christian may be found. One thing we do know: the more like Christ he is the less likely it will be that a newspaper reporter will be seeking him out. However much he may value the esteem of his fellow men, he may for the time be forced to stand under the shadow of their displeasure.”

A.W. Tozer

I need some advice… here is my story…

My husband and I are missionaries to the Philippines. Our missions director has asked us to come back to reconnect with our church. Since we have arrived here in the states, my husband and some of our friends have been actively going out doing street evangelism and open air preaching using the Way of the Master.

When our missions director found out, he told us to stop doing open air because it is not the “style” of our church. He stopped the open air but continued the street evangelism every weekend until just 3 weeks ago my husband felt so strongly to stand on the box again. When our director found out, he did not like it and said flatly that he is offended by the Way of the Master. He wants us to stop.

We also noticed that our pastor hasn’t been preaching the full gospel…as though our church is becoming seeker sensitive. Our director also was unhappy that we still haven’t read Donald Miller’s “Searching for God knows what”. He said that he asked us to read that for homework and we did not do it. They said that we are not being obedient to our leaders and that we are in sense we are becoming overly critical because we made a comment on the teaching of the pastor.

This is a crucial time for us because they will decide whether to “send us” out to the Philippines or not. We are very active in the ministry and my husband even works as custodial supervisor for the church. What is your opinion on Way of the Master and this subject matter? Are we being disobedient to our leaders by doing this? We are set to leave sometime in July.

Our concern…who will be our supporting or sending church if we leave? Is it worth leaving the church over these issues? Our evangelism pastor showed Rob Bell in one of the classes we attended. After researching who he is, we were shocked! We are obviously ANTI-emergent and our prayer is that their eyes will be opened to the TRUTH. I have talked to some people from the church but they said that, we should just stay (let it slide) and wait to be sent back to the Philippines.

We know that God has called us to the Philippines. We have been serving there for 4 years. Of course we don’t want our leaders to think twice about sending us. If we leave the church, it will be very complicated for us with our situation being missionaries and all our supporters go to that church.

This letter might be too long already… I hope you kinda understand where I am coming from. I just finished reading the Word and praying before I turned on the computer and was lead to your website. That is why I feel like writing now… Hope you can help.

Thank you for taking the time reading this. :)

Keep up the good work and May God continue to bless you and your ministry.

2 Chronicles 15:7

In all of Christ’s love,

Missionaries for Jesus