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When the Canadian Reformed Churches launched their first foreign mission projects in the late 1950s, they decided that the work of foreign mission should not be organized by a central mission board (appointed by general synod) but rather through the initiative of local churches. Ever since, CanRC foreign mission projects have been initiated and supervised by “sending churches” such as Toronto, Hamilton and Surrey. In this presentation we will raise the question whether the time has come to revamp the model and move to a more centralized approach. Advantages and pitfalls of both approaches will be discussed.

Travel involves baggage. We take a lot of stuff with us when we go overseas, especially if we’re going for an extended period of time. The same is true for foreign mission, but the “baggage” that we bring is far less tangible and far more important. We bring ourselves, with our ethnic and social background, with our personal opinions and prejudices, shared experiences and expectations. So with these things in mind, I will be discussing Reformed worship and the “baggage” we bring with us, from my own Canadian-Brazilian perspective. Does our Reformed worship “work” in a foreign mission setting, or is Reformed worship too “euro-centric”? To what extent can or should it be contextualized?

The great need for well-trained, Christ-exulting leaders in the global and local church cannot be overstated. Having witnessed the fallouts of poorly trained pastors, for example, lessons have been learned that are worth sharing. I will expose some of the inherent struggles in leadership training that we faced in Papua New Guinea – whether with pastors or lay-leaders — and I will argue for an effective triad of learning between the local church, the local seminary, and post-seminary mentorship.