130 Years is a Long Time … Or Maybe Not!

Dave Hall • Oct 28, 2020

There seems to be an inverse relationship between advancing years and a birthday celebrant’s desire to see his or her birthday cake adorned with candles. At some point, the number of candles required to mark the corresponding years of life places the dessert’s quality in jeopardy. A handful of candles at a child’s birthday party is joyous. However, 130 candles on a cake celebrating TEAM’s founding in 1890 is another matter. It can make us feel old, beyond our prime, slipping into irrelevance and a host of other not so desirable emotions.

However, in the history of the Kingdom of God, 130 years is a moment of a much longer story that God is writing. Our story in TEAM is a chapter in a much grander narrative in which He is reclaiming His fallen creation through the work of His Son and proclaiming His glory among all peoples in the power of His Spirit.

Those of us called to serve in this 130-year chapter called TEAM are privileged to be a part of this grand narrative , offering ourselves in fellowship with one another and following after those who have gone before us.

But what was the beginning like 130 years ago?

October 14, 1890, marks a special day in the life of TEAM . On this date, a 38-year-old Swedish immigrant named Fredrik Franson initiated training classes for overseas missionaries. This fervent evangelist and church planter was motivated in response to a challenge issued by Hudson Taylor to send more missionaries to China’s inland regions.

Those first training classes were conducted at Pilgrim Church in Brooklyn, New York, and were attended by 50 young men and women. Of them, 16 were later commissioned to sail for China. Joined by 19 others who were later trained by Franson and commissioned in Chicago, those first 35 missionaries departed San Francisco harbor on January 22, 1891, arriving in Shanghai, China, on February 17, 1891.

These initial efforts led to the formation of what was initially known as the China Alliance Mission , soon changed to The Scandinavian Alliance Mission of North America , a name that lasted until 1949 when the name we know today was adopted — The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM).

(Left) Fredrik Franson and early missionaries to South Africa. (Right) Fredrik Franson portrait.

Missionaries recruited to serve in South Africa (pictured here) would face great hardship but ultimately succeed in leading many people to Christ.

Before 1900, roughly 100 missionaries were trained and sent to China, Japan, India, South Africa, East Africa and Mongolia . This movement begun in the latter part of the 19th century quickly began to gather momentum as young men and women stepped forward to serve Christ in some very challenging places and conditions, embracing frugality and sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel.

Franson himself did not live to see most of this history, succumbing in 1908 to a fatal illness. He was 56 years old.

What can we learn from the early days of TEAM and how can that shape our trajectory? I will underscore two primary lessons. Doubtless, there are more.

1. Following Christ as He builds His Church among the nations demands creativity, innovation and sacrifice — all rooted in a bold faith in God.

Franson took action to a staggering need of which God had made him aware — the vast numbers of people who had little to no opportunity to hear of Christ and make a choice to know, love and follow Him. New methodology would be needed to recruit, train, send and sustain those who would respond to the call of God in this endeavor . And there would be an obvious need to step out in faith, believing that God would provide through His people the needed financial resources.

Today we face both the challenges and opportunities presented by a globalized marketplace, increasing nationalism, ideological extremism, a shrinking world due to ubiquitous air transport and internet technology. While our global context has changed dramatically since TEAM’s founding, the same core reality is true today. Following Christ into our future role in global mission will demand creativity, innovation and sacrifice — all rooted in a bold faith in God .

2. Deep collaboration with the Church is essential for fruitful and sustained work in global mission.

From the earliest days, Franson saw as imperative the need to dynamically connect this fledgling ministry to the Church. Churches were key in identifying and training personnel, as well as in supplying finances and prayer . It was a profound collaboration based on his understanding of how the Gospel most effectively advances and disciples are formed in a society — through and with local churches. The same reality exists today — only we are not limited to such collaboration with churches in our sending nations.

We now have the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with vibrant emerging streams of the global Church in places where Franson would not have imagined . As examples, consider those countries and regions where some of the first TEAM missionaries served – China, Japan , South Africa , India and more.

The question before us is, will we be ready and willing to adapt our strategies and methods to more effectively accommodate such collaborative outreach with the global Church? Are we ready to adopt new postures and attitudes that will allow us to together serve remaining people groups still awaiting the light of Christ’s Kingdom? How we respond will be crucial since partnership with the Church is essential for fruitful and sustained work in global mission .

As was the case in 1890, TEAM’s future will be largely shaped by God as He works in and through those people who are not willing to let the past dictate the future but are eager to step out in faith into an always changing future, confident that God Himself is awaiting us there. That is my hope and prayer for TEAM as we celebrate 130 years of God’s faithfulness.

If we step out boldly in faith, I believe what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church will continue to be true of TEAM, all for His glory among the nations .

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
( 1 Corinthians 3:6, NIV)

By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
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