Missionaries Agents of Light or of Darkness?​—Part 6

Making True Disciples Today

JESUS CHRIST commanded: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them.” (Matthew 28:19) Everyman’s Encyclopedia says that this commission “has been carried out by Christians in every age,” though it adds, “sometimes with but little vigour.” The book The Missionary Myth asks: “Has the missionary era ended?”

In January of this year, Newsweek magazine reported: “Pope John Paul II is taking Roman Catholicism to the streets.” The magazine explained: “He’s sending out 350 lay evangelists to scour for converts in Rome’s discos, supermarkets and subway stations. The pilot program begins on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 16). If it succeeds, the pontiff is going global​—a move that could have Catholic missionaries ringing doorbells from Buenos Aires to Tokyo.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the other hand, have long understood their obligation to do evangelizing work. (2 Timothy 4:5) Of course, not all preach as missionaries in foreign countries. But they can​—and do—​preach wherever they are. In this sense, all of them are missionaries.

A Special Kind of School

In the early 1940’s, the Watch Tower Society set up a school to train experienced ministers to serve as missionaries in foreign lands where help was urgently needed. Over the years the curriculum has been modified, but it has never deviated from its basic goal of emphasizing Bible study and accomplishing the vital work of evangelizing.

The name chosen for the new school was Gilead, which in Hebrew means “Witness Heap.” By helping to pile up a heap of witness to Jehovah’s honor, Gilead has played a pivotal role in carrying out the global preaching work that Jesus foretold would take place in our day.​—Matthew 24:14.

Speaking to the first class of Gilead School in 1943, Nathan H. Knorr, then president of the Watch Tower Society, said: “You are being given further preparation for work similar to that of the apostle Paul, Mark, Timothy, and others who traveled to all parts of the Roman Empire proclaiming the message of the Kingdom. . . . Your principal work is that of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom from house to house as did Jesus and the apostles.”

When the first class had completed its training, its graduates were sent to nine Latin-​American countries. To date, over 6,500 students from more than 110 countries have been trained at Gilead School and have been sent as missionaries to well over 200 lands and island groups.

Missionaries of Different Sorts

Previous articles in this series told of the activity of Christendom’s missionaries in the past. Many, like those sent to Greenland, translated the Bible or parts of it into the vernacular. Yet, such early missionaries often had interests other than teaching people the Bible.

Christendom’s missionaries to Japan, for example, were involved in “educational institutions and schools,” notes the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. It says: “A number of missionaries have distinguished themselves through their scholarship.” They became linguists or professors, teaching subjects like literature, language, history, philosophy, East Asian religions, and Japanese folklore. “Charitable and social welfare institutions were also an important part of missionary work,” adds the encyclopedia.

Preaching the gospel did not have top priority with missionaries in general. Too often they emphasized the satisfying of physical needs rather than spiritual needs. Pursuit of personal interests became their focus. Thus, a missionary of the Church of England sent to Japan in 1889 is today best known as the “father of Japanese mountaineering.”

Gilead-​trained missionaries differ in major ways from those of Christendom. The book Jehovah’s Witnesses​—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, chapter 23, observes: “Missionary graduates of Gilead School teach people the Bible. Instead of setting up churches and expecting people to come to them, they call from house to house . . . , not to be served, but to serve.”

What Has Been the Fruitage?

After having centuries of time to make Christian disciples in Europe, how successful have Christendom’s missionaries been? The book A Global View of Christian Missions answers: “An estimated 160 million people in Europe make no profession of religion. Among those who still claim allegiance to Christianity there are few who take their religion seriously. . . . By no stretch of the imagination can Europe be called a Christian continent.”

What of the situation in Asia? The Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan answers: “In popular estimation Christianity is still regarded as a ‘foreign’ creed, . . . not suitable for ordinary Japanese people. . . . The Christian movement remains on the periphery of Japanese society.” Indeed, in Japan less than 4 percent of the people are professed Christians, in India less than 3 percent, in Pakistan less than 2 percent, and in China less than 0.5 percent.

After centuries of Christendom’s missionary activity in Africa, what is the situation there? In a report on the meeting of African bishops held this spring in Rome, the German magazine Focus reported: “African religions are no longer to be condemned as heathen idolatry. The official, as yet unpublished, document places ‘traditional African religions’ on the level of worthy and vital partners. Their members deserve esteem. The synod recognized that religions formerly condemned as being fetish in nature have ‘often determined the life-​style of even the most convinced Catholic.’”a

After having centuries of time to make Christian disciples in the Americas, how successful have Christendom’s missionaries been? The book Mission to the World answers: “‘Latin America’ still merits the title of ‘the neglected continent’ in spite of great advance in missionary activity in recent decades.” Regarding the United States, Newsweek notes that recent surveys “demonstrate that while religion pervades the American landscape, only a minority take it seriously. . . . Half the people who tell pollsters that they spend Sundays in church aren’t telling the truth. . . . Nearly a third of Americans 18 and older are totally secular in outlook . . . Only 19 percent . . . regularly practice their religion.”

In summary, in their efforts to allay the problems of poverty, poor health, and lack of education, Christendom’s missionaries have, as a group, advocated human schemes that have at best brought only temporary and partial relief. True Christian missionaries, on the other hand, direct people to God’s established Kingdom, which will bring lasting and total relief. It will not just allay problems; it will solve them. Yes, God’s Kingdom will bring to humankind perfect health, genuine economic security, unending opportunities of productive work for all, and life without end!​—Psalm 37:9-11, 29; Isaiah 33:24; 35:5, 6; 65:21-23; Revelation 21:3, 4.

Christendom’s missionaries may point to professed Christians who occasionally attend religious services as proof that they have made “disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them.” But the facts show that these missionaries have failed to teach these baptized ones ‘to observe all the things Jesus has commanded.’​—Matthew 28:19, 20.

However, the teaching activity of true Christians will continue on into God’s new world. It will reach out to embrace millions of resurrected ones who will need instruction in the ways of God. Then, without satanic interference, Christians will have the delightful privilege of continuing to make disciples​—even as they have been doing for decades.

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[Box on page 24]

How They Have Helped People

The following are comments by those who have benefited from the help of Gilead-​trained missionaries.

“I marveled at their tenacity, putting up with so much that was different from their homeland: climate, languages, customs, food, and religions. But they stayed in their assignments, some even until death. Their good study habits and zeal in the ministry helped me cultivate the same things.”​—J. A., India.

“I was impressed by the missionary’s punctuality in studying with me. He showed remarkable self-​control in putting up with my prejudices and ignorance.”​—P. T., Thailand.

“My wife and I appreciated the purity displayed by Witness missionaries. Their activity influenced us to make full-​time service our goal, and today we have the joy of being missionaries ourselves.”​—A. C., Mozambique.

“My life had become self-​centered. Meeting the missionaries provided the impetus I needed to change it. In them I saw not superficial but true happiness.”​—J. K., Japan.

“Christendom’s missionaries lived comfortable lives. Servants cleaned the house, cooked, did the laundry, cared for the garden, and drove the car. I was surprised to see Gilead missionaries efficiently doing their own housework, while also helping local people learn about God’s Kingdom.”​—S. D., Thailand.

“The missionary sisters rode bicycles to visit the people even when the temperature soared to over 115 degrees Fahrenheit [46° C.]. Their hospitality and impartiality, as well as their endurance, helped me recognize the truth.”​—V. H., India.

“The missionaries did not feel superior. They humbly adjusted to the local people and to the poor living conditions. They had come to serve, so they never complained but always seemed joyful and content.”​—C. P., Thailand.

“They did not water down Bible truth. Yet, they did not make local people feel that all aspects of their traditional culture were wrong or that they must adopt Western ways. Never did they make others feel inferior or inadequate.”​—A. D., Papua New Guinea.

“Unlike missionaries of Christendom, she was willing to sit on the floor with crossed legs, Korean style, while we had our Bible study. She was willing to try our Korean dishes. The affection I felt for her helped me progress.”​—S. K., Korea.

“I was ten years old and got out of school at noon. A missionary invited me to accompany him afternoons in the field ministry. He taught me many Bible principles and instilled in me a real appreciation for Jehovah’s organization.”​—R. G., Colombia.

“They taught me to stick to assignments, doing what needed to be done without complaining. I thank Jehovah and Jesus Christ from the bottom of my heart for sending us the missionaries.”​—K. S., Japan.

[Picture on page 23]

Gilead-​trained missionaries from 16 countries relate experiences at a recent convention