Hundreds of baby boomers are attending a national conference organized by Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment on June 19-21 which will guide the baby boomers to sacrifice the rest of their lives as missionaries, Religion Journal reported on 15.
At the conference, exhibitions from 60 evangelical mission agencies demonstrated to the people of various ages especially interested in becoming a missionary.
There is also a part organized by Finishers Project, a group that invites retiring people to guide their second career as missionaries.
The leaders explained "the baby boomers who have spent the whole lives working, have a great potential to evangelize the world. They represent one of the healthiest and best educated demographic groups in history."
"There are 20,000 opportunities with 80 mission agencies," Missions leaders said.
However the obstacles such as terrorism and global instability must be considered. "The baby boomers must remember the missions are not like a overseas retirement vacation. It should be done with sacrifice."
Nelson Malwitz of Finishers Project emphasized "the age is nothing when a person is committed to do a mission. When the Lord said go and make disciples of all nations He didn't state what age He was looking for."
Many missions agencies have developed programs for baby boomer missionaries. Southern Baptists also have prepared a program called Masters-Second Career Folks on Mission with God.
The greatest difficulty that many older missionary face before they start missions is that they have to leave their children, grandchildren and aging parents.
"Applying to become missionaries and receiving the call are totally different. You should decide to give up two high-paying jobs and a comfortable lifestyle and consider moving far from your children," Chuck Morton, who became a missionary in his 50s.
He told Latin America Mission News Service that "it was especially hard for my wife,
Carol to move away from the children and grandchildren."
"But we decided to do what God wanted us to do," Morton said.
By Young Sun Lee
funnysun@hotmail.com
