May 19, 1999
Rankin explains prayer calendar change
___RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--The need to protect missionaries in sensitive assignments made a recent change in the missionary prayer calendar necessary, said International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin.
___Generations of mission-minded Southern Baptists have prayed for missionaries on their birthdays, using prayer calendars listing missionaries' names and the countries they serve.
___Current calendars, however, list missionaries according to the IMB region in which they serve. Each region covers anywhere from a half-dozen to more than two dozen countries. The IMB removed references to specific countries to protect missionary security and to reflect changes in the way missionaries work today, he said.
___Some prayer supporters, however, have expressed unhappiness with the switch.
___"Over the years, I have stored up knowledge about countries, have become acquainted with missionaries to these countries either personally or through reading and have practiced praying much wider than just the missionary having a birthday," wrote Nan Owens of Junction City, Ark. "That's impossible to do with the broad listings."
___While he understands the frustrations, two pressing issues forced the IMB to list missionaries by region, Rankin said.
___First, Southern Baptist workers today are sharing the gospel in places hostile to Christian missionaries. Publicly identifying those workers and the places they serve as IMB missionaries would jeopardize their safety and expose believers there to danger, Rankin said.
___Second, the board has shifted its focus from working in countries to working among ethnic people groups.Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!