A New Normal, part 1

“A New Normal” is a multi-part story of how I came to be a Missionary to Papua New Guinea.


"Why are you doing this?"

I was being sincere when I asked the question; it was not an off-hand remark, or a reactionary comment. I wanted to know why an established pastor with a supportive congregation would agree to become an overseas missionary. From my perspective, he was in an ideal situation: He had completed his long studies, received a divine call to serve as a pastor of a small-ish congregation in a small-ish town, and after many years of service was well-received by his parishioners.

To be honest, part of my reasoning was selfish. I could not imagine leaving a congregation because that was where I wanted to be. I had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana to attend the seminary and be a pastor, but I never ended up going. Now here was someone who had done all that and was leaving it behind. It made more sense that he should stay and someone else should go. I was genuinely perplexed and intrigued, therefore, when I asked the question.

We were at a backyard barbecue/pool party a few days after he announced he was going to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea (I admit I had to look at a map to find it—the big island North of Australia). We sat watching the kids play in the pool while he explained.

He told me that, about a generation ago, there had been a sizable missionary presence in Papua New Guinea (PNG). But the current pastors were not receiving anything close to an education and the pastors who were trained were getting old and dying off. And while our denomination in the United States has two seminaries, the single one they had in PNG was barely functioning, if at all. It was his calling, his mission, to restore their seminary and train young men to carry on the work of spreading the Gospel.

Now there was a good reason. After hearing this, a curious thing happened. No, it was not what you are thinking. I was not immediately overcome with missionary zeal—I did not rush off to the Office of International Missions and announce my desire to serve…that’s not it at all. What did happen was a re-aligning of my priorities and an examination of my own concerns.

No longer did leaving an established congregation seem strange or ridiculous, if why you were going was to equip other men to serve as pastors, in a place where their numbers were dwindling. And all of the temporal inconveniences and dangers diminished in their intensity when compared to the eternal danger of being without a trained pastor to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments.

That’s why he was doing it. They need to hear about Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of their sins. That was the mission. That IS the mission.

In the next installment of "A New Normal" I meet another PNG missionary...


p.s. The pastor/missionary in this installment is none other than the Rev. Jeffrey Horn, himself. See more about him and his family here, Horn family
 

p.p.s. And while you’re at it, check out this guy Ritzman family