What would it look like to have our congregations grasp the Gospel’s multifaceted beauty? To have them see the depth and dimensions of how the Gospel is truly Good News for all peoples, across all cultures, in all of life, for all time? What would warmed hearts spark as saints see old treasures in new light?
3. ISM Expands Our Comprehension of Community
As previously stated, most international students hail from for more communal cultures than is typical in the West. Their communities are intergenerational, integrated throughout all of life, and, in many ways, echo to the relational dynamics of the first century church. For them, community is built not on common programs, shared interests and socio-economic parity, but a deeper sense of belonging. International students often call their ISM group their second home and the Christians who minister to them their second family. Through the deep friendships formed within these circles of belonging that international students observe lived out faith, subsequently prompting questions that lead to further exploration. With international students, evangelism tends to be not proclamational, but incarnational. They are loved into the Kingdom as Jesus is encountered as he is reflected in the life of his people. This focus on relationships, on loving the nations in our midst, is central to ISM.
What would it look like to have this deeper sense of community infuse the entire church? Would deeper relational bonds among the congregation translate into more resilient community and deeper discipleship? How would a community accustomed to loving the stranger and alien in their midst love their own?
4. ISM Expands Our Appreciation of Gospel Application
International students who begin to follow Christ often have to wrestle with the reality of living as Jesus followers and witnesses in their home cultures, which may not be welcoming of their new found faith. Communal cultures can often make the task that much harder, as strong community tends to encourage (and enforce) conformity. This necessitates the movement of theology from theory to praxis in the context of the family, marketplace, community, and sometimes even the state.
For some living out their call will involve great sacrifice as they confront and challenge long held cultural norms to bring the blessing of the Gospel of the Kingdom into very dark places. Theirs is the rough road and the narrow way, and ours is the honored privilege and stewardship to walk alongside them on their journey.
Those involved with ISM also recognize that the profession of faith and baptism are not end goals of ministry, and, while certainly occasions to celebrate and rejoice, are also the beginning of a journey.
What would it mean for the church to have that deep appreciation of the reality of Gospel ministry—that evangelism’s end goal is not conversion, but worship arising to God even from the ends of the earth?
5. ISM Expands Our View of Mission and Ministry
ISM offers another constant, tangible blessing: a reminder that missions is not “over there,” but right here on our doorstep. The Gospel is powerfully at work in the nations among us.
What is more, ISM is a ministry for all seasons. International students hunger for intergenerational community2 that reflects their home cultures, allowing youth, young adults, families, empty nesters, and seniors to minister together in ways befitting their circumstances and capacities. For those considering overseas ministry, ISM offers cross-cultural experience and language help before ever boarding a plane. ISM is an opportunity for the church—the whole church to fulfill the biblical call to be a light to the nations and a city on a hill, and as the nations come, we catch a glimpse of heaven’s diverse tapestry.
How would this joint ownership of ministry transform congregants from passive consumers to active co-laborers and co-contributors?
The Heart of Blessing
ISM is an incredible opportunity to serve the nations God has brought to our doorstep, but when woven into the fabric of the church, it also brings multifaceted and transformative blessings to our congregations. Sharing a simple cup of tea and fostering friendships become opportunities to live out the commandments and commission of Christ. And when those who have left family, friends, and community, who have crossed strange waters to be in strange lands, ask why we show love and kindness to the stranger in our midst, we are gifted with the joyful privilege of sharing one simple and beautiful truth: “Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor. You are my neighbor. I am glad you are here.”
Discover more about international student ministry and the local church here.
2 In David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock, “Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon,” the authors identify intergenerational community as one of the prime factors which contribute towards the formation of resilient Christians among the emerging generation. ISM provides the opportunity for this with the added bonus of intercultural community.
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