Mass communication makes an impact on the mission field
Posted by The Skyliner on September 30th, 2009Rachel Ham & Amy Skaggs
Staff Writers
Communicating the good news of the gospel is the primary focus of missions work. Media and technology provide missionaries with many ways to present the gospel in ways that the people in their region can understand best.
Also, working with or teaching technology can provide ways for missionaries to enter countries that are closed to mission work.
Many missionaries talked to North Greenville students in their classes during this year’s Global Missions Conference. Two specifically talked about the use of mass media on the mission field.
One vital area of mass communication that is often overlooked is public relations. Steven Lutz, a missionary working with Serving in Mission, talked about how public relations is used in missions around the world.
Public relations is “definitely needed on the mission field,” Lutz said.
He said that building credibility within the nations and the governments of those nations is important. Building credibility by using good public relations will keep doors open and allow missionaries to continue their work on foreign soil.
Lutz also said that good use of public relations would help to open additional doors in countries that need the gospel.
Public relations can be as simple as missionaries showing Christ’s love to people that they come across.
Lutz mentioned several ways that missionaries use public relations on the field, such as observing the local holidays. If a missionary owns a business, he or she would want to close the business on the specific holiday to show respect.
Lutz said that overall being culturally sensitive is important when trying to reach a people group.
Another couple from this year’s missions conference that uses mass media on the mission field is Chris and Becka Brazell. The Brazells work with the International Mission Board and have been in Sudan for the last nine years.
Becka Brazell grew up in missions; her parents were missionaries who worked in the medical field in Africa.
The Brazells were visiting and helping Becka’s parents at the hospital when there was an important surgery that was about to be performed on a man with a rare condition. The doctor said he wished there was someone there to document the surgery photographically. Chris was able to use his photography skills to fulfill the doctor’s wishes.
Later, Chris was sitting in on a lesson in which Africans were studying to be doctors. He noticed that they were learning from very old books with very small pictures of the human anatomy. He became inspired to help those people by photographing high definition pictures so they could truly learn what they needed to be learning in order to be physicians.
Sudan, a predominately Islamic country in northeastern Africa, is very hesitant about allowing Americans to enter their borders.
“If you are an American, they think you are either a missionary or a spy,” Chris said.
With a Christian degree, it is difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to obtain a visa. This puts the Brazells at an advantage. Chris received a degree in journalism, while Becka works in the medical field. While they are affiliated with the International Mission Board, their jobs overseas are focused on connecting and caring for people and developing relationships before they are able to spread God’s Word.
Becka teaches classes about the importance of clean water and HIV awareness. She also performs medical procedures.
Chris uses media as his way to reach people. He creates videos and radio productions to convey health awareness. He also uses his video technique to create short films for missionaries, to persuade them that Sudan is not a lost cause, as the news often portrays.
Brazell talked about three main ways media is used to further mission work.
One way is advocacy, such as promoting a mission board or sending agency. Producing evangelical tools, such as films and gospel literature, is another way that media can be used on the mission field. These tools help missionaries share the gospel is different ways.
Another way that media is used to reach people is the use of health education videos. These health videos are a great way to gain access to people to minister to them physically and spiritually.
To begin the process of being called to serve, Becka received a phone call saying that doctors were needed to help out in Sudan, and she accepted, however she said that her husband would also need something to do while they were there.
Later, they received another call. Japan had donated a lot of high-tech equipment for the area to use for a television station. There was a tsunami, and they had to unplug all the equipment and get it to higher ground so that the rising waters would not damage it. The equipment was safe, but they had no way of getting it put back together. Everyone was so frantic to save it that they were pulling out cords every which way. This was just the job that Chris needed for the couple to fulfill their calling.
They have been serving in Sudan for seven years now with their two sons.
The Brazells are a great example of a family who is using the talents God has given them to reach other people with the gospel. They have used their knowledge of media and medicine work with the government to create educational videos about common diseases and disease prevention.
Mission work is often simply using God-given talents and resources to reach a previously unreached people group.
Mass media and technology have given missionaries many ways to communicate the message of the gospel to people of all walks of life.
Anything from desktop publishing to radio production can be used on the mission field to further the work of God.
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 4