Can God use writing, photography or journalism in missions?
I am in engineering. How could I use this in missions?
» more related questionsQ: Can I serve in an NGO or the Peace Corps and still do lifestyle evangelism?
A: Yes, it is fair for employees to evangelize at work.
Employers benefit from godly Christians. Tentmakers' first concern is personal integrity, quality work and caring relationships. Paul taught converts that we are to serve our employer as the Lord Himself (Eph. 6:5-8, Col. 3:23-25). What pleases God usually pleases the boss. A contract with him is a contract with God. Godly tentmakers work to make the organization and the boss successful. Tentmakers are the kind of employee that employers want more of.
Tentmakers fish out seekers, by their attractive, wholesome, non-judgmental conduct and casual, fitting comments about the Lord. Seekers' questions are more fully answered in free time with Investigative Bible Studies.
Tentmakers fish out seekers, by their attractive, wholesome, non-judgmental conduct and casual, fitting comments about the Lord. Seekers' questions are more fully answered in free time with Investigative Bible Studies.
A: Yes. Also consider similar work with a missions agency.
Yes, I do believe that it is possible to serve in the Peace Corps and still do lifestyle evangelism despite their policy of no proselytizing. I have heard several stories of folks doing just that around the world. We are called to be salt and light wherever we are, so whether you are a pastor or teacher in a public school or a worker in a supermarket we are called to preach the gospel and be ready in season and out and to give a reason for the hope we have in Christ.
Although I do believe that you can do lifestyle evangelism in the Peace Corps, there are other options of doing similar type work through other organizations. I seriously wrestled with joining the Peace Corps myself until I learned about Food for the Hungry, the institution I currently work for. I am part of the "Hunger Corps" which is Food for the Hungry's program similar to the Peace Corps, but with a solid Christian basis. I would seriously encourage you to investigate the Hunger Corps program or other similar programs with other missions agencies or organizations with a solid Christian basis so that you would have the freedom to share Christ as part of your job without having to worry about breaking any proselytizing rules.
Although I do believe that you can do lifestyle evangelism in the Peace Corps, there are other options of doing similar type work through other organizations. I seriously wrestled with joining the Peace Corps myself until I learned about Food for the Hungry, the institution I currently work for. I am part of the "Hunger Corps" which is Food for the Hungry's program similar to the Peace Corps, but with a solid Christian basis. I would seriously encourage you to investigate the Hunger Corps program or other similar programs with other missions agencies or organizations with a solid Christian basis so that you would have the freedom to share Christ as part of your job without having to worry about breaking any proselytizing rules.
A: Maybe.
It would be good to serve in the Peace Corps in the same country that God wants you to serve in the future or if you could learn the language God wants you to learn in that country. If the Peace Corps allowed you to witness and go to church in your free time, you would be part-time missionary. It is probably better to get a job in the USA and pay off your loan and get it over with, unless you can get a good tentmaking job that will allow you to pay off the loan.
A: Yes.
There are a number of tentmaking opportunities available through USAID or other NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations)? USAID has a listing of private voluntary organizations with which they are associated. It can be accessed at: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/private_voluntary_cooperation/volag06.pdf.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet many expatriates working with a variety of aid agencies in Bangladesh. These tentmaking opportunities allow people to move freely throughout the country while they engage with established churches or mission agencies. The number of religious organizations operating in Bangladesh is limited. It's very difficult to obtain a "missionary" visa because of the dominate religion and its influence on the government. If I'm correct, it is necessary to have an existing NGO operating in the country. Those programs are given a limited number of visa "slots" for their staffing needs. An article written by Md. Saidul Islam, a Ph. D. candidate at York University in Canada, details a number of agencies working in Bangladesh. This article may be helpful in your quest to determine which agencies currently exist in Bangladesh. Be aware that this article is not complimentary to Christian NGO's working in country. http://www.islamawareness.net/Asia/Bangladesh/Christian_Evangelisation_Bengal.pdf.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet many expatriates working with a variety of aid agencies in Bangladesh. These tentmaking opportunities allow people to move freely throughout the country while they engage with established churches or mission agencies. The number of religious organizations operating in Bangladesh is limited. It's very difficult to obtain a "missionary" visa because of the dominate religion and its influence on the government. If I'm correct, it is necessary to have an existing NGO operating in the country. Those programs are given a limited number of visa "slots" for their staffing needs. An article written by Md. Saidul Islam, a Ph. D. candidate at York University in Canada, details a number of agencies working in Bangladesh. This article may be helpful in your quest to determine which agencies currently exist in Bangladesh. Be aware that this article is not complimentary to Christian NGO's working in country. http://www.islamawareness.net/Asia/Bangladesh/Christian_Evangelisation_Bengal.pdf.
