"Is this model reproducible?” “Are there non-North Americans who would join the effort to bring the Gospel to the least reached people groups?”
These questions have been asked since the early days of Radius International. It became clear that, yes, the Radius model is reproducible. It was only natural that we looked to the Global South and the fast-growing, evangelical presence in Asia for the next location.
Core Values of the Radius Asia Program:
1. Gospel Clarity Above All. We know missionaries will make a variety of mistakes on the field, but presenting the gospel to an unreached language group is the one thing that they simply cannot afford to get wrong. If men and women are to make a decision to embrace Christ as Savior they must be able to grasp the eternal predicament they are in. Gospel clarity is essential to avoid misunderstanding and syncretism. Authentic conversion must rise above the mere signing of a decision card, the raising of hands or merely expressing ‘agreement’ with the message. The gospel messenger must faithfully communicate the entire gospel so that true life transformation will take place and the future church will be rooted on solid ground.
2. The Necessity of Language Fluency. In order for gospel workers to present the salvation message with clarity, they must possess an adult-level of the heart language of the unreached people group. Too often we see the gospel communicated in haste through interpreters or translators in the effort to “get the message out fast”. We believe the gospel messenger and the target audience must be able to converse in a deep, world-view level in order to ensure the gospel is understood clearly. This is why Radius Asia will invest many class hours in language and cultural acquisition skills during our training.
3. Church Planting as the Goal for Missions. Unless a functioning, healthy, local church is left behind the gospel message will soon die out. In the New Testament, every new believer is raised to maturity within the context of the local church so the commandment to “make disciples” must start and end with the goal of planting mature, indigenous churches. Workers must also be prepared to use any and every ‘entry platform’ to get into restricted access countries. Thus, humanitarian efforts and businesses will commonly be a part of their work. The Radius-trained gospel worker knows his work is not finished until there is a church.
4. Suffering is a Tool that God Uses to Complete the Great Commission. The gospel worker must recognize and accept that suffering, loss, setbacks, separations and even loss of life have been common among those who have taken the gospel to faraway lands. Gospel workers need to fully comprehend the cost of taking the gospel somewhere it has never been before. This is another essential component of Radius’ preparation process.