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Ministry Turnover Forecast for Next Decade
URBANA, IL (January 5, 2001) - A large turnover in ministry positions will begin to be felt in another 10 years as baby boomers reach retirement age. That is the prediction of Byron Amundsen, coordinator of missionary services for the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Amundsen was one of the participants at last week's Urbana 2000, considered by some to be the largest mission conference in North America. He said he was encouraged by the number of young people attending the event who expressed interest in Covenant mission work, individuals who will be needed to fill the anticipated vacancies.
"Ten years from now is the beginning of what's being called the great retirement," Amundsen said. "Many baby boomers will retire (from mission work) and that will change our mission base 60 to 70 percent. In a way, this generation will be prime to move into places these missionaries will be retiring from."
An estimated 300 individuals at the conference have affiliations with the Covenant, some serving in parachurch ministries. Nearly two dozen came from Alaska, where young adult leadership training has been emphasized in recent years in Covenant churches. About 60 Covenanters met with Department of World Mission staff, including Amundsen, Patty Retamal and Nancy Jo Hoover, Covenant missionary in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Urbana 2000 emphasized more than just how to become a missionary or where to go to serve God, Amundsen said. "There was a Come-to-Jesus component and a racial reconciliation component," he said. "People emphasized that you don't have to be a perfect person to be a missionary, which was the main theme four years ago. There's more of a sense that you can
be a Christian in process (to do mission work)."
Retamal said the Urbana 2000 conference confirmed her belief that the Covenant's mission effort is in step with modern mission strategies. "We're on the right track," she said. "The gospel is a big part of what we do (evangelism), but they talked a lot about the physical needs of people and social justice issues. That's something we do well."
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