If I can get by in English, then why shouldn’t I? Is it worth the investment? Doesn’t it take too long? A recent article in MTW’s InVision Newsletter really summarized well some of these points of tension that missionaries today face in language learning, and the urgency for missionaries to still invest in leaning language well:

Imagine for a moment that the face of missions suddenly becomes dominated by Chinese believers who speak Mandarin. This is in fact not too difficult to imagine given the patterns we are currently seeing. Like the explosion of Western missionaries that took place after WWII, Chinese missionaries have spread out all over the world. Now imagine that because of their ethnocentricity they don’t learn other languages but insist that others learn Mandarin and Chinese characters if they want to be discipled. Seems ridiculous? Not really. This is in fact what has happened, and what continues to evolve as English-speaking missionaries seek to advance the kingdom through networks of English speakers worldwide. Read More>>