Paradigm Shift: Why International Students Are so Strategic to Global Missions - Paperback

by Jack D. Burke M. DIV (Author)

It is of strategic importance for international students and scholars to come under the umbrella of global missions. The author is convinced there is need for a paradigm shift in global missions. With over one million international students from practically every country on the face of the earth, many being Christian, having come to the U.S. for their higher education, we cannot afford to waste this golden opportunity. Reasons will be provided why this is our divine "moment" in history for Christian leadership to rise up and take action. The potential is there for us to create a tremendous impact for Christ on nations which in the past have been difficult to reach. God works in mysterious ways and this has to be one of them. It is imperative that we get with God's program and focus on: - identifying Christian international students soon after their arrival on campus. - training them Biblically and theologically. - equipping them for their return home. - following them up after their return with support. Documentation is provided, some from missionaries themselves, showing that properly trained Christian international students after returning home are much more effective than traditional foreign missionaries. Reasons why are clearly and with great conviction provided. However, we still need traditional foreign missionaries because of the fields being white unto harvest but the laborers are few. The reader will be fascinated by the illustrations of those Christian international students who returned home to accomplish feats for God on a scale that never before had been thought possible.

Author Biography

A close friendship with a Muslim student at the University of Oregon opened Jack Burke's eyes as a Christian when he was a Fuller Seminary student to seek a ministry working with international students. That eventually led to achieving advanced degrees at the University of Southern California which opened up positions as Director of International Student and Scholar Services at two major universities. Being a university director Dr. Burke was able to: -offer services of care and compassion to internationals. -open doors for many in church and para-church ministries to be of service to international students. -initiate a national meeting of those engaged in international student ministry which led to the formation of ACMI. Later he became the founder of the NAFSA Christian SIG. -open doors for many Christians to receive training to enter the profession of foreign student advising. -together with his wife D'Ann organize an office sponsored friendship family program.