Incidental Mission: Philippine Case Study

Moving the OFW Missions Phenomenon from Incidental to Intentional

By Rey Taniajura, Ph.D. D.Min.
National Director, Philippine Missions Association

A. Introduction

This paper aims to expand the concept of incidental missions in the light of the
Diaspora missions movement in the Philippines. What is incidental missions and how will
this new model or construct influence the missions movement in the Philippines?

In answering these questions the author will adopt the following, as definitions:

1. Incidental missions - refer to activities done by Christians in the furtherance of

the Great Commission mandate which are occurring merely by chance or
without intention or plan;

2. Filipino Diaspora from a Greek word meaning a scattering, refers to the

deployment or scattering of Filipinos in many parts of the world in their
pursuit of better employment opportunities. This scattering is used to refer,
as well, to the so-called OFW or Overseas Filipino Workers phenomenon;

3. Missions are activities engaged in by Christians to fulfill the Great Commission

mandate expressed in Matthew 28:19-20;

4. Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs refer to Filipinos deployed outside the

Philippines who are engaged in employment.

In understanding the state of Philippine missions today in the light of the Filipino
Diaspora or the OFW phenomenon, one needs to have an overview of how Filipino
Christians today have become involved in missions. A brief presentation of the history of
missions in the Philippines is therefore in order at this stage.

B. A Historical Sketch of the Philippines from a Missions Perspective

The history of Filipino missions is a story of a countrys journey of colonization.

Starting with Ferdinand Magellans discovery of the Philippines in March 16, 1521, up to
the countrys independence from the American rule in 1898, the Philippines has had a
unique experience of having been under rule of foreign powers for more than 3 centuries.
Likewise, the story of colonization of the Philippines is also a history of her being prepared
for missions as shown by the following stages: (1) how she has been converted to

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Christianity, (2) introduced to the Word of God (the Bible) and (3) sovereignly trained and
equipped to do cross-cultural missions.

In stage 1 we see how Catholicism was introduced into the country by Spain. Stage
2 is a narrative of how the Bible was introduced and promoted, particularly among Filipino
Protestant Christians, by American missionaries. And stage 3 gives an account of how
Filipino Christians, particularly the evangelicals, were ushered into the contemporary
missions movement.

How was the Philippines Christianized and ushered into 21st century missions?

B.1 The introduction of Christianity in the Philippines

Filipinos, prior to the coming of the Spaniards, were animists. The Muslim religion,
which came into the country in the 14th century, was established in Mindanao, particularly
in Southern and Western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. A few Filipinos also adopted
forms of Buddhism and Hinduism as a result of their having contact with traders from the
Madjapahit and Sri Vijayan empires in Indonesia.

Christianity was introduced into the Philippines with the coming of the Spaniards in
the 16th century. Historians have noted that even prior to the arrival of the Spaniards;
religiosity was already ingrained in the Filipino psyche. Perhaps this is the reason why it
was not difficult for the Spaniards to introduce Catholicism into the country. According to
the Philippine Fact Book (produced by the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of
Foreign Affairs), The success of the Spanish friars in their evangelical mission is partly
attributed to the Filipinos capacity to adapt and synthesize new ideas and concepts such
as those of Christianity with their own aboriginal practices and beliefs (p. 217).
Anthropologists have described this phenomenon as split-level kind of Christianity,
described as a confluence of normative Christian and Filipino indigenous animistic beliefs
and practices. Today the Philippines is 82.9 percent Catholic, according to the Philippine
government info website at www.gov.ph.

B.2 Missions during the Spanish Period

Systematic missionary work done by the Spaniards began with Father Miguel Lopez
de Legaspi and the Augustinians during the years 1564 and 1565. This was followed by
the Franciscans in 1577, and the Dominicans in 1587 and lastly the Jesuits in 1591.
Christianization of the Philippines came mostly by way of basic introduction of Christian
doctrines through a catechism booklet called Doctrine Cristiana. However, the native
Filipinos were not indoctrinated deeply into Bible truths as the Bible, during the Spanish

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period, was not made accessible to them. As a result, those converted into Catholicism had
a superficial understanding of what Christianity is all about.

B.3 Missions during the American Period

Americans came into the Philippines as a result of the Spanish-American war of

1898. On December 10, 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines to America in a treaty signed in
Paris. With this treaty the Americans gained the right to occupy the country. And on
December 21 of the same year, then President William McKinley of the United States
announced Americas assimilation of the Philippines.

One of the main contributions of the coming of the Americans into the country was
the introduction of Protestantism and the propagation of the Bible. The arrival of the
Americans was also followed by Christian organizations such as the Bible Society which
became instrumental in translating the Bible into several Filipino languages. Protestant
denominations likewise came into the country among them were the Protestant Episcopal
church in 1899, Methodists and Baptists in 1900, the United Brethren and Disciples of
Christ in 1901, Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1903 and several others. The first
generation of American missionaries ended in 1916.

In summary, Protestantism brought into the country the evangelical stream of

Christianity grounded on the tenets of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. More
specifically, the Protestant faith introduced the Filipinos to a Christ-centered faith;
salvation is by grace through faith alone, the authority of the Bible, ethical living based on
scriptural standards and the social dimensions and implication of the Gospel (Sitoy, Jr. 68-
69).

B.4 Missions in the Philippines after the Second World War

After the Second World War, particularly in the 1950s new mission groups and
church organizations, mainly the fundamentalist and Pentecostal groups that are not
related to the old mainline Protestant churches, came into the country. Not all of these
groups came from the United States or North America. There were those missionaries and
mission groups, like members of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, who worked formerly
in China.

In 1963 the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) was established.
Some other leaders belonging to the fundamentalist-evangelical persuasion organized the
Philippine Council of Fundamental Churches. Further differences among the leaders of this
group led to the founding of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches which was

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registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 1971. In 1974, the
Council formally became a member of the World Evangelical Fellowship.

From 1974 to 1984, Averell Aragon noted that the Philippines experienced rapid
growth in Protestantism due to the creation of an environment for growth (Kwantes, p.
384). During this period the evangelicals focused on evangelism, church planting and
missions. This move was due to some events such as the holding of the National Church
Growth Workshop and the launching of the Discipling a Whole Nation (DAWN) movement.
It would be of interest to note here also that much of the growth among the evangelicals
during the 1970s and 80s could be attributed to the charismatic movement. Beginning
with the Charismatic Renewal movement within the Catholic Church, the movement
resulted in the rise of new independent and indigenous born-again charismatic and
Pentecostal groups and churches throughout the country.

Based on the official May 2000 census of the Philippines, evangelicals and other
Protestant groups in the Philippines combined constitute 6.5% of the entire population.
However, according to a later research by DAWN 2000, there are now 51,555
Evangelical/Protestant churches in the Philippines, comprising approximately 9% of the
population.

B.5. Evangelicals in Mission

The founding of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches could be considered

as a landmark in the growth of evangelicalism, as well as the missions movement in the
country. Prior to 1995 there were but a few Filipino missionaries serving locally, primarily
among Muslims, and overseas. With an increasing missions awareness which began in the
mid 1990s, slowly a greater number of evangelicals started to consider doing missions
cross-culturally. A strong contributing factor to this development was the introduction of
the Kairos Course (formerly called the Condensed World Missions Course) into the Body of
Christ. The course was produced by Living Springs International based in Butuan City in
Mindanao. During this time the Philippine Missions Association began to take note of the
increasing number of Filipinos going overseas as contract workers and considered some
ways to educate and mobilize them for missions. This writer was a member of PMAs
mobilization task force in the late 1990s. The task force was mandated to propose some
courses of action that are related to the mobilization of PMAs member bodies for
missions. One of the tools that were used to bring about missions awareness among the
member bodies of PMA was the Kairos Course.

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C. The OFW Phenomenon: Rise of Incidental Missions

C.1 State of Filipino Migration

From this point on, the paper will focus on the missions movement involving the
evangelicals belonging to the PCEC. What is the state of Philippine evangelical churches
and missions organizations during this period that created an environment conducive to
the rise of incidental missions?

It had been said that one can come across a Filipino in any part of the world, as a
result of the Filipino migration. In less than 30 years, starting from the mid 70s, Filipinos
started to migrate due to employment opportunities in the Middle East. Pushed by the
lack of employment in the country coupled with job openings abroad particularly in Saudi
Arabia and other neighboring Arab countries, skilled Filipino professional and technical
workers began to what has now become the overseas Filipino workers phenomenon or
OFW phenomenon.

As a result of this migration, Filipinos are now in settled in more than 180 countries
in the world. The number of Filipino workers is getting close to 10 million, the bulk of who
are found in North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Filipino labor migration which began with 36,035 in 1975, swelled to 598,760 in 1990. By
1998 it has almost doubled to 831,643. And by 2003, Filipino labor migration reached
867,964. According to former Philippine Overseas Employment Administration head
Rosalinda Baldoz, the number could have been higher were it not for the Iraq war and the
SARS epidemic threat (Lim, p. 1).

The National Census and Statistics Office (NCSO) reported that between the months
April to September 2008, there were two million OFWs working abroad. This figure
represented an increase of 14.6 percent compared to the same period in 2007. Of this
figure, 51.7% are males and 48.35% are females. The highest number of OFWs, about
one fourth or 25.7%, deployed during this period belonged to the 25 to 29 years age group.
Another third or 32.4% of them were laborers and unskilled workers. This category of
OFWs includes domestic helpers, cleaners and manufacturing laborers.

The NCSO also noted that during the same period, 51.7% of OFWs were males while
females comprised only 48.3%. More than one fourth or 25.7% of the OFWs were in the
25 to 29 years of age group. About one third or 32.4% of the OFWs were laborers and
unskilled workers. This category includes domestic helpers, cleaners and manufacturing
laborers. The greater number of OFWs come from the CALABARZON area (18.4%),
followed by Central Luzon (14.5%) and National Capital Region (14.0%). Together they
make up almost half of the total number of OFWs.

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 Saudi Arabia is the favorite destination of OFWs where one out of five or 20.4%
went. United Arab Emirates is the second favorite destination where one of every seven
OFWs worked. Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Qatar and Taiwan are the next popular
destinations.

Total remittances sent by OFWs for the period April to September 2008 was around
141.9 billion pesos, 78.2% of which, or 69.9 billion pesos, came from OFWs working in
Asia. Among the categories of workers, the laborers or unskilled workers posted the
highest cash remittance which amounted to 19.5 billion pesos.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administrations overseas

employment statistics report the top ten countries where Filipino laborers are deployed in
2007 are as follows:

1. Saudi Arabia 238,419

2. United Arab Emirates 120,657

3. Hong Kong 59,169

4. Qatar 56,277

5. Singapore 49,431

6. Taiwan 37,136

7. Kuwait 37,080

8. Italy 17,855

9. Brunei 14,667

10. Korea 14,265

TOTAL 811,070

C.2 Social and Economic Impact of Migration

Filipino labor migration has contributed considerably to keeping the Philippine

economy afloat. For instance, during the period 1990 and 2002, Filipinos abroad
contributed a hefty $58.5 billion to the Philippine economy. This amount represents an
average remittance of $4.5 billion per year. In terms of percentage in the Gross National

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Product (GDP), for 2003 alone gross remittance of OFWs totaled to around 20.6% the
countrys export earnings (Lim, p. 1).

From an economic standpoint the contribution of Filipino labor migration may look
good for the country. It has its downside effect however in terms of social costs. Some
researchers have claimed that almost 80% of OFWs have had to pay the price of marital
break-ups and juvenile delinquencies. This negative effect is further exacerbated by the
fact that more of the Filipino migrants come from the women sector. And for a country that
is considered to be matriarchal by tradition, this trend will further eat up the social, moral
and even spiritual fiber of the nation.

C.3 Religious Implications of OFW Migration

One of the observable effects of the OFW migration is the strong revival of religious
interests among OFW workers. A good number of stories have been told of OFWs who left
the Philippines as nominal Christians and becoming born-again in the countries where they
are deployed. Some of them have even become church planters or pastors of small groups
that have been formed as a result of their sharing the gospel after becoming born-again.

Several stories of OFWs becoming active in the service of the Lord while they were
deployed abroad are told in several chapters of the book Scattered: The Filipino Global
Presence (2004), which is a documentation of personal stories of scattered Filipinos
who are making an impact as Kingdom Workers by way of their working as overseas
contract workers.

Some examples of this phenomenon occurring among OFWs in the area of personal
religious revival and transformation and, subsequently, their becoming Kingdom Workers
either incidentally or by intention, are narrated in the section of this paper under the sub-
heading, Examples of Incidental Missions among OFWs.

C.4 Trends and Prospects in the Philippine Missions Movement (LSI Consultation,
July 13 to 15, 2009 Butuan City)

This writer participated in a consultation of missions practitioners, teachers and

mobilizers held on July 13-15, 2009 in Butuan City. The event was organized by Living
Springs International, the producer of the Kairos Course mentioned earlier in this paper. In
one of the sessions, the participants identified some trends and outcomes that the
Philippine Church experienced within a 40 year time frame. We wanted to know what has
happened to the Philippine Church and what could have been lacking during the period,
which hindered the Church from effectively fulfilling her mission. The time frame was

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divided into two periods namely, the periods (a) from 1970 to 1989 and (b) from 1990 to
2009. The following are the findings of the participants?

A. From 1970 to 1989 Period

During the period 1970 to 1989 the trends that were noted were as follows: the
introduction of the charismatic movement into the Church, the formation of ministerial
fellowships, the recognition of the gifts of the Holy Spirit together with the phenomenon of
signs and wonders among others. It was also pointed out that during this period there were
a number of leadership trainings and seminars that were conducted. Large open-air
evangelistic meetings were held. The evangelicals experienced the renewal movement
similar to that of the Catholic Church. It was also noted that during this period it appears
that the Churchs focus was on herself rather than outside of the fellowship.

The participants observed that because of these trends new independent churches
arose. There was also a loosening of theological hindrances to the supernatural. This
resulted in lively worship that began to appear in churches. Many Catholics were won over
to evangelicalism because of the phenomenon of spiritual gifts, healings and miracles that
were also taking place in the Church. Unity and cooperation among pastors and churches
began to be felt. This led to the breakdown of denominational barriers. And members and
churches experienced a deeper understanding of the Bible which led to growth and
spiritual maturity. It was during this period, and perhaps influenced by the trends of the
time, that the Philippine Missions Association and the Philippine Council of Evangelical
Churches were founded.

While the Church experienced some kind of growth and maturity during this period,
it was also observed that some things were lacking in the Church. Among these are
intentional discipleship, community impact of the Church, missions training, and emphasis
on the Word, spiritual fruitfulness and character development. There seems to be a lack
too in the Churchs effort to reach the influential members of the community as well as a
systematic training and development of Church leaders. There was also an absence of
strong prophetic and apostolic leadership in the Church.

B. From 1990 to 2009 Period

For the period 1990 to 2009, it was noted that the Philippine Church started to
receive modular training on missions awareness, mobilization and education. The idea of
community development was slowly introduced into the churches. A number of
evangelicals were beginning to be visible in some sectors of the society. The churches also
began to engage in campus ministry. The concept of cell groups, small groups and house
churches became acceptable to some. Several churches also participated in the moral

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recovery program of the government. The prophetic and apostolic insights and movement
gained inroads among the churches. The Philippine Church also started to gain a global
mindset. There was cross-pollination of theology and churches started to work together
towards a common project. This was evident in their holding of joint large-scale seminars
and conferences particularly in the field of missions and leadership training. A number of
local churches also began to establish schools starting with pre-school and kindergarten
levels. Several of these churches, after several years, were able to open high school and a
few college level courses or programs.

What were the perceived outcomes during this period? The participants were one is
pointing out that during this period a good number of members of local churches became
either senders or goers in missions. The concept of sodality became accepted in the bigger
body of Christ. Missionaries who went out as OFWs or tentmakers became widespread. It
was also pointed out that lay people were released into ministry and new and emerging
church leaders were raised.

The need for intentional discipleship within the churches was also addressed. Many
in the government and military sectors became open to the Gospel. The churches likewise
started to open up to the idea of engaging the community. Many began to get involved as
well in transformational or community development. It was also noted by some that a few
pastors and churches became wealthy. Growth within the church was structured, and the
phenomenon called bapticostalism became evident. Some have also noted that more
young people were coming to the church during this period. A number of churches have
also been established on campus. The involvement of church members was very
noticeable during this period which perhaps was due to a greater awareness by the Church
of the concept of ministry of all believers.

Acknowledged to have been lacking during this period are more dialogue among
Church leaders, a Biblical worldview among pastors, a depth in understanding of the Word
to balance the multiplication of churches among others. It was also pointed out that while
many of the pastors during this period were experiencing woundedness and failings, there
was no ministry that catered to this particular need. It was also noted that the Church on
the whole had no standard for installing bishops and pastors. The spirit of conquest of
the nations based on the Great Commission mandate was still lacking among the
churches.

In the area of missions movement, the participants were one in saying that the
Church lacked the means to address the global migration of peoples. Also absent were the
tools the Church could use for the effective engagement of the Unreached Peoples Groups.
Coaches and mentors at the pastoral level were also lacking.

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 In terms of reaching the community, the participants saw a lack in the Church of
equipping lay workers or ministers to do ministry in government and the marketplace. The
Church likewise lacked the means to equip members to address the needs of the next
generation. It was pointed out as well that there was a gap in the Churchs understanding
of her role in society and nation. A kingdom mind-set to disciple whole communities and
nations was apparently absent as well. The Church at this time was also not aware of the
emerging shift in global culture from modern to post-modern. Lastly, the Church too was
not addressing the needs of the overseas Filipino workers, particularly their families who
were left behind.

C. From 2010 and Beyond

For the years 2010 and beyond, if the Church in the Philippines is to move forward,
those in the consultation pointed out that the Philippine Church needs to have a paradigm
shift. She should address the issues and implications of the emerging post-modern culture.
She should instill among the members a Kingdom conquest mind-set. She also needs to
focus attention to the next generation and engage herself in environmental concerns. As a
whole the Church should live out the spirit of the 2 Chronicles 7:14 passage and come to a
deeper repentance on what she is called to be and to do in the Philippines.

D. The OFW Phenomenon: A Potential for Missions

D.1 Filipino Characteristics: Advantage in Missions

Certain characteristics and proclivities of Filipinos have made them natural

missionaries. Filipino missiologists recognize the following as among some of the reasons
why Filipinos make good missionaries:

1. Hospitable, Friendly, Merciful, Strong Sense of Community

Filipinos tend to connect with people naturally. This trait enables them to adjust
very easily in their interpersonal relations. By nature they are more inclined towards
personal and intimate social interactions. This could have been due to Filipinos
having a high regard for family as their source of personal happiness and well-being.
Hence, Filipinos are noted for their having strong family ties, which in turn leads
them to have a strong sense of community.

2. Persevering and Adaptable

Filipinos are also noted for their patience and perseverance. Perhaps because they
have been exposed to hardships and calamities, either man-made or due to acts of
nature Filipinos have learned to be flexible and adaptable. The bamboo, which is

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 capable of bending, as low as it can as a result of a strong wind had been used to
describe this quality of patience and perseverance that Filipinos seem to possess.

3. Musically Adept

Filipinos love music with passionate devotion. The country is noted for its singers,
bands and entertainers. Music seems to be a native talent of the people. It is not a
surprise therefore that Filipinos stand out in international competition in the area of
music, the arts, and entertainment. In the area of mission, this talent and love for
music has made the Filipinos acceptable in most culture, even in countries that are
not Christians. This characteristic has given Filipinos an edge in sharing the gospel
in areas where they have been deployed.

4. High Language Acquisition Ability

Filipinos seem to have a knack of language learning. Perhaps this is due to the
exposure of Filipinos to at least 8 major Filipino dialects that are commonly used by
majority of Filipinos. The Philippines too was colonized for a little more than 3
centuries when the people were forced to understand the language of the
colonizers. It is therefore not uncommon or unusual for any Filipino to be able to
speak 3 or 4 dialects, including English. Some among the older generation and the
elite members of Philippine society can also speak Spanish. Today number of
colleges and universities also offer other international languages either as a major
or as a prerequisite to completing either an undergraduate or graduate degrees. All
these appear to be among the contributory factors to Filipinos having high language
acquisition ability.

5. High literacy, English speaking

The Philippines, too, has a very high rate of literacy. This reality is perhaps due to
the Filipinos love for learning and education. Because of the countrys having been
colonized by the United States, it has had the advantage of having been introduced
to the English language. As a result English has become the lingua franca of the
country and is used as one of the two medium of instruction, in the public and
private schools. The other medium of instruction is Pilipino or Tagalog language.
Today, most Filipinos are able to write and speak in English. This ability to speak
English has now become an advantage that many Christians are able to use in
reaching other countries for Christ by way of teaching English to speakers of other
languages (or TESOL) program.

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 6. Only Christian Country in Asia

Having been colonized by Spain, the Philippines was Christianized, and now has
become the only Christian country in Asia. The people having been introduced and
taught for centuries in the Christian religion has prepared the country today to
become a missionary sending nation. With most Filipinos who go out of the country
as overseas contract workers being Christians, they are natural bearers of the Word
of God. With the right training, prodding and circumstances OFWs have the
potential as witnesses to the gospel at any time.

7. Formerly part of the Muslim bloc

Because the Philippines used to be part of the Muslim bloc prior to its being
colonized by the Spain, there is still some natural affinity that the country has with
its neighbors that are members of the Muslim community of nations. A section of
the Philippine population is Muslim. Hence, the country is not really a stranger to
the Muslim bloc of countries since the country and its government still deals with
Muslim people and their concerns. Filipino Christians can therefore relate easily to
the concerns, interests and challenges that any Muslim community anywhere in the
world faces, perhaps more specially in the area of religious concerns.

That these characteristics have given the Filipinos an edge in reaching others for
Christ, due to their presence in so many countries of the world, are confirmed by the
following stories that are proof enough that incidental missions have, and are taking place,
in the OFW Diaspora or phenomenon.

D.2 Stories of Incidental Missions

Here are but a few examples, taken from the book Scattered, of incidental missions
taking place and associated with the scattering of Filipinos all over the world due to
overseas employment opportunities:

1. Lindas Story

Linda is a talented interior designer who was hired as the head designer of a
kings palace. Not only is she known as an expert in her field, but she has become
known for her thoughtful and gentle disposition which she attributes to her personal
relationship with Jesus Christ. Through the years, her employers have come to trust
her, value her services, and even respect her faith in Jesus Christ. She has also
become a confidante to a handful of royal ladies, and Linda has sensed a growing
eagerness to learn more about Jesus.

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2. Mikes Story

Mike moved to the West with his family as a young man. Early on in his life
he decided to devote his life teaching young people how to become better members
of their community and good citizens of their countries. He studied and trained on
how to assist people in learning. After serving his adoptive country for many years,
he responded to an opportunity to be an instructor in a country traditionally closed
to the West. Despite his western upbringing, Mike was able to enter that country
and maintain a teaching position because of his Filipino background. Though Mike
had it all in his adoptive home country, he chose to work in a foreign land to
respond to their need for high quality teaching, and in the hopes of living out his
faith in Jesus Christ as a witness to his students and hosts. Since he is very friendly
and admirably intelligent, Mike has been able to influence many in his host country
to seek the truth about Jesus Christ.

3. Teddys Story

The Gulf States economy boomed ever since it became a major oil-
producing region. This caused the city states to rapidly expand infrastructures such
as hospitals, schools, shopping centers, and airports. Like many Filipinos who have
been hired since the late 1970s, Teddy works for a major airline company owned by
one of the Gulf States. He is known to be a dependable and well-respected
employee, and his unassuming, approachable, and jolly disposition win him the
friendship of his co-workers and superiors alike. Though he is an unassuming and
simple man, he counts many high-ranking officials in his city as friends. While it is
rare for average Filipino workers to make friends with members of the affluent class
in their host countries, Teddy won the trust of many locals and he is often a guest in
the homes of his high-ranking friends, which are normally non-accessible to other
expatriates. God has strategically placed good-natured Teddy in a position to impact
lives through his friendship and personal testimony.

4. Mariettas Story

Thousands of Filipinas are employed in Hong Kong as domestic helpers.

Many are nannies who care for the children of working Chinese parents. Thousands
of these nannies are sharing their faith with their employers, impacting whole
families with the gospel of Jesus Christ. . . . One of them was Marietta, a nanny
working for an affluent Chinese family. One stormy morning soon after the
completion of her training, Marietta was granted a special opportunity to use her

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newly acquired skill and her Cantonese copy of the Jesus Film when her charges
were dismayed about having to miss school. Marietta showed them the scene of
Jesus calming the storm and asked them if they too would like Jesus to calm their
storm. By afternoon the storm had cleared and the children were able to go to
school with their new knowledge of Jesus, the one who calms storms. This led to a
unique opportunity for Marietta to tell the childrens parents about Jesus Christ.
Mariettas employers are now active members of a local Hong Kong congregation.
Marietta and other Christian nannies like her are in a unique position to care for
families and to make an impact on the families they serve.

From Scattered: The Filipino Global Presence, pp. 300-302

5. Mercedes Story

The United States of America has become known as a melting pot a

place where people from all over the world immigrate to start anew and to find a
new home. It is here that Mercedes, a veteran journalist and member of the
Philippine intelligentsia, has settled and found new beginnings. The former senior
editor of the Philippine News Agency and chief of the Foreign Information Division
of the Bureau of National and Foreign Information (BNFI) of the Department of
Public Information of the Philippines, and diplomat to Eastern Europe now calls the
eastern United States home along with her Romanian husband and children.
Mercedes makes an impact through her writing and her ability to network
immigrant people. She continues to write for Business World of Manila, and various
other communications, including Charisma, a Christian magazine based in the
United States. In an interview, Mercedes states; God has placed me in an area
where there is a need for writing up, documenting and publishing the community
life of Filipinos in America. Communications is a community need for survival,
visibility and unity. Indeed her writing connects the scattered Filipinos with their
homeland, Mercedes not only connects people through her writing, but she also
actively participates in the life of her community, serving community organizations
as volunteer publicity person. Aside from this, Mercedes maximizes her skill at
connecting by sending out letters of encouragement to pastors, their spouses,
church women, and senior citizens. She further helps Filipino seniors by organizing
trips to go to government senior centers for fellowship and meal programs, health
check-ups, visits to community bread house for their supply of free bread, and visits
to the immigration and naturalization offices and to the libraries. Mercedes makes
it a priority to pray for young people and the schools in her neighborhood, and hosts
dinners for members in the community. Her cross-cultural marriage and family are
an encouragement to both European and Asian friends. By connecting fellow

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immigrants and expatriates through writing and community work, Mercedes is
making an impact both locally and globally.

6. Ed and Nilas Story

Ed and Nila reach out to their community, both within the multicultural
neighborhood where their house is located, and beyond to the community of
immigrant Filipinos living in the Chicago area. At Christmas, they have made it a
tradition to invite neighbors who are not yet followers of Jesus Christ for caroling
around the piano and to share with them the reason they celebrate Christmas. They
regularly host dinners at their home with the purpose of sharing their faith, and in
recent months they have started discipling their contacts who have come to know
Jesus Christ through their testimony. In addition to their regular church involvement
and community outreach, Ed and Nila regularly invite traveling Christian workers to
their home for fellowship and a time to renew their strength for more travel, treating
them with that well-known Filipino hospitality. Ed and Nila are impacting their
corner of the world for Christ through their hospitality and musical talent. They have
been instrumental in turning many talented musicians into worshippers of God.

7. Godivas Story

Many Filipinos experience loneliness during their work period in Singapore.

To many of the Filipina workers, particularly those who work as domestic helpers,
Singapore is a mere work site, a desolate place where they are forced by
circumstance to care for other peoples children, while leaving their own children
and husbands to the care of relatives back home in the Philippines. Godiva, a
graduate student from the Philippines, is ministering to these runaway women. She
encourages them, walks with them, and helps them in practical ways by acting as
an advocate of the women. Godiva is making an impact by supporting and
shepherding the scattered Filipino nannies in Singapore. As she touches them with
Christs love, they are also encouraged to share this love with their employers.

8. Sarahs Story

During the first Gulf War, thousands of temporary foreign workers were
evacuated from Kuwait. They left in droves leaving their jobs in Kuwait for the safety
of home. Many Filipino workers were also evacuated, but some chose to stay. One
such person is Sarah, nurse who chose to stay under the cloud of fear. Sarah
remembers bombs falling all around the hospital where she worked, and even the
wounded Kuwaitis and Iraqis who were brought into the hospital. In the thick of war,
Sarah chose to be there to comfort and nurse the wounded and displaced, reciting

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 to them from Scripture. Because of her bravery and her loyalty to the hospital,
Sarah won the respect of her employers and hosts. Like many Filipino believers who
chose to stay during the war, Sarah demonstrated that her God enabled her to
endure even the times of uncertainty and fear. She made an impact on many lives
because she showed her faith in a sovereign God.

From Scattered: The Filipino Global Presence, pp. 305-309

D.3 From Incidental to Intentional Mission

From the biblical account, we can infer that intentional missions began in Acts 13
where we find a representative people of the Lord seeking Gods will through prayer as to
what could be the next move the Lord may have for them. God did not disappoint them.
After a period of prayer and perhaps prolonged fasting the Lord told the group to separate
Barnabas and Paul for the work (missions) that He has for them. Thus began what some
have termed as intentional missions in fulfilling the Great Commission.

In the succeeding account in the book of Acts we find confirmation that indeed it
was Gods will and purpose for His church to go on intentional mission. Missions is the
reason for the existence of His church as defined for her by the Great Commission
mandate. As some missiologists put it, until all the nations of the world could be
represented in worship before the Lamb as described in the book of Revelation (Revelation
5:9, 7:9) the people of God could not expect the Lord to come . Hence, in the interim Gods
Church must do missions if we are to see the hastening of the Lords coming (Matthew
24:14).

But could incidental missions help in hastening the Lords coming? Is an incidental
mission a strategy of the Lord to fulfill the Great Commission? This writer is of the belief
that Gods will for His people is intentional not incidental missions. Evidently, there are
weaknesses inherent in incidental missions. Although incidental missions could bring forth
individual and short-term results to the goal of fulfilling the Great Commission, in the
corporate sense and in the long-term, for the people of the Lord to simply do incidental
missions may actually hurt and slow-down the fulfillment of the Great Commission
mandate.

The Church should therefore aim to turn incidental missions into intentional
missions. With the Philippine Church finding herself in the midst of this phenomenon
described as incidental missions, she should purposely aim now to mobilize and channel
all opportunities she has on hand to move incidental missions into an intentional one. This,

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I feel, is the great call and challenge that faces the Philippine Church today in the area of
missions mobilization and training.

E. Current State of Philippine Missions

E.1 Introducing the Philippine Missions Association

The Philippine Missions Association (PMA) is the missions commission of the

Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC). Currently it has some 110 church and
para-church organizations engaged in missions work as members. In 1983, nine founding
member organizations organized PMA with Dr. Metosalem Castillo as its first general
secretary and registered it with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 1995, PMA
was appointed as the missions commission of the Philippine Council of Evangelical
Churches. Between 1997 and 2004 several big national and international events were
hosted by PMA. Among them were the Centennial Missions Congress (1998), Asian
Congress of Tentmakers International Exchange (2001), National Youth Missions Congress
(2002), Filipino Tentmakers Congress (2003), and SEALINK 04 (2004). In 2005 the
Philippines Missions Mobilization Movement or PM3 was launched by individuals
representing some 30 mission organizations engaged in missions mobilization at the
Christian Development Center in Tagaytay City. The organizers of PM3 have agreed to
make PM3 as the flagship project or program of PMA until 2010.

PMA also became one of the key national networks of the Ethne Movement in
2006. The movement is a global network of Unreached Peoples Group (UPG) focused on
regional networks. The same year PMA hosted the 5th Asian Lausanne Congress on
Evangelism at the Caliraya Recreation Center. Then in 2007 PMA, in partnership with the
Church Strengthening Ministry (CSM) introduced the Worker to Witness workbook and
launched as well the Kairos Prayer website at http://kairosprayer.wordpress.com. The
Worker to Witness workbook was designed to train OFWs for cross cultural missions.

Today PMA continues to be actively involved in missions mobilization throughout

the Philippines. It has also accepted the challenge of taking the lead role in training and
equipping its member bodies as well as the other members of the Body of Christ in the
country in the area of missions. In the coming years, PMA has set its sight on mobilizing
and equipping thousands of Filipino evangelical Christians who are already deployed in
many countries of the world as overseas contract workers. With the Diaspora or OFW
phenomenon it is hoped that the Philippines will be one of the top missionary sending
countries in the world. In aiming for this goal, PMA hopes to play a significant role the
global missions movement in the days ahead.

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 E.2 the Philippine Missions Mobilization Movement or PM3

PM3 stands for Philippine Missions Mobilization Movement. On March 17 to 19,

2005 in a Missions Consultation held in Tagaytay City a group of 40 missions leaders and
workers adopted the name PM3 to represent a movement whose goal is to mobilize some
200,000 tentmaker-missionaries coming from the ranks of OFWs. The movement came
about in recognition of an emerging Filipino presence in the world, by way of the OFW
phenomenon. Moreover, the stakeholders of PM3 also acknowledged an increasing
number of Filipinos who are fast becoming missionary tentmakers. For instance, in a
research report on The Status of Philippine Missions, it was noted that as of October
2006, there were already some 1,900 Filipino missionaries working in 70 countries. From
being a missionary receiving the Philippines has now emerged into becoming a missionary
sending country. Similarly, during the period Philippine Missions Association estimated
that between the years 2001 and 2010 there would have been some 8 million Filipinos
who would be working overseas as OFWs.

It was in this purview that the concept of PM3 was born. The movement was
envisioned to be a global partnership network whose aim is to effectively mobilize, equip
and deploy 200,000 tentmakers and career missionaries by 2010 (Lim, Christian Witness
in the Global Market Place, unpublished paper).

E.3 Creating a Missions Movement through the OFW Phenomenon

A Proposal: A Comprehensive Plan for Ministering to

Filipino Migrant Workers (OFWs) and Their Families

In response to the challenge of making the PM3 movement more relevant to the needs of the OFWs,
particularly their families who are left behind in the Philippines, on March 4, 2008, the author together with
the PM3 training coordinator, Dr. Robert Clark and Capitol City Baptist Church OFW desk coordinator Efren
Quejada put together a proposal for consideration by PM3 stakeholders. The proposal aims to provide a
strategic plan to minister to Filipino migrant workers or OFWs and their families who are left behind in the
Philippines

The challenge that confronted PM3 then and now is the task of mobilizing 200,000 tentmakers for
missions by the year 2010. This was the goal set by the national facilitation team of PM3 when the
movement was launched in 2005. How could such a task be accomplished in so short a time? It was also in
this context that this proposal was made.

18
 While a good number of initiatives have already been made by the different sectors of the Body of Christ
in the Philippines to address this challenge, the proponents of the proposal saw a need for PM3 to adopt a
more clear and specific strategy to bring about the goal of raising 200,000 missionaries by 2010. They
wanted to bring to the attention of PM3 leaders to adopt a kind of a pathway for engaging OFWs who are
both believers and unbelievers to eventually participate in the global missions movement. The proposal
would involve the following:

1. For Potential OFWs

For those who are thinking of becoming OFWs, PM3 could make use of the Pre-
Employment Orientation Seminars of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as a
platform to create awareness of the potential of the Philippines to take a lead role in the global
missions movement.

PM3 could also provide other seminars for OFWs and potential OFWs to enhance their
social, technical, and cultural skills so they can adapt easily to the culture and workplace where
they are deployed. Such seminars could include topics such as career planning, financial
management, seminars on culture and personal relationships skills, family relations, spirituality
and other related

Using the resources that are available at the Philippine Missions Association, seminars
such as Unveiling Glory, Higher Purpose (offered by Cross Train Ministries), Worker to Witness,
Kairos (of Living Springs International), Worldview and Development (of Discipling Nations
Alliance), Evangelism through E-Cube can also be offered to OFWs as they prepare for deployment
abroad.

Moreover, formal and informal training institutions like the Asian School of Development
and Cross Cultural Studies (ASDECS) can make available their programs to OFWs while they are in
their workplaces abroad to further enhance their proficiency not only as tentmakers but also as
workers representing the Philippines. (For a description of what is ASDECS and the programs
offered by this institution, one may access its website at www: asdecs.org).

2. For those already deployed as OFWs

They can be provided with further missions education and missionary training which could
overlap with the above listed programs depending on their need. These could be seminars or
courses on cross-cultural evangelism and church planting, organizing cooperatives, social
entrepreneurship, financial stewardship and other related subjects.

19
4. For OFW families left behind

Seminars on establishing & maintaining cooperatives, savings & business, fellowships &
support groups, youth programs, etc. can be provided families left behind by OFWs in the
Philippines.

5. For churches with OFWs

Local churches can hold seminars on ministering to OFWs & their families. They can also
establish & maintain an OFW desk for members who are in need of local churchs support to face
the challenges of families with OFWs.

The proponents likewise presented a suggested vision and mission statements as

framework, as well as a template to guide potential implementers of the strategy.

The Vision

We see a team of passionate volunteer workers from the Body of Christ ministering
comprehensively to Filipino Migrant Workers and their families.

The Mission

Our mission is to minister Christ holistically to the whole body of Filipino Migrant Workers and their
families in the Philippines and in whatever countries where they are deployed.

The Target Groups

1. Those who are thinking of becoming OFWs;

2. Those who are already preparing to become OFWs;
3. Those who are already deployed as OFWs abroad;
4. The families of OFWs;
5. The local churches, and
6. The un-evangelized world.

20
 THE TARGET
Prior to The
Becoming Unevangelized
OFWs World

Planning to Families of OFWs

Become OFWs in the Philippines

OFWs Abroad

The Strategy and Programs

Target Groups Programs Persons or Orgs Notes and

Concerned comments

Thru: PCEC, PMA,

and other member
bodies

Those who are Pre-Employment

thinking to become Orientation Seminars
OFWs (PEOS +)

Churches
Schools
communities
Mission Awareness,
Cross cultural

21
 considerations, OFW
and spirituality,

Family and Christian

Values

Career Guidance,
financial stewardship

Those who are Impact Eternity

already preparing to
Unveiling Glory
become OFWs
Higher Purpose

Graduate Program:
MTM, MIS (ASDECS)

Those who are Kairos Course

already deployed as
Cooperatives
OFWs
Business, Graduate
Program: MES
(ASDECS)

Evangelism and
Church Planting

Families of OFWs Cooperatives

Savings and Business

Fellowships and small

groups

Youth Programs:
DVBS, summer camps

The Churches Ministering to OFWs

Maintaining an OFW
desk

Kairos Course

22
 The Unevangelized The Mission Mandate
World
Church Planting

Community
Development Projects

F. Mobilization: The Need of the Hour

F.1 Needed, a Mobilization Strategy for Missions

The missions movement within the Philippine evangelical community and among
its members has now come of age. It could be said that, indeed, this is now the Kairos
moment for Filipinos to actively and intentionally engage in missions. As one national
leader put it, Mission is going to be the order of the day for the Philippine Church in the
coming millennium. It will be one of the greatest defining marks of third millennium
Philippine Church. But if the Philippine Church is to assume her role of taking the lead in
missions in the next decades she must come up with the much needed missions
mobilization strategy to raise up an army of missionaries among the millions of OFWs
already deployed all over the world. She must move the members of the church,
particularly the leadership, from their having a mind-set of incidental missions to one that
is primarily intentional. The call of the hour is for the Philippine Church to define clearly
her strategy to mobilize people into missions, with a focus of engaging the millions of
OFWs already deployed abroad. Where is that strategy? This is what the Church must
provide at the soonest possible time to catch the Kairos moment in the current global
missions movement. Corollary to this, the members of the Body of Christ in the Philippines
must also put their acts together when it comes to doing missions locally and globally.

F.2 Putting Our Acts Together: Synergy in Missions

How should the Philippine Church train and equip the members towards putting
their acts together to do missions? This will prove to be a tremendous challenge to the
leadership of the Philippine Church. With the many testimonies of incidental missions
already taking place, the Philippine Church could no longer take a passive role when it
comes to mobilizing the whole Body of Christ for missions. A committed, dedicated and
more importantly, an anointed group of leaders within the Body should be recognized,
acknowledged and commissioned to take the lead in this very important move.

23
 Furthermore, the Philippine Church should also take note of what I termed as that
other moves of the Spirit that indicate that the God of missions is on the move to engage
the Filipinos to take the lead in missions through the OFW phenomenon. These
other moves of the Spirit include what I call as (1) the Korean connection, which I define
as the growing and increasing partnership between Filipino and Korean missions
organizations and missionaries that are based in the Philippines in pursuing the Great
Commission, (2) the global economic shift where the balance of power is now tilting more
and more in favor of the East vis--vis the West, and (3) the increasing interest and
involvement of Filipino youth in missions work.

All these moves of the Spirit, together with the OFW phenomenon are positive
indicators of a powerful missions movement noticeably arising from within the Philippines
which could contribute significantly in completing the Great Commission work. The global
leaders of the missions movement should take careful note of these significant
developments as well if we are to ride alongside the wind of the Spirit that is evidently
blowing from the East (Asia) toward the West. And finally and perhaps more particularly,
Filipino leaders in missions ought to take a closer look at how to direct incidental missions
of OFWs into an intentional one, for the Body of Christ in the Philippines to fulfill her share
of what was allotted to her by our Lord in the Churchs obedience the Great Commission.

May God grant us eyes to see where the missions movement is headed, as it is
directed by His Spirit, in the months and years ahead of us!

24
 References

Corpuz, Rey. Mission for the Philippine Church in the Coming Millennium in the
Evangelical Today magazine, Volume XXV, No. 6.

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Foreign Affairs, 2003.

Juarez, Rodolfo R. The Coming of Protestantism to the Philippines in the

Evangelicals Today magazine. Quezon City, Philippines: January-February,
1998.

Kohl Manfred Waldermar. The Church in the Philippines, A Research Project with
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Kwantes, Anne C. (Ed.). Chapters in Philippine Church History. Mandaluyong City,

Metro Manila: OMF Literature, Inc., 2001.

Lim, David. PM3 Missionary Training for Tentmakers in Misyon 20:20 Filipino
Witness in the World, a souvenir program brochure. Antipolo City,
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Lopez, Bob. A New Wineskin: The Filipino Global Missions Movement in PMAs 25th
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Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1993.

Sitoy, Valentino T. Jr. Several Springs, One Stream: The United Church of Christ in
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Winter, Ralph and Steven C. Hawthorne (Eds.). Perspectives on the World Christian
Movement, 4th ed. Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 2009.

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Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God, Unlocking the Bibles Grand
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Zaide, Sonia M. The Philippines a Unique Nation, 2nd ed. Quezon City, Philippines:
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