Missions Interview (Part 1)

Brother Jim Sallee delivering the word in the Cayman Islands

On March 3, 2010, we were truly privileged to sit down with and interview Brother Jim Sallee, a faithful minister of several years from Ohio. He graciously provided us with an in-depth panorama of the mission field. This interview will be provided in 3 parts.

Part 1          Part 2          Part 3

CS: First of all, how are you Brother Jim?

Bro. Jim: I’m encouraged in my soul. I’m encouraged in my soul.

CS: How many years ago did you give your heart to the Lord?

Bro. Jim: Well, it was June the 23^rd, 1979, so it’s 30 going on 31 I think.

CS: How many of those years have you been a minister?

Bro. Jim: Well, I really don’t remember exactly when Brother Kenerly [the former pastor] had me get up in front of the saints: in the mid-90s I guess. I worked a lot with juveniles [for] nearly 20 years, I guess that’s where I cut my teeth on working with young people. So, as far as being up before the saints, that would have been the mid-90s I think.

CS: We use the term “mission field” often, but could you give us a practical picture of the mission field as a whole, and what is needed to fulfill/fill it?

Bro. Jim: Well, in terms, of the word mission, it’s a pretty broad term. I guess we think sometimes of home missions, and foreign missions. It’s a field of endeavor for the gospel, whether it be in your local community, or intrastate, or within your nation. Obviously the mission of the church is to reach the lost, not just to stay saved and stay within your four walls (so to speak).

So, local missions could be your local grocery store, or your neighborhood. People probably often think of missions as a formal effort to hold services somewhere, that’s a part of it. Then foreign missions are just an extended effort outside your own national boundaries.

As far as what it takes to fulfill it, everybody is called to a particular mission. You have your field of influence in your local community; every saint has an area of influence where nobody else does. So if you build on that, [it takes] a desire to see souls saved. What it takes to fulfill it, is really that burden and that desire to see souls added. So, an active behavior on the part of the saints to spread the gospel, starting with your family and reaching outward as far as it goes in endeavors locally and beyond. 

[It takes] a calling. God calls people specific aspects of His work in all areas of the gospel (the mission field is one). It takes a desire to cultivate a burden. Also, God doesn’t just call and give somebody a special interest, but we can cultivate our own burden: a desire to see the gospel spread (whether locally or internationally).

 So, what it takes to fulfill it? A desire, a willingness to serve, whether locally or otherwise, within your family, your neighborhood, your local church. As you begin to cultivate a burden, God will help you develop skills, and place you in the kingdom where He wants to.

Some are formal missionaries, although among our little circle of fellowship, we really don’t see missionaries per say in terms of full-time work, and that’s something that should be a burden of the church.

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