The Day of Missions went great today. I thoroughly enjoyed everyone who spoke, and the chance to meet some of our newest missionaries–Mike and Jenny Burtnett (wonderful couple!), Anna Geivett, and Jami Fiedler. I’ll write more about the event later. But right now it’s midnight on Saturday, the Suns just won their series against the Lakers, Tom Hanks is hosting Saturday Night Live for his 8th time, and I’m tired. How all of those things relate–you figure it out.

I do want to comment on something Alan MacDonald said. (That’s Alan on the right, talking to Global Ministries director Gary Dilley.) Alan MacDonald works with Wycliffe, serving as a laison to government and United Nations officials. It’s a pretty important job, one which fascinates me. Alan is highly respected within Wycliffe. I’ve enjoyed hearing him speak over the years and reading his writings, because he has a wonderfully insightful view of world missions, and a strategic vantage point.

Today he mentioned some changes in missions. One, he said, was that the post-WW2 generation which really accelerated the cause of world missions is aging. Those people, he said, provided a great deal of prayer support for missionaries. But as they die out, and younger generations don’t carry the same burden for praying for missionaries, something extremely important will be lost. That’s not exacely what he said, but it’s the gist with some Stevely amplications.

This was evident in the people who attended. It was very much a graying group of people–my parents’ generation. My own generation, the Baby Boomers, was largely absent, to say nothing of the Baby Busters and Gen-Xers–a few representatives, but very few. While the retirees were out in force. The people who came out to learn more about missions and interact with missionaries were NOT the people who will need to carry the ball in the future. So where were they?

The people in today’s audience, I realized, were the people who not only faithfully pray for missionaries, but who send them cards, raise money through bake sales and other events, and otherwise keep alive their church’s interest in missions. This generation will be greatly missed if they are not replaced. And it doesn’t look like they will be.

On the other hand, many of those grey-haired people have probably never ventured overseas. The younger generations go on mission trips and do other types of foreign travel, even as part of their youth group. My generation, and the younger generations, have experienced much more of life in other countries. We’ve gotten our hands dirty. And yet, we won’t come to an event like we held today. And I greatly doubt that we’ll be prayer warriors like those people sitting in today’s audience, people who have silently undergirded the missionary force of today and yesterday with their faithful remembrances. We want to experience things for ourselves. We’re not so good at supporting and cheering from the sidelines. What are we to make of that? Is there a positive spin I’m missing?