Sharing vision and hope for evangelism in Asia

Asia (MNN) ― Asia is the world's largest and most-populous continent. Buddhism, Hinduism and a host of other religions compete for dominance, and most of the world's unreached live in Asia.

Conflicting worldviews have led to a spiritual dissonance in many of these countries, which leaves millions open to the truth of Christ.

So, who will take the Gospel to Asia? That question is answered in a documentary entitled, MISSIONS:REDEFINED. Craig Detweiler directed the documentary for Asian Access.

"For those who want to see for themselves what it is like in Sri Lanka, Asian Access has prepared a documentary. It shows you what's going on in Mongolia, in Japan, and in Sri Lanka."

The 35-minute documentary details a part of Detweiler's own journey as he returns to Japan 20 years after he was there as a missionary with Asian Access.

Although aimed at missions professors, the purpose of MISSIONS:REDEFINED is to open eyes toward the difference the Gospel makes in Asia. The documentary also reveals A2's commitment to developing church leaders who can reproduce new leaders and build or plant churches.

Detweiler notes the importance of one-on-one relationships that are developed throughout the course of his time in Japan.

In one segment of the documentary, viewers are told that "a missionary is really a person whose heart is to demonstrate Christ in their context."

It's that approach combined with designing creative and cutting-edge ministries to effectively impact this strategic area of the world that create an exciting potential to close the 10/40 Window.

Among the more unique approaches, the Asian Access model brings together 12 pastors who meet quarterly for training over a 2-year period. The training is intensive, in-service, in-country, in community, and ongoing.

As participants move through the two-year transformational process with a group of 11 other leaders who face very similar challenges, a strong sense of camaraderie develops which motivates the leaders to grow together and to push one another to a higher level of performance.

The relationships that develop often provide a network for ongoing friendship and development long after the program is completed.

These are among the "how-tos" detailed in the documentary. As Asian Access adapts to an ever-changing world, they need to share their vision with the people training leaders in the West.

Detweiler says the documentary "is a gift we made to the church here in the West to educate ourselves to pray in more-informed ways and to figure out what's going on with our brothers and sisters overseas."