The history of Ethnic to Ethnic Ministries
Dr Eldon Brock has always had a special interest in missions since his days in Bible College. Combined with this he has been curious about mission organizations and the methods of presenting the gospel to the unsaved in American and the around the world. After retiring from 20 years as a pastor and 21 years as a youth camp director God led him to northeast Myanmar (Burma) and gave him a burden to help the Kachin Baptist Convention (Madung).
Over a 10 year period Eldon kept evaluating what was the best way to help this Kachin association of churches who had separated from liberalism and had begun a Bible College in a politically isolated part of the world. He was very impressed that they did this with no American help. Considering their passion and talent to reach their own people group, and others, he felt led of God to assist their Bible College by sponsoring three of their teachers to study for doctorate degrees in America. God used many of his skills learned in the pastorate and Christian Camping to establish practical systems to help them expand their college and outreach. This led to founding a mission agency to assist a few to disciple many to reach millions called Closed Door Ministries, Inc. Dr. Phillip McDonald became the President in 2004 and has led in significant growth. See www.closeddoorministries.com.
As a result of: 1. being exposed to the needs of people groups who are in countries closed to traditional missions and also 2.recognizing the potential of national believers to effectively reach his and other cultures, Eldon began to look for and pray for a system that would allow us to be a part of the Great Commission in this politically restricted world. Frankly, God said look around you, the potential missionaries (messengers) live here in the U S.
He first considered the International Student Ministries. Many graduates return to their homeland and can be evangelists. This is an outreach that God put into the hands of Campus Ministries and they then began to adjust and to focus on this God given opportunity.
But there is another segment of international people living among us. Our country has allowed millions of immigrant people to settle here. They are different than students, they don’t plan to return. Even so they had a devoted commitment to their homeland culture. They may be escaping oppression or looking for a better way of life but they have a loyalty to family and to their culture. It is easy for them to continue with their language. They work hard to assist family and friends with economic and social needs. They have passion to help people of their own ethnicity which is often overlooked.
God has continued to lead and give approval to Ethnic to Ethnic Ministries. Read and allow God to open your eyes to this plan to Assist churches to disciple U S ethnic people to evangelize unreached ethnic people groups worldwide.
Since beginning this journey the emphasis has changed slightly to set the goals more on assisting Churches to transition to a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural outreach and membership that would reflect the local area of the church. This may involve encouraging new multi-ethnic church plants but there is not plan to become mission agency that provides full time missionaries. The desire is to be sensitive to the changing and new opportunities.
Local church congregations reflecting the ethnic diversity of their community, united in Christ to reveal God’s glory to the nations.