Islands Misunderstood & Underserved

At a local outreach gathering in Sydney that I attended recently, the speaker noted how rugby games now often display Christian players gathering in circles to pray before and after games. He first observed that this is a rather new phenomenon in Australia, whereas it's been a common sight in America. He also surmised that it must be due to the influence of Christian players from the Pacific Islands, like Fiji and Samoa, "because they are very Christian."

He was essentially attesting to the long-held secular culture of Australia, in sports and otherwise. But he was also expressing a common and false assumption in the West regarding the spiritual state of the Pacific Island nations—that they must be highly spiritual, and that Christian faith and an understanding of the gospel must be alive and well ever since the inception of colonial mission, as if what ailed the West—secularism and a false gospel—had not also afflicted these island nations.

The Island to Island (I2I) initiative to revitalize the gospel in the Pacific Islands must communicate to the Reformed and Presbyterian churches of New Zealand, Australia, and the United States that such rose-coloured assumptions do not hold true. We must educate Western churches about the great needs of the islands: that the liberalization of mainline denominations has corrupted their doctrine, theology, and the saving message of Jesus among their churches; that many cults (Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) have misled island believers; that the health-and-wealth messages of the prosperity gospel have undermined the integrity of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and that they need help!

There are some innovative new mission initiatives that have taken on the name and ethos of the early colonial missions in our Pacific nations. The Paton Society is one, and Clearly Reformed is another. These are exciting prospects, but their help has not yet reached our islands yet. We have FOUR Presbyterian denominations in partnership with I2I, but we still have some way to go to see more gospel workers mobilized, more churches planted, and gospel revival sweep these nations. Let us pray and advocate for the islands among our churches and denominations: the Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCAus), the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Australia (WPC), Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand (GPC), and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)!  What an amazing and unprecedented partnership we have in I2I!  This gift and opportunity must be embraced and utilized for God’s glory as we obey the Great Commission mandate!

Jim Jung

Delegate, Island to Island Gospel Fellowship

Mission to the World / Presbyterian Church in America