ReachGlobal Q&A With Jim Snyder

For more than 100 years, the EFCA has sent missionaries around the world to establish the Church where the gospel isn’t known. From Hans Von Qualen, the first international missionary to China, to more than 500 missionaries on almost every continent, the EFCA is committed to the Great Commission’s call to make disciples of all people. To learn more about how God is working through international ministries, we asked Jim Snyder how God called him to missions, how he's using his gifts in his ministry context and how he's seen the gospel transform lives. 

Q: Tell us about your path to missions—and specifically, your path to ReachGlobal. 

During my sophomore year of high school, I was introduced for the first time to the truth of the gospel. Soon thereafter, I sensed God’s call into missions. Initially, I wanted to become a missionary pilot. Flying had been part of my life since childhood, and I loved the idea of being a pilot in some remote part of the world. 

After college, I applied to Moody Aviation in Tennessee and was accepted as a mechanic. It was not quite what I had planned, but I found it suited me well. The following year, however, attempting to gain experience as a mechanic in general aviation, I was miserable. The Evangelical Beacon ran an ad asking for help to replace a home that had burned down at Tandala. So, in 1984, my wife and I became missionary candidates with the EFCA International Mission [now ReachGlobal], and a year later, we packed up our two sons (Ben, 2, and Sam, 10 months) and headed to Zaire for a two-year short term. 

Following that time, we were tired and felt like we had enough of missions (we also came home with two more sons). When we received a letter from the missionary leadership team in Zaire asking us to return, we some hard decisions to make. I had a great job. We bought a home. Our kids were in a good school. Though I came to this conclusion a few months before my wife Ruth did, we were happy but not content. 

God stirred our hearts, and we returned to Zaire in 1990. I served as a builder and mechanic, oversaw the maintenance of homes, generators and vehicles for our mission. My wife and I also served as dorm parents at our missionary kids’ boarding school. We never planned to live or work in Africa, but I have now been working there for almost 40 years. It is out of obedience that my wife and I have found our greatest joy and fulfillment. 

Q: How are you using your God-given gifts on the mission field? 

There are many pieces to successful ministry. The capacity to develop deep, trust-filled relationships takes time, but it all begins there. Knowing the nuances of communication that goes way beyond words is a piece of that. Being inquisitive, becoming intuitive, keeping EQ and IQ in check, and knowing how little or how much needs to be said is all part of adjusting to culture and one’s capacity to work well on a team.  

I work closely with ReachGlobal staff to help them see what has not yet been seen and with national partners to remove the veil over what God has already given them so they can do abundantly more than they could have imagined. For me, that’s a big win. 

Q: How are you seeing God transform lives in your context—and in what ways can others/churches join you in that work? 

I’ve had the privilege of seeing God work through churches that are open to explore what He would have them do in a given ministry context. Just as the Lord uses each of us uniquely, I believe God has a unique purpose for every church to be used in cross-cultural ministry. It’s not just about giving––though many goals have been surpassed as people are prompted by the Lord to give––but also about sending teams into uncomfortable situations to learn, to train, to equip, to become a voice for the ministry. This allows people to see that they can no longer be content on the sidelines of God’s work. I am blessed to help provide pathways for the people in our churches to experience God’s leading and favor in ways they would never otherwise know. The multiplication of ministry, discipleship and church growth that comes through this is incalculable.