To be a witness is to see and to try to relieve the suffering of people, to talk to people, and to share the Christian faith. Our Church s witnesses in the Third World are missionaries who, through their work, try to share the conditions of the people living there. The missionaries of the Church of Sweden Mission are present in the struggle of the South African churches to let the will of God, especially where human freedom and social justice are concerned, become a reality in South Africa. Some 110 missionaries are employed by the Church of Sweden Mission to work abroad. Their local employers and supervisors are always to be found among people working in the local churches and organizations.
Most missionaries do normal parish duties and also work with health care and education.
However, the Mission also employs accountants, administrators, agronomists, engineers, cultural workers, and journalists. The primary task of a missionary is to work in the local church. But the missionary s task also include giving people in Sweden a deeper understanding of the Third World, providing a background and a face to the facts we read about in the newspapers. This is also part of what it means to be a witness - it is necessary if we in Sweden shall understand how we, together with the churches of the Third World, can establish the Kingdom of God. The Young In The Worldwide Church For young people who want to try working in the worldwide church, the Church of Sweden Mission has a scholarship programme.