Randy Vaught, President of Christian Aid. Photo via assistnews.net

Christian Aid Now Has a New President

Although God has blessed Bob Finley with good health, at the age of 89 he says he no longer has the strength and energy necessary to serve as CEO of Christian Aid, reports Michael Ireland, Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

“While continuing to serve as CEO during the past three years, I have talked with numerous candidates for the position, and corresponded with many others who have been recommended. But the final choice had to be made by our Board of Directors,” Finley, Founder and Chairman of the Christian Aid Board, told ANS.

The Board of Directors elected Rev. Randy Vaught as the new President of Christian Aid to take over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in January 2012.

In a letter of introduction written by Finley, he gave some background to the Christian Aid Board’s decision.

“Without interruption, and under new leadership in 2012, Christian Aid will continue to support indigenous ministries that send out native missionaries who are preaching the gospel and planting churches in places where the name of the Christ is not known,” Finley wrote.

“While serving as a missionary evangelist in Asia during a four-year period after World War II, I came to realize that a revolutionary change was taking place in the way missionary work was done. Our various denominations, and scores of non-denominational missions, had gone all over the world starting branches of our respective organizations. Souls were won, churches were planted and the Bible was translated into most major languages. We should forever praise God for these accomplishments. But there was a serious flaw in the way we worked,” he said.

“Every foreign mission board gave its work the name of its parent. In China I met Presbyterians U.S. and Presbyterians USA. Also Canadian Presbyterians, Australian Presbyterians and several others. Plus American Baptists, Southern Baptists and a dozen other kinds of foreign Baptist denominations. There were Lutherans of the Missouri Synod, and those of other foreign synods. More than 100 foreign denominations and mission organizations had branches in China.”

Finley explained that when the Communists took over in 1949 they proclaimed an end to “institutional colonialism,” or what they called “cultural imperialism.”

Finley continued: “They accused American missionaries of being spies sent there by the CIA. Most Chinese, even some Christians, believed their propaganda. And all foreign missionaries were expelled from China.

“In Burma and other countries the Buddhists likewise put out the foreigners. After India gained independence in 1947, the Hindus no longer allowed foreign missionaries to enter. Muslims had already closed the door to every Islamic country from North Africa to Southeast Asia.”

Finley went on to say: “As I saw what was happening, the Spirit of God revealed to me that we must find a new way to work. Although traditional foreign missionaries were cut off from 90 percent of the 4,000 or more unreached nations on earth, there were local believers in most closed countries whom God was calling to evangelize their own people. But they had no source of financial support in order to work full time.

“Thus it was, after I had returned from working overseas, that God led me to start Christian Aid in 1953 as the first mission board to support indigenous missionary ministries without colonizing them. God has blessed us greatly during these 59 years, and today Christian Aid is by far the largest mission providing financial support for native ministries in closed lands and poorer countries.”

Finley stated: “But the colonial mentality of most traditional missions is as strong as ever. Each wants to have its own work in foreign countries. Even those who say they ‘use nationals’ really mean that they hire native missionaries to work for them. Thus by stealing workers they devastate the work of indigenous missions. So where could Christian Aid find a new leader who would be free from colonial ambitions?”

Randy Vaught had been sitting among them for more than a decade, and had a perfect attendance at Board meetings during that time.

“At our meeting in September we realized that God’s man was already in our midst. He had served on our Board for 16 years, during which time he never missed a Board meeting. So there at that meeting we elected, to take office in January, Rev. R. Randolph (Randy) Vaught who for the past 30 years has served as senior pastor of Capital Baptist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky,” he said.

Finley concluded: “It was a great relief to me personally to clean out my office on January 2 so Randy could move in the next day. So I am looking forward to doing what our Lord told His disciples to do: ‘Come ye apart into a desert place and rest awhile,’ (Mark 6:31).”

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TAGS: Bob Finley Christian Aid Rev. Randy Vaught President Chief Executive Officer

[02/22/2012]

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