“His Last Command, Our First Concern.” That Haggai Institute motto is as true today as it ever was. Like many believers, we are passionate about reaching the world for Jesus Christ.

The question is, “How this should be done?” Our founder, Dr. John Edmund Haggai, recalls the moment he realized the traditional methods of world missions had to be reevaluated.

It was 1964. He was in Beirut, Lebanon, on his first visit to West Asia, meeting with Christian leaders from the region. He was surprised to find them critical of local missionaries.

“Frankly, it made me angry. I told them what a crucial role the missionaries had played in my father’s family coming to faith in Christ. I knew that missionaries the world over had sacrificed greatly, many giving their lives. How could anyone question the methods of those willing to pay such a high price for their commitment?”

The local leaders replied, “No, no, no, habibi (habibi is an Arabic term of endearment), please don’t be upset. But the truth is, people of high intellect and high position here are not willing to let young foreigners set the agenda, deploy the leadership personnel, and, in short, call the shots. They aren’t rejecting Jesus. They’re rejecting Western domination and philosophical colonialism.”

Dr. Haggai realized then that the methods of Western missions had to change – because global geopolitics had changed. The conditions underlying two hundred years of missionary endeavors had been blown away in the aftermath of World War II.

His new understanding that the Great Commission could now be carried out most effectively through the concept of nationals reaching nationals, was revolutionary. He began to see that global change must happen from the inside out and from the top down. Though his insight did not receive mainstream acceptance for several years, and in fact received criticism from many, he brought together the first group of leaders for an international session in Switzerland before the end of the 1960s in the fall of 1969. That group, committed to bringing the Gospel to their communities, cities, and nations, were the first alumni of the organization that would later be called Haggai Institute.