John & Marilyn Mulkey: 40 Years in Indonesia with CMF
We did the math and realized that 2024 marked 50 years ago that John and Marilyn Mulkey went on an internship to see if ministry in Indonesia might be for them. We asked John if he was willing to share some reflections on their time serving there and all that was accomplished.
“Indonesia!?” I said, over the phone to Jim Smith, CMF General Director. “Yes!” he said. “Our Long-Range Planning Committee has done a lot of research and determined that this is where we want to open our next field.” We knew of CMF’s work in Brazil and Ethiopia and had told Jim we would be interested in praying along with them to be a part of a new field. It was the Fall of 1972. I was deep into my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. One of the main reasons for CMF choosing Indonesia was reports of receptivity among the Javanese peoples of Central and East Java.
Two years later in September of 1974 we took a year off from studies and went to Indonesia as interns to survey the field. We were able to learn a great deal about the culture and language, as well as see the pioneering work that several Christian Church / Churches of Christ missionaries had just started. That internship cemented in our hearts the calling that this is where we wanted to serve. So, following graduation, support raising and CMF commissioning, we headed back to Indonesia is November 1978, the first family from CMF, not realizing at the time that we would serve there for the next 40 years.
Working together with missionaries already there, along with many CMF missionaries who would follow, we formed what would be referred to as the CCMI (Christian Church / Churches of Christ Missionaries in Indonesia). Also, in 1978 the churches being established in Indonesia were registered with the government’s Department of Religion as Gereja Jemaat Kristus Indonesia.
Over the following years the CCMI helped establish an international school for our children and the children of other foreigners working in the country, what is now called the Mountainview Christian School which has educated hundreds of students over its 40 years. God only knows the total impact on the world from the young people who studied there.
However, the primary focus of the CCMI was church planting and leadership training. While a number of house churches were planted around Central Java, we soon saw the need for the lay leaders in those village churches to be trained on how to lead their congregations. So, a simple program was established to help train these leaders. Within a few years this program evolved into a small Bible college where students who felt called could study full-time in order to serve full-time.
That program is what today is called the Christian Church Theological School of Indonesia. This program has expanded and is accredited by both the Department of Religion of Indonesia and also the Department of Education allowing the school to grant a BTh degree, which is on a par with any other undergraduate program in the nation. This has allowed over 400 graduates to plant and serve churches throughout the country with many teaching in schools or working as civil servants.
As with any field where CMF missionaries have served, most of the credit for any success must go to the many locals who worked alongside us to have an impact on God’s Kingdom. It was due to their dedication and commitment there that we were willing to leave the field after so many years, knowing that everything was in very capable hands.
Whether it is a a few weeks or 40 years like John and Marilyn, God is still calling missionaries to church planting and education-based outreach in Southeast Asia. Contact us to talk about church planting, leadership training and multiple teaching opportunities that are available through CMF.
church planting, education, Indonesia, leadership training, teaching