I had just finished an end-of-term evaluation by the Board of Governors. While the evaluation was affirming and pointed out helpful areas where I could improve, I have decided that evaluation is my second most favorite activity . . . My most favorite is having my teeth drilled.
The very word evaluation floods our minds with painful memories of school. From the first grade we are evaluated by how many words we misspelled, how many “sums” didn’t add properly and by inability to identify what happened in 1066. Evaluation is often a synonym for embarrassment.
A common disease of missionaries is the “impostor syndrome.” We often have a deep-seated feeling that we are not as good as people think we are, and fear that someday people will discover how incompetent we really are. Evaluation becomes a dreaded enemy, or a game for hiding reality.
The threat of evaluation can make us defensive rather than visionary. We are tempted to set easily attainable goals so as to look good on an end-of-term evaluation, rather than setting big audacious faith goals which if not attained may make us look bad.
Missionaries are often at the point of being overwhelmed with heat, culture shock, political instability, fear for safety, loneliness or worry about financial support. The last thing you need is an article from “those dunderheads in Charlotte” waxing eloquent on the glories of evaluation.
In light of our fears, here are some thoughts on evaluation.
1. Jesus’ love for us doesn’t depend on our score on a language exam, our level of cultural adjustment or our third-culture-kid parenting skills. His love for us doesn’t depend on a performance evaluation interview. There is no way he could love us more, it is pure grace. What a relief!
2. The word evaluation means to place value or worth. Each of us has infinite worth in the eyes of God. We have no idea how greatly we are valued by the person who knows us best. What wonderful medicine for the disease of the impostor syndrome!
3. Since God’s evaluation is not based on performance but on grace, we need to evaluate each other through God’s eyes. He isn’t finished with any of us yet so we need to be patient with each other. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, if we could see the seemingly least competent missionary or national brother as they will be when the Lord is finished with them, we would be tempted to bow down and worship them. Let us love one another!
4. Our Father in heaven loves us so much that he hates any idols or sins in us that get in the way of his love. He evaluates our hearts so he can bless us more deeply. May His loving evaluating drive us to daily confession, cleansing and refreshing revival!
5. We should love Jesus so much that we should constantly seek to improve our effectiveness in serving Him. How amazing that the King of kings should choose us to be His ambassadors. The best motivation for evaluating our ministry is love for Jesus!
6. Our loving Father doesn’t demand results, but requires faithfulness. We won’t be evaluated by how many churches we planted, how many students we taught or how many sick people we healed. May we always seek excellence as we serve the Lord with gladness and wait for His final evaluation:
“Well done good and faithful servant.”
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
A 100 Year Plan for World Missions
Every mission agency, every church and every Christian should have a 100-year plan to ensure the continuation of world missions.
Some people may object to such a wild idea. How can anyone plan even one year ahead when the world is so changing so rapidly? How in the world can a church make plans for the next 100 years when the global, political and economic future is so uncertain? In an unpredictable world, we need a new kind of strategy to keep the missionary vision alive until the Lord returns.
I believe that the most important strategy for long-range planning is to focus on children. We need to do everything we can to challenge children with Christ’s world-wide commission.
The teen years are a good time for teaching missions through short-term mission trips, but younger children can learn about missions too. I made a solid commitment to be a missionary when I was ten years old. I was deeply moved by a film showing the problems of leprosy in China and I began to have a concern for the needs of the whole world. A missionary to Africa, Don McClure, stayed at our house when I was a child. This man, who was later martyred, had a passion for life and for the needs of the world. I wanted to be like him. Since my parents were also enthusiastic about world missions there was really nothing else I wanted to do when I grew up. My childhood decision affected all the decisions I made as a young adult–what to study in college, who to marry and what to do when I graduated.
I have always been challenged by the world-changing potential of children. This motivated me to teach a Sunday School for 10-12 year old boys for many years. The boys called themselves the FBI Class or the “Faithful Bible Investigators.” One Sunday a missionary came to the class and told how he was working with needy children in Honduras and why he needed prayer and financial support. The boys took the rest of the class asking probing questions. The FBI class decided to adopt this missionary. Every Sunday they insisted we pray for the missionary and carefully read every prayer letter he wrote. When the missionary was successful they felt a part of his success. When he faced trials, they prayed even more. They gave sacrificially from their allowance money and from job earnings. They did extra baby-sitting and worked hard at mowing lawns in the summer. They put so much money in the Sunday School envelope that they insisted I write a note to the treasurer saying, “All the money in this envelope came from the boys. The teacher did not put in any money.”
Children are the future of missions. Parents need to read missionary biographies to their children, watch mission videos together and pray through books such as Operation World or You Can Make a Difference to pray about help their children to be aware of what God is doing in the world.
Many churches have a strong missions program for children. Churches can build up a strong children’s missions library and schedule the best missionary speakers for children’s classes. Sunday School classes can adopt a missionary family with children about the same age as class members. Children should be encouraged to make friends with children from other cultures in their neighborhood or school.
Nothing is more important for long-range planning in world missions than children who are well informed, challenged and enthusiastic about God’s plan for the nations. The hand that leads children is the hand that will change the world.
Some people may object to such a wild idea. How can anyone plan even one year ahead when the world is so changing so rapidly? How in the world can a church make plans for the next 100 years when the global, political and economic future is so uncertain? In an unpredictable world, we need a new kind of strategy to keep the missionary vision alive until the Lord returns.
I believe that the most important strategy for long-range planning is to focus on children. We need to do everything we can to challenge children with Christ’s world-wide commission.
The teen years are a good time for teaching missions through short-term mission trips, but younger children can learn about missions too. I made a solid commitment to be a missionary when I was ten years old. I was deeply moved by a film showing the problems of leprosy in China and I began to have a concern for the needs of the whole world. A missionary to Africa, Don McClure, stayed at our house when I was a child. This man, who was later martyred, had a passion for life and for the needs of the world. I wanted to be like him. Since my parents were also enthusiastic about world missions there was really nothing else I wanted to do when I grew up. My childhood decision affected all the decisions I made as a young adult–what to study in college, who to marry and what to do when I graduated.
I have always been challenged by the world-changing potential of children. This motivated me to teach a Sunday School for 10-12 year old boys for many years. The boys called themselves the FBI Class or the “Faithful Bible Investigators.” One Sunday a missionary came to the class and told how he was working with needy children in Honduras and why he needed prayer and financial support. The boys took the rest of the class asking probing questions. The FBI class decided to adopt this missionary. Every Sunday they insisted we pray for the missionary and carefully read every prayer letter he wrote. When the missionary was successful they felt a part of his success. When he faced trials, they prayed even more. They gave sacrificially from their allowance money and from job earnings. They did extra baby-sitting and worked hard at mowing lawns in the summer. They put so much money in the Sunday School envelope that they insisted I write a note to the treasurer saying, “All the money in this envelope came from the boys. The teacher did not put in any money.”
Children are the future of missions. Parents need to read missionary biographies to their children, watch mission videos together and pray through books such as Operation World or You Can Make a Difference to pray about help their children to be aware of what God is doing in the world.
Many churches have a strong missions program for children. Churches can build up a strong children’s missions library and schedule the best missionary speakers for children’s classes. Sunday School classes can adopt a missionary family with children about the same age as class members. Children should be encouraged to make friends with children from other cultures in their neighborhood or school.
Nothing is more important for long-range planning in world missions than children who are well informed, challenged and enthusiastic about God’s plan for the nations. The hand that leads children is the hand that will change the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)