I suggest that the testimony of the whole body of Scripture encouraged woment in positions of leadership, but that the role of women in leadership must take into account cultural limitations.
From an interpretation of I Timothy 2: 12, and 1 Corinthians 14:35, we have two options. Either we require that women never teach men and totally keep silent in every educational situation, or we understand the passage as a restriction of particular first-century women in their cultural setting. If women are to remain silent in churches, then we should exclude women from the choir, congregational singing, and from the nursery. If God intended that women never teach men, as a universal ethical moral principle, then we would expect the rest of Scripture to support the restriction. Yet we find many examples of women teaching men. The prophetess Huldah proclaimed the word of God to the king Josiah and the High Priest Hilkiah, while her husband was in charge of the wardrobe (2 Chronicles 34:22). It is quite possible that the apostle Paul was taught by the four unmarried daughters of Philip (Acts 21: 9). Moses was taught by the prophetess Miriam (Exodus 15:20). Deborah was not only a prophetess but a judge and she commanded an army general (Judges 4:4). Jesus chose women to be the first to proclaim the Good News of the resurrection to the apostles. There are many more examples.
There are not only biblical reasons to encourage women to take a stronger role in leadership, there are also theological reasons. The royal priesthood of all believers includes women. Women have direct access to God, and God communicates directly with women who then have the obligation to communicate with others. Spiritual gifts are given to all believers, and there is no indication that some of the gifts are masculine and others feminine.
Biblical leadership is never dictatorial control over people. Even the God of creation gives people free will. Leaders are not dictators but influencers. Leaders take initiative to use their spiritual gifts to influence the Body of Christ, and the world. In this important sense of the word leadership, all Christian women are expected to be leaders.
Thus to make 1 Timothy 2: 12 a universal moral principle, one is forced to deny the plenary (or whole) inspiration of Scripture. If we hold a plenary view of the inspiration of Scripture we must not limit the role of women, or men, in leadership except for reasons of cultural appropriateness.
But, cultural relativity is not absolute relativity. There are absolute biblical principles of graciousness and cultural sensitivity that make it inappropriate for men or women to teach or assert authority in some cultural situations. If I were to write a book on Muslim ministry, I might write, "it is not good for men to hold Bible studies in the homes of Muslim women." I should not feel that my personhood as a male is being violated just because there are times when it is not appropriate for me to use my spiritual gifts of Bible teaching. There may be some cultural situations where women should graciously decline to use their God-given gifts in teaching for the sake of the gospel. Our strategy in using men and women must be sensitive to cultural expectations.
Forces within evangelical Christian education today attempt to polarize us. Some are trying to unbiblically and inappropriately limit the role of women in Christian education. If these forces gain influence the Body of Christ will suffer. Other forces demand that women play a dominant role no matter what the cultural expectations. The use of gifts by men and women is not the ultimate purpose of ministry. Spiritual gifts for women and men are only a means for edifying the Church.
We must have a unqualified commitment to all of Scripture. Where Scripture is clear we must be dogmatic, but where Scripture is unclear, we are unbiblical to be dogmatic. The role of women in teaching and leadership is not without possibility of several interpretations. We need patience with people who argue on either side of the debate as long as they argue from a high view of Scripture. We must continue the conversation with a love for the Word, and a love for one another even while we disagree.
The Body of Christ is under attack. I fear that we are not using all our God-given resources. Let us put the whole armor of God on the whole Body of Christ. We must grow toward Christlikeness as the whole body is joined and held together by every supporting ligament. We can only build up the body of Christ as each part does its work in love.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Serving With Eyes Wide Open
Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence.
David A. Livermore. Baker Books, P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287. 2006, 188 pages, $12.99.
Reviewed for EMQ by James E. Plueddemann, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL.
“The world is crawling with foreigners,” exclaimed a student in one of my cross-cultural communication classes. Cultural intelligence is often missing in the 4 million Americans who travel abroad each year to do short-term mission work. While there are several good resources to help short-term missionaries know how to apply for a passport and where to get yellow-fever shots, Serving with Eyes Wide Open is based on solid research and fills an important gap in the literature. It is a most readable book with many examples to help short-termers understand cultural pitfalls and gain cultural intelligence.
David Livermore begins with a succinct overview of the world and the global Church. It is important for short-term missionaries to realize that the Church outside of the United States is growing rapidly, often faces persecution, recognizes spiritual warfare and is becoming a major sending force. Such an overview may help overcome the “here I am you lucky people” complex.
The next section looks at the motivation for short-term missions. I am impressed with the balance in this section. From his own experience, Livermore points out the shallow motivation that drives many short-term missionaries. He gives sad but humorous examples of what pastors from the United States thought they were teaching and compares it to what the national pastors actually thought of the teaching. He describes misunderstandings between short-termers and host people in the use of time, the urgency of the task and oversimplification of complex situations. He is concerned that too often short-termers parachute into what they perceive as a backward culture, distribute goods and then retreat.
“Open your eyes!” is the continual challenge of this book. Readers will find practical steps for gaining cultural understanding in four areas. Short-term missionaries need to gain knowledge of basic cultural differences. Then using this knowledge they can interpret cues about what is really going on in the other culture. Livermore encourages perseverance as short-termers deal with confusing situations, and gives practical advice on how to behave while applying the above three principles in another culture.
Livermore concludes with a powerful chapter on “The Heart of the Matter,” doing missions out of a genuine love for people and for God. If short-term missionaries can love the people to whom they minister they will treat them with dignity and respect. If they serve because of their love for the Lord, they will avoid a self-serving motivation and focus on genuine service.
Finally I have an accessible book on short-term missions that I can use as a textbook and also give to our youth director as she prepares a group from our church to spend two weeks in Brazil. The book is grounded in research by respected theorists such as Geert Hofstede, Robert Levine, Edward T. Hall and Robert Kohls, yet the book is written for the layperson with compelling examples and insights from practical experience. Many books on short-term missions are either descriptions of the “nuts and bolts” of how to lead a team, or are naïf propaganda extolling the virtues of the so called “next paradigm in world missions.” Serving with Eyes Wide Open is written with a perceptive understanding of the dangers and problems of short-term missions. It also gives a sense of hope by encouraging godly motivation and cultural intelligence.
Other valuable resources for short-term missions:
David Mays of ACMC has put together a valuable CD called, Trip Stuff: Stuff You Need To Know About Doing Mission Trips In Your Church. (April 2006) Contact him at www.davidmays.org.
Elmer, Duane. 2006. Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility. IVP Books.
Judge, Cindy, 2000. Before You Pack Your Bag, Prepare Your Heart: 12 Bible Studies for Short-Term Mission Preparation. Wheaton: Campfire Resources.
David A. Livermore. Baker Books, P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287. 2006, 188 pages, $12.99.
Reviewed for EMQ by James E. Plueddemann, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL.
“The world is crawling with foreigners,” exclaimed a student in one of my cross-cultural communication classes. Cultural intelligence is often missing in the 4 million Americans who travel abroad each year to do short-term mission work. While there are several good resources to help short-term missionaries know how to apply for a passport and where to get yellow-fever shots, Serving with Eyes Wide Open is based on solid research and fills an important gap in the literature. It is a most readable book with many examples to help short-termers understand cultural pitfalls and gain cultural intelligence.
David Livermore begins with a succinct overview of the world and the global Church. It is important for short-term missionaries to realize that the Church outside of the United States is growing rapidly, often faces persecution, recognizes spiritual warfare and is becoming a major sending force. Such an overview may help overcome the “here I am you lucky people” complex.
The next section looks at the motivation for short-term missions. I am impressed with the balance in this section. From his own experience, Livermore points out the shallow motivation that drives many short-term missionaries. He gives sad but humorous examples of what pastors from the United States thought they were teaching and compares it to what the national pastors actually thought of the teaching. He describes misunderstandings between short-termers and host people in the use of time, the urgency of the task and oversimplification of complex situations. He is concerned that too often short-termers parachute into what they perceive as a backward culture, distribute goods and then retreat.
“Open your eyes!” is the continual challenge of this book. Readers will find practical steps for gaining cultural understanding in four areas. Short-term missionaries need to gain knowledge of basic cultural differences. Then using this knowledge they can interpret cues about what is really going on in the other culture. Livermore encourages perseverance as short-termers deal with confusing situations, and gives practical advice on how to behave while applying the above three principles in another culture.
Livermore concludes with a powerful chapter on “The Heart of the Matter,” doing missions out of a genuine love for people and for God. If short-term missionaries can love the people to whom they minister they will treat them with dignity and respect. If they serve because of their love for the Lord, they will avoid a self-serving motivation and focus on genuine service.
Finally I have an accessible book on short-term missions that I can use as a textbook and also give to our youth director as she prepares a group from our church to spend two weeks in Brazil. The book is grounded in research by respected theorists such as Geert Hofstede, Robert Levine, Edward T. Hall and Robert Kohls, yet the book is written for the layperson with compelling examples and insights from practical experience. Many books on short-term missions are either descriptions of the “nuts and bolts” of how to lead a team, or are naïf propaganda extolling the virtues of the so called “next paradigm in world missions.” Serving with Eyes Wide Open is written with a perceptive understanding of the dangers and problems of short-term missions. It also gives a sense of hope by encouraging godly motivation and cultural intelligence.
Other valuable resources for short-term missions:
David Mays of ACMC has put together a valuable CD called, Trip Stuff: Stuff You Need To Know About Doing Mission Trips In Your Church. (April 2006) Contact him at www.davidmays.org.
Elmer, Duane. 2006. Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility. IVP Books.
Judge, Cindy, 2000. Before You Pack Your Bag, Prepare Your Heart: 12 Bible Studies for Short-Term Mission Preparation. Wheaton: Campfire Resources.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Spiritual Formation and Missions
Spiritual formation is the driving force for world missions. Cross-cultural missions is the task of helping people in other cultures come to Christ and be formed into His image. The task of the missionary is teaching people to obey all Jesus commanded. The missionary Paul did not claim to have finished his task until the whole body attained to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ; until Christ was formed in His Church. The on-going task of cross-cultural spiritual formation includes justification, sanctification and glorification, and will not be finished in this world.
Spiritual formation is also the driving force for all aspects of human development. People who are not being formed into the image of Christ are not fully human, and thus in an important sense they are lacking in cognitive, social, physical and moral development. There should be no tension then, between spiritual formation, cognitive development, social development and community development. All God-ordained development is included in spiritual formation.
Spiritual formation is far more than mere behavioral change. People can memorize Bible verses, attend church five times a week, pray for an hour a day, fast weekly and still make no progress in spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is much more than observing spiritual disciplines. Of course outward behavior is important, but only as a genuine indication and outworking of inner heart development. While we praise the Lord for the growth of churches around the world, numerical church growth is not necessarily an indicator of spiritual formation. Neither is spiritual formation the mere transmission of Biblical or theological information. People with advanced degrees in theology have not necessarily made any progress in spiritual formation.
Spiritual formation is a process that takes place on the inside of a person and is not something that can be quantified, controlled or predicted. Spiritual formation is a life-long process and is not a precise task which will be finished by the year 2000 or even 3000 AD.
A Plea for a Paradigm Shift in World Missions
The dominant paradigm for missions is that of an efficient machine. Spiritual formation is neglected because it does not easily fit the assembly line paradigm. The factory paradigm encourages missionaries to set objectives for mere outward behavior. It is primarily interested in quantities. How big is the church? What is the rate of growth? How many unreached people groups can we identify?
The factory paradigm just doesn’t fit the real world. Can you imagine the absurdity of a family trying to raise children with an assembly line world-view? Parents feeding the baby would be challenged to promote the most weight gain with the least amount of food. Child-rearing experts would challenge parents to set growth objectives for the child to grow six inches in the next 18 months. Efficiency experts would suggest a ten year plan to produce as many babies as possible with the least amount of cost. They might do computer projections on “baby growth” to the year 2020 and beyond. Spiritual development is not produced in a factory.
The mechanistic paradigm makes an idol of efficiency, control, predictability and measurement. Success is measured by how many people come forward, by the number of those who complete a discipleship booklet or by how many join a church. While all these things are good, they don’t measure inner growth. Too often mission agencies, missiologists and local church missions committees have unthinkingly accepted an ungodly missiology.
The mechanistic paradigm has contributed to the theologically anemic and lukewarm churches on so many mission fields. Mechanistic missiologists would count countries like Congo, Liberia and Rwanda as already “reached” because a certain percentage of people claim to be Christian. Could it be that a faulty paradigm is partly helps explain for the massacres in these countries? Without a paradigm shift we are merely going into all the world to make converts. Jesus’ command was to make disciples. By aiming only for what can be predicted we are by definition aiming at something temporal. Eternal, inward results cannot be predicted or easily measured.
I’m convinced that we would do a better job of world evangelism if we could better understand the process of cross-cultural spiritual formation. The plea for a paradigm shift in missions does not come from a desire to de-emphasize evangelism. I pray daily that we will win the world for Christ in this generation, but if we neglect spiritual formation we will be forced to re-evangelize the world in every generation.
Facilitating Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation comes by grace and is a mysterious process. The farmer in Mark 4:26 has a responsibility to scatter the seed faithfully and harvest it at the right time. But night and day, whether he is asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows. He doesn’t know how this happens. Just as the farmer can’t force growth by pulling on a stem of wheat, so spiritual formation cannot be forced.
Spiritual formation is a battle between evil forces and godly forces. Prayer is a powerful force for spiritual formation. By prayer the Spirit helps us to see the relationship between the problems in our own lives and solutions from the Word of God. Prayer unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey everything Jesus commanded.
The best way to facilitate spiritual formation is to make available the means of grace that God uses to promote the process of maturity. The primary means of grace are 1) the Word of God, 2) the Spirit of God, and 3) the people of God. The Holy Spirit helps individuals to understand and obey the Word of God as they are taught by people with spiritual gifts.
As Christ is being formed in people, they will progressively evidence the fruit of the Spirit, have a burden for the lost, and a passion for world missions. The goal of missions is to foster the life-long process of spiritual formation among every tribe, people and language so that together we may sing the Hallelujah Chorus at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Worship is both the motivation and the goal of spiritual formation in world missions.
Spiritual formation is also the driving force for all aspects of human development. People who are not being formed into the image of Christ are not fully human, and thus in an important sense they are lacking in cognitive, social, physical and moral development. There should be no tension then, between spiritual formation, cognitive development, social development and community development. All God-ordained development is included in spiritual formation.
Spiritual formation is far more than mere behavioral change. People can memorize Bible verses, attend church five times a week, pray for an hour a day, fast weekly and still make no progress in spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is much more than observing spiritual disciplines. Of course outward behavior is important, but only as a genuine indication and outworking of inner heart development. While we praise the Lord for the growth of churches around the world, numerical church growth is not necessarily an indicator of spiritual formation. Neither is spiritual formation the mere transmission of Biblical or theological information. People with advanced degrees in theology have not necessarily made any progress in spiritual formation.
Spiritual formation is a process that takes place on the inside of a person and is not something that can be quantified, controlled or predicted. Spiritual formation is a life-long process and is not a precise task which will be finished by the year 2000 or even 3000 AD.
A Plea for a Paradigm Shift in World Missions
The dominant paradigm for missions is that of an efficient machine. Spiritual formation is neglected because it does not easily fit the assembly line paradigm. The factory paradigm encourages missionaries to set objectives for mere outward behavior. It is primarily interested in quantities. How big is the church? What is the rate of growth? How many unreached people groups can we identify?
The factory paradigm just doesn’t fit the real world. Can you imagine the absurdity of a family trying to raise children with an assembly line world-view? Parents feeding the baby would be challenged to promote the most weight gain with the least amount of food. Child-rearing experts would challenge parents to set growth objectives for the child to grow six inches in the next 18 months. Efficiency experts would suggest a ten year plan to produce as many babies as possible with the least amount of cost. They might do computer projections on “baby growth” to the year 2020 and beyond. Spiritual development is not produced in a factory.
The mechanistic paradigm makes an idol of efficiency, control, predictability and measurement. Success is measured by how many people come forward, by the number of those who complete a discipleship booklet or by how many join a church. While all these things are good, they don’t measure inner growth. Too often mission agencies, missiologists and local church missions committees have unthinkingly accepted an ungodly missiology.
The mechanistic paradigm has contributed to the theologically anemic and lukewarm churches on so many mission fields. Mechanistic missiologists would count countries like Congo, Liberia and Rwanda as already “reached” because a certain percentage of people claim to be Christian. Could it be that a faulty paradigm is partly helps explain for the massacres in these countries? Without a paradigm shift we are merely going into all the world to make converts. Jesus’ command was to make disciples. By aiming only for what can be predicted we are by definition aiming at something temporal. Eternal, inward results cannot be predicted or easily measured.
I’m convinced that we would do a better job of world evangelism if we could better understand the process of cross-cultural spiritual formation. The plea for a paradigm shift in missions does not come from a desire to de-emphasize evangelism. I pray daily that we will win the world for Christ in this generation, but if we neglect spiritual formation we will be forced to re-evangelize the world in every generation.
Facilitating Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation comes by grace and is a mysterious process. The farmer in Mark 4:26 has a responsibility to scatter the seed faithfully and harvest it at the right time. But night and day, whether he is asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows. He doesn’t know how this happens. Just as the farmer can’t force growth by pulling on a stem of wheat, so spiritual formation cannot be forced.
Spiritual formation is a battle between evil forces and godly forces. Prayer is a powerful force for spiritual formation. By prayer the Spirit helps us to see the relationship between the problems in our own lives and solutions from the Word of God. Prayer unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey everything Jesus commanded.
The best way to facilitate spiritual formation is to make available the means of grace that God uses to promote the process of maturity. The primary means of grace are 1) the Word of God, 2) the Spirit of God, and 3) the people of God. The Holy Spirit helps individuals to understand and obey the Word of God as they are taught by people with spiritual gifts.
As Christ is being formed in people, they will progressively evidence the fruit of the Spirit, have a burden for the lost, and a passion for world missions. The goal of missions is to foster the life-long process of spiritual formation among every tribe, people and language so that together we may sing the Hallelujah Chorus at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Worship is both the motivation and the goal of spiritual formation in world missions.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Innovation and Missions
The following has been taken from my Forward to an upcoming book, Innovation in Mission, by Jim Reapsome and Jon Hirst.
Change is exhilarating, terrifying and unavoidable. The innovations are real and are influencing the practice of missions. Missionaries, mission executives, mission pastors and mission committees need to stay current with global changes in order to adapt strategies effectively. Whether the innovations are helpful or harmful, a fad or a long-term trend, we need to understand them and be ready to modify programs.
Innovations are often uncomfortable. As I was stepping down as International Director of SIM (Serving in Mission) a veteran missionary asked me if my successor would make as many changes as I had. She went on to say that during my tenure I had made way too many changes and hoped there wouldn’t be more. Another missionary often quoted “change and decay in all around I see” from the hymn Abide With Me. But if the world around us is changing, our methods also need to adapt in order to fulfill the unchanging vision. Not all innovations are helpful in promoting the global cause of Christ, yet most innovations provide outstanding opportunities in ministry. For example, the internet provides amazing opportunities for life-long-learning, communication, and resources for pastors and theological students.
For ten years my wife and I traveled the SIM world holding vision seminars. We talked about the need for programmatic change within the context of an unchanging vision. First our leadership team solidified the SIM vision statement and core values and then we began to reflect on massive global innovations and our need to adapt. During those ten years the mission changed its name, merged with another mission, expanded into China, reworked the support system and challenged Sending Offices to facilitate missions “from anywhere to anywhere.” While vision and core values don’t change, everything else is open for innovation.
As we evaluate innovation in the context of missions, it’s helpful to focus on three concepts:
1. The Vision: Where are we going? We need our eyes fixed on the unchanging North Star, the changeless nature of God and the unchanging vision for world missions.
2. The Situation: Where are we? – We must understand the changing world, technologies, opportunities and resources. What are the innovations that influence our opportunities in missions?
3. The Program: How do we get there? Mission programs must always be open to evaluation and modification. If the situation changes the program must also change. Otherwise, we will not fulfill the vision.
The most important things in life never change. We can take great comfort in the changeless nature of God. In this fallen world human beings will continue to fall short of the glory of God and will be in need of Jesus Christ as their Savior. Until the Lord returns we will always need to live by faith with an unchanging hope of eternal life in the unfailing love of the Lord. Our vision for a lost world and for a holy church will not change until the end of the age. None of these foundational convictions are fazed by developments in the digital revolution, the use of business visas or the low cost of airfares for short-term missionaries. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the word of the Lord stands forever.
Once we rest secure in an unchanging God and an unchanging Gospel, we can embrace innovation. We can seek out unfolding opportunities to make whatever changes are necessary to better fulfill the vision.
I would hope that mission executives and church mission committees will reflect on Innovation in Mission chapter by chapter, asking if each of the innovations might be incorporated into the programs of their church or mission. Each one is profound and cannot be ignored.
We don’t worship innovation, so if the innovation does not contribute to the vision, simply move on. But neither do we worship programs. Mission institutions and church activities will be strengthened by the thoughtful application of innovative trends and solutions outlined in these pages.
Change is exhilarating, terrifying and unavoidable. The innovations are real and are influencing the practice of missions. Missionaries, mission executives, mission pastors and mission committees need to stay current with global changes in order to adapt strategies effectively. Whether the innovations are helpful or harmful, a fad or a long-term trend, we need to understand them and be ready to modify programs.
Innovations are often uncomfortable. As I was stepping down as International Director of SIM (Serving in Mission) a veteran missionary asked me if my successor would make as many changes as I had. She went on to say that during my tenure I had made way too many changes and hoped there wouldn’t be more. Another missionary often quoted “change and decay in all around I see” from the hymn Abide With Me. But if the world around us is changing, our methods also need to adapt in order to fulfill the unchanging vision. Not all innovations are helpful in promoting the global cause of Christ, yet most innovations provide outstanding opportunities in ministry. For example, the internet provides amazing opportunities for life-long-learning, communication, and resources for pastors and theological students.
For ten years my wife and I traveled the SIM world holding vision seminars. We talked about the need for programmatic change within the context of an unchanging vision. First our leadership team solidified the SIM vision statement and core values and then we began to reflect on massive global innovations and our need to adapt. During those ten years the mission changed its name, merged with another mission, expanded into China, reworked the support system and challenged Sending Offices to facilitate missions “from anywhere to anywhere.” While vision and core values don’t change, everything else is open for innovation.
As we evaluate innovation in the context of missions, it’s helpful to focus on three concepts:
1. The Vision: Where are we going? We need our eyes fixed on the unchanging North Star, the changeless nature of God and the unchanging vision for world missions.
2. The Situation: Where are we? – We must understand the changing world, technologies, opportunities and resources. What are the innovations that influence our opportunities in missions?
3. The Program: How do we get there? Mission programs must always be open to evaluation and modification. If the situation changes the program must also change. Otherwise, we will not fulfill the vision.
The most important things in life never change. We can take great comfort in the changeless nature of God. In this fallen world human beings will continue to fall short of the glory of God and will be in need of Jesus Christ as their Savior. Until the Lord returns we will always need to live by faith with an unchanging hope of eternal life in the unfailing love of the Lord. Our vision for a lost world and for a holy church will not change until the end of the age. None of these foundational convictions are fazed by developments in the digital revolution, the use of business visas or the low cost of airfares for short-term missionaries. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the word of the Lord stands forever.
Once we rest secure in an unchanging God and an unchanging Gospel, we can embrace innovation. We can seek out unfolding opportunities to make whatever changes are necessary to better fulfill the vision.
I would hope that mission executives and church mission committees will reflect on Innovation in Mission chapter by chapter, asking if each of the innovations might be incorporated into the programs of their church or mission. Each one is profound and cannot be ignored.
We don’t worship innovation, so if the innovation does not contribute to the vision, simply move on. But neither do we worship programs. Mission institutions and church activities will be strengthened by the thoughtful application of innovative trends and solutions outlined in these pages.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Lighthouse: A Vision for Life
How can we plan our future when the world is so confusing? What is the good of long-rang plans when the winds and waves of daily pressing crises keep blowing us off course? We need a lighthouse that shines in the storms and guides us through the uncertainties of our lives. The most secure things in life–God’s promises, His character and His eternal plan–do not change. His vision for the salvation of the lost and His passion for the holiness of the Church are constant. His unchanging vision becomes our driving force in a chaotic world. This unchanging purpose encourages and motivates us when we are discouraged and tempted to quit.
Vision is like a lighthouse keeping us on course during the storms of life. Lifelong vision is unchanging, rooted in God’s character and purposes. Daily strategies needs to change continually, but it should always lead us to accomplish our lifelong vision. The Apostle Paul received an unchanging vision on the road to Damascus. This helped him endure shipwreck, beatings and stonings. This vision was his lighthouse for the rest of his life. When he faced beatings and hunger, he knew the big purpose of his life. Even though he modified his daily plans in light of changing opportunities and unexpected opposition, he kept his eyes focused on the lighthouse of the Damascus vision.
The Apostle Paul looked to the leading of the Holy Spirit for daily guidance. For example, the Holy Spirit did not give him permission to move into Asia or Bithynia, but then gave him a vision for Macedonia. Paul’s Macedonian calling was a short-term purpose that fit his lifelong vision to turn the Gentiles from darkness to light. He learned to “play it by ear” with daily goals because his ear was in tune with the Spirit. He wasn’t sure how long he would stay in Derbe, Iconium and Lystra. In fact he had to be evacuated out of most of his “fields” during his first term. Through eyes of faith Paul still had daily leading because of his lifelong vision.
As missionaries, our daily “to-do” lists can be planned but must also be flexible and open to change. Who we witness to partly depends on who the Lord leads our way. What we teach in a Bible college class depends on how well students understood the last lesson. Daily activities for an administrator depends on which problems come up that day. But daily action always needs to be guided by the lighthouse of a lifelong vision. We need to ask the Lord to rekindle and sharpen our lifelong vision. There are still four billion people in the world who are outside of the family of God and about two billion who have little chance of hearing the Good News. Over one billion so-called Christians urgently need to grow in grace. God’s unchanging ultimate purpose acts as a lighthouse in a world of shifting currents and waves. We can be enthusiastic as we prayerfully reflect on daily vision because we know that it leads to an eternal vision of the Kingdom of God.
Dear missionary, if you are like me, there are times when you feel like quitting, wondering if it’s all worthwhile. It is easy to lose sight of the lighthouse vision when people aren’t responsive to the Gospel, when pollution levels and heat become unbearable, when cultural frustrations overcome us and when we long for the comforts of home and family. I pray that the Lord will rekindle in each of us a mighty lifelong vision. May His unchanging vision for the nations motivate and encourage us with a fresh sense of encouragement. In the midst of storms and crashing rocks on the shore, may a clear vision of God’s Lighthouse keep us rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction, fervent in prayer.
Vision is like a lighthouse keeping us on course during the storms of life. Lifelong vision is unchanging, rooted in God’s character and purposes. Daily strategies needs to change continually, but it should always lead us to accomplish our lifelong vision. The Apostle Paul received an unchanging vision on the road to Damascus. This helped him endure shipwreck, beatings and stonings. This vision was his lighthouse for the rest of his life. When he faced beatings and hunger, he knew the big purpose of his life. Even though he modified his daily plans in light of changing opportunities and unexpected opposition, he kept his eyes focused on the lighthouse of the Damascus vision.
The Apostle Paul looked to the leading of the Holy Spirit for daily guidance. For example, the Holy Spirit did not give him permission to move into Asia or Bithynia, but then gave him a vision for Macedonia. Paul’s Macedonian calling was a short-term purpose that fit his lifelong vision to turn the Gentiles from darkness to light. He learned to “play it by ear” with daily goals because his ear was in tune with the Spirit. He wasn’t sure how long he would stay in Derbe, Iconium and Lystra. In fact he had to be evacuated out of most of his “fields” during his first term. Through eyes of faith Paul still had daily leading because of his lifelong vision.
As missionaries, our daily “to-do” lists can be planned but must also be flexible and open to change. Who we witness to partly depends on who the Lord leads our way. What we teach in a Bible college class depends on how well students understood the last lesson. Daily activities for an administrator depends on which problems come up that day. But daily action always needs to be guided by the lighthouse of a lifelong vision. We need to ask the Lord to rekindle and sharpen our lifelong vision. There are still four billion people in the world who are outside of the family of God and about two billion who have little chance of hearing the Good News. Over one billion so-called Christians urgently need to grow in grace. God’s unchanging ultimate purpose acts as a lighthouse in a world of shifting currents and waves. We can be enthusiastic as we prayerfully reflect on daily vision because we know that it leads to an eternal vision of the Kingdom of God.
Dear missionary, if you are like me, there are times when you feel like quitting, wondering if it’s all worthwhile. It is easy to lose sight of the lighthouse vision when people aren’t responsive to the Gospel, when pollution levels and heat become unbearable, when cultural frustrations overcome us and when we long for the comforts of home and family. I pray that the Lord will rekindle in each of us a mighty lifelong vision. May His unchanging vision for the nations motivate and encourage us with a fresh sense of encouragement. In the midst of storms and crashing rocks on the shore, may a clear vision of God’s Lighthouse keep us rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction, fervent in prayer.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Dozing in Prayer Meetngs
I know in my head that prayer for world missions is of critical importance. Jesus commanded us to pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers, and the first missionary journey began with prayer. While I don’t fully understand the theology of prayer, I know from experience that God answers prayer. I suspect that I’ll be embarrassed for praying so little when I get to heaven and finally figure out why prayer is so important.
But if prayer is biblical, urgent and important, why does my mind wander during my personal prayer time and why do I become sleepy in missionary prayer meetings? As a new missionary serving in Nigeria the most difficult part of the day was not Hausa language study but staying awake in afternoon prayers. The heat was unbearable and I was still waking up from a much needed nap. We prayed for people I didn’t know who lived in places I couldn’t pronounce. But I knew I would get in trouble with the District Superintendent if I missed afternoon prayers.
If prayer is a ladder between two worlds, a breath of heavenly air, and a telephone to the King, why do I doze in prayer meetings?
Strong faith leads to fervent and consistent prayer, while weak faith results in a guilt-motivated duty of going through the motions of prayer. I suspect that we neglect prayer when our eyes of faith have become near-sighted. Could it be that our prayers are weak because our faith is anemic?
Maybe the heart of the problem is that we don’t realize we are at war. The Church is fighting in two wars – an earthly war, and a heavenly war. We struggle on two battle fronts – the struggle we experience in this world and the unseen conflict between forces of evil and the armies of God. Prayer is the emergency phone call from weary and wounded soldiers calling the heavenly King for instructions, comfort, and reinforcements. Prayer is battle communication between two worlds.
Suggestions:
Missionaries, when you write prayer letters, include highlighted prayer requests and be sure to report on answers to prayer. Too often prayer letters tell about family news and exotic experiences but overlook the central role of stimulating people to pray.
Pastors and Church Mission Committees, ask yourselves if there is more you could do to stimulate fervent prayer for missionaries. Are there ways that you could encourage informed prayer in small groups, Sunday School classes, the Sunday morning worship service, and in elder and deacon meetings?
Christian, pray daily for missionaries. Consider using your computer to remind you to pray for missionaries each week. I divide the missionaries into seven groups and pray for one group each day of the week. Or use an old-fashioned note book to keep track of needs and answers to prayer. When you receive a prayer letter, update requests and praise the Lord for answered prayer.
For reasons we don’t understand, the sacrificial going and making disciples of all nations will not succeed without faithfulness in prayer. Can you imagine the impact that prayer could have on the world? Through eyes of faith, picture hundreds of millions of people who live in darkness finding the Light of the world. Picture churches around the world becoming salt and light in decaying societies. Prayer is God’s crucial tool for changing the world.
When you are tempted to doze in missionary prayer meetings remember that your prayers have a powerful influence on what is happening half way around the world; and amazingly, they also influence supernatural powers before the throne of grace.
But if prayer is biblical, urgent and important, why does my mind wander during my personal prayer time and why do I become sleepy in missionary prayer meetings? As a new missionary serving in Nigeria the most difficult part of the day was not Hausa language study but staying awake in afternoon prayers. The heat was unbearable and I was still waking up from a much needed nap. We prayed for people I didn’t know who lived in places I couldn’t pronounce. But I knew I would get in trouble with the District Superintendent if I missed afternoon prayers.
If prayer is a ladder between two worlds, a breath of heavenly air, and a telephone to the King, why do I doze in prayer meetings?
Strong faith leads to fervent and consistent prayer, while weak faith results in a guilt-motivated duty of going through the motions of prayer. I suspect that we neglect prayer when our eyes of faith have become near-sighted. Could it be that our prayers are weak because our faith is anemic?
Maybe the heart of the problem is that we don’t realize we are at war. The Church is fighting in two wars – an earthly war, and a heavenly war. We struggle on two battle fronts – the struggle we experience in this world and the unseen conflict between forces of evil and the armies of God. Prayer is the emergency phone call from weary and wounded soldiers calling the heavenly King for instructions, comfort, and reinforcements. Prayer is battle communication between two worlds.
Suggestions:
Missionaries, when you write prayer letters, include highlighted prayer requests and be sure to report on answers to prayer. Too often prayer letters tell about family news and exotic experiences but overlook the central role of stimulating people to pray.
Pastors and Church Mission Committees, ask yourselves if there is more you could do to stimulate fervent prayer for missionaries. Are there ways that you could encourage informed prayer in small groups, Sunday School classes, the Sunday morning worship service, and in elder and deacon meetings?
Christian, pray daily for missionaries. Consider using your computer to remind you to pray for missionaries each week. I divide the missionaries into seven groups and pray for one group each day of the week. Or use an old-fashioned note book to keep track of needs and answers to prayer. When you receive a prayer letter, update requests and praise the Lord for answered prayer.
For reasons we don’t understand, the sacrificial going and making disciples of all nations will not succeed without faithfulness in prayer. Can you imagine the impact that prayer could have on the world? Through eyes of faith, picture hundreds of millions of people who live in darkness finding the Light of the world. Picture churches around the world becoming salt and light in decaying societies. Prayer is God’s crucial tool for changing the world.
When you are tempted to doze in missionary prayer meetings remember that your prayers have a powerful influence on what is happening half way around the world; and amazingly, they also influence supernatural powers before the throne of grace.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
What Is the Cutting Edge in Missions?
Recently a mission “expert” was giving advice to a pastor. “Your mission program is good,” he said, “but it is rather traditional. You are no longer at the cutting edge.” He went on to say that traditional churches support long-term missionaries while cutting-edge churches support short-term missionaries, nationals or form church-to-church partnerships.
The internationalization of modern missions is indeed one of the most exciting movements of our day. This movement, however, has a long history and it didn’t just happen in a vacuum. It is the fulfillment of the goals and prayers of long-term missionaries who have consciously fostered the formation of national church leadership and missionary societies in the non-western world. Since the earliest days of cross-cultural ministry, missionaries who have given their whole lives to planting churches that are equipped to fulfill Christ’s commission.
God has used the efforts of “traditional” missions in such an outstanding way that today the numbers (and perhaps the spiritual vitality) of the non-western church outstrip that of the West. Because of God’s blessings, “traditional” missionaries have been effective beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Possibly the main reason they have been so effective is because they have taken the time to learn the culture, cultivate trust with nationals and learn the language well. The patient endurance of long-term missionaries is a critical factor in their success. I would like to suggest that the cutting edge of missionary strategy is still long-term missionaries working together with national churches to win the rest of the world. As we work in joyful partnership, we model the unity that God intended for His church and we become more effective in the task of world-wide evangelism.
God’s call to “go” must continue to be answered in every culture and era. If we ever dilute that call to simply “send money,” or merely travel during our vacation time, we will lose our sense of God’s heart for the world. Our missionary vision will be reduced to fund raising and mission tours. Of course we must help national churches to fund their ministries. But we need to help responsibly without creating an unhealthy dependence that robs churches of initiative and ownership in their missionary outreach.
Sent ones from every culture working together in loving fellowship worldwide form the most powerful strategy in missions. The cutting edge of world evangelism hasn’t changed in the last 2000 years!
The internationalization of modern missions is indeed one of the most exciting movements of our day. This movement, however, has a long history and it didn’t just happen in a vacuum. It is the fulfillment of the goals and prayers of long-term missionaries who have consciously fostered the formation of national church leadership and missionary societies in the non-western world. Since the earliest days of cross-cultural ministry, missionaries who have given their whole lives to planting churches that are equipped to fulfill Christ’s commission.
God has used the efforts of “traditional” missions in such an outstanding way that today the numbers (and perhaps the spiritual vitality) of the non-western church outstrip that of the West. Because of God’s blessings, “traditional” missionaries have been effective beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Possibly the main reason they have been so effective is because they have taken the time to learn the culture, cultivate trust with nationals and learn the language well. The patient endurance of long-term missionaries is a critical factor in their success. I would like to suggest that the cutting edge of missionary strategy is still long-term missionaries working together with national churches to win the rest of the world. As we work in joyful partnership, we model the unity that God intended for His church and we become more effective in the task of world-wide evangelism.
God’s call to “go” must continue to be answered in every culture and era. If we ever dilute that call to simply “send money,” or merely travel during our vacation time, we will lose our sense of God’s heart for the world. Our missionary vision will be reduced to fund raising and mission tours. Of course we must help national churches to fund their ministries. But we need to help responsibly without creating an unhealthy dependence that robs churches of initiative and ownership in their missionary outreach.
Sent ones from every culture working together in loving fellowship worldwide form the most powerful strategy in missions. The cutting edge of world evangelism hasn’t changed in the last 2000 years!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Thoughts on Theology of Leadership
Many people think that the world is divided into two groups – leaders and followers. Strong leaders are thought to be visionaries with powerful personalities and super management skills. They are extraverts who now how to make good decisions and know how to get other people to follow the their vision. Good followers are thought to be people who recognize strong leaders and follow them with enthusiasm.
Older research in leadership shows that among most animal species there is a “pecking order.” The corollary, they say, is that since animals dominate animals, people should dominate people. In the human species leaders get work done through followers. The old philosophy argues that “leaders know the art of inducing compliance.” Leaders are the kings, chiefs, rulers, generals or heads of state. With the “ruler” concept of leadership, a distinction between leaders and followers is crucial. This is a common but dangerous understanding of leadership.
Rethinking Leadership
Secular researchers are beginning to rethink leadership.
"Leadership is an interaction between two or more members of a group that often involves a structuring or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of the members. . . It should be clear that with this broad definition, any member of the group can exhibit some amount of leadership. "(Benard M. Bass. Bass & Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership 1990, p 20)
Leaders are people who influence people and circumstances. In an important sense every Christian should be a leader. Every Christian has been given spiritual gifts for the sake of influencing the Body! We all have a sacred obligation to take initiative to use our gifts to help change the world.
We are called a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).We often talk of the priesthood of all believers. We also need to talk of the royalty of all believers. We are all queens and kings! The dichotomy between commoners and royalty is not a biblical ideal. The status dichotomy between leaders and followers is unhealthy.
Leadership in the sense of “inducing compliance” is not a spiritual gift. The gift of administration in 1 Corinthisns 12:28 (kybernesis) is an important gift for guiding people, but it is not a gift for controling people. Administrators have been given special abilities by the Holy Spirit to coordinate maximize and encourage the gifts of influence in the rest of the Body. The gift of leading (prostatis) in Romans 12:8 is better translated the gift of giving practical aid to people in need. The doctrine of spiritual gifts undercuts the idea that a few people are born to give orders and the rest are born to obey orders. The doctrine challenges each Christian is to take initiative to use her or his God-given gifts to influence the body.
But human beings tend to either want to control people or to be passive and let others use their gifts. Some people have the tendency to rebel against all external influence and seek to do what is right in our own eyes. The Bible does not allow believers to be dictators, doormats or lone rangers. The Holy Spirit gives some believers the gift of coordinating, maximizing and encouraging the giftedness of others. Often organizations give formal authority to people who evidence the gift of coordinating maximizing and encouraging the gifts for the good of the body. We are called to submit to people who are given formal authority to coordinate and maximize the leadership gifts of others in the body (1 Peter 5:5).
Here are some possible implications for Christian leadership:
1. All Christians are called to take inituative to influence the body, thus in an important sense all Christians are leaders. It is not appropriate for a Christian to merely sit back and wait to be told what to do because he or she is merely a follower.
2. People who have the gifts of helping the body to work together toward a God-given goal need to be respected. The primary quality of for both people who have maximizing leadership gifts and those who have direct ministry leadership gifts is humility (1 Peter 5: 5b).
3. No believer has all the spiritual gifts, so all Christians in most areas of life must also be be influenced by the leadership gifts of others. Thus at times we are all followers as we submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21.)
4. Hierarchical structures might be helpful organizational tools in some cultures to coordinate people and tasks, but organization charts seldom reflect true influence, and they never reflect a person’s significance or insignificance.
5. A primary task of all believers is to fan into flame the leadership gifts of each person ( Timothy 1:6). The idea of superiority or inferiority of Christians is goes against the clear teaching of 1 Corinthians 12.
6. The only ruler in the Body is the Head -- Christ alone. The doctrine of the one body and many parts does not specify a gift called the head. (1 Corinthians 12: 12-20.) People were not intended to dominate other people in the church.
7. Planning, leading, organizing, and evaluating need to be functions of the whole Body. Spiritual gifts need to be organized and coordinated by capable administrators. Egalitarian leadership must not promote confusion but community.
8. Everyone is a leader, but people cannot merely “do what is right in their own eyes.” We are all held accountable to the absolute standards of the Word of God. We are commanded to work in a community. We are all leaders in a community of kings and queens, and directly to the King of Kings.
If you are tempted to be an autocratic leader, you need to be reminded that you are coordinators of the leadership abilities of the Body, and all have a direct connection with the Head, Jesus Christ. On the other hand, are you fearful of taking initiative? Then you need to be reminded that the Lord calls you to take initiative and be a visionary, dynamic coordinator of the gifts of the Body.
“The body is a unit,
though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body. . .
Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you is a part of it.”
1 Corinthians 12: 12, 27
Older research in leadership shows that among most animal species there is a “pecking order.” The corollary, they say, is that since animals dominate animals, people should dominate people. In the human species leaders get work done through followers. The old philosophy argues that “leaders know the art of inducing compliance.” Leaders are the kings, chiefs, rulers, generals or heads of state. With the “ruler” concept of leadership, a distinction between leaders and followers is crucial. This is a common but dangerous understanding of leadership.
Rethinking Leadership
Secular researchers are beginning to rethink leadership.
"Leadership is an interaction between two or more members of a group that often involves a structuring or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of the members. . . It should be clear that with this broad definition, any member of the group can exhibit some amount of leadership. "(Benard M. Bass. Bass & Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership 1990, p 20)
Leaders are people who influence people and circumstances. In an important sense every Christian should be a leader. Every Christian has been given spiritual gifts for the sake of influencing the Body! We all have a sacred obligation to take initiative to use our gifts to help change the world.
We are called a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).We often talk of the priesthood of all believers. We also need to talk of the royalty of all believers. We are all queens and kings! The dichotomy between commoners and royalty is not a biblical ideal. The status dichotomy between leaders and followers is unhealthy.
Leadership in the sense of “inducing compliance” is not a spiritual gift. The gift of administration in 1 Corinthisns 12:28 (kybernesis) is an important gift for guiding people, but it is not a gift for controling people. Administrators have been given special abilities by the Holy Spirit to coordinate maximize and encourage the gifts of influence in the rest of the Body. The gift of leading (prostatis) in Romans 12:8 is better translated the gift of giving practical aid to people in need. The doctrine of spiritual gifts undercuts the idea that a few people are born to give orders and the rest are born to obey orders. The doctrine challenges each Christian is to take initiative to use her or his God-given gifts to influence the body.
But human beings tend to either want to control people or to be passive and let others use their gifts. Some people have the tendency to rebel against all external influence and seek to do what is right in our own eyes. The Bible does not allow believers to be dictators, doormats or lone rangers. The Holy Spirit gives some believers the gift of coordinating, maximizing and encouraging the giftedness of others. Often organizations give formal authority to people who evidence the gift of coordinating maximizing and encouraging the gifts for the good of the body. We are called to submit to people who are given formal authority to coordinate and maximize the leadership gifts of others in the body (1 Peter 5:5).
Here are some possible implications for Christian leadership:
1. All Christians are called to take inituative to influence the body, thus in an important sense all Christians are leaders. It is not appropriate for a Christian to merely sit back and wait to be told what to do because he or she is merely a follower.
2. People who have the gifts of helping the body to work together toward a God-given goal need to be respected. The primary quality of for both people who have maximizing leadership gifts and those who have direct ministry leadership gifts is humility (1 Peter 5: 5b).
3. No believer has all the spiritual gifts, so all Christians in most areas of life must also be be influenced by the leadership gifts of others. Thus at times we are all followers as we submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21.)
4. Hierarchical structures might be helpful organizational tools in some cultures to coordinate people and tasks, but organization charts seldom reflect true influence, and they never reflect a person’s significance or insignificance.
5. A primary task of all believers is to fan into flame the leadership gifts of each person ( Timothy 1:6). The idea of superiority or inferiority of Christians is goes against the clear teaching of 1 Corinthians 12.
6. The only ruler in the Body is the Head -- Christ alone. The doctrine of the one body and many parts does not specify a gift called the head. (1 Corinthians 12: 12-20.) People were not intended to dominate other people in the church.
7. Planning, leading, organizing, and evaluating need to be functions of the whole Body. Spiritual gifts need to be organized and coordinated by capable administrators. Egalitarian leadership must not promote confusion but community.
8. Everyone is a leader, but people cannot merely “do what is right in their own eyes.” We are all held accountable to the absolute standards of the Word of God. We are commanded to work in a community. We are all leaders in a community of kings and queens, and directly to the King of Kings.
If you are tempted to be an autocratic leader, you need to be reminded that you are coordinators of the leadership abilities of the Body, and all have a direct connection with the Head, Jesus Christ. On the other hand, are you fearful of taking initiative? Then you need to be reminded that the Lord calls you to take initiative and be a visionary, dynamic coordinator of the gifts of the Body.
“The body is a unit,
though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body. . .
Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you is a part of it.”
1 Corinthians 12: 12, 27
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Evaluation: My Second Most Favorite Activity
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.”
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.”
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.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Beyond Cannibal Jokes: Teaching Missions in Sunday School
Many Sunday Schools do a great job of teaching missions. Evidence of success is seen throughout the whole church. Children are excited about a coming missions’ conference. Dozens of high-schoolers have had short-term experience serving in another culture. Almost 50% of the church budget is designated for missions. Every year three or four young people or families from the church are commissioned for service with missions. Church members remember to pray daily for missionaries.
A church with a vital interest in world missions will be a church with vitality in other ways. People with a personal interest in missionaries pray for current events in the world. It is also likely that their eyes are opened to the needs of people in their local community. Many churches seek out an international community near them. A strong interest in missions not only makes a difference in the world, it also makes a difference in the local church.
But when a Sunday school fails to teach missions, the whole church will suffer. Even a concerned pastor has little to reinforce his preaching about missions and must beg the congregation to attend the missions’ conference. Very few youth seem interested in being missionaries. Adult Sunday Schools become inward-looking and don’t want their activities to be interrupted by an unfashionable missionary. Mission giving declines each year. World missions is neglected as the church slides into lukewarmness.
Two problems will result if the Sunday School fails to stimulate world Christians and the church has no vision for the world.
First, the cause of Christ around the world will suffer. Missionaries will become less effective because of weak prayer support. Fewer missionaries will be sent, and less money will be given to build and strengthen the church around the world. What a tragedy! Over half of the world or more than two billion people have not clearly heard the good news. There are tremendous needs in discipleship and leadership development in many world communities. Jesus’ last words to his disciples was a command to be world Christians. What a crime if the Sunday School rejects Jesus’ command.
Second, the church will become self-centered and lukewarm. A church without a vision for the world will also be a church without a vision for the needs in the local community, and believers will stagnate in their own spiritual growth. Ministry opportunities revitalize and strengthen Christians. Supporting missionaries is not a burden. Missionaries supported by the church with prayer and finances are doing that church a favor! No church, no matter how small or how poor can afford to have a feeble missions’ emphasis in Sunday School.
The Challenge
It isn’t easy to cultivate a dynamic concern for world missions. Many families are so overwhelmed with their own problems that they can’t even begin to think of the needs of the rest of the world. Churches have so much debt from their own building programs that they don’t think they can afford sacrificial giving for the needs of the world.
It’s not easy to get the Sunday school concerned about the needs of the world. Many people feel uneasy watching the evening news vividly portray dozens crises around the world. The rest of the world seems to be an enemy. Foreigners smuggle drugs, take our citizens hostage, cause our banks to collapse by defaulting on loans, and produce unemployment through cheap imports. During a discussion on missions in a Sunday School class, one discouraged adult blurted out, “The world is crawling with foreigners!” Is it any wonder that missionaries on furlough are encouraged to entertain Sunday School classes with cannibal jokes and snake stories rather than challenge people to be world Christians.
Most people see their family and friends as the comfortable center with a hostile world all around them. But Jesus died for the whole world! It is sinful to be “ethnocentric”, believing that Jesus loves only me, my friends and my country. While it is difficult for people to see the world from God’s perspective one goal for teaching missions in the Sunday school must be to broaden our perspective. People who see the world from God’s perspective become world Christians.
The Next Step
Catching a vision for the Sunday School and the whole world is the first step. The next step involves prayer and planning for the Sunday School. Perhaps teachers could meet on a Saturday morning to discuss Sunday School and missions.
Begin with a time of prayer for the world and for the Sunday School. Challenge each other with the importance of having God’s perspective of the world. Some may read Scripture telling of God’s care for the nations. Others may tell of how the Lord helped them overcome ethnocentrism. Before the Sunday School can produce world Christians, the teachers themselves must have God’s heart for the world. No missions curriculum, no matter how good, will stimulate people for missions if the teacher is half-hearted.
Next, brainstorm ways to motivate an interest in missions for each age group. Here are some beginning suggestions.
Preschool
Some child psychologists claim that all children are creative geniuses until they go to school. Imagination is never more vivid than in preschoolers. The child has a profound intuitive grasp of the immediate world. While children may not be able to explain complex concepts such as evangelism, they can feel and express joy from hearing good news. It is easy for imaginative four-year-olds to picture a God who is everywhere at the same time. Literalistic ten-year-olds have more difficulty trying to explain God’s omnipresence. Preschool is a crucial time to begin missions’ education.
Missions education must be concrete. Avoid the symbolism of challenging preschoolers to be fishers of men. Delightful five-year-olds will take you literally and pretend to throw fishhooks into people’s mouths. Preschoolers have a difficulty thinking about time and numbers. To say that William Cary lived a long time ago may seem like a week ago to a five year old. To say that a billion people live in China is almost meaningless.
The heart of world missions is a loving God who wants to be our friend. Preschoolers can learn about the personal love of God. Children can draw pictures of doing loving things for others, make get-well cards for a sick child, pantomime how Jesus loved the children, or make up a story of a child who did loving things for other people. The beginning of missions’ education is the truth that “Jesus loves me” and “Jesus loves all the children of the world.”
Another crucial missions’ concept is that God is creator of everything in the world. “God made me! God made my mommy and daddy. He made the beautiful flowers and the children I play with.” As children begin to joyfully associate the God of creation with their beautiful world it will be easier to teach that God made all the people in the world, including foreigners.
Invite missionaries and missionary children to the Sunday School class. Children may learn more from the smiles, hugs and tone of voice of missionary visitors to class than they will from their stories. Informal teaching is crucial.
Elementary
I decided to be a missionary when I was in fourth grade. I saw a film about a missionary in China working with children who had leprosy. It struck me for the first time that God loves people who are not like me. Elementary school years may be the most important years for teaching missions in Sunday School.
Elementary children have experienced tremendous intellectual growth but are still not able to understand abstract concepts fully . They have potential for an empathetic understanding of people in other cultures, but may be confused with the idea that Jesus is the light of the world. The fourth grade boys in my Sunday School class had seen an object lesson about a flashlight that needed batteries before it would work and how this was a lesson of us needing Jesus in us before we can be a light to others. When I asked them to explain it, they mimicked Popeye the Sailor Man swallowing batteries before witnessing to friends.
Even though elementary children are literalistic, they are beginning to understand concepts of space and time. True stories of missionaries or heroic national Christians are powerful. Introducing children to real missionaries and missionary children is important. They are able to empathize with the needs of people outside of their home or school setting.
When one of our high-school students planned to make a missions trip to Latin America, I asked her to come into my junior boys’ class. She told about how she wanted to help the people in one village to have clean water and to hear about Jesus. She said she wanted to play soccer with the children in that village. The boys in my class got so excited about her missionary trip that they began to get extra jobs so they could have more money to put in the Sunday School offering. The guys made me write a note for the Sunday School superintendent saying that all the money was contributed by the boys and not by the teacher! They prayed for her every Sunday. When she returned, she didn’t have time to make a presentation in my class. All she could do was answer questions. At least two graduates of that Sunday School class are actively planning to be missionaries.
Elementary children are being exposed to a wide world. The Sunday School teacher can give the children assignments to more intentionally explore this wider world. Refugee families with children moved into our community. I asked the boys in my Sunday School class to become friends with a child in their school who was different from them. One of the boys came to Sunday School the next Sunday shocked to discover that a boy from Cambodia had never heard about Jesus. He became a cross-cultural missionary in the fourth grade.
Junior High and High School
Junior high and high school are the “best of times and the worst of times” to teach about missions. Youth are beginning to think realistically about specific decisions for their lives. Teenagers think more clearly about the purpose for living. This is a crucial time to emphasize missions.
Once I realized that God wanted me to be a missionary, I knew I had to make some decisions about courses I should take in high school, girls I should or should not date, and about the kind of college I should attend. I figured that I needed to learn to eat all kinds of food. The possibility of missions’ involvement motivated me to be a Boy Scout and to learn camping and boating skills. (I used these skills later as a summer missionary in the jungle of Peru.) I listened intently to anything that anyone had to say about missions. As a high school student I took a summer job working in the fields with Mexican immigrant farm workers. These were some of my first friends from another culture. I was deeply impressed with how much they helped me to learn Spanish and to hoe beans. They were my friends and teachers.
But adolescence can also be a difficult time to learn about missions. Peer pressure and self-consciousness become more intense. Temptations to be inward-looking and self-centered are greater than ever.
Sunday Schools can be a bridge between what teenagers are learning in school about the world and God’s perspective of the world. As students are required to read Time or Newsweek in a high-school course, the Sunday School class can pray through the magazines and follow the development of the church in those countries.
Much could be written about short-term missions projects for high-school students. Such experiences if rightly done can provide an earthshaking experience for youth. One high school student from our church went on a short missions trip to help with a building project in a poor country. When he returned and reported to my junior boys class he was obviously overwhelmed by his experiences. He was so emotionally moved by the poverty he had seen that he could hardly get the words out. This teenager will never be the same. He wants desperately to be a missionary.
When missionaries come to talk to a teen Sunday School class they should tell the specific steps needed in planning to be a missionary. Most of the time could be spent answering questions teens have about missions.
Adult
If adults are apathetic toward missions the rest of the church will soon become indifferent. Adults can set the tone for the rest of the church. Missions should be more than an elective in the adult Sunday School. Adults often become so overwhelmed with family and financial needs that they stop thinking about the needs of the rest of the world. They become so preoccupied with paying bills and rent or mortgage that the challenge of sacrificial giving for missions is seen as a threat.
Only a few adults in most churches are genuinely concerned about missions. Few see the world from God’s perspective. It might be good to do an informal survey of adults in the church to get their opinions about missions. What hang-ups do they have about missions and the church around the world? What responsibility do they think we have for others in the world? The missions program should then be built on these questions.
Bible studies can include the study of God’s plan for the world. Small groups can be challenged to pray for the church around the world. Many adult Sunday School classes have adopted an international student or a refugee family. One adult Sunday School class used their summer vacation to go with their families to a needy area of the United States to work and witness. Adult Sunday School classes can strategize about how to resolve tensions between evangelism and social action. They can make recommendations about the church budget and about communicating with church-supported missionaries.
What could be more exciting! If the Sunday School can become revitalized through a deeper understanding of God’s love for the world, the whole church will be renewed. If the church is renewed, the world will be different--in fact all of eternity will be different.
A church with a vital interest in world missions will be a church with vitality in other ways. People with a personal interest in missionaries pray for current events in the world. It is also likely that their eyes are opened to the needs of people in their local community. Many churches seek out an international community near them. A strong interest in missions not only makes a difference in the world, it also makes a difference in the local church.
But when a Sunday school fails to teach missions, the whole church will suffer. Even a concerned pastor has little to reinforce his preaching about missions and must beg the congregation to attend the missions’ conference. Very few youth seem interested in being missionaries. Adult Sunday Schools become inward-looking and don’t want their activities to be interrupted by an unfashionable missionary. Mission giving declines each year. World missions is neglected as the church slides into lukewarmness.
Two problems will result if the Sunday School fails to stimulate world Christians and the church has no vision for the world.
First, the cause of Christ around the world will suffer. Missionaries will become less effective because of weak prayer support. Fewer missionaries will be sent, and less money will be given to build and strengthen the church around the world. What a tragedy! Over half of the world or more than two billion people have not clearly heard the good news. There are tremendous needs in discipleship and leadership development in many world communities. Jesus’ last words to his disciples was a command to be world Christians. What a crime if the Sunday School rejects Jesus’ command.
Second, the church will become self-centered and lukewarm. A church without a vision for the world will also be a church without a vision for the needs in the local community, and believers will stagnate in their own spiritual growth. Ministry opportunities revitalize and strengthen Christians. Supporting missionaries is not a burden. Missionaries supported by the church with prayer and finances are doing that church a favor! No church, no matter how small or how poor can afford to have a feeble missions’ emphasis in Sunday School.
The Challenge
It isn’t easy to cultivate a dynamic concern for world missions. Many families are so overwhelmed with their own problems that they can’t even begin to think of the needs of the rest of the world. Churches have so much debt from their own building programs that they don’t think they can afford sacrificial giving for the needs of the world.
It’s not easy to get the Sunday school concerned about the needs of the world. Many people feel uneasy watching the evening news vividly portray dozens crises around the world. The rest of the world seems to be an enemy. Foreigners smuggle drugs, take our citizens hostage, cause our banks to collapse by defaulting on loans, and produce unemployment through cheap imports. During a discussion on missions in a Sunday School class, one discouraged adult blurted out, “The world is crawling with foreigners!” Is it any wonder that missionaries on furlough are encouraged to entertain Sunday School classes with cannibal jokes and snake stories rather than challenge people to be world Christians.
Most people see their family and friends as the comfortable center with a hostile world all around them. But Jesus died for the whole world! It is sinful to be “ethnocentric”, believing that Jesus loves only me, my friends and my country. While it is difficult for people to see the world from God’s perspective one goal for teaching missions in the Sunday school must be to broaden our perspective. People who see the world from God’s perspective become world Christians.
The Next Step
Catching a vision for the Sunday School and the whole world is the first step. The next step involves prayer and planning for the Sunday School. Perhaps teachers could meet on a Saturday morning to discuss Sunday School and missions.
Begin with a time of prayer for the world and for the Sunday School. Challenge each other with the importance of having God’s perspective of the world. Some may read Scripture telling of God’s care for the nations. Others may tell of how the Lord helped them overcome ethnocentrism. Before the Sunday School can produce world Christians, the teachers themselves must have God’s heart for the world. No missions curriculum, no matter how good, will stimulate people for missions if the teacher is half-hearted.
Next, brainstorm ways to motivate an interest in missions for each age group. Here are some beginning suggestions.
Preschool
Some child psychologists claim that all children are creative geniuses until they go to school. Imagination is never more vivid than in preschoolers. The child has a profound intuitive grasp of the immediate world. While children may not be able to explain complex concepts such as evangelism, they can feel and express joy from hearing good news. It is easy for imaginative four-year-olds to picture a God who is everywhere at the same time. Literalistic ten-year-olds have more difficulty trying to explain God’s omnipresence. Preschool is a crucial time to begin missions’ education.
Missions education must be concrete. Avoid the symbolism of challenging preschoolers to be fishers of men. Delightful five-year-olds will take you literally and pretend to throw fishhooks into people’s mouths. Preschoolers have a difficulty thinking about time and numbers. To say that William Cary lived a long time ago may seem like a week ago to a five year old. To say that a billion people live in China is almost meaningless.
The heart of world missions is a loving God who wants to be our friend. Preschoolers can learn about the personal love of God. Children can draw pictures of doing loving things for others, make get-well cards for a sick child, pantomime how Jesus loved the children, or make up a story of a child who did loving things for other people. The beginning of missions’ education is the truth that “Jesus loves me” and “Jesus loves all the children of the world.”
Another crucial missions’ concept is that God is creator of everything in the world. “God made me! God made my mommy and daddy. He made the beautiful flowers and the children I play with.” As children begin to joyfully associate the God of creation with their beautiful world it will be easier to teach that God made all the people in the world, including foreigners.
Invite missionaries and missionary children to the Sunday School class. Children may learn more from the smiles, hugs and tone of voice of missionary visitors to class than they will from their stories. Informal teaching is crucial.
Elementary
I decided to be a missionary when I was in fourth grade. I saw a film about a missionary in China working with children who had leprosy. It struck me for the first time that God loves people who are not like me. Elementary school years may be the most important years for teaching missions in Sunday School.
Elementary children have experienced tremendous intellectual growth but are still not able to understand abstract concepts fully . They have potential for an empathetic understanding of people in other cultures, but may be confused with the idea that Jesus is the light of the world. The fourth grade boys in my Sunday School class had seen an object lesson about a flashlight that needed batteries before it would work and how this was a lesson of us needing Jesus in us before we can be a light to others. When I asked them to explain it, they mimicked Popeye the Sailor Man swallowing batteries before witnessing to friends.
Even though elementary children are literalistic, they are beginning to understand concepts of space and time. True stories of missionaries or heroic national Christians are powerful. Introducing children to real missionaries and missionary children is important. They are able to empathize with the needs of people outside of their home or school setting.
When one of our high-school students planned to make a missions trip to Latin America, I asked her to come into my junior boys’ class. She told about how she wanted to help the people in one village to have clean water and to hear about Jesus. She said she wanted to play soccer with the children in that village. The boys in my class got so excited about her missionary trip that they began to get extra jobs so they could have more money to put in the Sunday School offering. The guys made me write a note for the Sunday School superintendent saying that all the money was contributed by the boys and not by the teacher! They prayed for her every Sunday. When she returned, she didn’t have time to make a presentation in my class. All she could do was answer questions. At least two graduates of that Sunday School class are actively planning to be missionaries.
Elementary children are being exposed to a wide world. The Sunday School teacher can give the children assignments to more intentionally explore this wider world. Refugee families with children moved into our community. I asked the boys in my Sunday School class to become friends with a child in their school who was different from them. One of the boys came to Sunday School the next Sunday shocked to discover that a boy from Cambodia had never heard about Jesus. He became a cross-cultural missionary in the fourth grade.
Junior High and High School
Junior high and high school are the “best of times and the worst of times” to teach about missions. Youth are beginning to think realistically about specific decisions for their lives. Teenagers think more clearly about the purpose for living. This is a crucial time to emphasize missions.
Once I realized that God wanted me to be a missionary, I knew I had to make some decisions about courses I should take in high school, girls I should or should not date, and about the kind of college I should attend. I figured that I needed to learn to eat all kinds of food. The possibility of missions’ involvement motivated me to be a Boy Scout and to learn camping and boating skills. (I used these skills later as a summer missionary in the jungle of Peru.) I listened intently to anything that anyone had to say about missions. As a high school student I took a summer job working in the fields with Mexican immigrant farm workers. These were some of my first friends from another culture. I was deeply impressed with how much they helped me to learn Spanish and to hoe beans. They were my friends and teachers.
But adolescence can also be a difficult time to learn about missions. Peer pressure and self-consciousness become more intense. Temptations to be inward-looking and self-centered are greater than ever.
Sunday Schools can be a bridge between what teenagers are learning in school about the world and God’s perspective of the world. As students are required to read Time or Newsweek in a high-school course, the Sunday School class can pray through the magazines and follow the development of the church in those countries.
Much could be written about short-term missions projects for high-school students. Such experiences if rightly done can provide an earthshaking experience for youth. One high school student from our church went on a short missions trip to help with a building project in a poor country. When he returned and reported to my junior boys class he was obviously overwhelmed by his experiences. He was so emotionally moved by the poverty he had seen that he could hardly get the words out. This teenager will never be the same. He wants desperately to be a missionary.
When missionaries come to talk to a teen Sunday School class they should tell the specific steps needed in planning to be a missionary. Most of the time could be spent answering questions teens have about missions.
Adult
If adults are apathetic toward missions the rest of the church will soon become indifferent. Adults can set the tone for the rest of the church. Missions should be more than an elective in the adult Sunday School. Adults often become so overwhelmed with family and financial needs that they stop thinking about the needs of the rest of the world. They become so preoccupied with paying bills and rent or mortgage that the challenge of sacrificial giving for missions is seen as a threat.
Only a few adults in most churches are genuinely concerned about missions. Few see the world from God’s perspective. It might be good to do an informal survey of adults in the church to get their opinions about missions. What hang-ups do they have about missions and the church around the world? What responsibility do they think we have for others in the world? The missions program should then be built on these questions.
Bible studies can include the study of God’s plan for the world. Small groups can be challenged to pray for the church around the world. Many adult Sunday School classes have adopted an international student or a refugee family. One adult Sunday School class used their summer vacation to go with their families to a needy area of the United States to work and witness. Adult Sunday School classes can strategize about how to resolve tensions between evangelism and social action. They can make recommendations about the church budget and about communicating with church-supported missionaries.
What could be more exciting! If the Sunday School can become revitalized through a deeper understanding of God’s love for the world, the whole church will be renewed. If the church is renewed, the world will be different--in fact all of eternity will be different.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Local Church and Mission Agency - Working Together
Look in on this email conversation between the mission pastor of New Life Church (NLC) and the director of a mission agency called Bread Company to the World (BCW).
To: Director, Bread Company to the World
From: Mission Pastor, New Life Church
Subject: Appreciation
I’m writing to thank you for the good interaction we’ve had with Bread Company to the World Mission about our missionaries Joe and Sally Kuhl. Our church here used to think that you were out to beg for money and steal our best people. We also thought mission agencies like yours were bogged down with needless overhead. So we decided to cut out the “middle man” and send our missionaries directly to the field. Boy, did we get in trouble! We had to hire extra staff here at NLC to handle training, shipping, visas, overseas banking and dozens of details we never thought of before. We didn’t have a clue how to provide schooling for the Kuhl children or language study for the parents. We couldn’t provide field administration, accountability or pastoral care. When the Kuhls arrived they weren’t part of a team and struggled to develop personal relationships with the national church. And guess what? They ended up using a lot of the services that mission agencies had put in place. We’ve learned to appreciate you folks at BCW and understand now why there has to be some administrative overhead.
To: Mission Pastor, New Life Church
From: Director, Bread Company to the World
Subject: Re: Appreciation
Well, thanks! I’m afraid that we mission agencies have been at fault for not working closely enough with churches like NLC. I’m so sorry that we didn’t learn to listen to each other sooner. We used to accept candidates even if they didn’t have strong references from their churches. When missionaries hit difficult times, we tried to help them but failed to communicate with their church. I’m so glad we now insist that each candidate has a home church, and we’ve learned to pay careful attention to your references. We also gained a lot of valuable input when our mission leaders spent a day with you and other pastors to listen to your vision for outreach. Our role is to help you fulfill the missionary vision God has given you for your church. I’ll send you a copy of our “end-of-term” evaluation with Joe and Sally Kuhl. We listed several areas where we need your advice on how to help them prepare for their second term with BCW.
The partnership between churches and mission agencies has not always been harmonious. At times churches have charged mission agencies with taking their people and funds while allowing little opportunity for local church ownership. Individual churches sometimes set up their own sending agencies only to discover the inefficiency of providing services and accountability.
I’m delighted at the growing cooperation between mission-focused churches and mission agencies. Mission organizations have been listening to sending churches, and sending churches have grown in their appreciation of the unique help of sending agencies. We need each other.
Throughout history sending churches and mission agencies have been wonderfully used of God to plant and nurture churches in every country of the world. The Bible illustrates the distinct but complementary role of church and mission. Mission agencies fulfill the traveling prophetic and apostolic role and churches carry out the local priestly and elder function. Prophets and apostles are sent out; priests and elders are called to local evangelism and nurture. The local church and mission agency form an interdependent bond, each needing the other and both included in the Church, the worldwide Body of Christ.
While harmony is growing, we could do more to strengthen the partnership and accomplish Christ’s worldwide commission.
Suggestions for Mission Agencies
* Collaborate closely with sending churches in the selection and placement of missionary candidates.
* Expect candidates from para-church backgrounds to take part in the life of a local church before sending them to another culture
* Ensure that missionaries communicate regularly with their sending churches and relate closely with the pastor and missions committee.
* Keep churches up-to-date on special issues as they arise, or from end-of-term evaluations.
* Create forums for listening to the vision of pastors and missions committees. Then find innovative ways to help them fulfill their vision.
* Suggest mission resources, sermon ideas and curriculum for pastors, missions committees, small-group leaders and Sunday School teachers.
* Expect missionaries to invest time with their churches while on home assignment, realizing that missionaries have a responsibility both to plant churches in another culture and to be a blessing to their sending church.
Suggestions for Sending Churches
* Teach God’s plan for the nations in every facet of the church, including the pulpit, Sunday School and small groups.
* Challenge church members with cross-cultural ministries, coming along side them to select a ministry, mission agency and location.
* Support home staff missionaries who amplify the effectiveness of field missionaries.
* Give freedom to the field ministry. Even mission agencies must allow flexibility in strategy for their field teams.
* Partner with the mission agency in the ministry of healing for missionaries who face burnout, frustration and depression.
* Expect regular interaction and prayer requests from those you send.
* Assign missionaries to Sunday School classes and home groups for consistent prayer and communication.
* Draw the whole congregation into prayer for missionaries. World missions is the joyful privilege of every Christian, not just those serving in another culture
* Honor missionaries on home assignment and those returning from short-term trips with opportunities to stimulate missions and enthuse the church with God’s plan for the world. Too often missionaries come home from life-changing experiences with no occasion to communicate their passion.
The Body of Christ includes both the church and the mission agency. When the two join together in harmony, the local church is richly blessed and together they become a powerful tool for influencing the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)