Missionary Confidential

Stuck in a Moment, Both Young and Old

The other evening we were invited to attend an outreach meeting.  Located in a place that has no evangelical influence for a 15 mile radius, we were encouraged to hear that the monthly service was drawing around 30 people.  But when we walked in the door, it became clear to me that we had stepped into a different time.  It was this nation’s interpretation of a good, old-fashioned tent revival.  And it couldn’t be more out of place.

At first I thought that maybe I was being too judgmental or too quick to think, “Hey, church isn’t done this way anymore”.  God forbid that I was trying to push current ministry or worship trend for trend’s sake.  Seriously, that not me.  But then I realised that it wasn’t that they weren’t modern, it was that they were speaking in the voice of another generation (the oldest generation, mind you), yet they hoped to engage the young generation, most of whom have never heard the Gospel.  Ever.  What I was witnessing was a generation gap.

As we were introduced to people before the service, it became obvious that the room was filled with people further afield from the general village or area (actually, there were people from the next county in attendance).  Perhaps three or four lived in the village.  It also became apparent that all attendees were believers and church attenders in their home area.  With the average age of 70 (and I’m being really, really polite here), we were some of the only “youngsters” in attendance, and, since we’re already saved, I believe that there were no non-Christians in the room.  Read More…

Being There

Now the questions begin.  “What’s your secret?” “How’d you do it?” “Why is your group growing?”

Things are beginning to happen.  “Green shoots” of higher attendance and participation at church are emerging that indicate possible fruit.  I use the word “possible” for two reasons: 1) I’ve been gardening long enough to know that just because your seeds sprout and start to grow doesn’t guarantee that an animal or pest will eat your planned harvest, and 2) I’ve been in ministry long enough to know that not everyone who indicates interest in the Gospel will follow through (think the birds and seeds in the Parable of the Sower).

Those in Christian circles around us have taken notice and are now pressing us for the answers why there seems to be an uptick in attendance and participation at church.  Our unabashed answer is always the same: “God”.  We’re His workers, but it really is Him.  We could replicate the same sequences of ministry from the last few years in a different location, and there’s no guarantee that we’d see the same results.  Or any results, for that matter.

This isn’t about a formula, a programme, or some magic succession of actions that equals a result.  Still, the Christian leaders press us.  “Yeah, yeah, God’s doing this.  Of course, I agree.  But what exactly are you doing?” they’ll say.  You can almost imagine their pen and paper in hand, like a journalist, ready to jot down the secret of (what they consider) ministry success.

I didn’t have an answer at first, and their quick diminishment of the Holy Spirit’s power in all this really puts me off.  Yet lately I feel that I’ve located the best way to describe the “formula” they’re trying to extract from me: “Being there.” Read More…

From the Missionary Blogosphere

A leading European newspaper recently asked: “What’s wrong with missionaries?” You’ll find the answers surprisingly supportive of us, especially Monday and Friday‘s responses.

Do we need to change how “Missions” is done? Dr. Michael A. Smith thinks so in this manifesto.

A third-culture kid gives their impressions about an American VBS.

What happens when friends from your field visit you in your homeland? Interesting insights and hilarious situations.

The debate over short-term missions continues.

Lose Yourself: What is Your Identity?

Of all the lessons that foreign missions ministry has taught me (and continues to do so), the top of the list has to be that we are shaped by our location and culture more than we realise.  Most anyone who has lived in a foreign country for a decent stretch of time would probably recognise how true this is.

When you meet a fellow Christian from another country, there are some great similarities and kinship that’s experienced through our Family in Christ.  It’s difficult to describe to others, but there is an understanding of what it’s like to press on with life as a Christian in this fallen world.  They know what you’ve seen, and usually understand how fellow Christians experience life.

Then there’s the point that you realise that their Christian experience has differed than yours.  Their “favourite songs” are ones you’ve never heard, or methodology in worship services is, well, just different.  Nothing wrong or sacrilegious, but jarringly different to your exposure.

Who and what you are surrounded by is bound to influence your perception and choices.  Even when I’ve worked with missionaries who are firmly resolved to not lose one bit of their “American” accent, actions or attitude, over time even they begin to start using phrases here that wouldn’t ever be used “back home”.  They don’t notice it, and can become alarmed when informed of this, yet for all their determination to resist, the phrase or action creeps back in.  Bear in mind that these are things that are completely inoffensive both here and to Americans, nor would they be anything wrong in God’s view at all.  They hear it used over and over again, or perhaps people here understand them better when they say that phrase.  It just happens, even if they purposely try to stop. Read More…

Transitioning From Fundraising to Tentmaking

We’re finally at the fork in the road that we’d always suspected was ahead.  After several years in the mission field, the fundraised portion of our finances are starting to dry up.  It would be easy to blame it on the economy, and for a few supporters I believe it is the case.  However, despite our best efforts to communicate, I’m afraid we’re becoming uninteresting.  Most all of our possible support contacts have been tapped at several points throughout our time here, just a few remain that have not been contacted and we haven’t made any new contacts in the States since we’ve been in the field the entire time.

We were well-prepared for this reality by several former missionaries, so it’s no surprise.  Though we’re not sent from a mission board, a lot of our Christian friends expect us to return around now to begin a year-long fundraising tour.  But, like most aspects of ministry, we’re rethinking traditional wisdom on how to proceed. Read More…