Learning Opportunity

Sometime back I mentioned providing training in context. If you know of anyone who would like to learn how to understand culture, how to work in another culture then direct them to X-CULTURAL LIVE.

The Paradox of Decision Making

Talking with my brother the other day we discussed the importance of making timely decisions. My brother, who is a business consultant, made an interesting comment, saying, “No decision is making a decision.” In the context of our discussion he is right. Too many times, out of fear, sometimes we don’t step up and make hard choices. By not taking action we sometimes miss opportunities.

Then the other day I was listening to a sermon about David in 1 Samuel 21. David was on the run from King Saul and in his exile he came to a priest by the name of Ahimelch and asked for the consecrated, holy bread, in the tabernacle to feed his fleeing army. In verse 8, David makes the statement as justification for his actions “the king's business required haste.” The fact of the matter is David’s words were not correct. God’s business is seldom done in haste. Indeed, God’s business is usually very slow. Perhaps it’s because we are finite creatures and bound by the shortness of our time on earth that we wish God would hurry things up a bit. David misrepresented God’s working in his life and so it is with many of us when it comes to making decisions.

If you were to ask me what is the most difficult thing about serving God it is patiently waiting for God’s direction in my life. To “be still and know that I am God,” is often excruciating. I want to make things happen. After all, I’m not getting any younger; the clock is ticking. It’s tough for me to remember that, though I’m in a hurry, God is not. His work does not require haste.

Certainly there are times when God makes it clear that we should act and I believe it is wrong, perhaps sin, if we don’t move forward when we see clearly His will in a matter. It’s a lack of faith and trust in Him if we take no God directed action. However, do we have the courage to wait on God when opportunity knocks? Do we sometimes try to make it happen and spiritualize it by saying that “the King’s business requires haste”? Making the right decision is often a paradox. No decision is indeed making a decision. Sometimes not making that decision is not doing His will; sometimes not making that decision is allowing God to work out His will in His time.

Gift of Encouragement

When my friend handed me a card recently I was dumbfounded, even more, I was embarrassed. Inside the card were six one hundred dollar bills. When I asked why, he said that he and his wife had been praying about giving a financial gift to people who had invested in their lives and Sandy and I were one of those they wanted honor with a gift. Speechless, I finally squeaked out, “Well, thanks.” My response sounded so wimpy. How do you say to one of your closest friends in the world, “Hey, I know you guys love and respect us, but you don’t have to give us money to show your affection.” But I didn’t, and “thanks” was the best I could do and sheepishly put the card in my pocket. When I asked him if he wanted me to deposit through my organization so he could deduct the gift from his taxes he said no, “Just use it anyway you want.”

People give gifts for a whole host of reasons. This past week we sent a check to a family members daughter who graduated from high school. We hardly know the girl, but out of respect to the family we gave a gift. Some people give out of duty. I know some dear old people who go to church every Sunday just so they can pay their tithe. Some people give because out of guilt, others out of deep gratitude. For others giving is a business transaction and they seek those who offer the best ROI.

Paul, wrote this note to a donor church while he was in prison,

As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News….No other church did this….I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness (Phil. 4:15 – 17.

Paul saw the generosity of this congregation as an act of kindness, but more than anything else, he saw their deed of charity as a vote of confidence…an act of encouragement. I can only imagine the emotional and spiritual valleys Paul must have experienced; alone in prison, wondering if all this suffering was necessary. And then he receives a message, perhaps not a Hallmark card, but a note from a group of people who believed in him. Other churches had received the Good News from Paul’s preaching, but it was just this Philippian congregation who took up a collection for his physical needs. Paul said he didn’t need it, but he accepted it because he wanted them to receive a reward for their kindness.

I know there are many missionaries who read this blog. They, like myself, know that with every gift they receive it is more than just dollars for their ministry. Each donation is a symbol of encouragement. So, in spite of the awkwardness, even at times the distastefulness of receiving monetary support, at the end of each month I look at the list of those who have given financially and, though I see the dollar amount, I am more aware of those who have sent a vote of confidence. My prayer is that (a) I betray not that confidence and (b) God will richly reward their kindness.

Seeing and Meeting the Need

When our family lived in Kenya there was a woman in Tulsa who wrote and asked if there was anything she could send us? I was working on verse-by-verse Bible studies in Swahili and this dear lady, named Kathy, supplied me with commentaries for three years to help me in this project. She also sent regularly women’s magazines to my wife and comic books to my daughters. Kathy saw a need and met it.

Recently I mentioned in my monthly E-letter of a conference I was underwriting in Orissa, India. A church in Sherman, Texas sent me $1,500 to cover the cost. This congregation went beyond just monthly support, they gave extra to meet a need.



When I let it be known that a pastor in Kenya asked if I could find a used computer, Larry in California dusted off his perfectly good working IBM laptop and sent it to me which I gladly took to pastor Paul. Larry turned his outdated computer into a tool for God’s work in Africa.



While churches go through the process of determining if their congregations can support the ministry, people like Casey and Becky, Keith and Lorna, Tom and Judy, Allan and Edith, Jim and Diana, the Vangergrifts, the Martins and other individuals and families become monthly partners in the work. Like Gideon’s band of warriors, we are not large in number, but it's an army diligent in the task who see a need and do what they can to meet that need.

Analogy of Parenting and Missions

In a Q and A session in a Kenyan church one young man stood and read his question.

“You missionaries,” he stated, “come here and do some very good things. However, you live in nice houses and drives cars, but you don’t leave assets for the local church to build on so they can sustain themselves.” This man’s particular point was that they needed electricity on their church compound, which would be beneficial for them to start a nursery school. For a mere $4,000 the power line could be hooked up and they could generate some income for the church.

My answer to this veiled personal criticism was two-fold. First, I agreed that in the past some of us were shortsighted in our church-planting ministry. In hindsight, it would have probably been better if I had concentrated on building fewer quality churches rather than trying to establish many churches. Perhaps if I had concentrated my resources on establishing a quality Bible school rather than on trying to establish churches in the bush of Pokot and Turkana it would have served those regions better. But that’s hindsight.

Though I understood and accepted the critical analysis of the questioner, I took issue with his premise, i.e., that if we had helped them stand on their own they would be better off today. The problem for me 25 years ago was, and still is today, how much is enough? When does aid become dependency rather than laying a good foundation? I reminded the congregation that when I started working in the area there were not even good roads, much less electricity. My investment in every church plant, thirteen in all, was meant to help them get to a place where they could move forward on their own, not permanently underwrite their ever need. I also reminded them that as one who understands African culture, Kenyan’s always feel they are too poor to do anything on their own and that, in fact, they are many times unwilling to sacrifice to reach their own desired goals. I recounted the story how that in my days on the field people would drop one cent pieces into the offering plate but would pay the witchdoctor in the area a goat to ward off evil spirits. In today’s economy many of those in the congregation can afford cell phones and cars, but for some reason can’t come up with enough money to get electricity to their church compound.

While I admitted my failings as a missionary, I told them that being a new missionary is like being a parent; it’s on-the-job training. Like a parent, we learn as we go and often can look back at how we could have done it better in both raising our children as well as serving the church. Sometimes we did things right, sometimes, in retrospect, we could have done things differently. While I may regret some of my strategies of thirty-five years ago, I can take comfort that both my kids and the churches we established have a strong foundation for their future. A missionary’s or parent’s legacy should not be how much they provided for their children or ministry, but rather how much they instilled in them to go forward on their own.

Vulnerability as Strength

Standing behind his son’s casket, pastor Ngure spoke for at least an hour. John, twenty-five years old, hung himself two days before and there were a lot of questions that accompanies every suicide. Why would he do such a thing? What was so wrong in his own world that it would push him to take his own life? Many questions, no good answers.

The short answer -- the motivation for John to end his life was the breakup with his fiancé. The boy and girl loved each other, wanted to get married, but the parents of the girl opposed the marriage because their daughter was going to the university and John had only attended a technical school after high school. When the discussion broke down, John became despondent and even told his girlfriend of his plans of ending his life. The girl sent an SMS to John’s sister of his intentions two days before he carried out his plan. Of course all funerals are sad, but this was particularly difficult. The death of young person is tragic at every level, truly senseless.

As the service continued (it was three hours long) I was interested from an anthropological perspective, how Kenyan culture handles these situations. In America suicide is something one does not talk about; it’s an embarrassment to family. My friend, working in Japan, informs me that suicide can be an act of honor, resolving a conflict or a bad circumstance. This funeral revealed to me again how Kenyans view vulnerability as strength, not weakness.

People in the West not only do not highlight their vulnerabilities, they actively conceal them. Call it pride, egotism or even denial from reality, either way, most people in America and Europe will not show their weak side because it reveals our limitations. Africans, for the most part, do not mind sharing their frailties. Pastor Ngure talked at length about his relationship with his son, including the day before he found him hanging in the bathroom. He talked to the young people assembled, John’s friends, telling them that no situation, even a broken heart, is worth taking your own life. He talked to the parents, encouraging them to remain close to their kids and keep the lines of communication open, even as he tried with John. For an hour, along with a grieving mother, three sisters and a younger brother, Pastor Nugre revealed his vulnerability as a sign of strength. Incomprehensible behavior for me, respected by everyone else assembled.

Jesus belonged to culture that believed vulnerability was weakness, yet His Father allowed Him to die in a shameful manner on a cross to show the world His strength. The world has never understood vulnerability as strength, yet it was God’s way of providing salvation to His creation who disdain the idea of bowing a knee and asking for forgiveness. I am reminded of this truth, standing by a grave in Africa.

Going To Work

As my wife drove me to the airport she asked me if was excited about the trip.

“Not particularly,” I replied, “it feels like just going to work.”

If you have traveled very much in your life then you understand that after awhile the romance or excitement of going overseas loses its edge. The long layovers in an airport; the 14 hour flight from New York to Delhi; the sleeping in strange beds and eating local food becomes a part of the job, it’s no longer an adventure. Though I have visited forty countries I still get a bit anxious about customs, catching the right train and trying to figure out the exchange rate. Since I am in the ministry and don’t have a huge budget, my seat on the plane is 40J not 4A and a five star hotel is something I read about in the in-flight magazine while sitting in the back of the plane, knowing that the best I can hope for in accommodations is AC and a private bath in the guest house where I will teach.

Understand, I am not complaining. I love what I do, training and teaching others how to serve the Lord cross-culturally. If I didn’t I certainly wouldn’t subject myself to the long days away from family and the isolation of traveling alone for weeks at a time. The point is, it ain’t all that exciting.

Years ago a man told me that when he first heard me speak he did not believe in supporting missions or missionaries. He said that there was no way he was going to give his hard earned money for me to travel the world. He confessed that it was several years later, after reading my reports, that he understood that I was living anything but a life of leisure, fun and adventure.

There is a reason that 5% of the global mission force quits every year. Ministry is, and should be, a job. And, like all jobs, there are benefits, but there are also some negatives. Daily work is not always enjoyable, and compound the emotional stress of daily activities with dynamics of living in a culture that is not your own and it can be debilitating. I like what I do and thank God each day for the role He has given me for His kingdom work. But I don’t wake up each morning excited, going to work isn’t always that much fun.

Life Goes On

Arriving early Friday morning at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, the taxi was taking me to my friend’s house in Nairobi. My mind, of course, thought about that day, over thirty-years ago, when I first landed in Kenya. With my wife and two little girls, 5and 1 1/2 years old, the memory was, like all memories, bitter/sweet and sadly, it’s the bitter memories that cause an emotional stir.

There are certain things about the African culture that is difficult – the poverty, corruption and the sense that the people will never progress. One can blame these conditions on many things. The secularists will point to the World Bank, to poor education and tribalism. It’s no doubt some of these things are the cause of their lack of progress, but the underlying problem is a culture that is in its own prison of disobedience against God, which then translates into disobedience toward others.

The sweet side of my return is the fond memories of a house full of laughter when our daughters came home for their one-month school breaks to our home upcountry; the many dear friends that were and are today, a part of our life and ministry. But even with those good memories, a cloud of sadness creeps in when I think of the many friends I worked with who have passed on, though with a silver lining knowing that they are at rest with the Christ they served faithfully in harsh and difficult conditions.

As my mind wanders in the thick of the morning traffic jam, a matatu (mini van taxi) passes. On the back window a sign reads, Life Goes On and I am struck by the simplicity yet profundity of those three words. As the leaders of Kenya work through the healing of a bitterly contested election which resulted in riots, the loss of property and 1,500 souls, the people try to go work and eek out a living because life goes on. The great expectations of the past are renewed once again and people move guardedly forward, as they must, because life goes on. Knowing that when I arrive upcountry I will be inundated with requests from people who see me as a resource to solve all their problems here on earth I will no doubt disappoint a few and my emotions will range from sadness to frustration, but life goes on.

Life goes on, and it seems to go by so quickly. I started my journey in Africa over 30 years ago; I cannot hope to have that many years ahead of me. So, as we weave through the congested streets of Nairobi, I anticipate the week ahead for good and bad to come my way. There isn’t a lot I can do about it, as life goes on.

This morning another matatu drives by, for perhaps just my benefit, and on the back was written God Provides.

Don't Cast Your Net, Pick Up a Fishing Pole

As I sat looking out over the Arabian Sea, my mind was absorbed with the little fishing boats anchored off the coast. What a tough job that must be, to battle the wind and the waves in such a small boat, throwing out the nets hoping to catch a few fish to eat and to sell. At night the fisherman do not rest, but the mend their nets and prepare for the next day’s toil.

I then thought of the class of faithful servants I’ve been teaching this week. Many of them told me about the persecution they have suffered their service to Christ in this region. In my class this morning I challenged them to quit trying to be “net fisherman,” but rather “pole fisherman.” My class is about knowing people in culture, not methods of evangelism and church growth.

The church has traditionally tried to reach the world with the Gospel by casting large nets – revival campaigns, VBS, radio/television ministries, tract distribution and showing the Jesus Film. Using those methods we pray for a few people to get caught in God’s net, but many escape, some swim away frightened, others angry and offended. I'm suggesting the better way to reach a nation for God is through building a relationship with those who live in our community, to fish for the souls of men, one at a time.

Of course this is not the role of the full-time pastor or missionary alone. In fact, its everyday followers of Christ who work in an office or factory and the community where they live who should be about the business of pole fishing. Being friends with those we live with, living a consistent godly life of integrity, without gossip or anger; by helping them in their time of need, this is the way of pole fishing.

To be a good pole fisherman you have to know the way of the fish – go where they swim, know what they feed on. This means that we, as fishers of men, must be, like our Lord, “a friend of sinners.” Christ came not into the world to condemn the world; He came with love and compassion that they might have salvation. And so it is with us. May we get out of the secure confines of our boat, i.e. the church, put away our nets and go fishing, each day we live.

Do The Work of an Evangelist

A few years back one of my former professors suggested I write a book entitled, “Reflections of a Cross-Cultural Evangelist.” I didn’t like the title as the word evangelist conjures up, for me, negative images. Today’s evangelists are those who usually have a gimmick, look like pro wrestlers or wear Treki uniforms. I don’t want to project the image of one who is forever thrusting a gospel track in the face of everybody I meet asking, “Are you saved, brother?” After my classes this week, however, I’ve been thinking about my role as a cross-cultural evangelist.

One of the assignments for my class is to read my doctoral dissertation on the social structure of the Kara Pokot. There are many things about the Pokot culture that is non-Christian such as drinking homemade beer, polygamy, female circumcision and going to the witchdoctor. Many students, down through the years, have taken me to task for not speaking out more forcibly about these practices. I am continually reminding my students that the study of social organization is not meant to correct behavior but to understand the worldview of people. There are profound reasons why the Pokot, and all cultures, engage in sinful practices. It is those reasons (I call “critical tension”) that lead an evangelist to speak to people about their relationship with God. I remind my students that most cultural practices are non-salvation issues. Yes, of course I do not condone genital mutilation, divorce, co-habitation, homosexuality and a whole host of other non-Christian practices (and other “sins” Christians don’t make a big deal of i.e., gluttony, gossip, covetousness, etc.) but they are issues outside the door of a transformed life. I’m concerned with the condition of people before they are redeemed, which makes me different from many who insist people act like Christians before they become followers of Christ.

While I indeed believe Christians have a responsibility to speak to the injustices of this world, Christianity, for some, has become, like our politics, issue oriented. In the process we have forgotten that abortion, though wrong, is not a salvation issue. What motivates me each day are the 87% of the 3.6 billion people in Asia who do not personally know a Christian. I’m trying to encourage the church to go out into the world and not only to meet people outside the faith but, like our Lord, be a friend of sinners. You will never be their friend by beating up on their behavior. You will become a friend when you learn more about them and build a relationship with them. Do the work of an evangelist, not an activist for a cause.

God Is Good, All The Time

I have for the past few days been thinking about the theology of suffering. Actually, the thought of suffering has come out of my appreciation for God’s goodness and blessing on my life.

The philosophy and theology of the Western church, as I have argued before, is a by-product of our capitalistic market culture, which has had its affect on the church worldwide through globalization. Whether it’s business, family or church growth, the measuring rod of blessing is predicated on things going right, expanding and happiness. A business that is small, a church that is struggling and a family who are tested are never models of the way things ought to be. While most evangelicals criticize those who preach “prosperity gospel,” the influence of capitalism on our collective psyche that might equals right is profound. “God is good…all the time. All the time…God is good” is a common Christian cliché, but do we believe it? Has the philosophy of the Protestant work ethic become so out of balance that our pursuit of material success has overshadowed God’s perspective of His blessings? Indeed, would I recognize God’s blessing if things were not going well?

Mike Wells tells the story of receiving two Christmas cards. The first one goes like this.

Dear Friends,

This past year Bob received a big promotion. We were finally able to build that dream house we’ve always wanted. I must admit, it’s challenging to clean six bathrooms. Our son has a successful law practice, our daughter was granted a full scholarship at Stanford. Our grandson, who is four, is reading like a six year old and the doctor says he is a genius. It was a hot summer and we were able to take vacation to the French Riviera to escape the heat. Isn’t God good.

The other Christmas card...

Dear Friends,

In our little town the plant shut down this past year. Many people have lost their jobs and it has greatly affected our income, but we are managing. We went through a difficult time with sickness recently, but we are grateful that our health is being restored. Our Down’s Syndrome daughter, who they said would never read, is now learning a few words. This morning there was a terrible storm came through, but after it passed the birds began to sing. The Lord reminded me that the storms of our life would pass too. Isn’t God good.

Well, of course, both letters can be a testimony of God’s goodness. The challenge to my soul is, if my life were more like the second card, would I recognize His blessings? And, if I am not careful, will I only see the testimony of the first as a measure of His goodness?

Common Struggles

I enjoy reading mission history. History, as I tell my students, is a study of Divine action in time. So, when I read stories of personalities who served in a different era I gain insights, encouragement and strength of those who walked this journey of missions before me.

This past week I read an article about a Norwegian Lutheran missionary by the name of Notto Normann Thelle who served in China for 40 years. His senior colleague Karl Ludvig Reichelt overshadowed Thelle’s ministry as he was the “upfront” missionary who did pioneer church planting, wrote books and was the celebrated personality who led the mission. Thelle was his assistant, who edited Reichelt’s books, was the administrator of the work and who, for the most part, always played a secondary role. Thelle was quite content to serve as support staff, but he had two struggles that I, and many missionaries wrestle with – a feeling of uselessness and loneliness.

USELESSNESS - Thelle did not have the theological training of Reichelt or other missionaries, and though he was busy running the mission, receiving guests and speaking at chapel occasionally, he always wondered if he was making a contribution for Christ and His Church? He struggled in the language, never quite feeling that he was communicating in a way that reflected the message he wanted to present to others. Even those who are active in primary ministry often feel a sense of uselessness, how much more so of those who have, seemingly, secondary roles.

LONELINESS – As an umarried man in his early years of service, Thelle lived a lonely life in the midst of activity. Even if one has a family, loneliness is often the burden of those who leave their home country to serve overseas. As I read of Thelle’s life of loneliness it touched an emotional cord that so many of my colleagues face each day. Nothing is more painful than the feeling of isolation away from family and friends.

The encouraging thing about Thelle’s story is twofold. First, that God does bless those who faithfully serve Him, even if the work is not readily noticed or appreciated by others. Happy is the man or woman who understands that no matter if others see our service to Christ, He does. Second, that the pain of loneliness is not unique to us. Our pain of isolation is not lessened by this fact, but at least we can take comfort that many that have walked before us shared a common struggle. What is important is that we remain faithful to our calling and press forward knowing that by our lives we are adding pages to God’s great narrative of His work here on earth.

Beyond Knowledge

Kevin Vanhoozer, in an article entitled The New Theologians: Creating a Theological Symphony writes – “The goal of theology is wisdom, not knowledge.”

It’s 4 a.m. in Delhi. Jetlag has me and so as I wait for daylight to catch a flight to Bangalore, I read random thoughts on wisdom versus knowledge. Vanhoover’s comment on wisdom captures the essence of what I want to accomplish in the next two weeks I will be in the classroom of DMin. students. Hopefully, knowledge is something I will pass on to my learners, but the greater task will be to transfer wisdom that is associated with that knowledge.

The three ingredients in attaining wisdom is knowledge, practice and Divine insight.

Knowledge is not necessarily cognitive dump, as some accuse the function of education. While it is true that much of general education are bits of pieces of information which may or may not be relevant to life, specialized knowledge is essential for anyone with a task to perform. Whether the subject be how to prune a tree or how to start a business, knowledge is vital.

Practice is the second element preceding wisdom. As Francis of Assisi puts it, "Mankind has as much knowledge as it executes." To posses knowledge without application is as useless as a third thumb. One of the great challenges of any teacher is to force the student to apply what knowledge he/she receives. If they cannot, or will not, practice what they have learned then the knowledge they receive will be added to the millions of other pieces of information they will amass in a lifetime that will fade as smoke on a windy day.

Divine insight is the igniter, the mechanism that determines when, where and how knowledge is best applied. The accumulation of knowledge, though needed, is not wisdom. Having experience, though critical, does not equal success. Apart from God’s impartation one is left with an intellectual empty suit or a mindless daily laborer, no matter what their profession.

Presumptuous of me, I suspect, to advertise my class as applied wisdom rather than applied anthropology. Pretentious, perhaps, to suggest on completion of my course the student will have unique insights for ministry and service for Christ. If, however, that is not what I, or any professor, can offer his/her students who sit at our proverbial feet, then all they can hope for is more knowledge that they will easily forget.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Supporting National Pastors

Though I have addressed this subject before, last week I received a message from a church asking my advice on supporting national pastors. The congregation has been going to the Dominican Republic for several years as part of their short-term missions project. The DR is one of the most popular destinations for short-termers as it cost very little to fly there, the weather is good and the population is Christian, though nominal and mostly Roman Catholic. One of the DR youth pastors is starting a church in a remote village and the U.S. congregation has been asked to take on his support. The leadership of the American church is willing, but the mission committee is hesitant. On the surface it seems plausible. We support North American missionaries for thousands of dollars a month to plant churches, why not a national for hundreds instead?

My advice to the congregation was not to support national pastors. Why?

The primary issue for me is one of dependency. When the national church receives outside funding there is no incentive for the local congregation to support their own church and no legitimate reason for the national pastor to teach stewardship to the new congregation. In the fourteen years I worked in Kenya we did not have an open-ended support program for pastors or evangelists. Though I worked with some of the poorest people on earth, when it came to starting churches I was very careful that they were started by men who:

(1) Felt a calling or leading to be a pastor. If there is a financial incentive for being in the Lord’s work, in a country where 50% of the population is unemployed, you run the risk of having people entering into ministry, not because of their commitment to the King, but a commitment to a 1,000 Rupees, Shillings or Pesos a month.

(2) Trusted God for their daily bread, not the foreigner. Missions, missionaries, churches in the states come and go, along with their pocketbook, but God, their true resource, never takes a furlough, never changes policy, never gets kicked out of the country for political reasons and never has an economic downturn. Nationals who trust in God for their resources also do not have to trust in both God and mammon, just God.

(3) Recognized that stewardship is not just for those who have disposable income, but even for the widow who just has two mites. The argument that the national church is too poor to do God’s work is not legitimate. Maybe they are too poor to have a nice building; maybe too poor to support their pastor, but that does not mean they are too poor to serve Christ. Some of our churches in Africa met under a tree for a year before they found the means to build a mud building. All of our pastors were bi-vocational who worked for a living but served God as pastors. Part of spiritual growth is stewardship, whether the person is living on a dollar a day or $75K a year.

Did I ever help the Kenyan church? Certainly. I helped pastors with their bi-vocational projects, helped churches with their physical needs such as buying corrugated tin for their roofs and helped start schools. However, I only helped in some projects after the fact, not as an incentive. I didn’t do it perfectly and made a lot of mistakes. But, after nearly 20 years of not being in Kenya, many of those poor churches and pastors are still serving Christ, growing and starting other congregations.

Lessons Not Learned

This past week I have been engaged in another type of service, taking care of my aged parents. My 87 year old dad, who has early stages of dementia, has been in the ICU of the VA hospital for the past five days and I have been spending a great deal of time shuttling my mom back and forth to the hospital as well as sleeping each night at their house. In-between moments of crisis I have been trying to prepare for a six-week training project in India and Kenya starting next Thursday. Its been and interesting few days.

The cubicle next to my dad’s room there was a young man, I’m guessing in his early 30’s, who is dying of lung cancer. As he lays there moaning, begging for more morphine, his wife tells me he won’t be going home. His family comes into the room to comfort him, but leave with tears in their eyes all too aware of the inevitable.

Yesterday I walked outside of the hospital and noticed this young man’s relatives outside as well. I heard one woman talking on her cell phone say, “Right now he’s fighting for every breath.” What took me back was they were all out there for a smoke!

Human behavior is amazing. No matter how much we are warned about the dangers of smoking, over-eating, alcohol abuse or any number of destructive habits we hold onto, we seem bent on self-destruction. Even seeing the agonizing end of a loved one does not motivate us to change our behavior.

My dad, who is now out of the hospital, was fastidious about his weight, quit smoking fifty years ago and has worked hard all his life. He didn’t always do things right in life, but he did learn some important lessons, lessons some people never learn.

A Good Friday Indeed

“Why do you call this Good Friday?” my Hindu neighbor asked me.

Evangelicals don’t recognize this day as much as Roman Catholics or Orthodox Christians. We certainly acknowledge the importance of the Crucifixion and death of Christ, but since we are a Sunday only lot, any religious activity that isn’t between 9 to 11 a.m. on the first of the week is outside sacred time for us. Thankfully the liturgical churches make a big deal out of ritual days (Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Pentecost), which gives the Christian church at least a few notable holy days beyond Christmas and Easter.

“Well honestly, it was not a particular good day for Jesus,” I replied. “This is the day that Jesus was tortured and then executed.” I didn’t go into all the gory details of that momentous day 2000 years ago; how that Jesus was beaten, mocked, hung on a Roman cross while the religious leaders of that day ridiculed him saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself.”

“However,” I continued, “Christians, remember this day as being Good for all mankind. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all people. While that Friday was not a good one for Jesus, it was a great day for all those who believe in Christ and have put their faith in Him as Savior.”

Mr. J. looked at me like my granddaughter does when I tell her something that she doesn’t understand. In the mind of a Hindu, the crucifixion is another myth about good triumphing over evil, with no real moral to the story. Then he said, “And Easter is the day he was reborn.”

“Not reborn, resurrected” I countered, knowing this story would be as ludicrous to him as was Good Friday tale.

“Jesus was not reincarnated three days after his crucifixion. While Jesus’ physical body expired He did not die, which is true of all people. Jesus resurrected His physical body three day later on Sunday, which we celebrate as Easter. His resurrection is important to followers of Christ because it demonstrates His power over death and gives us hope that we, too, will one day be resurrected. The grave is not the end of life or existence for Christians. Easter is the important day on the Christian calendar as it celebrates life, not death.”

Mr. J. passed away last December 11th, not really understanding the Gospel. Because of his question to me, I believe I will always hold this day even a bit more special. No, that Friday wasn’t a good day for Jesus at all, but it was a great day for all those who believe, even if they don’t totally understand it or can adequately explain it to others.

Defining Missions

The other day a former pastor wrote and asked me this question.

“How do you define ‘missions’”?

As I thought of a response, I realized that I have in the past defined what is a missionary, but not written much on what is missions. I have concluded that not everyone who shares the gospel is a missionary. They may be witness, a conduit for revelation, they may even be salt and light in a non-Christian country, but that doesn’t make them missionaries, in the professional sense of the word. But what about missions? What is it and how is missions defined?

If I am consistent that a missionary is a person who intentionally crosses cultural borders of ethnicity, language, religion, caste/tribe identification, then missions must also have those cross-cultural characteristics. I do not believe supporting a Bible College, youth camps, television programs or the local crisis pregnancy clinic is missions. Good causes indeed, worthy of church funding, but not missions.

Mission is different from Missions. Mission is rooted in Missio Dei, the Mission of God – making Himself known to all mankind, the process of establishing His Kingdom. Mission is Theocentric, to bring glory and worship to God alone through time and space, from every people, language and nation.

Missions, is a program of the church. And, like all programs, the activities of missions is as diverse as the church itself. Here is a sampling of missions:

Social Missions – Meeting the felt needs of people (feeding programs, orphanages, schools, etc.) The goal of the social missions is to demonstrate the love of Christ through works of social action.

Church Planting Missions – The deliberate act of going to an area to evangelize, baptize and disciple people and forming a fellowship where believers can intellectually and spiritually grow in their faith. This, by definition, is the basis for the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18ff.

Support Missions - Anything that supports the structure of missions, be it boarding schools for missionary families, language schools, Bible translation or administrators working in the corporate office. Team leaders, pastor to missionaries, mechanics, women and children ministries all fall under the category of support missions.

Facilitative Missions – This is a new category of missions that has emerged over the past thirty years. Facilitative missions is specifically training national church planters and missionaries, helping them in their outreach to the least evangelized peoples of the world. I do not include pastoral training in this category, as most of those ministries focus on leaders of an established congregation rather than on outreach. To be sure, every church should be engaged in outreach, but growing a church is much different than starting a church.

While church planting is the stated goal of a majority of missionary activity, most missionaries are engaged in support or social ministry. I cannot pass judgment on any of these ministries as God can and does use all of it to bring people to Himself. It’s my opinion, however, that more emphasis should be placed on intentional outreach ministries if the majority of the world will ever have an opportunity to hear the Good News message of Christ Jesus. When the focus becomes Mission, rather than Missions, then, and only then, will the vast number of unreached hear the Gospel.

STM Survey

In the most recent issue of Missiology: An International Review, there is an interesting report on short-term missions entitled, “They See Everything, and Understand Nothing.” It’s estimated that over 1.5 million U.S. Christians travel abroad every year on short-term missions trips, primarily teenagers and young adults. This survey of STMs is unique in that it focuses on seminaries and their STM programs. I will only highlight the findings of this survey in this blog, but encourage those who want to know the details to get the January 2008 issue of Missiology.

1. Number of STM abroad taken by MDiv students: None 49%, One 22%, Two 10%, Three or more 19%.

2. Length of STM abroad: 10-14 days 34%, 7-9 days 27%.

3. Cost of STM trips: $501-$1,000 23%; $1,001-$1,500 19%.

4. Portion of Cost Paid by self and/or parent: 0-10% 37%, 91-100% 19%.

5. Month of Departure: June 27%; July 25%.

6. Size of Group of STM: 11-15 22%, 6-10 17%.

7. National Language of STM Trip Country: Spanish 57%, Non-Spanish 43%.

8. Top 10 STM Destinations: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, United Kingdom, Costa Rica, China, Peru.

I’m interested especially in point # 4 as it reveals that most of the money raised for the trip is through support raising outside the person or family. Point #8 is interesting as well, that most trips are, for the most part, in the Americas. What does these statistics say to you?

Dreadful Missiology

I occasionally visit a discussion group of some independent Baptist pastors. It’s interesting as well as educational for me to read the issues that face today’s American clergy. Quite honestly, I don’t know how they do it as our society becomes less interested in spiritual matters and churches compete for the few in this world who are seeking answers to the basic questions: How did I get here? What’s the meaning of life? What happens after I die? In the quest to be relevant churches must have a full-service program for children, youth, middle-age parents and senior citizens. On top of that, the church is charged with taking the Good News of Christ’s salvation to the four corners of the globe.

It’s when the discussion on this list turns to missions that I, of course, become most interested. The conversation generally is about missionaries, such as what to do with missionaries who have retired or perhaps a missionary project they feel is doing the best work. Last week I was appalled when one pastor made this statement.

“We are now supporting a good number of nationals in the 10/40 window, and getting a lot of bang for our buck. They are overseen by Americans, and the number of souls being saved is staggering.”

There are so many things about this statement that make me cringe. While I can agree with the importance of working with nationals and applaud the focus to the most unreached areas of the world, the missiology of this comment is ghastly, at best.

First is the assertion that supporting nationals is more valid because one can get more done with less money. Known as the big “bang for the buck” theory, this line of thinking is only legitimate to bottom line capitalism. Cost effectiveness is a purely Western concept, not a biblical principle. From the outrageous cost of building the Temple in Jerusalem to the unseemly honorary gift to Jesus by a former demon possessed woman (Matthew 26:7), God’s economy is not measured by ROI. I feel sorry for all those people who supported Jesus with their material possessions, believing He would usher in the Kingdom, only to be dispersed at the foot of a hill outside of Jerusalem and seeing their investment nailed to a Roman cross. For sure, we need to be wise with our money, but let’s not commercialize the Great Commission any more than it already is.

The second comment from this pastor that pushed me over the edge was the comment that the national work was being overseen by Americans, which, by implication, suggests that the church is getting more bang for their buck because it is managed by us, not them! That is an absurd statement at so many different levels. Paternalism was the sin of our mission forefathers and is, unfortunately, still a problem in many countries today. The attitude that since the missionary has the money he controls the ministry (the perversion of the Golden Rule, i.e. he that has the gold rules) is the bane of the modern missionary movement. On the one hand this pastor is touting letting nationals do the work, but only if there is an American that can manage the ministry. How anyone could come up with such a dreadful missiology is beyond my comprehension.

Whenever I read comments, like the one on this pastors list, I realize how much work that needs to be done in educating the American church in missions. Good missiology is more than emotion, much deeper than a well designed PowerPoint or DVD presentation. I wouldn’t presume to tell a pastor how to do his job at the local level, but it seems to be okay for just about anyone to be an expert in cross-cultural ministry.

Training vs. Education

My last post was about missionary training and how much (or little) agencies dedicate time and money toward cross-cultural preparedness. Unless you are with the IMB the chances are you have had little to no training at all for the task of going overseas and doing ministry as a church planter, educator or administrator in a cross-cultural context. Most organizations accept missionary candidates through the old grid of Bible College or seminary. If these people are mission majors it is assumed they have the knowledge necessary to do ministry overseas. The problem is, there is a big difference between education and training.

I am a trainer. In spite of my brother’s protest that “you train horses, you educate people” I maintain my stance as one who trains people for cross-cultural work, not just educate (though that is a by-product of my training). How do I train people for cross-cultural work?

Research – There is no way a person can effectively communicate the message of Christ until they understand the people who are the recipients of that message. You cannot give the answers until you know the questions…you cannot know the questions until you know how to do quantitative research. I teach/train/coach people on what questions they should be even looking for in the context of a particular people group. You can teach ethnography, but when you train people in ethnography it becomes an integral part of missionary preparedness, not just a subject.

Meaning - All research is irrelevant until you answer the most profound question of all -- So What? So what if the people believe in having more than one wife or go to the witchdoctor or astrologer for guidance? Interesting that they have a statue of Ganesh in their house or give an offering of fruit to their ancestors each morning, but so what? If a missionary can’t distinguish between what people do from why people do what they do, they will hardly be effective in their service for Christ. You can educate people on what people do, but it is through coaching and training people discover the why, which answers the so what.

Educators know that much of what they do is filler, as Allan Bloom wrote about 20 years ago.

"...colleges do not have enough to teach their students, not enough to justify keeping them four years, probably not even three years. If the focus is careers, there is hardly one specialty, outside the hardest of the hard natural sciences, which requires more than two years of preparatory training prior to graduate studies. The rest is just wasted time, or a period of ripening until the students are old enough for graduate studies. For many graduate careers, even less is really necessary. It is amazing how many undergraduates are poking around for courses to take, without any plan or question to ask, just filling up their college years."



Missionary sending organizations that depend on Bible Colleges or seminaries to prepare people for rigors of cross-cultural ministry need to learn the difference between education and training. If we seriously want to reach our world with the Gospel we need to put more time and money into missionary training.