Missions

The definition of missions is changing. I recently returned from the Mission Exchange fall retreat where it was obvious that the upcoming generation of leaders thinks differently about the way cross-cultural ministry should be done. One speaker put it plainly. “To me a missionary was a guy in a four pocket shirt (guayabera) who traveled with snake skins and a slide projector.” He couldn’t relate. In a context of rapid globalization, where the world seems to be shrinking by the day, more and more students and professionals are saying, “Missions? Hey, I can do that!” They’re an eager workforce looking for the right project or missions-sending agency with which to partner, and when they can’t find one, they’re making their own. One pastor, Matt Chandler from the Village Church, looking to implement a business as mission model grew impatient with his denominational organization and started his own organization which is funding 14 missionaries and a handful of missions projects in several countries.

“To God be the glory, more workers in the harvest!” might be the reaction to the current situation, but such trends give this missionary pause for thought. The church today has, to a certain extent, adopted the current business mentality. For a project to be successful, it needs to produce quick and substantial results. ROI, or Return on Investment, a term ripped out of the business manager’s handbook, was thrown around a bit at the retreat. Donors are looking to see their dollars make a tangible impact on a community, so the funding of hospitals, feeding programs, orphanages, and even the establishment of Christian Businesses are becoming increasingly popular. Still, the question remains, “Is this the best way?”

My time here in the Yucatán has shown me that the work of a missionary is never quick nor easy. What may be able to be started through a project or an event must be continued through sustained process–biblical concepts applied to the cultural situation. This requires someone on the ground, an interpreter. This role was the one that the missionary traditionally occupied–studying the language and culture in order to reveal Christ and the Christian message through concepts that could be understood and adopted. I don’t put myself at this level yet. We have much to learn to fully understand the culture in which we are ministering, but I feel that we are making progress.

For example, these past two weeks I’ve carried on redemptive conversations in three separate settings, one a meeting to minister to a hurting woman, another a conversation about discipleship over lunch, and finally an impromptu chat with a carpenter at the local library. In each setting, through an understanding of the linguistic, cultural, social context, I was able to determine the relationship that the individual had with Christ, move them further along in the discipleship process, and, because I live here, follow up with them to clear up uncertainties or integrate them into the local Christian community. This doesn’t bring about the headline worthy results of a evangelistic crusade or a medical missions team, and often a cup of coffee or a chat on the beach doesn’t “look” like ministry, but statistics show that, over the long run, this is the most effective strategy (McIntosh, Finding Them Keeping Them, 1992:45). In reality, this is where cultural exchange happens, where we can study, share, and begin to understand one another. This is not to say that we are no longer preaching, teaching, or planning events, but we find that it is in the follow-up, the relationships that we find that we make the most progress toward discipling Mexico.

The “new” trend in doing ministry has its place, but we must understand the risks involved:

• Disaster relief, though a biblical mandate can lead to the creation of “Rice Christians” those that proclaim Christianity as long as the hand-outs keep coming.
• The construction of hospitals and schools require funding and resources that the host nation usually cannot provide and government instability can lead to such properties becoming pawns in a civil war.
• Business as mission, or the creation of Christian businesses overseas as a means of witnessing through Biblical business practices runs the risk of tying Christianity to capitalism and the possibility of major problems in the event that the realities of business causes the mission to pull up its roots and abandon the country in search of a more profitable location.

The reality is that incarnational ministry, “walking among the people” is the only real method to effect change in a culture. Programs pass away, and events come and go, but it is my hope that the presence of the missionary and the example of the ambassador of Christ in the cross-cultural context will remain.

Our last post is nearly a month old, prompting many of you to start wondering, “Just what is going on with the Godzwa family?” Well after a week of vacation at the end of May, June hit with a fury named ISUM.

I’ve enrolled at ISUM or Instituto de Superación Ministerial (Ministerial Advancement Institute) which is a month long module of classes that allow Latin Ministers to work toward their college degree in theology. The work is intense. We start at 7:00 AM and finish at 1:30, but we also have group projects and homework, homework, homework. Most days I’ve been finishing at 11:30 or 12:00 at night.

Of course, the question that can come to mind during this routine is, “Why?” “Why would I spend a month sitting in a classroom and working toward a degree that I already have?” Part of it has to do with attitude. I have a Master’s of Divinity degree from AGTS with a concentration in Biblical Languages. It’s a pretty substantial degree, as was the time that it took in order to earn it. Still, if I’m content to sit back and tell myself that I’ve arrived and that there is nothing left to learn, then my degree isn’t worth the paper it is printed on.

I believe that one signal that a person has truly received an education is insatiable desire to learn more. When I entered Bible College, I wondered what it was that I really needed to learn, going on to seminary I thought that I had some adjustments to make if I were to really get a grasp on things. Now, after 8 years of study of the Bible, ministry, and theology, and a year of Spanish, I find that my knowledge is only scratching the surface of what I need to know in order to meet the demands of inter-cultural ministry. ISUM is another way to add to the resources that I have accumulated at the same time providing opportunity for me to experience a truly Latin American education, right down to the language (no English is spoken here!)

Beyond this is the “superación” that comes from being with those ministers that lead the fellowship of believers here in Mexico. The time spent hearing their stories, of working with them, and praying with them brings us a bond that visiting their church on a Sunday afternoon simply cannot. It leads us to an recognize and appreciate the calling that these ministers have on their lives, and it leads them to see the gifts and abilities that God has placed within each of us as missionaries. This interchange can only lead to enhanced cooperation and a greater effectiveness in ministry as we are called upon to compliment and extend the work that these men and women are undertaking.

So, you may see a bit less of me online in the next few weeks, but know that what is going on in the meantime will yield true value for our life and ministry here in Mexico.