Is There a Missionary Support Crisis?

In my mind (and in the minds of many others) there is a coming missionary support crisis. Is it really a crisis though?

Cri-sis : an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome.

I wish I had the time to do the research necessary to bring even more clarity to what is happening with missionary support among Independent Fundamental Baptists. But alas, I do not have that time. If you just think with me a little bit though, I think we will come close to being on the same page.

Is the situation unstable? Absolutely. Because deputation lengths seem to largely follow economic realities, I feel comfortable saying that this is an increasingly unstable time for missionary support. People lose jobs, less support is available. The dollar loses value, current support is worth less. And so on.

Is it a crucial time? This is harder to say without significant research, but I think it could prove to be. With decisive economic changes potentially coming with increasing frequency, now may be the best time to decisively change the way we approach missionary support. A change now could change the way the economy affects missionary support in the future.

In the end, whether this is viewed as a crisis or not will depend upon what one views as acceptable. Is it acceptable to you for missionaries to spend up to 3 years on deputation (today's reality)? Is it acceptable that the length of deputation is continuing to increase without anything serious being done about it by most? Will 4 year deputation lengths be acceptable? 5? If so, no changes are necessary.

If deputation is supposed to be a time of testing or training, perhaps one would view these numbers as acceptable. But is there anything being tested that will ensure better field viability? Is training being received that will reduce attrition and result in increased fruitfulness? Are there not far better ways to test and train that would be much more field related?

If deputation is supposed to be a time to raise support and build lasting mutually beneficial relationships, then perhaps we should rethink our approach. Don't get me wrong. I am 100% behind our current method of raising support when it accomplishes these goals in the best possible ways. But the fact is that, unless changes are made, it will become a totally inefficient means of raising support, taking longer and longer to accomplish. Further, with churches supporting so many missionaries at such low levels of support, lasting mutually beneficial relationships are hardly possible (at least I've never seen it accomplished in a way that would satisfy me).

So, what should be done about it? Several complementary solutions have already been discussed on this blog. If you want to browse those, just click on the label "Missionary Support and Deputation". I believe that a comprehensive local church plan could be formulated which would meet current missionary support needs. In fact, I believe that many more needs could be met at the same time. However, before a plan is formulated, we need to know what we want to accomplish. What is our goal? Simply put (and without much thought) I believe this would be a good broad goal (without measurable milestones) which covers two areas of need and benefits many others:

Decrease deputation lengths while promoting increased mutually beneficial missionary-supporting church relationships.

Everything done must accomplish both of these to some degree. These are do-able. In comment discussion related to other posts it has been admitted that large scale (multiple local church) changes in this area would be very difficult to accomplish with such independent churches, without threatening autonomy. That being the case, it is nevertheless possible for each local church to impact deputation lengths for some missionaries while enriching the relationship they maintain with them. As more local churches take steps toward accomplishing this broad goal, the overall deputation picture will begin to change for the better. Crisis largely solved.

What part can you and your local church play in relieving this crisis? Perhaps more than you think. Be creative. Think outside of the box.

PS - you may notice that I haven't posted much recently. This is due to a position I just took in my church that constitutes a final stage in my pre-field preparation. I do plan on initiating a new writing schedule though. It will be less rigorous than when I began, but it will be regular (hopefully). Thanks for following and interacting.

These Weeks in the Mission Blogosphere

It has been a bit since I had time to include one of these end-of-the-week posts. As a result, this one will include good Bogosphere discussions over the past several week. However, I will not comment on them as much as I normally would.

1. Pragmatism in Missions: Missions Mandate provided a link to a very good article on this subject, worthy to be read. How much of our method is pragmatic? How much truly Scriptural?


2. Desiring God Posts: the ministry of John Piper, Desiring God, had several good posts. I cannot endorse a lot of what Piper puts out (such as his Calvanism and Christian hedonism), but his missions-related material is often good. I encourage you to read these posts: Bad Times are Good for Missions, 10 Ways to Help Kids Love Missions, and Piper's new book free for download, Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ.


3. The Best Way to Start a Church is to Start a Church: This is from The M Blog. It is a good post concerning obedience oriented education. Let me suggest that our education must be obedience oriented or it is not Christian. Remember: "Teach them to observe (obey) all things whatsoever I have commanded you."


4. Sending Church: Blogger, Larry McCrary, spends much time focusing on the role of the local sending church. He is in a series of posts on the subject. This post was particularly good.

The recent series here:

Urgent Need: Solutions for the Coming Missionary Support Crisis

1. Initial Post: demonstrating the facts behind the crisis


2. Solutions: an offering of several solutions for the crisis


3. Paul and Secular Work


4. Secular Jobs as Partial Solutions


5. The Missionary Support Model of Jesus

Coming Soon:

1. Single Male Missionaries, their contribution to the current crisis and to field effectiveness


2. Supporting Fewer Missionaries at Higher Levels


3. Resource: Mission InfoBank
   

Resource: Skype and Its Potential for Missions

I love Skype. We use it for all of our calling (in and outbound). It saves us money and has allowed us to do things we wouldn't normally have been able to do (like letting grandma see her grandson regularly via a free video conference). So, I have regularly promoted personal use of Skype.

What excites me even more about Skype is its potential for missions.

What is Skype? I am no expert, but here is my explanation. It is a VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) platform. This allows you to make 'phone' calls over the internet. All you need is an internet connection and the program (which is free to download).

What's the cost? Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls are free anywhere in the world. On top of this, you can purchase a local number and an unlimited calling plan. At the time we purchased all of this (about a year ago) it cost us around $60 . . . . for a year!

On a recent trip to an Asian country, we were able to log on to our Skype account and make and receive U.S. calls as if we were making local calls.

What is the potential benefit to Independent Baptist missions?

Many of our missionaries are already using it. It allows them to call home very affordably (even for free). It also allows home to call them with the same benefits.

That is how it is already being used. This is awesome! However, let's take it to the next level.

It is my experience that neither Independent Baptist missionaries nor IB laypeople are completely satisfied concerning their connection with each other. It isn't uncommon for missionaries to feel disconnected from the ministry of their sending and supporting churches. They can feel as though they are all alone. In some isolated fields, this can bring unnecessary stress and pressure. On the home front, pew-setters often feel they are disconnected from the work their missionaries are doing on the field. It is my conviction that connecting members with their missionaries is a key factor in mobilizing a church for missions. I believe it increases passion, sending, going, giving, caring, and much more. There are many ways in which this connection can be fostered.

Here is one of them:

Imagine a missionary on an isolated field. There aren't any working close by who are of like faith and practice. If it weren't for the connection he is able to maintain with his sending church, he would feel the isolation much more, reducing his overall effectiveness. But his sending church has taken many active steps to avoid this. One of the steps involves the use of Skype. The pastor voice and (when possible) video conferences with the missionary weekly. This allows him a way to affordably and very personally care for the member of his church that is working overseas. In addition to this, once a month the missionary joins the church for a Wednesday service. Part of these special services includes a video interview conducted by the pastor. During this time, the church can see and hear the missionary and vice-versa. There is also time given for some members of the church to ask questions or make comments. This part of the service is closed as the missionary hears and sees the church praying for him. The rest of the service is seen by the missionary on the other side of the planet.

This is a scenario that can be a reality in almost any church. Many already have the equipment they would need to make it possible. The rest could make the worth-while investment. Video conferencing would be possible for any missionary on a field that has high-speed internet access (which includes many fields that you wouldn't normally think of). Voice conferencing usually just requires dial-up access. There are many possibilities. It is not too difficult logistically Be creative.

There are some Evangelical churches that have already begun using it in the above manner.

Disclaimer: Skype to Skype calls are encrypted, and should be perfectly secure. However, Skype is 'closed source', and many have raised concerns over how secure it actually is. It seems to me that it is secure enough to use comfortably even in restricted-access countries (China being a possible exception). Because of Skype's 'closed' nature, it is difficult to be certain though. Right now third-party encryption platforms (such as PGP) are not able to be used with Skype. Again, I do not think it is anything to worry about. Certainly, there are less worries with Skype security than there are with typical emails and even phone calls.

The Purpose of the Mission of God

Our motivation for doing things deeply affects the way we do them, and the passion with which we do them. This is no less true for missions. Why do we go? Why do we give? Why do we stretch ourselves so? Why do some of us do little, or nothing?

Like with the first major question on this blog, my answer to these questions have changed over the past few years. The impression that I always received through preaching and teaching was that the primary motivating factor behind the Mission was that most of the world was lost and hell-bound. This is certainly a major motivating factor, but I am convinced it should not be our primary motivating factor.

There are many reasons that we sometimes get involved in the Mission, some biblical, some not. We get involved because we have compassion for people (Jude 22). Sometimes a feeling of debt may prompt our involvement as it did Paul (Rom 1:14-15). Perhaps pride sometimes motivates us to convince others of the truth of the Gospel (just to prove we are right). A sense of adventure has often been an underlying motivation for missionaries going to 'frontier' lands.

While there are many legitimate motivations for missions (like the first two above), let me suggest that they are not to be our primary motivations. Above all else, we go "for his name" (Rom 1:5).

Bible believers have long recognized that the end of all things is the glory and pleasure of God. Broadly, to glorify God is to draw attention to God as He has revealed Himself to be; to lift up His Worthy Name in worship and praise (and to get others to do it). Everything in existence and every action is to have that end.

• All things were created by Him and for Him (Rom 11:36; Col 1:16).
• He calls people and acts in history for His Name's sake (Ex 9:16, 14:4; Isa 63:14, etc.)
• "The praise of his glory" is the end of all aspects of salvation (Eph 1:6, 12, 14).

It is easy to tell what His goal is for human history by looking at how things turn out in the end. In the end, all of the redeemed, yea all of creation, are worshipping the Lord with an intensity never before witnessed (Rev 4:8-11; 5:8-14, 7:9-12). This is the glory He seeks and deserves. This is the end of all things. This is the end of missions.

Paul was driven by his debt and by compassion. But what drove Him the most (just look at his references to the glory of God in his letters), what drives God the most, and what should drive us the most is the glory of God among the nations. "For His Name" we go forth.

What does this do for our passion and willingness to sacrifice? I hope it increases them. It is one thing to sacrifice when only the good of man is at stake. It is another thing altogether to sacrifice when the glory of God is at stake. As Charles Keen has written, we must realize that the winner or loser in missions is not primarily man (though he loses much). The primary winner or loser in missions is God. Though He is certain to 'win' in the end, it is our responsibility to let Him use us in His Mission to see His Name glorified among all peoples of the earth.

The Mission of God is to get glory to Himself by redeeming to Himself a people out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation who will worship Him in loving obedience throughout eternity.

It is His Mission. The churches are His tools. It is our Saviour God's glory at stake. What motivates us? Are you motivated enough?

It will change the dynamics of your involvement in His Mission if you will grasp what it is all about. For "He is worthy of our children. He is worthy of our dollars. He is worthy of our suffering." (Keen)

Introduction: World Mission Mobilization

Is there really that much left to do in world missions? I don't think that any rational Independent Baptist would even ask the question. However, it may be that how we have traditionally approached the mission has left many gaps in world evangelization. Is doing things the way we have always done things the best strategy in every case?

As an Independent Fundamental Baptist I have been given an overwhelming passion to see God glorified world-wide through the means He has chosen - the evangelization of all the peoples of the world through churches planting churches. Personally, by the call of God, this has meant preparing for such a work among unreached peoples in a "closed" country.

There are many passions that I have which are related to this primary one. These form the foundation for this blog. Some of these passions include:

• informing Independent Fundamental Baptists (IFBs) of the remaining world task
• challenging them to think Biblically and strategically concerning the task
• mobilizing them to take the Name of Christ to peoples who have never heard it, in ways they may not have considered, with a passion they had not felt before, and
• providing resources that will aid in all the above.

I pray this blog will be of benefit to you and our movement, and will act as a catalyst for fulfilling our world mission. The next post will occur in a couple weeks. There will be major posts weekly thereafter, and more frequently as I see fit.