We have all heard the horror stories of short-term missionaries doing those terrible things that destroy the real work of God being done by long-term missionaries. Many of the tales are likely true. And true stories also could be told about long-term missionaries sabotaging the work of God by their own cultural or ministerial ineptness. However, length of time isn’t the main or most important issue.
On the other hand, we could talk about the much larger number of missionaries, short-term, mid-term, long-term, fixed-term, flex-term, or whatever-term who are doing an awesome job in faithfully fulfilling the Great Commission!
Perhaps we would serve God better by concentrating more on this truth of a much larger proportion and impact, and encouraging one another. These are the missionaries I like to hear from, hang out with, and serve alongside together.
Stop Telling the Horror Stories
Since when does length of time make for a real and good missionary, anyway? And isn’t it really the stories of pride, jealousy, and vision myopia that are the real horror stories to be told and confessed, even?
The term-length issue is not really an issue, rather it is a term of distraction at best. Sadly, it is used at times as a red herring to distract from really important matters that need to be addressed. Perhaps we should just stop talking about short-term, mid-term, and long-term mission endeavors altogether. Length of time has very little to do with success in missions in and of itself.
The predominant model in the New Testament is temporary and high-impact preaching teams, anyway. The issue is what we do. Let’s discuss this instead, and of course the why and the how, and be intelligent about it. But, missions is about doing. Let’s move on and move forward, and stop the rancorous trash-talking.
Start Crafting the Celebration Stories
Christian workers serving in a country for different lengths of time are going to have different concerns personally and in going about doing their ministry. Each will be accomplishing different short-term goals and long-term goals, but all under the ultimate goal.
Shorter-term and longer-term missionaries serve different purposes and carry their own potential for damage, depending on the context, the immediate goals, and the people involved. But the associated risk, pain and challenges are worthy of the mission of the glory of Jesus Christ!
Each plays a role and has value in its context. We need everyone and every approach, and both professionals and amateurs, and those in between. We do not desire either an elite over-professionalization, nor an ignorant radical-reductionism. We need all levels of ministry experience, biblical knowledge, training and cultural adeptness.
It Will Take All of Us
There are so many benefits in using all available legitimate approaches to get the Gospel out! There are benefits on the field and benefits in our churches, and these become multiplied the more we focus our efforts as churches to become strategic leaders in the mission of God. There is a lot to accomplish on the spectrum from frontier evangelism and church planting all the way to true healthy leadership development.
Being partisan over missionary term-length is not a superior way of doing missions, but an inferior way. It is neither commendable nor smart. We should be multi-faceted when it comes to using people and teams for varying lengths of time and purposes. We need all types of missionaries at our disposal to accomplish the work we have been given to do. This approach will result in much happier stories to tell, and more glory for Jesus, the Lord of the Church!
Good conversations can get challenging after the standard exchanges about family and career wrap up. But, dialogue need not be generic, or trail off in awkward silence. We can keep the discussion lively by asking more specific questions about the many interests and concerns we share as people.
It might be as simple as adding a twist to the standard family and career topics by backing up to earlier times such us childhood, getting started in life or one another’s first jobs. You might think about the person’s current stage in life. Listen for what is occupying his thoughts, or taking up her time these days, whether it is a matter of great excitement or great concern.
Whatever it takes, simply find out what people value or feel strongly about. Then take time to learn by asking good questions. There is almost always the potential for a most fascinating conversation.
Four Sets of Questions
Ask your new friend to tell you more about a particular event, accomplishment, relationship, experience or ministry dream. Personal storytelling builds a relationship, as we enter into one another’s lives. Keep the story moving along by asking questions about the specific people, setting, plot line, conflict and resolution. Stories are the most interesting things about us as people.
Ask the “how” questions. How did you go about accomplishing that, it sounds difficult? How were you able to handle that? How do you make sense of those events? Did this change your life or perspective in any way? How have you seen God’s grace or wisdom at work? Observing how people process allows you to ask more intelligent “why” questions.
Ask the “why” questions. I am curious, why did you choose that way? What led you to that course of action? Would you go about it the same way again? Even asking a series of non-annoying of “why” questions will pay off in deeper revelation and understanding of a person’s commitments.
To close out the discussion topic you might ask, “What has been most fulfilling or meaningful to you?” or “What has brought you the most joy?” Such questions open up the opportunity to listen for core motivations. And this is a great time to dialogue about ultimate meaning and serving the purposes of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God’s Purposes Do Come Out in the End
This is not a step-by-step guide, but a tool that allows for free flowing and Spirit-led conversations, using an unlimited number of questions. Thoroughness is not possible, nor the goal, rather relationship is the goal. This is about true interest in another person and celebrating God‘s working in their lives.
It is about sharing life and even revealing the same about yourself just as you are asking for openness from another. And by integrating faith questions all along the way you can serve both purposes of evangelism and encouragement, whatever the Lord chooses to do in your time together.
It’s all about relationship, whether you are building significant partnership relationships, or simply seeking to know others and share life with them, especially the life there is in Christ.
This short term mission trip costs about $18,000 for the team. Is it worth it? That compassion project will easily run $50,000. Is it worth it? Supporting the long term missionary family costs about $120,000 a year. Is it worth it? I believe it is usually safest to say that it is worth it--and more than worth it--most of the time.
Don’t Measure the Mission by the Money
How do we measure worth? It depends on what work is being accomplished, perhaps uniquely by this team, that project or the missionary family. It depends on the vision, values and commitments of the congregations involved. To be honest, it is difficult to assess upfront all that God will cause to fall out in His gracious plans for everyone involved.
When the question, “Is it worth it?” is brought up, usually that is not the main concern. It is simply the money, and not the mission. We devote way more energy to the money matters than the actual mission matters when it comes to doing mission through the local church.
Some say the money could be better spent supporting long term missionaries, short term teams, national Christians, relief efforts or whatever, and usually the whatever is closely related to the particular mission with which the one complaining is involved.
Arguments are made about how money could be spent more effectively, strategically, or wisely. But, we don’t know as much about these things as we think we do, so we don’t need to spend such an inordinate amount of time on them.
Besides, this assumes that there is a limit to the funds, which there is not. It also assumes that the goal is more monetary than it really is. We are to be good stewards of entrusted resources surely; but we are not the stewards of great importance we often claim.
Love the Mission More than the Money
Everyone knows that Americans love their money. In addition, American Christians also love one another’s money, being ever so eager to advise on the best use of it for God’s work in mission. In our churches, money discussions can make it look like we are very concerned about the mission, but often it is simply about being involved with the decisions surrounding the use of the money.
It seems like everyone has a better way to spend the money. But, money just isn’t that important. God already owns it all and can move it however and whenever He so desires. He can work without it and with it . . . and He does!
We are a successful people who also love the Mission of God. But, we err when we seek to measure spiritual results in human terms and with worldly reasoning on effectiveness, especially cost-effectiveness. We need to love the mission itself more than the money involved in the mission.
Give More and More and Spend More and More for the Mission
It is more of a privilege to have money and to spend it than we have yet realized. There is great encouragement all throughout 2 Corinthians 8-9; for example,
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. . . . And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. . . . He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Who are we doing this for? Not ourselves, but for the mission goal, for God and His glory. God gives us money to spend it, not to save it, or pretend that we are so wise in moving His plans forward with our skill at success in this world applied to His mission.
What if we just spent our money in God’s mission without over-thinking it? What if we just decided to do mission and spend the money, whatever it costs to get it done?
Not for Local Ministry
The eager visitor who was checking us out for her own ends asked, “Why do you think God put your church right here where He did?” Obviously, she already knew the answer; it had something to do with the ministry program she was involved with in the community.
I could barely begin my response before she began to educate me about God’s will for our church. I listened politely and attentively under the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit until an opportunity was my turn to speak.
Then, I started to explain who we are and what our calling was as a church, hoping I could win her over to the larger vision, and the vision of the team. She quickly glazed over and excused herself never to return to our church, probably searching out another place to plant her agenda.
This is a cynical way to tell the story of this ten-minute encounter with (if I got to know her) probably a nice Christian woman eager to serve the Lord. However, she is but one example of many misguided people I have met who confuse their personal calling with everyone else’s calling, or a whole church’s calling.
Not for Global Ministry
Many pastors cringe when the missionary shows up to speak. Unfortunately, in their passion, they often present their missionary project, agency, people group, or whatever as the most important and strategic thing that we all should be doing.
Then, pastors have to sort through all of the information, counsel their congregations, and direct them back to their broader vision and goals as a church. This is not as uncommon as you might think.
Part of the problem is that our prevailing practice of missionary calling is built on an overly individualistic understanding. A person receives a calling from God, then their church is supposed to confirm this and follow the person. The agency checks in with their church like checking on a resume reference, then hires the individual ratifying their calling and using that person and their churches to further their own goals.
When Churches Lead, People Will Follow
This illustrates why churches need clarity of vision and specific goals accompanied by clear strategic planning. It is when churches know their calling, where they are going and what they are doing, that individuals will be inspired and start finding their calling within their church’s calling. This is when ministry gets really exciting and a whole lot more fun.
Local churches should not function as clearinghouses for every good ministry idea that comes along. If allowed to be so, there are least a few every week that will accost pastors and church leaders. Some churches actually think being a clearinghouse is the path to unleashing ministry and influencing the world with the Gospel. But, simply promoting a flurry of ministry activity does not lead to long term effectiveness.
A church must have a strategic and compelling vision. This is what energizes people and focuses ministries for success. It leads to more fulfilling and effective partnerships. And it provides church leaders with more people coming up with more good ideas who desire to be guided more successfully in their work abroad and at home.
