No one is arrested for serving in the name of Jesus.

No one dies for preaching Jesus.

No one is ridiculed for holding fast to Jesus.

Believing that America is a reflection of the rest of the world leads to the belief that persecution doesn’t exist.

Tags: Why Europe, Missions, Culture

This weekend, the media was ablaze with revelations of Catholic priest cover-ups, back-room deals, and secret hush-hush reprimands. It’s alleged that thousands of children (perhaps more) were subject to mental, physical, and sexual abuse by Catholic priests and nuns and the Roman Catholic church and in some cases the evil covered up. Secret tribunals were held where high level insider meetings decided the fate of pedophile priests, not the law. Could the Pope (then as Joseph Ratzinger) have known about some of this abuse? Some seem to think so and are calling for his resignation. As a missionary deeply concerned for Catholic people in Western Europe, along with the coincidence of moving to Portugal the same month that Pope Benedict visits I’ve been following these stories with fascination.

My thought has been during this entire episode has been how markedly different the strands of Catholicism and Christianity! The Roman Catholic structure, pomp, secrecy, and institutionalization is no where to be found in the pages of the New Testament. The power wielded by the few and the ignorance of the many was not the way Jesus instituted His church nor is it the way his apostles served the church. With all the talk of evangelizing the “unreached” among mission circles I wonder if evangelizing the “lied-to” isn’t as important? Stopping this distortion of Jesus, the church, and scripture was just as important a command as was going into all the world and making disciples. In fact one shouldn’t be done without the other. Roman Catholics are dying without the Gospel and that means it’s time to contend for the Faith. From 2 Timothy 4:1-4:

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Jude 1:3:

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.”

Philippians 1:27:

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel...”

Lastly from Acts 20:25-32:

“’Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.’‘Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.’”

Tags: Roman Catholic, Missions, Why Europe

Earlier in the week, a friend sent me a link to J.D. Payne’s blog “Missiologically Thinking” about the #1 critical issue facing North American church planters. Care to take a guess? Yep, money. In fact you could easily substitute North American church planters for missionaries, foreign ministers, foreign church planters, inner city workers, itinerant preachers or any other Gospel worker who isn’t serving a larger, established congregation. According to J.D.:

“Of all the leaders in the Kingdom who should receive compensation for their labors, missionaries rank at the top of the list. These church planters are on the front lines of Kingdom advancement, laboring in trenches where the enemy is the most ferocious. There is clear biblical support that speaks on matters related to supporting those doing such apostolic labors. Therefore, I want you to know that I fully believe that is good and proper to provide financial support to missionaries.”

As one currently raising financial support for foreign service I wholeheartedly agree with J.D.’s assessment. Last week I let my emotions get the best of me on another bloggers post forcing me to issue an apology on his blog and then write through it here. The tone might have been a bit whiney but the sentiment was correct. Something is wrong when many American preachers make a comfortable living and foreign servants facing the front lines have to take a vow of poverty to extend the kingdom. Yet, this week I was reminded of something that I had almost forgotten in the melee of emotion...from theartistfarm.com “What Truly Wealthy People Know About Money:

“In the deepest sense money isn’t real. It’s true. Intrinsically it has no real value. It’s just a fancy piece of paper. If you were to take our money to an alien world what could you use it for? Money is simply a mutually agreed upon token we use to exchange for things that provide REAL VALUE to us like food, community, comfort and shelter. It is the thing we buy with money or the thing people buy from us that has actual value.”

(I’m speaking mainly to my missionary colleagues here) Didn’t Jesus tell us not to worry? Didn’t Jesus say our heavenly father would provide? It is so easy to forget that money has no intrinsic value, only that it is used solely to barter for what people find valuable. If through our work we can extend what is truly valuable, what is priceless, that which money can’t buy we will never be without. Brothers, and fellow laborers, heed these words: “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:31

Instead of seeking money, seek to provide value in your preaching, in your counsel, in your friendships, in your care, and in your leadership. Trust that what you’re offering is so valuable that giving it away will always create provision. Seek the Kingdom first, and all else will be added to you.

Tags: Money, Missionary Life, Missions

In 2001 my wife (then girlfriend) convinced me to switch to Apple Macintosh computers. I had been working (and still am) as a technology expert using Windows based personal computers and had never personally used a Macintosh. Being so in love that I could barely spell my own name, I agreed and it (along with marrying that girl) was one of the best decisions I ever made. They say that once you go Mac you never go back... its true. We’ve been a Mac house ever since.

Last week I plunked down a wad of cash for a brand new 27” iMac. Despite all of the quality control issues they’ve had since December, Apple still got my money. Even though I could have saved $50 from a 3rd party vendor I bought directly from them. Even though I could have built a screaming fast Windows PC at similar cost I still chose an iMac. Why? And what did that teach me about being a missionary?

They make it their goal to offer the absolute best

From shopping, to components, design, and attention to detail, the experience of buying an Apple computer is saturated with the goal of selling the very best technology experience. Don’t believe me? Visit one of their temples stores. As missionaries, we must be utterly convinced that what we’re offering is hands-down the absolute best “product” in the marketplace of ideas. Nothing else out there comes close to a relationship with God through Jesus. Go ahead and sample any other philosophy you want, you will leave disappointed. I am convinced of this because of what I’ve witnessed in my own life; when missionaries believe that Jesus is the only way, people, families, communities, and cultures are transformed. If you need some fire-power, this book will help.

They use what they’re selling

If you’ve ever talked to an Apple employee you will know one thing; they actually use their own products. Back in November, Apple swapped out their old in-store payment system for one designed for the iPod Touch. It was important for customers to see that Apple used their own products. Talking with the Apple rep about my iMac concerns last week he described his experience with his own iMac so I could better understand the quality issues. Because of this, I listened to what he had to say. If you want to be eternally successful in ministry you’d better be using what you’re selling.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - Brennan Manning

They serve people well

Having been an Apple customer for nearly 9 years let me assure you, they are not perfect. Their products break, sometimes they’re dead on arrival, and I never buy first releases. However, the one thing that has retained my loyalty more than any other thing is that they have served me well as a customer. The saying is true, “Business is like tennis, those who serve well win.” As missionaries, this same sentiment should define our ministries also. We serve people well because we’re modeling our Lord Jesus who came to serve not to be served. This means that I work to make acquaintances into friends. I remember names. I make sure to contact people and be on time when we meet. I remember important events (even if I have to put the info into my calendar). Serving well means that my ultimate goal is giving people every opportunity to come to know Jesus, never hindering their journey, but allowing them to see him through me.

One lesson Apple will never teach

There is a lot about service we can learn from companies like Apple. The reason they are so successful is that whether they acknowledge it or not, embrace it or deny it, they are (in principle) practicing Jesus’ model of service. Yet while we can learn a lot from them, there is one lesson they can never teach. In sacrificial love, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. At the end of the day, this alone is the distinctive principle from which the rest must flow and one only the King of kings is qualified to teach.

Tags: Missions, Missionary Life

Missionary Confidential posted a link to a new Support Raising Solutions article from BodyBuilders.net called the Top 5 Support Raising Mistakes. It’s a fantastic article with a lot of helpful advice especially for those of us who’ve broken each of these at some point in our ministry. My favorites?

1. I prayed too lightly

WHY oh why do I not pray more?! When I pray…I see God work. When I don’t pray…it seems like His blessings dry up. So, why do I not pray more? I guess I am just a fool. To think I can plan my work and work my plan without bathing “the before, during, and after” in prayer is the height of arrogance and pride and shows precisely where my security is—in myself, instead of God. If I choose to sacrifice time in the prayer closet because I am supposedly too busy, I am literally shooting myself in the foot!

and...

#2. Put a $ on their forehead

I thought I could determine in advance what someone would give. The better off they seemed, the more I expected. Well, not anymore. I have been blessed so many times by the sacrificial giving of those who didn’t seem to have anything to give.

Well worth a read if you’re in the support raising season.

Tags: Missions, Money

Today the official website for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Portugal was announced and although I’ve been rather silent on the blog front for a few days, this caught my eye. Why should I care about the May visit of Benedict XVI to Lisbon, Fatima, and Porto and why should you? As you might guess, Portugal is a heavily Roman Catholic country with very ancient ties both to ancient Rome and to the vatican. It’s Roman Catholic population hovers somewhere around 88% while the evangelical Christian population sits at .08%. That’s a big difference! There are a number of reasons why his visit is important for Christians and missionaries concerned about Portugal and Europe:

• Ironically, his visit is occurring at the same time as our planned move.
• His visit will bring a heightened sense of spirituality to the country.
• The contrast between biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism will be clearly seen.
• Those seeking God will be open to listening for his voice.
• His visit will encourage a very down-trodden people.
• Christians in America will be able to see how desperate Portugal really is for the Gospel.
• The pope will leave yet the Lord’s church will remain to help people come to really know Jesus.
• Many young people will be reminded of why they left Roman Catholicism and be open to finding a better way.
• The veil of sin will be lifted and it’s perverted, soul-stealing lies revealed for all the world to see.

I remember all normal programming on T.V. was stopped as Pope Benedict was revealed as the new pontiff. I remember being in Ireland, another ultra-Catholic country when he was crowned as “head of the church.” I remember hearing the hopes and dreams of millions of Irish come crashing down when after a period of time the event was forgotten and life went on. And I remember having the opportunity over the next days and months to share with disillusioned Catholics the truth and hope revealed in Jesus, the real head of the church. I truly believe that the Pope’s visit is an opportunity but only for those willing to see it as such.

Colossians 1:18

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

Tags: Portugal, Why Europe, Missions

I figured that the numbers were bad but I didn’t think they were that bad. It was last September and we were sitting across the table from Paulo in Bélas, Portugal on a warm summer afternoon. We were discussing the state of Christianity in Portugal from the statistical findings of a nation-wide religious study with our director, my wife, and one of Paulo’s colleagues. The numbers they had discovered during their study were far lower than they had originally thought. In fact as I sat listening to Paulo’s translation of the conversation my mind drifted back to the support requests we had sent out to dozens of people and the stats we had posted on our website for thousands to read. Our figures were wrong!

As I’ve learned about myself and seen in others, we missionaries tend to run a bit on the dramatic side. We like stats and numbers, especially when they favor our cause because they make things sound dramatically urgent. However, we also have a bad habit of sweeping those numbers under the rug when things are not as bad as we thought. Admittedly, there have been times in my past when my desire to see ministry happen in certain places caused me to pay less attention to the details than I should have. As Ed Stetzer discovered in his Christianity Today article Curing Christians' Stats Abuse, I am not alone-

“Reports of Christianity's demise in America have been greatly exaggerated. While the main thrust of good research does indicate that the percentage of Americans who self-identify as Christians is declining, these data are not necessarily a bad thing. If three out of four Americans call themselves Christians, we are in big trouble. Three out of four Americans certainly do not live like Christians.”

Looking at the facts and choosing to be honest with the numbers about our ministry fields helps clear the air by getting the information right so that we can plan accordingly,

“In the meantime, bad and misinterpreted data must not convince us that organized Christianity in America is dead and gone. Facts are our friends. The facts tell us that the church in North America is struggling but also, in many places, growing.”

Several years ago, a colleague of mine pulled me aside and pointed out my tendency to be overly-dramatic. Years have passed but I still hear his warning to me: “It’s not simply drama, it’s dishonesty.” In our case, Portugal’s numbers were worse than we thought forcing us to revise our numbers, our materials, and our website down. Sadly, the Portuguese demographical study found that only .08% of the population claimed to be a born-again Christians while only 1/3 of the 84% Roman Catholic population regularly attended mass. Ironically, I’ve felt a weird sense of vindication ever since then... I’ve asked myself since that trip if the numbers had come back better, would I have had the guts to revise my numbers upward possibly threatening support for ministry? I hope so. Readjusting our numbers in order to be honest, not fudging them to provoke drama or coerce money is a hard lesson to learn. But honesty is my (and your) only option. What about you? In your materials, on your blog, on your website, and in your missions presentation, are you honest with your numbers?

Tags: Missions, Portugal, Why Europe

Is your family a mission-minded family? A new report on cbn.com asked the question of Ann Dunagan, Author of “The Mission Minded Family” to hear her thoughts for writing the book. Consider the following stats:

According to the latest Barna survey, only 11 percent of all churchgoers have been on a short-term missions trip. That’s only 2 percent higher than the overall percentage of Americans who have been on any kind of brief service trip. To make matters worse, the majority of those who have gone on a missions trip did so more than five years ago—

Interestingly, as missionaries in preparation, it isn’t something I’ve really thought about before. In fact, I’ve never thought about us as a “mission minded family” although this is what we are. Maybe it’s because foreign ministry is just a part of our DNA so we’ve never sat down to scrutinize it? I’m not sure. I wonder if we’re alone in this or if other missionaries feel the same way? Are you a mission-minded family?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Dear congregation,
This weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with around 40 people at the first ever KontaktMission Workers Retreat in Knoxville, Tennessee. This wasn’t a mega conference with thousands of people, vendors, key-note speakers, or publicity. It was a simple gathering of like-minded, missional people concerned about the Great Commission and willing to do whatever or go wherever because of God’s command. You should be proud because the things you are doing in your congregation and teaching from your pulpit God has used to stir up your members to risk everything to save some.

However, as I sat around the table and listened to your members stories, I was saddened to hear that too many of these people were not receiving any support from you, their home congregation. This is exactly the opposite of what we find in scripture. In Acts 11 Paul and Barnabas were teaching and ministering for a full year with success and growth in Antioch but in Acts 13 they were set apart by the Holy Spirit to be sent out from the Antioch congregation for their first missionary journey. How can it be that scripture shows one thing but you’re doing another? In fact, let me ask another question: Why would you rather support someone you’ve never met, haven’t trained, with unknown work habits, unknown theology, and unknown family life versus someone you’ve trained, taught, discipled, cared for, counseled, and watched their family, life, and ministry? Why support strangers when you can send from your own flock?

Another disappointment from my discussions with your members was the level of frustration they felt because you were not open to the Lord’s leading in establishing where your congregation should work. Many, many people I spoke with said that you had denied them support because their location choice was different than the mission committee’s choice. I don’t think it is wrong to choose a mission location but perhaps God desires a different location if he’s setting apart your people for a place or a people? Consider how Acts 15 would have turned out if the Jerusalem council had decided that the church was only going to work with the Jews and cut off Paul and Barnabas’s ministry? Some of your choices-by-committee are killing the missionary vision in places where the gospel is needed. Compelling cases based on need are everywhere because the need is great everywhere. Open your mind and expand your vision so that you don’t miss God’s choice.

John Piper wrote that “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” I believe that God wants to do an amazing work through your congregation but I also believe that you’re missing tremendous opportunities by overlooking your own people and never considering where God might be sending them. Is the exaltation of Christ and the unceasing worship of his name by all peoples the basis for your mission or has your missions committee decided on something else? If it's the latter, let me suggest you rethink and readjust. You might be surprised by the opportunities that arise.

In Him,
Kevin@outpoured

Tags: Missions, Church, Why Europe

Last September I wrote two articles about the use of flowery language using what I called “missionese” and today a conversation after worship reminded me of those articles again. I’m reposting them here in hopes of sparking thought and conversation about the use of this language and to bring to light the words missionaries are using to perpetuate bad theology. Enjoy!

Speaking Missionese

Being around the mission-sphere awhile means that sooner or later you’re exposed to a new way of talking and expression. The “missionese” spoken by and about missionaries is a derivative of “christianese” spoken by millions of Christian adherents especially those of an evangelical stripe. A few years ago Bel Air Drama Department posted a parody on learning to speak Christianese:



Unfortunately, B.A.D.D didn’t go far enough to teach us “missionese,” that strain can only be acquired through language immersion. The problem with “missionese” is that it is perpetuated by normal, well-meaning Christians who through their flowery descriptions paint mission work in celestial phrases. We missionaries are guilty of accepting this praise and then turning it around to describe our own work. Phrases like:

• “feeling called”
• “being led”
• “God laid mission work on my heart”
• “having a burden for...”
• “received a confirmation” and
• “the Spirit opened a door”

perpetuate the misunderstanding that missional ministry is something you must feel. J. Hudson Taylor once said, “The great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed” and I read elsewhere (although I couldn’t find the reference) “who needs a calling when we have a command?” I believe that there is a mentality within Christianity influenced by “missionese” that needs to be corrected. Not every missionary needs to be “led” or “called” only obedient. Not every decision requires confirmation, only opportunity and wisdom. Sometimes missionaries walk through doors that appear to be closed and stay put when doors appear to be opened. Missionaries and those that support them need not be super-spiritual people, simply obedient, humble servants obeying the command to go. So the next time you find yourself “feeling led” to do something for Jesus remember, Jesus “didn’t give you a burden,” he gave you a command.

Feeling Called

If you read my post entitled “Speaking Missionese” last week you will know that I believe the modern idea of feeling “called” to missions or “being led to mission work” in-spite of wisdom’s direction or giftedness and opportunity is foreign to the bible. For instance, I would seriously challenge someone’s missional calling to the jungles of Sri Lanka who is married with 3 children and taking care of their invalid mother in Ohio. However I also know that to deny the Holy Spirit’s involvement altogether would be foolish. John Piper had some thoughts on this very issue a few years ago. If you have any sense of a growing desire for mission work read his thoughts.

Is God Calling You to Give Your Life for His Sake and the Gospel in Missions?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

I found this map on IMB’s website a few months ago but just never got around to posting it. You’ve probably seen it as many times as I have but I keep it around as a reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing. That little country just north of Africa is where we’re moving, the lack of light is why.

Tags: Europe, Evangelism, Missions, Why Europe

As I noted in my first post in this series, one of biggest oversights in Christian missions is the lack of current event research taking place prior to missionaries moving to their locations. I’ve already covered the importance of getting to know the culture and understanding the cultural importance of food, but what about the day to day happenings and major news events in your target location? In the past, this idea would have been unthinkable; information travelled slowly and cultures were isolated pockets. If something happened on the other side of the globe it was days, weeks or even months before it was known elsewhere. Today however, technological and sociological advancements have revolutionized the flow of information. In the era of globalization and 24-hour news cycles global happening are literally a click away. For those of us preparing for missionary work, this means we don’t have a lot of excuses. With a computer and internet connectivity it is dead simple to integrate your target’s news stories into your daily routine. Read below and I’ll show you a simple way to set an automated news feed for anywhere in the world. Adding this to your preparation time will pay huge dividends for your cultural assimilation. I’ve been doing it for years and it has served me well.

1) For our purposes, we’re going to rely on a global news aggregator like Yahoo! news or Google news. All news organizations use the global news sources like Reuters, Associated Press, and Breitbart. These are the sources behind the sources but using these sites alone is too much work.

2) The next step is to narrow your news scope down to your preferred location or country. Go to Yahoo! News and type your target location in the search field as seen below. Keep in mind that news doesn’t hit the wires using one term. For my purposes, I have RSS feeds for “Portugal” and “Portuguese” which seem to grab most of the major news stories for Portugal.


3) Once you’ve pulled your desired results you’ll want to subscribe to the RSS feed (which stands for Really Simple Syndication) and add it to your favorite RSS Reader.


4) In order to subscribe to these terms you’ll need something that “collects” the RSS feeds. Some people have their RSS feeds updated in their favorite Internet browser- browsers such as Apple’s Safari and Firefox have RSS built in. Others like me use stand alone RSS clients for our subscriptions. No matter what platform, my choice for high quality RSS readers are made by a company called NewsGator. Their RSS readers are easy to install and use, well designed, and best of all free! (They’ve recently switched to an unobtrusive ad-supported model but are virus and spyware free for Windows users) NewsGator isn’t the only option out there but I’ve found them to be the best I’ve used. Click below for your particular platform. (No I’m not a paid endorser...just a satisfied user)


Following the news is another way we can get to know our target locations. This will make us better informed ministers, deepen our love for the people, and equip us in yet another way for the task of preaching the gospel. Happy reading!

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

As I mentioned in my last post, one aspect of cultural preparation often overlooked during the scoping process is the centrality of food. When we moved to Ireland after living our entire lives in California (punctuated by two years in Texas) we entered into a food culture that was completely foreign to our lifestyle. We had no idea what the Irish ate or more importantly how food nuanced our relationships with people. For instance, “calling ‘round” unannounced to someone’s house for a cup of tea and a “bickie” was *gasp* normal. Having tea, fresh milk, chocolates, and biscuits on hand for the potential caller was of utmost importance, yet to us this was (initially) highly intrusive. It took us a while to warm to the idea of having people drop in or go to someone’s house uninvited.

In Portugal, we discovered that meeting for a meal in someone’s house was unusual until a close friendship was formed. However, once considered “family friends” all bets were off. Additionally, we’ve found over the years that when visiting my wife’s aunt in Portugal it is offensive to not plan to eat at her house. Even when she was ill during our visit this past September, not eating with her was out of the question! Even sick with a cold, she proceeded to fix us a beautiful lunch complete with different meats, vegetables, bread, cheese, and wine. Food was a way of demonstrating her familial love for us although we wished she would have stayed in bed.

“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are” -

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

When we fail to consider food’s importance we unconsciously assume that all cultures see food as we do. This in turn dims our ability to speak into the lives of those we’re trying to share Jesus with. In other words, its difficult to share Jesus when you can’t share a meal together. What we eat, how we eat it, the quality and freshness of ingredients, who we eat with, where we eat and the time of our meals all play an important part in assimilation. While not the be-all and end-all, these are important ideas to consider during preparation not just after our arrival. Start now by reading blogs and books, buy a cultural cookbook, interview your national partners, carefully observe the role of food during your scouting trips, all in an effort to better understand and reach your adopted culture with the Gospel. It’s impossible to know the extent of food’s importance before arriving but it’s foolish to assume it has none.

One last important item...in becoming a Christian foodie don’t forget to have fun! Things always taste better that way.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Most missionaries preparing to move to a foreign country have never lived in the place they’re moving to and therefore (understandably) don’t know their target culture. There are exceptions to this rule of course; kids from missionary families, students from university exchange programs, or whose parents worked for multinational companies. Aside from the fortunate few who have lived overseas, the rest of us are on our own to learn about our future adopted cultures.

While it’s unreasonable to expect future missionaries to have lived in their target location, not preparing for our future cultures by doing nothing beforehand is unacceptable. Most of us know that in order to better serve a culture we must know that culture intimately, and we all acknowledge that the best way to do that is to and learn the intricacies of being __________. (insert nationality) However, many of us are playing a dangerous game of waiting to “figure it out” until we’re there, deepening the culture shock and threatening our longevity. I’ve even heard stories of missionaries realizing they didn’t like their culture after they moved! That shouldn’t be you.

As an American I realize the difficulty of breaking outside of our culture due to the sheer size of our country. Having lived in Texas for a couple of years-did you know you can drive for 12 hours straight in Texas and never leave? Twelve hours in a place like western Europe can take you through 6 or more countries! Moreover, many Americans are rarely apprised of current world events because there is so much going on here. In America, it’s unusual to hear about international issues on the nightly news-they only have 30 minutes to cover it all! Negatively, this American isolation creates weakened ministries for those who do nothing about it. Positively, cultural illiteracy makes prime cultural sponges out of those willing to humbly learn. My contention is that starting cultural immersion before leaving makes stronger missionaries, eases the transition, and endears us to the people we’re going to serve. If this is true, what can you do to prepare before you arrive in your new location? Let me offer some ways you can get to know your future culture where you are:

Buy a cultural cookbook and learn some recipes. Food plays a central part of everyday life in many cultures; it’s imperative that you know and like the food of your destination. Importing American food every month isn’t going to cut it!

Discover cultural food items and try them. This might mean you try a localized beer or wine, packaged cookies, unique sweets, or coffee brand, as scripture and your conscience allows.

Attend cultural events in your area. Are you moving to China? Visit Chinatown. Moving to Portugal like us? Attend as many festa’s as possible.

Learn what the popular sports are and get the hang of them. I found live Portuguese soccer streaming on the internet a few months ago and now I’m hooked.

Find local television stations online and sample them. This is a great source

Start language courses. Some are offered in your area, you can buy a course online, or check one out from your local library.

Read their news. Sites like Yahoo news allow you to filter stories down to a particular country then subscribe to an RSS feed for that term. You’ll get local news delivered to your RSS reader daily and be “in the know” on current events.

Whatever method you ultimately use, getting to know as much about your target culture before you leave will pay dividends in your ministry, lower your stress level during culture shock, and create cultural ties to the people you meet. They’re doing it with our culture we’d better do it with theirs.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

It’s no secret, American home improvement stores and auto-parts dealers thrive off of the Saturday ritual of the weekend warrior. Each weekend these stores transform into base-camp for millions of home and car improvement nerds who mightily announce at bedtime on Friday night, “I’ll have it done tomorrow by lunch.” After tucking into the “quick” Saturday job sometime around noon, these arm-chair experts soon realize that the vital nail, screw, pipe, paint brush, socket, paint remover, tie, flange, or bolt needed for completion is no-where to be found. Thus the frantic, unshaven, unbrushed, dirty, oily, and angry scramble to the store begins; destined to be repeated at least 3 more times that day.

Since this is how the vast majority of us “fix” our homes and cars, it’s no surprise to me that we approach missions planning in the same way.

When we left for our first international ministry job in Europe our cultural education and planning looked a lot like the typical weekend warrior. We thought we had a vague understanding of our target culture but in reality we didn’t have a clue. We had never lived in Europe, our history of Europe stopped somewhere in the middle 19th century, we didn’t understand modern European culture or politics, had only travelled around Europe for a few weeks, and to top it all off, were still newlyweds. To say that we were green around the ears was an understatement. Our informal attitude was that we would simply figure it out once we got there and it showed. We quickly realized shortly after arrival that we were underprepared and slipped into culture shock within days. We made pointless mistakes that should never have been made and put ourselves through unnecessary agony. If only someone had taught us how to better prepare for our international move... (Or if only we had listened)

Understandably, there are some things that are only obtainable in country and I guarantee that you will never become a cultural expert by reading blogs or books. In fact, scoping handled wrongly can produce arrogant and cocky people damaging our impact from the moment we step off of the plane. (and as a missionary myself, I know that no one wants that) However, the lack of preparation with which some have entered the mission field is nearsighted at best and negligent at worst. Having made the mistake of not scoping prior to our first ministry, and knowing that there are many missionaries prepping to repeat the same mistake with theirs, it is imperative that we take the time to more adequately equip. Over the next few posts I am going to teach you what scoping looks like and how to properly scope your destination. My aim is to 1) increase our cultural awareness, 2) help elevate our cultural effectiveness, 3) ease the transition into your new culture 4) and enhance the quality of our ministries. No, you won’t become a cultural jedi after reading this series but you will be better prepared if you give scoping a go. If we American missionaries all commit to studying our future destinations humbly and earnestly imagine the cultural impact we could make for Jesus. What a staggering idea!

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

I affirm what Jared Wilson said today "People will go to hell over this."

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

Not only those who believe it and becoming teachers, teach others to believe it, but those who gifted us with this other gospel. See John Piper's thoughts on the subject.

Tags: Missions, Christian Life

"Dress Code: Want to wear a Hawaiian shirt to your board meeting in Silicon Valley? Be our guest. But in Dubai? Not so fast. Here's how to look appropriate anywhere, from Indonesia to Italy"

Looking down at the pamphlet on the bench between my wife and I at the airport, the above line caught my eye. I've never seen anything in mass production like "Etiquette 101" before and we've been in dozens of airports through the years. I grabbed the little booklet and carried it with me on the plane to read. As I opened it up, I found out that it was a step-by-step travel guide on how, as an American, I can learn to dress appropriately when traveling in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, complete with instructions on how a women is to wear a properly wrapped Hijab in places like Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and cities like Dubai. Important stuff to know. I have to admit, in all my years of traveling I've never read or seen anything like it in an airport before, and there wasn't just one, they were scattered all over the terminal. When we were living in Ireland it was always a running joke between our friends on how many American tourists we could spot in city centre Dublin, not because they were obnoxious or unwelcome (most of the time), but because of the funny way they dressed. As one who speaks from experience, it takes time to become culturally aware of things like white sneakers and fanny packs!

Now that it appears that we Americans have finally become aware that not everyone dresses like us I started thinking of something similar for missionaries, Missionary Etiquette 101. When Americans travel to other places in the world we have an obligation to quickly learn the local customs, mannerisms, do's and don'ts, and fax-pas. Not because we're representing a nation or government, but we're representing the King. Our job is to be as attractive and winsome as possible, to, as Paul said, become all things to all people in order to win as many as possible. So, without doing something that contradicts scripture or is beneath our calling what are some things we should put on our Missionary Etiquette 101?

• Begin to think like a citizen of heaven, not of a particular country. Leave your localized politics behind.
• Learn their language in order to speak into the heart of the people you're serving. You'll never connect with the heart unless you do.
• Pay attention to the way people dress, talk, eat, socialize, discipline, mourn, celebrate, and play. This is called life and you need to learn how to live it.
• Never assume "the way I learned it is always better."
• Be careful to presume that you "understand" how they are feeling until you do. (This takes time)
• Recognize that you will always, on some level, be culturally different. Discover where you can be the same and where it's safe to differ without jeopardizing your ministry.
• Authenticity attracts real friends.
• Live as economically close to those around you as possible. Don't try to be someone you're not by faking wealth or poverty.
• Align yourself with the culture of Jesus as found in scripture then learn what cultural items you can safely acquire.

I know there are dozens, maybe hundreds of other things I could add to Missionary Etiquette 101 but these are but a few born out of personal experience. What would you add to the booklet?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Risk, as Seth Godin explained last week, is what keeps us from exploring new restaraunts choosing instead to stick with the same old chains. It keeps us at home instead of seeing the world, and as MissionalSpace mentioned, is the antithesis of safety.

"We have two options in life. Play it safe…tow the line…conform….be numbed down…slowly die and possibly still end up screwed in the end OR….Take the risk….engage the dream….come alive….tell a story….help change the world….and live a life others are secretly jealous of…..and leave the results to God. None of us are promised a tomorrow….none of us have 100% job security….none of us know whether playing it safe will turn out like we hope. I’d rather live and take the risk."

We missionaries are an odd bunch. For the most part we're not the sort of risk takers that people usually think of; daredevils, rock-climbers, sword swollowers, etc. We're not the circus freaks but we are risk takers. Missional living whether in your neighborhood or across the ocean is a risky venture. It demands all and guarantees nothing in return. We don't do it for fame or fortune, we don't do it for platitudes, we do it because of a deep sense of conviction, a love for people, and a love for Jesus.

But if God is sovereign is it correct to call it risk at all?

Tags: life, Missions

Stand to Reason posted an update today on new Muslim stats. Aparently, there are now 1.57 billion muslims on this planet. That is 1 in 4 people. How many of those actually adhere to the Islamic faith, or simply people listed as "muslim" because they live in an Islamic country remains to be seen. Whatever the situation, the statistics are sobering.

Tags: Missions

Somehow my opinion was overlooked for the Christianity Today question of the week. That's okay, I'll let it slide this time. The question posed to some of the leaders of American Christendom was "Should Multisite Campuses Be Church Plants Instead?" and there were a myriad of answers. Some said that they're still exploring the multi-site phenomenon, others said that multi-site is a prelude to full church plants, and others thought that multi-site was a proper funnel for leader grooming.

One striking thing missing in all of the answers however, was the international Church's perspective. I'm sure part of the reason was that all those asked were working within an American context but how do we as missionaries working in international contexts view this issue? Is the multi-site question an American phenomenon? In the two contexts that I've known personally, multi-site wasn't even an issue because the Church was so small. We were more like the first century Christians learning how to grow, mature, and multiply just to survive; there wasn't a debate on what to do with our girth because we didn't have any.

All of this makes me wonder how the first century church would have answered the question? Was there even a debate between church plants or multi-site? I don't think so... In fact I wonder if the whole debate is simply a product of the fractured, denominational American mindset causing confusion on the issue? If we weren't divided would we even wrestle with the choice to start another church or keep it close to the vest within our fold? Would we want to spread our congregation by adding another campus or would we carve some members out, raise up some leaders and start a new independent work? Are the two mutually exclusive?

In my limited experience, I've found that when the community of believers is tight-knit the goal of making mature disciples and planting as many culturally changing churches as possible are the only goals. How to accomplish that is the only question. In fact I wonder if the whole debate is simply an American issue never to be reproduced anywhere else? If that's the case is the wrong question being asked?

Tags: Missions

J.D. Greer posted "Why We Plant Churches Overseas When There is Plenty to Do Here" and to be honest, I thought it was going to be another rant against international missions. I had my guns up ready for a fight. But as it turns out I didn't have to. His explanation of why missions is so important is a thing of beauty.

"Christ is glorified not simply by the total number who worship him, but also by the fact that this number includes representatives from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Therefore, we must be making concerted efforts to see that missionaries, whether from our country or another, reach the "hidden" people who have not yet heard the gospel."

Tags: Jesus, Missions

I've been saving this post for last to cap off the Upstream Collective's Jet Set Tour to Asia because I like it so much. One of the last videos posted was an interview with Caleb Crider about the missionary aspect of the church:



This is an important piece to the puzzle and I'm glad it came out. One of the mission aspects that has been overlooked for many years is the idea of goers and senders contributing to the mission of the church. For too long, missionaries went and churches stayed. Missionaries were the professionals and churches were the bankers. Missionaries spread the kingdom and churches were content to let them do it. What has changed in my mind and what I'm sensing in the conversation is the rediscovery of partnership missions. Paul understood it in his relationship with the Philippians:

“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it...
Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.” - Philippians 4:10-16

John Piper has also stated and written this clearly, “There are three types of people; the goers, the senders, and the disobedient.” In other words, what I’ve come to understand is that missions is a partnership between two sets of missionaries, those that go and those that send. There is no middle ground.

Ultimately, I think that this is a healthy idea and one that will carry the gospel further and deeper into the hearts of all involved. Which are you, a goer or a sender?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Caleb posted an interview between Ed Stetzer and Marshall Dallas in Taipei discussing some cultural similarities between East and West. One of the things Marshall mentioned was his discovery of "nominalism," the cultural practice that subsequent generations take up their parents "faith" in practice only. Interestingly, that is exactly what we dealt with in Ireland and what we'll be facing in Portugal. You can watch the interview below:



Nominalism is a real challenge because it gives the appearance of faithfulness without the heart change that the gospel creates and demands. Ed pointed this out as an opportunity and a challenge. I agree. One thing that we've noticed personally is the difficulty nominalism creates in support raising. The impression of faith permeates the process especially when trying to raise support for Western Europe. We actually had someone tell us not to bother with our previous ministry in Ireland because "they were a Catholic country and knew about Jesus already." That couldn't have been further from the truth.

Yet another aspect of our job as missionaries is to educate our supporters about the realities of the locations we're working in and lift the lid on nominalism. This is another reason why exploratory trips and mission prep are so important.

Tags: Missions

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

Not in missions.

We in the West are conditioned to the idea that first impressions are everything. First impressions twitterpate our love lives, where we work, where we go to church, what car we buy and what we wear. Unfortunately, relying on first impressions when starting out in missions jeopardizes our ministry and turns culture shock from a temporary irritation into a debilitating condition. That's why I have a new rule: "You never get a second chance to make a fourth impression." Fourth impressions will make or break your ministry.

The reason why I'm such a big proponent of fourth impressions is because it gives us time to open our eyes to both the good and the bad of the place we've chosen to serve. "But, the Holy Spirit will guide me through the tough times and people are people, right?" Wrong. Did you know that in Portugal people don't normally spend a lot of time in each others homes? That relationship is reserved for families and very close friends. So why would anyone invision a house church ministry bringing together relative strangers? Unfortunately, they are and they're failing. Did you know that many Portuguese people look down on Brazilian Portuguese speakers? Bias? Yes. Important to know, absolutely. So don't bother investing in Brazilian Portuguese language courses if you're going to work in Portugal.

Most missionaries slide from overly optimistic to drearily pessimistic; the challenge is to land and remain somewhere in the middle. While not starry-eyed dreamers (most of us...) we're pretty unrealistic at first, especially those right out of bible school/seminary. We overlook the cultural quicksand because in our minds we're going to change it through the gospel anyway! Fourth impressions through mission prep trips, culture study, reading history, talking to locals about their frustrations, and multiple visits before committing opens our eyes to the underbelly of the culture and gives us a more realistic impression of a place. That's why we've been slow to commit to Portugal and why despite multiple visits to the country, we decided to take one more.

The guys at upstream are doing just that this week. For those of you interested in Asia I strongly recommend you follow along with their cultural exploration as a means to your own and do not go until you've reached that fourth impression:
http://blog.theupstreamcollective.org/2009/09/24/the-spiritual-state-of-taiwan/
http://larrymccrary.blogspot.com/2009/09/taxis-and-temples.html
http://larrymccrary.blogspot.com/2009/09/last-night-we-went-to-completely.html
http://larrymccrary.blogspot.com/2009/09/hungry-ghosts.html
http://missionalspace.com/?p=398

Fourth impressions; cherish them, they will bless your ministry.

Tags: Missions

As most of you know already, we’ve been in Portugal this week exploring mission opportunities for our future ministry plans. These strategy sessions along with nationalization processes have made the last three days tiring. We’ve been going from 8AM through 10 or 11PM every night since arriving which as I mentioned last week deflates any sense of a “vacation” mentality. This type of mission prep is challenging but having an opportunity to meet with national Christian leaders, listening to their stories and their needs, and strategizing about ways to plant, grow, and multiply healthy churches has been a wonderful experience. Below are 3 short observations from along the way:

• We didn’t know it, but we were on everyone’s meeting list. We came with the intention of meeting a handful of people for very pointed discussions. We’ve had a chance to do that... on top of meeting the other 100 people that weren’t on the list. In a small evangelical community word seems to travel quickly that we’re here, creating lots of extra meetings and more opportunities to meet people.
  
  

• The need is greater than we even imagined. The spiritual needs in Portugal are staggering and if we weren’t Christians they would be downright overwhelming. In Portugal, there are 44 counties with no New Testament, born-again, Christian church. None, nada, zip. There are cities/suburbs in and around Lisbon (the capital) with hundreds of thousands of residents with no church presence at all. Not even a prayer meeting or small group bible study. We discovered from Missâo 2015 that only .08% of the population is a non-Roman catholic/evangelical of any flavor. There is just a monstrous need.
  
  

• The fact that we are experienced missionaries with a few years under our belts makes us “chum” in the missionary water. Everyone want’s to talk to us and explain their needs. Everyone wants to request our help. We wish we could listen and we want to help but it’s just not possible to help everyone. I remember feeling that way about experienced missionary possibilities considering our (former) ministry field. Every time someone with experience and smarts walked in we put a letter of intent in their hands and talked their ears off before they left. The fact is, no mission field ever has enough workers (national or foreign), they’re all struggling.
  

This week guys from the Upstream Collective will be doing something similar to us. I’ll try to add some thoughts to theirs as the come in. If you want to follow along simply click the Upstream Ticket on the left. Here’s to the work, and the conversation.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

It's Monday night and I'm at home after a long day at work. In two days I'll be on a plane with my wife, mother-in-law, and mission director flying to Lisbon, Portugal. Under normal circumstances, traveling to Portugal is one of our highlights but this trip is different, it's all about business. Don't get me wrong, this is not a whingy blog post about the trip looking for sympathy about having to travel to one of the most beautiful places on earth. But this trip unlike others is not for pleasure, it's for mission prep.

There is a misconception among American christians that missionary work is a permanent vacation. In fact many workers in global missions present their work as permanent vacations unintentionally. Always presenting our work as wonderful, always highlighting the good stuff, always showing the beautiful pictures and the smiling faces... who wouldn't wonder if it's actually Margaritaville behind the missions curtain? Not everyone does this but too many do. The truth is that mission work is hard, not every day is a good day, and sometimes people aren't smiling, the sun isn't shining, and no one wants to hear about Jesus.

Trips like the one we're taking are a part of the harder, necessary side of missionary life. We're changing time zones for three days of meetings, trying to get citizenship paperwork done in one, while trying to meet people who we hope to meld our lives with for the Gospel. My mother-in-law has donated her time, our mission director has donated his, and we're taking no-pay time off from work and paying our own way to get this stuff done. (Not to mention the people we’re meeting with who have taken time out of their schedules.) And none of what I've said is for our glory or fame! Here’s the problem, speaking this way can be interpreted as whining or arrogance so many missionaries don’t even bother. Why tell people how difficult things are when it’s turned back on you as being weak, complaining, or pride? Because they need to know. Our people need to hear this stuff because it’s the truth and it’s what adds to the satisfaction of both goers and senders. Most importantly, it makes missions real and shows that we’re serious about Jesus.

Mission work: Not always easy but always satisfying.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

If you read my post entitled “Speaking Missionese” last week you will know that I believe the modern idea of feeling “called” to missions or “being led to mission work” in-spite of wisdom’s direction or giftedness and opportunity is foreign to the bible. For instance, I would seriously challenge someone’s missional calling to the jungles of Sri Lanka who is married with 3 children and taking care of their invalid mother in Ohio. However I also know that to deny the Holy Spirit’s involvement altogether would be foolish. John Piper had some thoughts on this very issue a few years ago. If you have any sense of a growing desire for mission work read his thoughts.

Is God Calling You to Give Your Life for His Sake and the Gospel in Missions?

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Being around the mission-sphere awhile means that sooner or later you’re exposed to a new way of talking and expression. The “missionese” spoken by and about missionaries is a derivative of “christianese” spoken by millions of Christian adherents especially those of an evangelical stripe. A few years ago Bel Air Drama Department posted a parody on learning to speak Christianese:



Unfortunately, B.A.D.D didn’t go far enough to teach us “missionese,” that strain can only be acquired through language immersion. The problem with “missionese” is that it is perpetuated by normal, well-meaning Christians who through their flowery descriptions paint mission work in celestial phrases. We missionaries are guilty of accepting this praise and then turning it around to describe our own work. Phrases like:

• “feeling called”
• “being led”
• “God laid mission work on my heart”
• “having a burden for...”
• “received a confirmation” and
• “the Spirit opened a door”

perpetuate the misunderstanding that missional ministry is something you must feel. J. Hudson Taylor once said, “The great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed” and I read elsewhere (although I couldn’t find the reference) “who needs a calling when we have a command?” I believe that there is a mentality within Christianity influenced by “missionese” that needs to be corrected. Not every missionary needs to be “led” or “called” only obedient. Not every decision requires confirmation, only opportunity and wisdom. Sometimes missionaries walk through doors that appear to be closed and stay put when doors appear to be opened. Missionaries and those that support them need not be super-spiritual people, simply obedient, humble servants obeying the command to go. So the next time you find yourself “feeling led” to do something for Jesus remember, Jesus “didn’t give you a burden,” he gave you a command.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions

Sometimes I wonder if posting reason after reason for Missions in Europe is actually productive? Of course, much of what is written in the news in America could be used as cannon fodder for why ministry ought to be done in one place or another. But the sheer amount of short-sightedness on European affairs forces my hand. So many people I meet simply don’t have a clue about what’s going on in Europe (or any other part of the world for that matter). Some of that is caused by a lack of information here in the U.S. Watch and compare any news report from another part of the world to our so called “news” and the difference is obvious. Our media congloms simply don’t report the happenings elsewhere in the world, they’re too busy running another 15 minutes of ED ads featuring two people sitting outside in a tub!

For the 3 of you that do care, there was a report posted on drudgereport.com tonight about health care practices in Britain that seemed to illustrate the utter bankruptcy of the naturalistic mindset. Patients in Britain nearing what their doctors claim to be their “final hours” are monitored by a team of doctors in order to determine when it is time to for them to die.

“Developed by Marie Curie, the cancer charity, in a Liverpool hospice it was initially developed for cancer patients but now includes other life threatening conditions. It was recommended as a model by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), the Government’s health scrutiny body, in 2004.

It has been gradually adopted nationwide and more than 300 hospitals, 130 hospices and 560 care homes in England currently use the system. Under the guidelines the decision to diagnose that a patient is close to death is made by the entire medical team treating them, including a senior doctor. They look for signs that a patient is approaching their final hours, which can include if patients have lost consciousness or whether they are having difficulty swallowing medication.

However, doctors warn that these signs can point to other medical problems. Patients can become semi-conscious and confused as a side effect of pain-killing drugs such as morphine if they are also dehydrated, for instance.”

There is a huge catastrophe brewing in Europe as naturalism and secular humanism mature. No longer relegated to debate in institutions of higher learning, these humanist philosophies have turned up in governmental policies. Under a naturalistic worldview, people have no intrinsic worth. They are a product of chance who’s survival is determined by their relative strength. Hence, the scandal that a weak, infirm, or sick individual’s survival is actually up for discussion by a team of physicians! This isn’t a policy issue this is a moral issue.

By contrast Jesus taught that every single person possesses intrinsic moral worth as a man or woman made in the image of God. We die when we die, and until that time comes we do everything in our power to serve our fellow God reflections including the ill and infirm. Europe needs Jesus because it isn’t simply a policy that needs changing but a shift in worldview.

Tags: Europe, Missions

Part 2

Last week, I began a post looking at the preparation process of getting to the mission field for those gifted for ministry but also working a full time job at the same time. There are several things that we full time workers can’t do and several things that we need to expect during the process or support raising and mission preparation. You can read part 1 here then continue with my continuing observations of the process below.

4) You’ll be better equipped to minister to people who work full time. During my first ministry in Ireland I vividly remember an early morning appointment my colleague and I had that woke me up to the realization that I had forgotten what it was like to get up and be somewhere early in the morning. Working from home had dulled my understanding of their lives and made me less sympathetic and understanding to the juggle of life. Now that I’ve been a member of the workforce going to work at 7 AM for the past 2 years I know and can sympathize with the fatigue that my congregants feel when trying to work, raise a family, and also serve in the church. It ain’t easy. During this season of preparation I have reminded myself over and over not to forget what it feels like to work all day, come home to prepare a sermon, prepare, lead, or attend a mid-week small group, or go to some congregational function. I’m hopeful that upon arrival in Portugal we’ll have a new perspective of what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a hectic life.

5) You’re going to feel out of the “ministry” loop because you’re working. This perhaps has been the biggest struggle for me during this season of preparation. In the ministry world there is a lot of activities taking place all over the United States and the world that as full time employees we simply cannot attend. Missionaries get to attend conferences, meetings, and are blessed to be with other ministers and missionaries. Working full time does not afford us the opportunity so in some ways we are out of the loop. While you might feel “out of it” fret not, missing some conferences isn’t altogether bad. You can still stay with the happenings around the ministry world by staying involved and engaged in your local congregation, reading and contributing to ministry blogs and news sites, and listening to podcasts. Most large conferences gift the main sessions to the church body though podcasts or .mp3 downloads. Get an .mp3 player or an iPod and stock up!

6) You’ll feel impatient and wonder if you’re doing enough. Do you remember waiting for something when you were a little kid? Christmas seemed light years away and summer camp might as well have been cancelled it took so long to arrive. It’s the feeling of ordering something really exciting but having to wait for what seems like forever. When planning for ministry (especially ministry overseas) you will be tempted to think that you’re doing enough to get there when you’re working full time. Those of us who work 8-10 hours a day at our normal daily jobs are forced to take things slower by nature of our schedules. We just don’t have the time to rush things along. That doesn’t mean we have the luxury of intentionally slowing things down but you shouldn’t make things hard on yourself. For instance, I have been working on our website, blog, schedules, ministry material, calling supporters, meeting supporters, writing emails, building our presentation, all on top of living. Working on our main website, building our presentation, and calling supporters isn’t something that I can pull out and work on during the day so I’m left working on it for an hour or two in the evenings. Doing things this way takes t...i...m...e... and that’s just the nature of the beast. Keep plodding along, eventually you’ll get there.

Tags: Missions, Missionary Life

Part 1

For you missionaries-in-planning, perhaps you’ve been down this road before. You’re certain about your vision, you’ve thought through the implications of your decision, you’ve found a spot on the map, you’re ready to make that commitment and... you’ve got that nagging full time job to deal with.

For those of us gifted specifically for mission/ministry work in a foreign country getting to the field while working a full time job can be another full time job by itself. This has been our experience. When we left for Ireland we were just finishing preaching school and had no real ties to anything. At that point we had been in school for two years and living on support, so we didn’t really have any issues transferring onto support for our work in a foreign country. Planning this time around has not been so easy. We’ve both had full time jobs to contend with and busy lives that make support raising, ministry planning, and logistics time consuming. If you find yourself in this particular situation in your life right now here are a few issues we’ve dealt with and how to keep hope during the process:

1) Support raising is going to go painfully slow. Traveling around from church to church while you’re working full time is impossible. As a full time employee somewhere you simply don’t have enough vacation time to cover all of the places you need to go. Your support raising is going to crawl. Don’t worry about it and don’t rush it. “But, but, there are lost people there that are going to hell unless I get to them asap!” Calm down, you’ll get to your destination when you get there, and once you’re there you’ll have a lifetime to teach and preach. Just take your time and get the support raising right without intruding on your employers time. Knowing that your support raising is going to slug along takes the pressure off of you to perform and allows you to raise money relationally while at the same time forcing you to depend upon God’s providence and timing. It’s a hearty process.

2) You’re not going to be able to speak about your vision to everyone. You’re excited, your families are excited, your church is excited...but not your boss. There is a right time and a wrong time to discuss your plans with your employer and unless you’re looking at concrete departures and finalized decisions, it’s not the right time. No, it’s not. You may be tempted to rush right into your boss’s office and tell him or her about your missionary vision to the Congo but... you might find yourself packing right then and there. Only when you have made concrete decisions, sought enormous amounts of counsel, prayed and prayed again should you go and speak to your boss. Remember, only you know when the time is right but this does not give you a pass to lie either. Dishonesty is not an option but self-control and discipline are. Keep your mouth shut while you’re working on the details and never let your ministry planning overtake your job responsibilities. Do your job with excellence until your very last day, you may find some hidden support when you leave.

3) You’ll have to think outside the box. If you’re working full-time, you don’t have the luxury of spending hours of planning and support raising time on the phone. You’re going to have to think outside the box to get your message and your vision out. What this has looked like for us is a website that I created to house the majority of our missions information. I have also worked on maintaining a blog (this one) where I can share my ideas. Being able to direct potential supporters to our sites while I’m working during the day lets them get the information they need and communicate with me without me having to spend hours on the phone. Something else to consider is staying away from sites like Facebook and Myspace until your plans are public at work. We’ve made the conscious decision to refrain from Facebook (despite the obvious benefits) because nothing would kill our stealth planning faster than our colleagues at work finding out through Facebook prematurely. Can you imagine a Facebook poke saying, “so what’s this I hear about you leaving us and moving out of the country?” Ooops, better get packing.

(To be continued)

Tags: Missions, Missionary Life

Moving back to the states from Ireland was a difficult transition, especially because we were desperate for a car. After searching fruitlessly at the local car dealerships (too expensive) we started perusing the want ads for cars more in line with our price range (cheap) and finally stumbled across one that seemed perfect, a 2001 VW Turbo New Beetle. The car had a few minor cosmetic issues but nothing that really stood out, especially in the shadows of an outdoor garage which was where we went to look at it, at night. Common sense stepped aside for expediency on that one. Had we been thinking straight we would have taken that car to a mechanic to be examined, not purchased it with no knowledge of its history. No less than a few months after purchase we started having major issues with just about every aspect of the vehicle. Our mechanic told us time and again to sell it because we were heading for ruin and every time we shrugged and hoped that it would be fixed. Every thousand dollars we gave to him was traded for his advice to ditch the car, but we didn’t listen. Finally after a year and a half we took his advice and got rid of the demon car that nearly bankrupted us. If only we’d listened in the first place...

Living the missionary life is a lot like playing the role of life’s mechanic. Most people don’t realize that their lives, like our demon car, are really broken beyond repair. They continue to sink time, money, and emotion into something that cannot be fixed no matter how much they pour into it and yet they keep trying. Just like the mechanic, our job is to lovingly, humbly, and patiently explain that no matter what they do, they cannot repair their broken lives. At some point they need to ditch it:

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. Luke 17:33

We Christians are prime candidates for helping people because we know what its like for the brokenness to be fixed. Just like a good mechanic tells you what’s wrong with your car, we have the opportunity to help people fix what’s wrong with their lives through Jesus. This is who we are and it is what we do; it’s what makes missions “right.”

Tags: Missions, Jesus, Missionary Life

Who gives us the “right” in being missionaries? In other words, on what authority do we leave our culture, move to a new place, preach about Jesus, call sin sin, call people to repentance, and grow churches? Living in a post-moder-esq society brought this idea to my attention especially in the current political climate as each side is claiming that the other doesn’t have the right to do or spend what they’re doing. Here we are planning on moving to Portugal and I’ve never stopped to ask why I believe we ought to.

It’s easy to assume that because we’re all Christians we should be involved in missions. But that is a foolish notion. Not everyone who calls themselves Christians believes that we have the right or the duty to be engaged in evangelism, whether in America or Europe. Some see missions as crusader-like or authoritarian but Jesus didn’t see it that way:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus claimed all authority for himself and through that authority sent his disciples to make more disciples. He sent them out.

So the first principle on the “rightness” of missions is that we go because Jesus sends. We don’t go on our own authority but on the authority of the one we call Lord.

(To be continued)

Tags: Missions, Jesus, Missionary Life

Sending out our support cards over the past few months has provided a heavy reminder of how dependent we are upon God for our entire enterprise. Most missionaries during the support process focus mainly on the financial side of support because without money, missionaries cannot go. However, as Larry McCrary reminds us, the prayer supporters are just as, if not more important than financial supporters.

Looking back nearly 8 years ago I still vividly remember needing a reminder of this the third week on the field. Why it took three weeks I do not know but I still remember that I was on the bus going to language school in Madrid and I was overwhelmed by several thoughts. On one hand I could not believe we were finally here. Then it hit me that I did not know anyone here. I cannot speak the language. I could barely order a cup of coffee. The list could go on. But then it struck me that I had to have a total dependence on the Lord. I could not do this on my own.

Even though we’ve lived through a cross-Atlantic move before, the process is still daunting. After we arrive in Portugal we will be settling into a new home, learning our way around, making new friends, obtaining things like drivers licenses, turning on utilities, learning how and where to shop for groceries, opening bank accounts, getting lost on public transportation, being dragged to all of the local tourist destinations, learning cultural do’s and don’ts, changing our wardrobes to match the culture and the weather, getting involved in the local Christian community, learning the Portuguese language, learning holidays and celebrations, and finding out where to get great coffee, just to name a few. Some of these will be made easier through sufficient financing but none of these can be accomplished without prayer and supplications to the Father. As missionaries, there is simply no way to live in all of these moments and remember to pray for strength to accomplish them at the same time. We need people lifting up these individual issues to God and covering them with prayer as we’re trying to live through them and come out unscathed on the other end. That is where prayer supporters come in and that is why they are so important. Thanks for the reminder Larry.

Tags: Missions

“Do you think everybody should be a missionary?” was the question posed to John Piper:

“Here's the way we like to say it at Bethlehem. You have three possibilities in relation to missions. You can be a goer, you can be a sender, or you can be disobedient. There is no other option but those three. That means that there are no coasters.”

Click here to read the rest of his answer...

Tags: Missions

Having been missionaries before, and even now as we’re raising support, we’ve become experts at knowing how much we’ll need to survive and support our ministry but sometimes it’s easy to forget the tough questions congregations have to ask themselves if they want to support our work. Kevin DeYoung writes 4 “Questions for your missions budget” for congregations to consider when thinking about their missions support: (via between two worlds)

1. Are we supporting 1 Timothy 4:16 kind of people?

The command to keep a close watch on your life and doctrine may have been first of all for Pastor Timothy, but it is important for all of us. We are all called to be examples of godliness. We are all called to believe what accords with sound doctrine. This is true for our missionaries as well. No one gets a free pass on life and doctrine, no matter what they are doing or how difficult their surroundings. Each church will need to decide how much doctrinal uniformity is necessary, but surely every evangelical congregation will want to support missionaries that believe in the full trustworthiness of the Bible, glory in Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice, feel the weight of heaven and hell, and affirm justification by faith alone, just to name a few of the most important doctrines.

Likewise, though our missionaries don’t have to be perfect (and we shouldn’t expect them to be), they must be growing in godliness and live lives above reproach. We certainly don’t want to create an adversarial relationship with our missionaries by constantly checking their life and doctrine, but by some mechanism (e.g., through an annual report, through personal contact, through denominational oversight) we want to make sure we are sending out the sort of people we would be happy to have serving in our own churches.

I found the four questions he asked refreshing because it seems he’s after the character of the missionaries as much as the viability or successfulness of their work. As missionaries preparing for our own work our goal is not to raise the support we need but rather to be the kind of missionaries worthy of that support in the first place. There is a strong temptation to fudge through the redemptive process that God is doing in our lives and instead focus on the money needed to get to the field. It’s important for those of us preparing for the ministry field (and those on it) to remember that ultimately, God is as much interested in our faithfulness and sanctification as he is the salvation of those we’re ministering to.

Ministry is a like a furnace, exposing the impurities and refining us into a purer form; overlooking the refinement of our own hearts because we’re focused on the work will always result in brokenness and burnout. Missionaries and the churches supporting them who forego the refining process because it seems to be an obstacle in their way will suffer greatly once engaged in ministry. Ask the questions Kevin asks, they will bless your decisions and your future ministry. Trust me, I know...

Tags: Missions

If you read my last post on wanting to become a missionary, meditated on the 15 questions and answered “yes” to most of them, you’re probably wondering about what comes next. When you’re a missionary at heart the excitement of traveling to another country is intoxicating and in the emotion of working towards your goal it is easy to forget the logistical and practical implications of what you’re doing. Below is a few starting points to help you in your new found excitement. If you’re going to start, consider starting here:


Start Praying
Start praying now! Much of the preparatory work that goes into becoming a missionary takes place in your own heart. People often jump over this step and straight into support raising, planning, etc and don’t do the heavy work of allowing God to minister to you in prayer.

Seek Council
The first thing you should do is talk to your friends and family to get some feedback and council from them. You need to then talk to an elder or leader at your church to get their feedback as well. The insight of mentors and family will prove invaluable to your process especially those who are older and more mature.

Study Up
What do you know about mission work? Have you ever travelled overseas? If you don’t know much that’s okay you can always learn but don’t take learning for granted. Talk to former and current missionaries, read missions blogs, read international newspapers, get familiar with current international events, etc.

Short-Term Consideration
Short-term missions is a great way to gain insight into the life of a missionary and the lives of people in a different culture. If you haven’t spent a lot of time outside of your home culture this is an eye opening experience. Don’t expect to change the world on a short trip though. Short-term trips are usually more life changing for the person going than the culture someone is going to. This is also a great opportunity to learn the art of support raising. Learning to explain your goals and your desires to potential supporters for a short trip is invaluable for future endeavors later.

Stay in Communication
How well have you conveyed your desires to the people around you? You’ve told them once but have you told them twice? People are busy with their own lives and they easily forget. Once you’ve studied the subject of missions and the place you want to go you’re now the unofficial “expert,” don’t expect people to remember the details of what currency is being used in Macau, or what the population of Christians are in Queensland. It’s your job to know that information, but it’s also your job to remind your potential supporters of why that information is important.

Share Your Experiences
People love pictures and video so take lots of them. Seriously, glue a camera to your hand, or at least carry one with you everywhere. Detail your entire experience from start to finish and your short-term supporters might become supporters for life. Sharing your experiences with your supporters shows that you honor them and are thankful for their gift. It also re-enforces their role as senders in God’s plan and shows that without senders, going is impossible.

Becoming a missionary is a life changing experience so it’s important to start slow. There are many facets to beginning down the road of missions that I didn’t include here. Let God take the lead and don’t rush in. Do your preparatory work early and often and prepare for a fruitful life serving God in missions. If you’re interested in reading further, missionaryconfidential.com has his own list, that’s worth reviewing. You can also read his answer about the effectiveness of short-term missions. If you’re serious and looking for a short-term agency to talk to, stop by and say hello to Rob at KontaktMission’s GoConnect. He’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. Whatever you do, begin by asking God where you can serve, that’s always the best place to start.

Tags: Missions

Lately when talking to people and sharing our story of preparing to move to Portugal we’ve heard the phrase over and over again “I would love to be a missionary!” This usually comes after talking about the beaches of Portugal, sharing our travels to different places in Europe, or sharing pictures of our life in Ireland. Exciting right? For many, the idea of living as a missionary and traveling the globe is glamorous, a perception of living as a jet setter and moonlighting the world. Others see the lifestyle of a missionary as poor, dilapidated, and difficult, scraping by just to make ends meet. Living as missionaries we’ve never really felt like either of those two extremes...and to be honest, I’m not sure if we’ve known missionaries that have. The missionaries and ministers we’ve known over the years have all taken their ministries in stride; being a missionary is just something we are, sharing the message of God in good and bad, living out the particular gifting God has given us. That isn’t to say that our lives have been easy or that we haven’t been blessed to visit amazing places, it hasn’t and we have. The truth is it’s really easy to build up the life of a missionary as mysterious and exotic. We missionaries can easily fall into the trap of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to in order to make ourselves seem important and daring. When someone says that they want to be a missionary it would be very easy to talk down the idea and discourage them in order to make ourselves seem important. “Oh no, don’t consider missionary work, it’s dangerous...leave that to the professionals.”

The truth behind the emerald curtain however is that mission work isn’t glamorous, it’s simply another gift bestowed by God for certain people for building up and encouraging the world-wide body of Christ to grow in numbers and maturity. That’s it. Sometimes it’s hard but so is getting up and going to work on the oil rig trying to live out your Christian faith. Sometimes it’s an adventure but so is navigating ambassadorial allegiances for a foreign government and King Jesus. We missionaries are regular people who saw a need, had the opportunity, and went. None of which would be possible without the senders who saw a need, had the opportunity, and sent. So if you feel the desire to go and serve, do it if you can. If you can’t go right now, you can always send. If you are thinking about mission work, here are some questions to ask yourself to see if mission work is right for you.

1) Are you a Christian who loves Jesus?

2) What about mission work makes you want to get involved?

3) Are you interested in visiting new places, meeting new people, and eating new (strange) things?

4) Do you like studying your bible and sharing what you’ve learned with others?

5) Are you frequently approached for advice or counsel? Does your counsel generally help when heeded?

6) Do you have the opportunity in your life to pull up and leave to start again?

7) Do you like other cultures and other languages?

8) Are you currently serving your local congregation?

9) Would you be content serving in your area if you couldn’t move somewhere else? Are you serving right now? If not, why?

10) Are you passionate about doing something else with your life? (other than ministry) What is that thing?

11) Have you ever travelled outside of your home country for extended periods of time?

12) Do you think about missions, church structure, church planting, the Bible, scripture, and other languages frequently?

13) Has anyone ever told you that you would make a great minister, Bible teacher, church planter, evangelist, church strategist, youth leader, and/or preacher?

14) Have you ever been asked to lead, preach, teach, counsel, plan, strategize, or oversee something in your local congregation?

15) If you’ve done #14 have people responded well to what you did?

These are some hard questions to seriously consider if you feel like going into foreign mission work. They are not meant to discourage those gifted for ministry but to encourage and build up. If you don’t have the gift to go however, there is plenty for you to do. You can pray, encourage, and give financially to those who do thus fulfilling your part in God’s great plan. Whatever your gift, God can and will use you in some great capacity if you let him.

Goers click here, we need your help

Senders click here, we need your help

(Updated) I hope this article was encouraging and uplifting to those who see the life of missionaries and think of someday doing the same thing. Mission work is fulfilling and amazing, something I wouldn’t trade for the world. As I get older and grow in my maturity I am beginning to understand my gifting at a deeper level which leads me to a greater understanding of the significance of the calling we’ve been given. If you have desire, the opportunity, and the gifting for missions let me encourage you to pursue it. If you don’t that’s okay, figure out where your gifting lies and pursue that with the strength God provides.

Tags: Missions

From Paul’s letter to the Romans:

“But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.” Romans 15:23-25

What would have happened if Paul after writing his letter received Rome’s response saying something like:

“We’re really sorry Paul but we’re not going to be able to help you on your way to Spain. You see, the bill collectors are calling and the Roman Express bill is late and we took out an interest only, sub-prime loan on the villa. We used “same as cash” credit for the chariot wheels and the misses just had to buy a party toga for the gala. We’re sorry but we just can’t afford to help your missionary work to Gaul.”

Signed, The Church at Rome

I’m not suggesting that there was no debt in Paul’s day; historians know that debt was a part of ancient Roman society. It’s one reason why people became slaves; failing to make good on a loan! However, had Paul made it to Gaul the church in Rome would not have had any problem assisting him in his ministry funding. Listen to his confidence in requesting their support. They simply did not carry the amount and scope of debt that we westerners do today.

But what a difference a few thousand years make! I believe that many missionaries and ministries fail to find support today because Christians, allowing themselves to become buried under a mountain of debt, don’t have any money to give. When the paycheck is already allocated to paying off debt before the month begins people simply can’t give to ministry and the work that God perhaps wanted to do through them isn’t theirs to do. Knowing that many Christians are in debt because of risky behavior makes raising support difficult; we’re struggling to share in Paul’s confidence. It was not supposed to be this way. We’re instructed to owe no one anything but a debt of love and reminded that the borrower is a slave to the lender. Even KontaktMission, our mission agency requires that we be debt-free. So how can evangelism take place in the midst of a down economy and indebted people?

God’s people need to get out of debt! Think of the good work that could be done, the ministries supported, the lives and communities changed if all of us were debt-free. The thought is staggering. God wants to work through his people, he wants the senders to send the goers, but to do that his people and his church need to have the money to give. Below are a few ideas on how to accomplish this:

1. Stop using credit. Somehow we bought the lie that said we had to have “it” now. So we opened credit accounts, applied for credit cards, used “same as cash” and borrowed money for houses we couldn’t afford. We must stop spending money we don’t have on things we can’t afford!

2. Seek counsel from someone who can teach you how to become debt-free. Like many people, my wife and I looked to Dave Ramsey to help us become debt-free. Our congregation runs Financial Peace University a few times a year and we’re now graduates of FPU and living completely debt-free! This is not a boast but a testament to the power of living out God’s financial plan. In my opinion Dave’s is the best approach to money management for Christians that I have ever heard of.

3. Re-examine your priorities. One of Dave Ramsey’s slogans is “Live like no-one else so later you can live like no-one else.” Christians have historically been known as givers and living debt-free allows us to continue our mandate from Jesus to give. Likewise, being shackled to a credit-card company keeps us from being able to freely choose who to give to. Do you want to give to Jesus or American Express Excess?

4. Elders, teach your people to live debt-free. One of the qualifications for an elder is living a self-controled life and I believe that this encompasses financial control. Elders must model and teach financial control for their people so that they can freely do the work that God has called them to. Asking them to support ministers, ministries, elders, missionaries, benevolence, and a building plan while struggling under a mountain of debt is dangerous. It’s better to lead them through financial freedom so that they can give to all of the great things that honor God.

5. Elders, keep your churches debt-free. Sadly, I have heard of a few churches that began building projects during the (fake) financial boom that are now sinking under a mountain of debt because they borrowed more than they should have and now can’t afford to pay their lenders. Guess what? Those churches are having to pass up great ministry opportunities. If your congregation is in debt, do what Dave Ramsey recommends, start your emergency fund, pile on the money to pay off the debt, and become and stay debt-free.

6. Remember, God’s grace extends to your wallet. It’s tempting to think that our financial lives are outside of God’s scope of redemption. The temptation to lose hope when in debt is great, especially when realizing that it was your fault for the financial mess you’re in. Fear not, God’s grace extends to your wallet and the way you handle money is being sanctified. Realizing your sin in handling money and repenting of it is the first step in changing your behavior. God is slow to anger and abounding in love and promises to work all things together for your good for those who love him, including your financial life. Look to Jesus, repent of your sin, and seek Godly counsel for getting your life back. It’s worth it.

Evangelism in a recession can and is happening. Individuals and churches can continue to give but it will take a commitment to living like Jesus and following God’s commands about our finances. And you know what? Being debt-free is great and controlling your finances is important but giving to others because of your love for God and your commitment to changing the world is priceless.

Tags: Missions

In the midst of support raising we have found that the recession has slowed down church giving slightly and finding congregations willing to support domestic or international ministry has proven to be challenging. One of the biggest issues facing churches with shrinking budgets is how to finance current ministries and take on new ministries or projects. Ask any support raiser and they will tell you, approaching congregations for support is daunting in a good economy, but it’s downright intimidating in a down economy. We know that churches want to give but many are fearful because of budgetary constraints. Below are some ways that churches can continue the work that they want to do in a recession...

Intentionally Plan to be Missional
Have you ever been a part of a congregation where missional ministry (either foreign or domestic) was done haphazardly with budget left-overs on a case by case basis? I have seen congregations pass over tremendous opportunities for their people and for missionaries simply because missions was something of an afterthought. In these places, it always seemed (at least to me) that there was more month at the end of the money, missionaries doing cool things didn’t receive the support they needed and the members of these congregations couldn’t participate in the amazing opportunities God was working around the world. In other words, congregations like this lacked passion. In our own experience, it has always been easier to give more when we were passionate about something and having evangelism, church planting, and missions front and center in the life of a congregation produces passion as people get to participate with God in the world.

I believe that the most important thing a congregation can do is intentionally plan to be missional. Evangelism is something mandated by Jesus but is sometimes over looked in the life of the church. Usually this falls on the shoulders of the preacher who is tasked as the evangelism “professional.” Isn’t that what he was hired for? *sigh* In reality, evangelism ought to be in the DNA of every Christian and corporate body as an extension of who we are. There are several ways that a congregation can be intentionally missional:

• Speak of missions and Jesus’ great commission often

• Provide a monthly budget allotment for local, national, international missions

• Set aside 10% of the budget for church planting/mission efforts

• Designate one month as a “missions month”

• Schedule a mega missions-giving Sunday, once a year

• Consider other ways of being missional — church planting, social work, community events, etc.
• Encourage young people to be missional in their daily lives
• Encourage older people to be missional in their daily lives
• Invite missionaries to give reports from their ministries
• Form partnerships with world-wide missional organizations (such as KontaktMission, Acts 29, Continent of Great Cities, etc.)

The bottom line is, missions should be intentional in the life of the congregation; people need a passion and excitement for the spreading of the gospel as a part of the life of the body. If missional living is a part of the congregation’s DNA, people will give sacrificially and excitedly as they see their money being used to change people’s lives. However, how can people give if they don’t have any money? Next, how debt sabotages God’s plan for missions...

Tags: Missions

GM announced it was bankrupt last Monday and fell into the US government’s open arms, Citigroup is taking it’s allowance from the U.S. government, and stores like Circuit City and Mervyn’s are going out of business all over the country. It appears that the US (and world) economy are in financial meltdown...why would anyone even think of going into world missions or raising support? To the human eye it would appear that this is the worst time to start support raising and return to foreign ministry and yet this is exactly what Angelina and I are doing. No, we’re not crazy and no, we don’t have a penchant for abuse but we do have insider knowledge about the financial situation. You want to hear it? Here’s the secret...God is still in control and it’s still his money.

For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. Psalm 50:10-11

Understandably, many churches are struggling financially, trying to meet ambitious budgets and simply don’t think they have enough money to support mission efforts at home or abroad. Churches were caught off-guard (as were many others) by the recession especially those in the middle of expansion plans and building projects. Others didn’t have much money before-hand and really don’t now. But, despite the economic meltdown everywhere else, in the Lord’s church we don’t have to be in panic mode. Following God’s plan for money and finances while often focused on individual Christians, applies also to churches and their finances and “just works” in good times and bad. It can help us weather turbulent economic seas so that we can continue with our evangelistic mandate. Jesus’ words in Matthew 28 and Acts 1 are still applicable when the economy is booming and when it is fizzling. He didn’t set any pre-conditions to the task of making disciples like resting during recessions, conflict, unreceptive hearts, persecution, or difficult circumstances and because there are no limitations on his instructions, we are left with the task of figuring out creatively how to keep the job going. So how do churches navigate uncertain waters when doing what God has asked of us missionally? Over the next few posts I’ll offer a few ideas as to how I believe this can happen and how churches can finance their missionaries who are on the front lines, spreading the good-news of Jesus Christ.

Tags: Missions