I have been wrestling with some extremely important issues over the past year. Issues that have direct bearing on how I go about my current ministry and are literally foundational principals that direct our work as missionaries and our stewardship of the lives God has given us. So…where to begin? Many of you are familiar with my missions journey, but I just can't resist:
…A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…Or at least the sometimes alien culture of California. I was raised in a family that traveled extensively yet inexpensively. As a child I remember sleeping on motel room floors, in tents, trailers, RV's, airport chairs and the occasional closet (yes, I've since "come out of the closet"). By the time I turned eight we had rambled throughout Mexico, Canada and a majority of US States, so later, when my church offered a High School Summer Mission trip to the Yucatan, it was a no brainier, and that's where I first tasted foreign missions. Mixing cement with sweat in the tropical heat and running a vacation Bible school in the evening fit me like a glove. In the years that followed, my passion for the Gospel and foreign ministry would literally lead me around the world, allow me to take part in a South American Church plant, marry a wonderful Chilean woman, and spend extensive time with pastors and Christian leaders in Fidel Castro's Cuba.
Over the past few years, the Lord in His wisdom has ordained adjustments to our missions trajectory in ways that I would not have personally chosen, but do embrace as His will. One of the most influential was in being "blacklisted" in Cuba at the end of '06 and no longer allowed to enter the country. Since then I have continued working "remotely" (see http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com/ ) and asking the Lord what He would have me do. This has brought me to reflect on my convictions with regards to missions as well as my overall theology or Biblical understanding of the work of a missionary. My "missiology".
This blog reflects some of my wrestling to understand God's heart for His world and what that means for me as a follower of Jesus with the specific gifting and abilities He has provided. Each of you reading this are invited to, in a sense, walk with my family and I on this leg of the journey. To one degree or another, you are already a traveling companion -whether you've known me for a short time or over a few decades (for some of you nearly four decades!), you are someone who's council I value and am thrilled to share this process with. Some of you I consider studied "theologians", experienced missionaries, Godly businessmen or simply posess what I believe is a God honoring understanding and interpretation of what the He has done, and is currently doing in your own lives. You are all our friends and family in Christ and I highly value your prayerful considerations. “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” ( Proverbs 27:9 )
With this in mind, please visit: "MISsionUNDERSTANDINGS" (http://missionunderstandings.blogspot.com) . I'm starting with humble beginnings, so please join in the conversation and share your theological convictions, or any practical wisdom and experience our God has granted as He has guided you on this journey. I trust the Lord has something in this not only for my family, but those of you who value the mission's conversation, and are concerned about how the Church goes about fulfilling the great commission of "making disciples of all nations".
Good job!
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent piece that describes what LAM can do at this point in history, and something that needs to work its way into our thinking as a mission in all areas.
There are only some small points that I would wrestle with you about:
1. Latin Americans who are coming to the USA may or may not be good at doing what you mention: "Latin Americans coming to North America to equip us in reaching the rapidly growing Latin communities within our own boarders.” What they may be better at is creating new opportunities to serve Christ in Latin America and around the world. I am not sure it is likely that Anglos will “reach” US Hispanics. Rather, US Hispanics may be one of the ways God renews churches in the USA and renews our commitment and involvement in His mission, here in USA and elsewhere.
2. You wrote "Right or wrong, we are not seen as heralds of peace but as aggressors, baggage that the Latin population does not carry with them to foreign lands.” This is an idealization that many people have had—but it isn’t real. Reality is much more complicated than this, and such statements only serve to confuse the way we find our way into the future in which God has prepared for us to walktogether. One reason this kind of statement comes up from the gringo side of the conversation is that we are always looking for who has the “competitive advantage” (i.e., who is best to do what tasks). By thinking this way, we fail to pay attention to the more important question about how we are more effective together than either of us are separately. Your approach here affects your interpretation of the David story, and blinds you to the violence by which Latin Americans have also practiced unjust warfare inside Latin America, and how that affects their ability to do missions. It also makes you overlook the violence by which the US has contributed internal and international problems with Latin America, including the same kinds of invasions and commercial boycotts that the US is using in the Muslim World today. All that to say, you have opened a can of worms that I don’t think leads to real partnerships, but to idealized distortions of reality.
3. I think you would do well to develop this thought ("the Gospel has not returned void but produced much fruit and new partners in the Great Commission”). If you can tell this story in practical, material terms by telling stories of how it is a true statement based on real experiences of LAM, ministry alliances and other organizations such as Latin Link, you will make a big difference in how people think about missions to, from and with Latin America.
One thing I think might be helpful for you to know is that at the recent WEA Missions Commission Consultation in Germany, a working group on Partnership was initiated. I went to one of the meetings for a little while, though I had other things I was responsible for and couldn’t be there the whole time. But I observed something that I am not sure I can explain, but it fits an “inquietud” I have had about the language of partnership. Here we were at an international meeting in which about half the participants were from the "global south". But the people who responded to the invitation to a working group on Partnership were almost entirely representative of the old “northern” missions establishment. Where were the potential partners? Why were they not interested?
Again, I really liked what you wrote and stand with you in all of it. This is just to encourage all of us to go deeper.