MISsionUNDERSTANDINGS

MISsionUNDERSTANDING : Partnership

2011-11-17T23:03:00.003-05:00

If I were to sum up Latin America Mission's history, purpose and focus, it would be the word "partnership". Over the years we've tried defining LAM by listing the multiple focuses of these partnerships such as evangelism, children at risk, theological education, women's rescue missions, medical ministry, discipleship… and the list goes on and on. It's been hard to concisely explain what LAM does, because unlike other organizations, we don't have one specific target group However, what we have done for nearly 100 years is work with, and alongsideLatin ministries, allowing them to identify the need and helping them accomplish a specific goal. I've come to realize that the "what" we do is encompassed in knowing the "how to" of partnering well with the Latin Church.

More recently we've been using the word "alliance" to express how we unite various partners to accomplish gospel driven goals. My previous assignment was as LAM's Director of International Alliances, or overseeing and coordinating with our multiple and varied partners throughout Latin America. My currentposition as Director of North American Alliances is more of a development position but with a similar focus in assisting North American Churches and Ministries in thinking through and then accomplishing their missions efforts in partnership with our international Alliance members.

Again, the word partnership is the key, and something I believe needs to be re-defined in the North American Church's understanding of international missions, especially when it comes to our perception of the Latin American church's current and future contribution toward "making disciples of all nations…".

Too often there is the perception that North American Missions to Latin America consists of: "us going to help them because they need our help", or the other extreme: "Latin America is now evangelized so we should focus elsewhere". If we approach missions to Latin America from either of these perspectives we fail to recognize what God has accomplished through generations of missionaries and that the Gospel has not returned void but produced much fruit and new partners in the Great Commission. The Church in Latin America is strong, continues to grow and is fervently evangelizing their own, yet thisdoes not therefore mean that the second perspective holds true either. There remain pockets of extreme need be that regional needs such as localized tribes that still do not have the Gospel in their own language or needed church plants in a particular country, or types of global needs such as equipping churches' to respond to child sex trafficking, rescuing women at risk or providing further education to pastors and ley leaders in theology, counseling, servant leadership etc. The needs still exist, and the Latin Church is beginning to meet them, but using an outdated missions paradigm, or abandoning the region all together are not options.

Aside from the waning focus on going to Latin America, I am hearing even less conversation about partnership with the Latin Americans. A partnership with the Latin Church to fulfill the Great Commission in Latin America itself, throughout the world, or even dare I say, Latin Americans coming to North America to equip us in reaching the rapidly growing Latin communities within our own boarders. As North Americans, our tendency is to want to accomplish the task alone, but sometimes that is simply not God's strategy.

Consider King David. Despite his faults, scripture speaks of David as a man after God's heart (Acts 13:22). Late in his life, his greatest desire was to construct a focal point of worship and build the "House of God", the temple in Jerusalem. God's response was not what he anticipated:

"David said to Solomon, "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged greatwars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so muchblood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in hisdays. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.'…" (1 Chron. 22).

Reading on, we see that David did everything he could to assure that Solomon would be successful in the work God had called him to. He equipped him with materials, provided him with plans and commissioned all the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon in this endeavor. David trusted his son Solomon to accomplish the task he assumed would be his, and provided the means to make his calling successful.

In many ways I believe this exemplifies what partnership with the Latin Church should looklike. I find great encouragement in this passage but also correlations that are painful to consider. In many ways the Latin Church of today is the result of God guiding generations of missionaries to planted seeds, many of which He has grown to maturity and are now bearing fruit, just as David trained his own son to bear fruit in the work before him. But there are other, more painfulsimilarities: "'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth." I have no interest in drawing a correlation between the wars that David fought and our modern wars, nor am I addressing the reasoning behind these wars, however as an unintended result of our modern wars, those carrying a US Passport are currently seen (right or wrong) as part of an aggressive collective group, and encounter unprecedented resistance or closed doors simply due to our nationality. 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.

However, what the North American Church does have are generations and centuries of our successes and failures to draw from. Like the preparations David made for Solomon, we can provide experience and "plans", as well as a wealth of resources (Bible teachers, cultural studies, mobilization programs, literature, translations and an unsurpassed mix of cultures) to the Latin Church. (You may notice that I intentionally left finances out of this picture as that has often been another knee jerk response to simply throw money at a problem rather than take the time and energy to learn what true partnership looks like before responding with the wallet.)

We need to think in a radically different manner about "accomplishing the task". We need to think proactively but remain sober and humble, taking stock of what we have in our grasp and how best to use it. Asking our partners how best to work with them as opposed to assuming that we only serve them. We need to give glory to God who has worked through us, yet not assume that the labor of the future will follow the same pattern of that of the past. I'm excited about where we may be ten years from now, but I'm even more excited to see where Latin missions will be ten years from now, and what kind of partnership theLord has in store for His bride (be that Latin or North American or other) in this next phase of His Great Commission Plan.

In His Hands / En Sus manos;

Kevin S. Abegg

Pruning and Plans for the Future

2009-11-25T15:47:00.003-05:00

I like grapes. I also like what we get from grapes: juice, jam, raisins and good Californian or Chilean wine. (I don’t hide my bias). Anyway, what does this have to do with a family update? No, we’re not starting a vineyard (though Claudia dreams of doing just that), but the Lord used a recent sermon on John 15 to give me a better understanding of what He has been doing in “our” life over the past few years.

If you’ve been following the Abegg chronicles you know that up to a month ago we anticipated stepping away from LAM and parachurch missions (missions through a non-church organization). In short we were lead to seriously and is some ways painfully analyze our belief and theology of missions. (See my previous entry to this Blog.) I thought that based on our convictions, the best option was to step out of parachurch missions and continue in missions from our local church while supporting the family through a secular job. As the year wore on though, and I didn’t sense direction from the Lord as to what occupation I should step into, I began to grow weary and feel more and more barren even as I continued with the ministry projects at hand. I was torn in not being able to see how my theology and my daily work in ministry matched up, and wondered why the Lord (and I do believe it was His hand) would apear to strip something away from me yet not provide something new to serve Him in.

Here’s where the grapes come in. Living near wine country in CA didn’t make my dad a vinedresser, yet his impressive pruning techniques, akin to current “slasher” horror movies, proved to be exactly what our one and only grapevine needed. Every fall, the yard plants would tremble in fear as my dad got out his preferred pruning instrument, an 18” gas powered chain saw, in order to “clean things up a bit”. Nothing green was spared be that oak trees or berry bushes. Guava plants and even the hedge dared not resist his onslaught. Some plants actually survived, their limbs removed, hauled off and burned in our fireplace. But it was the grapevine that always amazed me. Every summer that vine would foolishly send 40 feet of twisting greenery along our fence. And every fall it would stand defiantly before my father only to be hacked back to a pitiful, miserable looking brown stick. Each year I thought, “well, that’s the end of that”, but each spring it would rise again, stretch its limbs far and amazingly produce clusters of grapes.

In the recent sermon, I learned that true vinedressers do actually prune back each years growth to what looks like a dead stick, although I doubt they use a chain saw. In his own special way, what my dad was doing actually provided the care that the vine needed and prepared it for the next year’s growth and fruit.

What the Lord was doing in Claudia and my hearts over the past “season” is very similar:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing... 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples… 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:1-17

Less than a month ago, LAM president Steve Johnson asked me to assist in developing what may grow into a “Department of North American Church Missions”. The idea is to help mission minded churches to strengthen relationships with their missionaries as well as the ministries they partner with throughout Latin America or the world. On of my concerns this past year was in seeing churches essentially “outsource” missions and let the parachurch (i.e. LAM) handle the care and feeding of their missionaries instead of assuming the role of pastoral care and being a full partner in fulfilling the Great Commission thus receiving the rich returns and benefits that accompany that involvement. Over the past year the Lord, in His mercy, has lead me through a course in missiology and church-missionary relationships even though I wasn’t aware of the purpose.

I’ll share more on what this new work will look like as I am able, but needless to say we are VERY excited about the possibilities and ask for your prayers as we step into this new area of growth and by faith…fruit. Cuba will remain in our scope of ministry and we are excited about some new possibilities to help meet the incredible lack of literature and resources that Cuban pastors have to draw from, but again...stay tuned!

Thank you so much for your partnership over the years. We look forward to what the Lord will be doing as our new branches grow and He produces fruit that will last in our lives, the churches we are involved with and in you, our partners in the Great Commission.

From There to Here, a MISsionUNDERSTANDING

2008-09-22T14:50:00.007-04:00

I think it's safe to say that as Christians we are called to make disciples. I can say this after various studies into the actual meaning of Jesus' vague command: "Go and make disciples…" (OK, so I'm a little slow). Having been involved in foreign missions to one degree or another for over 20 years, and a full time missionary for the past twelve, I find it embarrassing that only recently have I begun to wrestle with the how of fulfilling this command. Christian history is ripe with amazing stories of God's grace flowing through mission movements and courageous individuals, but sadly our history also shows how misguided efforts can result in “inoculating” hearers against the Gospel message rather than making true disciples. The how of missions is vitally important.

My personal road to foreign missions was part of an established pattern within my local church, and common to many (if not most) U.S. churches today, and I am VERY thankful for how God worked in my life through many individuals and my home church body in general. In no way do I disparage the hearts and intentions of those who assisted me over the years, but for many reasons, including my own lack of disciplined study at that time, I launched into summer and later full time missions with very little understanding of missions history, practice or theology.

That said, I have always believed in the weighty importance of local church involvement on the sending side as well as the mission field itself (whenever possible). When we go to a Gospel tolerant country (as opposed to a closed country) to work as missionaries, be that doing social work for the purpose of sharing the Gospel or actually planting/developing a church or ministry, we are more often than not setting up shop in the back yards of local believers and leaders. We may not necessarily agree with their theology or practice, but the fact is that we are the newcomers despite the differences. This is one of the main reasons that Claudia and I chose our current mission agency which places their missionaries under local Latin leadership, respecting their experience, authority and insight into the needs of the local Body as opposed to dictating a direction from a foreign office, and mindset. At times this results in some very difficult situations and conflicts, but more often than not provides the missionary with a solid foundation (cultural, relational, historical, etc) from which they can fellowship with and minister to those who are very different from themselves in many ways. In addressing the “how” of missions, there is a lot to consider in terms of the local, indigenous receiving church partnership with missionaries, but I first want examine my own missiological roots as well as that of other missionaries.

As I mentioned, my missionary journey began at the church I grew up in, a body with a rich history of sending, supporting and assisting missionaries serving internationally. Prior to my first youth mission experience (age 16), every student that hoped to serve in the Yucatan Peninsula over the summer was required to interview with one of the serving elders and become a full fledged member of the church. Without completing these steps, we were simply not allowed to be part of the team. I found this more than reasonable considering we were being sent out as representatives of Christ and His Gospel, as well as our specific local church body.

So even from the very beginning I believed (practically if not Biblically) in the importance of being linked to a sending church body, and I find that many of the principals I learned still carry over to my work today in concepts like authority, accountability and spiritual care. As missionaries venture into the field and acclimatize to the culture, language, food, new experiences (both blessings as well as temptations) that come with an entire society different from their own; who is it that provides the necessary preparation and ongoing care they will inevitably need? Over the past few decades this responsibility has been relegated more and more to parachurch “Missions Agencies” and not the sending Church. Many practical reasons can be sighted for this such as the cost of maintaining a missionary (or an entire family) in another country with needs such as air travel, visas, and what has lately proven to be the trump card…insurance.

In theory, a mission agency will have greater familiarity with the foreign terrain than any specific North American Church, especially if that church is supporting missionaries in numerous countries around the globe. I emphasize the word “supporting” in that I believe it is very different from the concept of “sending”. I have come to understand that a Biblical sending presupposes a calling by God into a specific aspect of ministry, and then a confirming of that calling by that person’s spiritual authority such as the leadership of the church that he or she is a member of. Consider the calling, preparing and then sending of Jesus own disciples in the Gospels (see Mk 6 and Mt 10 for example as well as Paul’s calling and initial sending in Acts 13).

Unfortunately as the concept of spiritual authority and guidance decreases in the US, it becomes simpler (not to mention more convenient) for individuals to solely rely on their own “conviction” rather than seek the counsel of those who know (or should know) their strengths and weaknesses best. I have spoken to numerous individuals who believed they were “called” to missions, yet were obviously lacking the gifting or abilities necessary to minister in an unfamiliar, cross cultural setting. At the risk of sounding trite, it’s the job of the Church to warn these “contestants” that they simply can’t sing before they embarrass themselves on American Idol. Obviously the guidance and perspective in evaluating a ministerial calling needs to be done with greater discernment and compassion than the Idol judges, but then that’s why not everyone is gifted and “called” to be a pastor…right? Still, we have to realize that with any ministry position, be that pastoral or in this case a missionary, the stakes are much higher than mere public embarrassment before a worldwide audience, and making disciples is more than simply introducing someone to Jesus, it’s helping them understand how God has equipped them for His work in His kingdom.

Getting back to the idea of sending verses supporting, even though a missionary may have ten or more churches supporting them by providing for their financial needs, the concept of being “sent” takes on a representative role, or the responsibility of an ambassador, in this case for God’s kingdom and the sending church body or denomination. As we expect a mission agency should know the target terrain inside out, the sending church should know their missionary inside out as well, and have no reservations before confirming a calling and sending them out. The missionary answers to the sender as his or her spiritual authority, something that isn’t possible if every supporting church, is equivalent to that missionarie's sending church. What I see becoming more common is that missionaries may have a wealth of supporting churches (many of which claim them as “our missionary to country X”) yet are impoverished when it comes to a specific spiritual and practical Church relationship that can exercise spiritual authority over them should that be necessary, counsel them in decisions and care for them in times of need. This in no way diminishes the importance, worth and partnership of supporting churches, but helps in understanding and defining the missionary – church relationship roles and potential pitfalls.

Regarding sending Churches, the converse often holds true. It’s not uncommon for large churches to take on numerous missionaries at relatively low levels of support which places these Churches in the difficult situation of how (or even if) it is possible to further care for these missionaries beyond the issue of finances. In the business world, if aspects of a company can be better or more cost efficiently managed elsewhere, that company will “outsource” those particular aspects of their work. Similarly it makes business sense for sending Churches to rely on parachurch mission agencies to manage many of the details of missionary life and “business”, but my question (or rather one of many) is: If a mission agency/organization does not profess to be a “Church” but a “Parachurch”, how can it ultimately give the necessary guidance, shepherding (literally “pastoring”) and exercise spiritual authority in ways that are commonly, or rather Biblically assigned to the Church? That asked, I suppose a more foundational question would be: What are the specific responsibilities of each of these entities, and who oversees who, or what are the partnership responsibilities with regards to fulfilling the Great Commission and the sending of missionaries? Is the parachurch responsible to make sure that the multiple supporting churches fulfill their financial commitment to the missionaries of that agency? Does the church relegate all ministerial authority and direction to the mission agency and only give guidance through varying levels of ministerial financing?

I found an interesting blog entry on a similar subject (student ministry and the church):

“…To use the methods that work best, namely, community driven evangelism, the parachurch must establish communities on campus that are not churches. But the church is a community. So students are forced to choose which community they will show greater allegiance to. The church always has the trump card here, because the church is the biblical community, whereas the parachurch is an evangelistic enterprise. For students who are in the parachurch primarily, to whom will they be accountable? Elders? No, they don’t exist. Pastors? None there, either. They are forced to go outside their primary community where their relationships are to a secondary community where the person they are most accountable to may be their Bible study leader who is a 2 year old Christian. Is there a better way? And if the church can do this just as effectively as the parachurch, why would we resist it?”
(Church vs. Parachurch part II on blog: Everything is Backwards by Michael Clary)

With the business outsourcing example, quality and ethics control should obviously remain in the hands of the parent company, but lead painted toys and tainted pharmaceuticals prove otherwise. Is it solely the responsibility of the parachurch to evaluate the effectiveness of missionaries sent out by the local church in their fulfilling the Great Commission? To what degree can the parachurch model of missions exemplify or teach healthy Ecclesiastical practices to churches that may be weak in this area themselves?

All of this begs the question of what marks distinguish the Church from any other organization that falls under the umbrella of the “Church Universal”, or the world wide body of believers. I find then that before I can form a solid understanding of Biblical Missiology, I have to wrestle with my Ecclesiology in order to understand the responsibilities of the institutional traditional Church and the Church Universal in fulfilling the Great Commission. A few marks stand out such as the sacraments of baptism and communion but also include concepts such as discipline and even commissioning for ministry, but this could be a long thought process to peruse.

At this point I think I will save the Ecclesiology discussion in relation to Missions for another entry. My temptation is to continue, but the whole reasoning behind a Blog format is to get others’ thoughts and considerations on the topic, so let me invite you to do just that.

I want to close in repeating the reasoning mentioned at the top of this blog. I want to learn. I NEED to learn. I have much to learn. Please know that I highly value the partnerships and relationships God has granted us with individuals, church bodies and parachurch/missions organizations. I am regularly filled with joy and amazement at the way the Lord works through both Church and parachurch missions movements, and want to seek His hand as I further explore my own families place in the Great Commission. You are all treasured and respected partners in the Gospel, and I value your prayerful considerations on this topic. I look forward to seeing where this goes and to learning from the wisdom the Lord has provided each of you. Thank you and may the Lord guide and bless your own efforts to bring glory to His name and extend His kingdom.

Dear Friends in the Gospel;

2008-09-22T14:45:00.002-04:00

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".