This is a true story, but intentionally vague on details. Years ago, the church convention my wife and I are members of had a partnership with the Austrian Baptists. Many people respond negatively to the term "partnership" in missions because the partnership is often in word only. In practice, it can be simply unidirectional help. …
Month: January 2011
Missional Churches and Missionary Churches
Missional churches are churches that are driven to support world-wide missions through resources and manpower. Missionary churches are churches started by missionaries. Are they the same thing? Protestant churches have only been in the Philippines (where I live) for a little over 100 years. A large number of Protestant churches are 1st generation missionary churches. …
Six Areas of Missions Expectations Dissonance
Some of the following I have personal experience with as pertaining to missionaries and missions. Others I have heard from others. One major challenge in missions is the various expectations that come from others as to what your role and activities should be. Here are a few (in no particular order): 1. Money. People on …
Continue reading Six Areas of Missions Expectations Dissonance
Missions and Ambitions, Part 2
A friend of mine is a pastor of a church in Mabalacat, Pampanga. His church is going through the book of Joshua and using it as a guide for missional growth and outreach. It got me thinking a bit. Joshua 5:13-15 has a great scene. Joshua sees a warrior. Joshua asked a very reasonable thing... …
Missions and Ambitions
Missionary Sam was a machine. He could go into a new community, set up an event, form up the respondents, place a pastor in charge, and be onto the next community in a matter of weeks. After a few years of such stunning success, he wrote up his dissertation on his methodology, and “retired” to a life of …
Amish Missions?
<This is not about those Christians who seek to minister to the Amish. Frankly, I have absolutely no opinion about them. This is about missions done by Amish Christians to non-Christians.> One of the frustrations I (personally) have in evangelism is the lack of separation between sharing God’s message and sharing one’s denominational message. Not …
The Happy Missionary?
I have heard so many sermons stating that happiness is not something the Christians should seek, but rather, they should seek “joy”. “Joy” is described as feeling good based on some sort of spiritual empowerment that transcends one’s momentary circumstances. “Happiness” is looked upon as feeling good because good things are happening. But maybe both definitions …
Courage and Missions
Back in 2001, after the "9-11" incident, US President George W. Bush described the zealots (or terrorists) who flew the airplanes into the world trade center towers as "cowards." This led to some interesting conversations. After all, people who fought off fear and self-preservation could hardly be called cowardly, right? Part of the problem lay …
Book Quotes
Two quoted passages from "Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church" by Reggie McNeal. Quote #1 . Page 93. "The jig is up! Evidence of this is everywhere and growing both outside and inside the church culture. The program-driven church has produced a brand of Christianity that is despised, not just ignored, by people …
Christianity as a Subversive Entity
What role should Christianity have in the world today. Based on the title, obviously, I think the Christianity should, in part, have a strong subversive element. Consider some options. 1. Kingdom on Earth. Christendom. Europe and much of the Americas (obviously some other places as well) have had a history of Christianity being the dominant …