Missions Misunderstood

We read church planting books, we go to seminars, and we study models, strategies, and formulas. We are driven by statistics of measurable lostness, reached-ness, and saturation. We calculate number of personnel, availability of resources, and total cost involved.

When it comes to missions, as with the rest of Christianity, we've tried to make a science of what is essentially (and necessarily), an art.

According to the unquestionably reliable Wikipedia,

Art: "...is the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowledge, most often using a set of skills..."

Science: "...is an attempt to explain the complexities of nature in a common, known and replicateable way."

While I'm not entirely certain that "replicateble" is even a word, I am convinced that the scientification (also not a word) of missions is the main factor that keeps us from knowing and participating fully in what God is doing around the world.

Most of the great artists in the world started as apprentices to great artists, not to great art teachers. Art lessons begin with philosophy; the master instills in his student a vision of why he creates, and then goes on to share how he creates. But a student will never be considered himself an artist so long as he is content to only copy the master's work. No, he's got to take what he's learned and use it to express his own creativity, applying the master's wisdom while creating a work that is uniquely his.

Discipleship cannot be taught in a classroom. Reading a good book by a proven and experienced church planter is not enough. We need mentors. We need current practicing disciple-makers to be teaching and leading others as they make disciples.

If I could have a conversation with someone of the IMB's Board of Trustees, this (among other things) is what I'd say. We need to radically rethink our approach to training and equipping disciple-makers. The bar has been set way too low. It isn't enough to have a seminary degree or to have signed the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. We need to be mentored. We need leaders who are currently in the thick of cross-cultural ministry to guide us in wisdom and that long-lost art of missions.

Until we have such a network of relationships, we will not be able to guarantee the theological integrity of our work. We will continue to be criticized by seminary professors and denominational politicians. We will remain on the sidelines of what God is doing around the world because we are debating the science of Christianity and mission while the artists are being used to build the Kingdom.

In my last post, Welcome to the Big Show, I tried to stress the importance of making ministry as personal as possible by keeping events small and culturally appropriate. Still, there is something I'd like to add:

I'm not against big events because they don't "work." Many people have come to faith in Christ through crusades and circus-tent revivals. Pizza parties and sports camps and choir performances have all been used in evangelistic endeavors. But I wonder how often we think about what affect the medium might have on the message.

I've posted about this before, but is there a difference between sharing one's faith through a gospel music concert and sharing it over dinner in someone's home? Might the message be inadvertently changed by the means of presentation? Maybe it depends on the cultural context. If the message is preached with a bad accent, or with an aggressive tone, or using some cheap gimmick, is it the same message?

I believe that God is sovereign. He also gives us the responsibility of instructing others in the Truth. What if a generation of believers came to faith through Peer-pressure summer camps, "Judgement House" Halloween parties, and "Thanks you, I see that hand" invitations? Would we have any reason to be concerned about their understanding of the gospel?

A key element to many (most?) church planting strategies is what I call "The Draw." The Draw is an attempt to attract and engage people, usually in the form of some sort of event. A concert, a game, some kind of activity for the kids... anything to gather people so that interaction can occur. I've heard of church planters talk about organizing sports tournaments, throwing pizza parties, and bringing in a group of mimes to perform in the town square.

Events can be pretty expensive, and usually require a lot of hard work to put together. Add to that the governmental bureaucracy found in most Western European countries, and putting together an event can take over your life.

Unfortunatley, we waste a lot of time, money, and energy on events that seem like a good idea. They might even attract masses of people. But what then? Preach the Gospel over the sound system and call it good? Hold an Altar Call? Most of the time, big events fail to get us any closer to a personal interaction with lost people that door-to-door cold calls. Five hundred people come to your Sandi Patty concert. Maybe you get their names and contact info. What next, "Spamming for Jesus?"

And now, dear reader, you are likely anticipating a diatribe of disparaging remarks about events and those who organize them. You know: "What's wrong with you people, don't you know that mimes are scary?" or "Bringing in a group of High Schoolers to perform a series of offensively trite "Christian"skits in the mall is lame."

But not this time, reader. I've learned that there are better ways to challenge the tactics of my coworkers than spouting off, "What on God's green earth made you think it was a good idea to pass out 'Jesus Hearts You' yo-yos on the Metro or bring in Kirk Cameron to autograph copies of Left Behind DVDs?"

No, this time, I'm going to be affirming. Today I offer encouragement.

Events aren't always a good idea, but they aren't always bad, either. I understand that you're desperate to meet people with whom you can share the gospel. I understand how hard it is to break into the existing social structure, especially when you're a professional missionary with poor social skills. Believe me, I know.

Why not try to keep events small and personal? Instead of renting out a concert hall, try your living room (or better yet, someone else's?) Instead of shelling out the big bucks to bring in Mercy Me, why not invite a local musician? Events can be great tools for building relationships that extend into local social structures. Throw a party, and invite a friend to invite his friends. There's power in the interaction of a lost person with a believer. It's easier to love people from close-up.

How about doing everything you can to avoid the "bait and switch?" Don't put together a movie night that is actually a presentation of the Jesus film. If any of the people you invite have actually seen a real movie, they're either going to question your taste in movies, or feel totally deceived. Don't call it "open discussion," "free to all," or "Family Fun Night," if it isn't any of those things.

We're learning the importance of getting involved in activities that are already going on in the community. If you go to a movie with national friends, you could have a great opportunity to pick out Truth from the film and talk about it over coffee afterward. Through this we're finding that our host culture is full of Truth and wisdom and indirect references to the Creator. Tapping into that really goes a long way toward presenting the Gospel not just as "We have a message for you and your people," but as "Hey, look, we're part of a Divine Conspiracy, in which God is using all of creation to call you to Himself."

The Draw is good, just be sure we're doing it on the right level. I say, keep up the events. Let's just be sure that we keep things as real, honest, and personal as possible.

A couple of weeks ago, David Rogers tagged me with a game that asked me to list some books I've read recently. It sort of made the rounds through the blogosphere (again), and many of my fellow bloggers had played along. There are categories, such as "One book that changed your life" or " One book you'd want on a desert island." I posted my answers on the Stepchild blog, but that's not the point. The point is that it took me a very long time to decide what books to list, and not for lack or plenty of recently read books.

At first, I filled out the questionnaire without putting too much thought into it. Nobody really reads that blog anyway. It was while I was proof reading that I hesitated. Every book I had listed was "Christian." Every one. I stopped to think for a second. Was "Searching For God Knows What" my favorite book ever? Would I really want to read "A New Kind of Christian" over and over if I was stranded on a desert island? Had any "Christian" book made me laugh (on purpose), ever?

My mind flipped through the pages of some of the great literature I've had the privilege of reading (and -in the case of university- skimming): Dickens, Hawthorne, Steinbeck. These guys wrote books. Most "Christian" books are glorified how-to manuals or sermons I'd never sit through. They don't really move you, and if they do, it's likely because you've been lulled into a "Christian" coma by the garbage they sell in the local Bible bookstore.

How else can you explain 16 books in the "Left Behind" series?

So I went back to the book list game, and I filled in the blanks with non"Christian" books. Real books. And while I admit that I left out my favorite C.S. Lewis title just out of spite, I like to think that my "secular" list is more honest. Those are the books that have affected the way my imagination works. The best part about them, Poe and Salinger, is that they changed the way I think without actually setting out to do that.

When I think about it, nearly every "Christian" book I've ever read was written in an attempt to influence the way I think. It's evident by the text (no matter what the genre) that most of the authors are trying to teach me something. From the beginning, they set out to change my mind about something. Instead of telling a story for the sake of the beauty or honesty of it, they start with an agenda and go from there. How to have a better understanding of ministry or steps toward the full Christian life. Even the biographies are trying to convince me that so-and-so was a good man or that what's-his-name was what a Christian ought to be.

Beauty. Good story-telling. True creativity. These things, if you can find them at all in "Christian" literature, are accidental.

So I think I'm happy with my list as it stands. I did include one "Christian" book after all. Sure I've read some great religious books. Some have influenced me quite a bit. But despite all their zealous attempts at making me a better Christian, they remain largely forgettable compared to truly good books.

I spoke with a friend the other day who is constantly on his guard against what he perceives as a secular aggression against him as a Christian. In other words, he's concerned that adulturers, homosexuals, drug users, and democrats all hate him and are out to take away his freedom. According to him, they all have an anti-Christian agenda and want to actively recruit our children, impede our ministries, and make us look bad.

I am aware that we as believers have serious opposition. I know that we face an enemy that doesn't rest in his campaign against us. However, I know many non-Christians. I even know some anti-Christians, and a couple of gays. I've had long conversations with them about my faith. Guess what? The vast majority don't hate us.

They nothing us.

See, for a person to hate another person requires something. You've got to put some energy into hating somebody. It costs you something. Hate means you care, just not in a good way. All of the nonbelievers I know do not even think about Christians, much less care enough to really hate us.

Most of the lost people I come across expect to be judged and persecuted by the people who do call themselves Christians. Some don't even know that serious followers of Jesus even exist.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be on our guard. I'm just not sure we really understand who our enemy is.