Missions Blog for Churches

Here is the second installment of our trip to Haiti. To see the first clip and some background info, click here.

Mission to the World and Reformation Hope International are partnering together with a Presbyterian Church in Le Plaine, Haiti to rebuild. This is part two of the story.

I recently traveled to Haiti to see some of what God is doing there. We participated in the first worship service in the first church to be rebuilt since the earthquake. MTW is partnering with Reformation Hope, International and The Presbyterian Church in Haiti to bring the Gospel in word and deed to the people of Haiti. Here is the first installment of our trip:

MTW is featuring the work in Thailand at General Assembly this year. If you’re planning to be in Nashville, come by the MTW booth and pickup your Thailand gift to discover more about what God is doing in this part of Asia.

Here is a video put together by Team Thailand that tells a bit of the story:

Napada Thailand from MTW~Thailand on Vimeo.

The following is a book review of When Helping Hurts: How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor…and yourself. You can find out more about this book at www.whenhelpinghurts.org and can order it online here.

When Helping Hurts is a compelling book that will be a significant help to the Church for years to come. The first chapter alone is worth the cost of the book and ought to be read by every church leader in every ministry category. This is not just a book for the missions committee (although it ought to be required for everyone involved in missions) or the Outreach Director, or the pastor. I think every Christian in America would benefit. Most evangelicals would be rattled.

There are several benefits from this book. Since most people read book reviews to try and determine whether they want to buy and read the book, let me mention those benefits.

It doesn’t just pick on the Church or her leaders. This book is personal; it will pick on you. It was deeply convicting to me as I read it. I realized that as many times as I have been moved by stories about the fatherless and the widow, the poor and the sick, I am not purposefully living for my life, and leading that of my family, to intersect with these members of society. I have forsaken the needy by my enslavement to convenience and stuff. My house is conveniently situated away from poverty. I hardly see the needy. And then there is my busyness. All my important tasks that keep me far away spending myself on “behalf of the hungry” (Is. 58:10) are often where I find my own significance and worth. I am convicted that although I hold to the position that all humans are created in the image of God, I don’t live as such. And I realize that I do have a god-complex (although every time I read that phrase in the book, my first reaction was, “No I don…..okay, I do. I do.”).

The authors are not writing from lofty chairs in academia. They pen their own confessions. One of my favorites is, “I confess to you that part of what motivates me to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile with my life, to be a person of significance, to feel like II have pursued a noble cause…to be a bit like God…I sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects that I use to fulfill my own need to accomplish something. it is a very ugly truth, and it pains me to admit it, but ‘when I want to do good, evil is right there with me’ (Rom. 7:21).” [p. 65] They also give a number of examples that show where they blew it. This communicates not only humility, but also a sense that there’s a bit of a journey involved. Helping the needy will never become neat, clean and orderly.

This book is highly biblical, both in its use of Scripture for application as well as in developing a theory of poverty that serves as the framework. You won’t be able to get past a few pages at any point in the book without being confronted by biblical truth (and a helpful reference). And it does not do what many books on this subject do, namely, present steps and practices for alleviating poverty dissected from the Bible as the source of these truths or from the Holy Spirit as the source of divine power. Rather, the authors continually remind you of the authority of Scripture and our dependency on the Holy Spirit for power and guidance in the journey. One good example is early in the book, as the authors lay the groundwork for the importance of relationships in assisting the poor and sick. They take the reader back to the relationship in the Godhead, the Trinity. And from there they expand and explain how ministry flows through relationships. The poor are not going to be helped, without hurting them, if we just conduct drive-by ministry.

This book is also highly practical. The authors not only explain best practices and steps to take, but they give examples of what they might look like. And they also offer gracious critiques of benevolent practices that many of us have followed. The strange thing is that while reading many of the critiques, the thought ran through my head, “That always seemed a little unwise to me.” You’ll finish with not just new techniques, but will actually have an understanding of why some things work and some don’t.

Many in the church will want to read this because of their local outreach. But this book is just as important for global outreach. In my job, I am continually laboring to help churches understand the importance of their short-term trips not becoming drive-by (or fly-by) ministries. Feeding the poor is wonderful. Caring for the orphan is beautiful. Both are biblical. But to be the best these ministries can be, both need to be in the context (connected to) a sustainable ministry. Biblically, you can’t escape the fact that this is the church. Ministries that are conducted apart from the church die when their leadership dies (or moves, or changes strategies, or gets new vision, etc…). They are simply not sustainable. But when ministry is conducted in and through the church, there is lasting fruit. New believers are folded into that work. And when the US worker (or partnering church) leaves, the church will continue the ministry.

I don’t get to read a ton of books, but this is one that has so impacted my thinking and stirred my heart, that I am encouraging everyone to read it. It’s one of those books. I’ve got a stack of copies with me for my next journey to share with folks. I think it will disturb you too, in the best way possible. Order When Helping Hurts online.

Tomorrow at 7 pm, at the Orlando Marriott, is the start of the Going Global Conference, entitled, “Mobilizing for Missions.” Plenary speakers include R.C. Sproul, Elliott Greene, Carl Ellis, and others. The conference is sponsored by the Going Global Network, which is aimed at equipping leaders in the African American church. It is a free conference, but registration is requested. Visit www.goingglobalconf.com for more information and to register.

by Seth Wallace

“We have a leadership vacuum.“

“Our greatest need is leaders.“

You’ve heard these statements before. For several years now, we have heard this in a variety of contexts. In our denomination it has been ubiquitous. The need for developing leaders is great, but the progress has been slow. I’ve heard current leaders bemoan the “young leader pool,“ saying there aren’t many good prospects. I’ve heard those in my generation say that few current leaders want relationships or are willing to listen. Are leaders born or are they made? Will one generation flop about because it can’t lead? That question has probably been leveled at every generation to come along…continue reading this article from InVision.

The following is part of a report from MTW’s Coordinator, Dr. Paul Kooistra. In it he describes the need for both US missionaries and partnerships with national leaders. MTW has seen a real growth in the number of national partners. This is truly exciting to think about, and I look forward to seeing more PCA members go to equip even more national partners. Indeed, theological training and ministry equipping are some of the strongest offerings the PCA has to the Church beyond our borders.

I am often asked why MTW does not work with nationals. The answer to the question is that we do work with nationals. In fact, we work with a lot of nationals. The number of our national partners now exceeds the number of long-term missionaries.

Some who ask this question are actually asking why we don’t work exclusively with nationals. To many it seems much more efficient and more economical.

As I have indicated above, MTW does not in any way diminish the importance of working with nationals. From the beginning of the Church, nationals have played a vital leadership role. Paul, during his first missionary journey, appointed local leaders in Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Throughout church history the translation of the Bible into the vernacular was of primary importance.

On the other hand, we see that one church reached out to another church and to the masses held captive in the darkness of their own sin. It is not possible to reach out only with money. If we don’t give ourselves, we have missed the very essence of the gospel. The incarnation of God argues for an incarnational response.

We actually have some places in the world where nationals ask us to come, wanting no monetary help, but only the encouragement and connectivity with the Church in the United States. They recognize that their church is richer spiritually for its interaction with our Church.

What is now needed is for our Church to realize that we are richer for our interaction with other churches around the world. Paul reminds us that the body of Christ is made up of many parts. Usually, we only interpret this truth in relationship to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need to see that this also relates to the different parts of the Church around the world. We need each other, and that is one reason we respond to the Great Commission.

Pray for MTW and our missionaries as we deal with the weak dollar and the financial crisis within the U.S. We will be monitoring the budget very closely. I pray we will be able to deal with this matter by being very careful.   -   Paul Kooistra

by, Dan Iverson

For the record, I am for facilitation. In a sense, Scripture is calling us to facilitate when it says “equip the saints” to minister (Ephesians 4:11). Jethro, in effect, told Moses to facilitate (Exodus 18:17). D.L. Moody wisely said, “Don’t do the work of a thousand men. Put a thousand men to work!” We must be equipping increasing numbers of workers to multiply churches and reach the world.

On the other hand I have some concerns about the growing facilitation emphasis in missions circles. As a longtime missionary to Japan, I daily experience the strengths and weaknesses of both direct and facilitative church planting. I facilitate some indigenous Japanese workers by serving, supporting, and coaching from a distance while concurrently doing direct church planting as a missionary pastor working toward a church-planting movement (CPM) together with three younger Japanese co-pastors.

Praise God that facilitation in missions is increasingly possible. God promised to raise up indigenous “Gentile Levite” church planters (Isaiah 66:21), and is doing so worldwide. Christ is building His Church. There are increasing numbers of healthy churches with whom we can partner, serve, and facilitate as we pursue biblical, indigenous CPMs.

And in large part, facilitation is possible today from Brazil to Bangladesh because of foundations laid by missionaries through more direct evangelism in previous generations. In many places, however, those foundations are lacking. The national church is weak or nearly non-existent. There are not scores of indigenous church planters waiting to be facilitated. Evangelism and church planting by cross-cultural missionaries are still needed so that some day, by God’s grace, there will be indigenous movements with whom we can partner. (Click here to continue reading this article…)

by, Paul Taylor

Have you seen that map? It’s a map of the world designed by Patrick Johnstone, the author of Operation World. Each red dot on the map indicates one “unreached people group.” Very noticeable are the number of red dots all through Southeast Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. But the really stark, surprising, and impressive feature of this map is the fact that India is almost totally red—literally full of an enormous number of unreached people groups—both in the North (less reached) and in the South (considered more reached).

The question that we want to address in this article is: “What can or should we do to address these huge needs—not just in India, but the needs of all of these unreached groups of people?” “How can we best get the gospel to them?”

Recently, I visited Ang Stock, Cambodia. Here in this village of about 1,000 people a foreign missionary working with an MTW team has rented a house ($25 per month), and is learning the language, teaching the children, and dreaming of the future. This missionary has a goal of establishing churches in all of the nearby villages within bicycle range, the main mode of transportation. The missionary has been there only five months, but we had the privilege of meeting the first convert—a language tutor. God has called the missionary to this sort of mission work. We need to honor that call, help in any way that we can, and seek to leverage that ministry into an ever-expanding church-planting movement if at all possible.

The latter would most likely not happen unless the missionary raises up local people, trains them, and then facilitates a dozen or more local people to do the same thing. In 20 years could the missionary raise up 15 local missionaries who would start five to 10 village churches each? Very possible! One hundred churches could be started in 20 years. That is very worthwhile. And very worth supporting. Is that a church-planting movement? I would think so. But the church-planting movement will likely only become reality when this ministry moves to the stage of facilitating a good number of local church-planting missionaries. (Click here to continue reading this article…)

Clay Quarterman recently announced that MTW’s work in Ukraine is now completely led by nationals. This is extremely encouraging news to receive, and to a large degree, one of the biggest goals most MTW teams have. We don’t want our efforts to be dependent on more US missionaries being sent to sustain the work. Rather, when nationals are equipped to lead, they create a sustainable supply of future leaders for the work of the ministry. But this is not an easy thing to do. Clay writes on his website:

It was really strange at Presbytery. Right after we declared and celebrated the new Presbytery, there were some serious issues to be dealt with in confidence, and the Presbytery went into “closed session”. This meant that all non-members had to leave the room – including missionaries! So it was strange and wonderful to be excluded! But it shows the reality of what we have celebrated.

Clay continues:

We officially passed over all our authority to the national Presbyterian Church of Ukraine! This is a milepost, because it means God has raised up godly believers here who have banded together into 11 local churches, and it means God has raised up 11 spiritual leaders who have been trained, academically and practically. They have proven themselves in service to others, and we have turned over the whole thing to the Holy Spirit—to work in them, among them, and through them. It’s a BIG THING!

But, as the MTW-Ukraine team leader, Eric Huber, said, “This is not a birth, but a Bar-Mitzvah!” We have seen this coming, year-by-year. We planned for it and worked into it gradually, but it is still a moment to celebrate. We have officially “passed the baton”. Hallelujah! Praise God for His internal, spiritual, and maturing work!

So, what now? We are certainly not done, for the church continues to desire our help. In fact, I am one of the few “left behind” as a continuing part of Presbytery. Since I am president of their seminary, they want me as an official member. However, this also means I am put on various committees! (Continue reading this article by clicking here)

You can find out more about what the Lord is doing through MTW in Ukraine by visiting the MTW Ukraine Team Website.