So how are missionaries doing?
This unscientific survey was conducted by a missionary in Romania. He asked many Romanian church leaders what they thought of the work missionaries had been doing in their country in the last 12 years.
While I think it unfair to generalize these comments and say all missionaries or nationals in all fields are the same, we certainly need to pay attention to what was said and learn from it.
I would also love to post any comments you receive if you ask the same questions of people you work with. Pass on the info and I'll post it for others.
Question - In your opinion, what have been some of the mistakes missionaries have made in the past 12 years in Romania?
Missionary's comment: It was obvious I had struck a nerve. One person even said that I was the first missionary to ever ask this question. This question provoked the most response of all, it was like I unlocked Pandora’s Box.
At first the missionaries brought the gospel but then others came bringing their denominationalism and extreme doctrines.
Either intentionally or unintentionally missionaries left us with the impression that foreigners are superior to Romanians.
Coming and making Romanians subservient to their programs.
Being so strongly convinced about their own ideas that nationals feel that taking advantage of missionaries and their budgets is justified by their own sense of rejection and resentment.
Saying many times that they came to serve but actually functioning in the role of a superior, i.e. many missionaries become employers of nationals.
Passing on materialistic values through the example of the missionary’s own life.
Living in their own world of ideas to the point of being taken advantage of by less than honest nationals.
Expecting Romanian partners to live a long way below the level missionaries are living, has led to a lot of resentment and bitterness. The Romanians’ have covered this up so that they don’t loose the financial benefits that they are getting. This has led to a lot of distorted relationships and ministry partnerships.
Missionaries came with unbending ideas and philosophies.
Not listening to the nationals. (This response came every time)
Superior attitudes toward nationals.
Isolating themselves from nationals. Having their own churches attempting to remain exclusive. Not open to co-operate with other national churches.
Sensationalizing the ministry. Throwing Bibles and other materials out to people in church while taking pictures of people scrambling to catch something.
Coming with very strong and unrealistic ambitions and trying to force things to happen for the sake of “results.” Manipulating Romanian partners with the threat of losing their salaries. Going beyond what God told them to do in order to make things appear more “fruitful” for their supporters.
Seeing all nationals as unskilled in the Bible and not knowing Jesus.
Speaking in such a way that they actually insulted those they were trying to teach. (Not knowing personally the people they were trying to minister to)
Coming with personal agendas rather than spiritual goals.
“Staying” ignorant of cultural norms and values. Not learning the language.
Forming partnerships with nationals too quickly has led to many good missionaries working with and being represented by Romanians that have long and bad reputations. This had led to their own ministry being tarnished and many times, missionaries forming very bad opinions of Romanian church leaders. (This person asked me to please tell missionaries to choose their partners more carefully so that missionaries don’t keep leaving with a negative view of the ministry in Romania)
Accepting bribes as cultural rather than for what it really is…sin!
Forcing nationals on non-essential cultural issues—“Everybody has to smiles if you want to be a good Christian.”
Not being wise with money, being seen as wasteful. Throwing money at problems rather than asking is there something else that needs to happen here.
Missionaries start with blind trust for everybody (Pendulum on the left side), they get burned a few times, then finish with total mistrust for everybody. (Pendulum on the right side)
Missionaries come to Romania with some very romantic and naïve ideas.
Becoming distracted by the many calls for help leads to missionaries doing things that it would seem God didn’t tell them to do.
The corruption that missionaries have experienced in the church has led them to becoming very untrusting of nationals. This has caused a lot of ill feeling where nationals feel looked down upon and seen as stupid people who can’t be trusted.
Presenting a “know-it-all” attitude when it comes to teachings and opinions.
Being unwilling to listen to so called “Romanian partners.”
Being so culturally different that they alienate themselves from the average Romanian.
Not following up financial investments with personal accountability has inadvertently promoted even more corruption. Missionary organizations that dump money and leave with no real relationships have proven to be more harmful than helpful.
Coming with outside pressure to perform on the mission field, leading some missionaries to push things in the ministry and even become controlling. This just causes resentment and resistance.
Exaggerating reports to back home leaving people with a wrong impression of work here in Romania.
Many missionaries never consider adjusting their own lifestyles a little to more resemble that of the people they are living among.
Making big promises and forgetting to come through with them.
Question: What do you think should be the role of the missionary in this country?
To serve like they keep saying they came to do.
Become strong positive role models for nationals in all areas.
Truly partner with proven nationals in all areas.
Truly partner with proven nationals that they can fully trust and empower.
To equip nationals to reach Romania.
To help in the Great Commission personally. Don’t try to do everything, just what God has called you to do.
Build real relationships of love and trust with Romanians and encourage, encourage, encourage!!!
Support the local church’s vision, don’t try to make your own.
Teach nationals to own their own vision for ministry, don’t just always do it for them.
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There you have it. Interesting if nothing else, isn't it?
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6 comments:
Hey Rick,
Great to see you in the blogosphere! I think that definitely puts you in the cool category. (I recently started a blog, too, so I think I'm obligated to say that!)
Thanks for sharing the input from the Romanian leaders. Ouch. Very painful, but all too true, and things we need to hear. It's not just Romanians who are feeling that way.
Dear Chris:
Great article on your LeakSpeak Blog. I tried to leave a comment there but -duh- couldn't figure out how to sign in. Still very new at this.
I interviewed pastors while I was in Thailand and asked them what I could do to better train missionaries to serve in that part of the world as to be a blessing rather than a hindrance. They told me that some of the chief complaints that they had about the Westerners serving there was that they hadn't made concentrated efforts to learn the language, didn't seem to work very hard compared to the national pastors, lived at a much higher standard of living than the nation workers, and that they usually came in with a plan of how to change the country rather than a servant and learner attitude. In general, they didn't have a lot of positive things to say about missionaries. It was definitely hard to hear, but we need to be good listeners as missionaries, especially to the local people who our best allies when it comes to understanding language, culture, strategy to reach their own people, etc.
Great info Grant.
I am going to post it as a separate blog to make sure folks see it. Thanks.
Rick,
Thanks for the posting. It really hit the spot. Every aspiring missionary needs to read this.
Unfortunately, the feeling of superiority is not just limited to missionaries. This can be evident even among nationals. City dwellers again village dwellers.
There is often resentment from villagers again city dwellers.
We all need to develop a servant and learning attitutde as we go to help others be it in another country or culture or within the samme country and culture, but in a different locality.
writing to the to the troubled Corithian Church,the Apostles Paul wrote:
“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".
2Cor 5:15, 17-21
We can deduce a lot from this passage as missionaries (and we all are missionaries, regardless of whether we have moved to serve or are serving in our locality).
1. Are we really living for the one who died for us?
2. Are we truly "new creations?
3. Do we really see ourselved as "reconcilers"?
4. Do we see ourselves as "ambassadors?
And if yes to all four question, what should our attitude be?
Ernest Ehabe
Hey Rick,
Thanks for the post, especially the one about the views from Romanian leaders. I am challenged when reading this, as it does force us to reconsider our motives and approach.
I am also grateful to be with an org (CTEN) that encourages and allows us the freedom to spend the time learning, not doing, when we arrive so we can begin to fulfill the long term needs, not the short term agenda of leaders in the west. I have been burned at times from the short term expecations from western leaders that put the worker in a situation of choosing the lesser of two bad options.
Thanks & keep posting.
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