Hi Y'all. I was reading this morning and came across this, which I enjoyed reading, but it tweaked a thought for me. Why do we always chase after some extravagant or extreme and miss the nuance in our understanding of ministry. I really enjoyed reading that article, but I was bothered that they felt it necessary to sort of put down the idea of trained, professional missionaries in order to raise the profile of short-term, layperson centered mission work.
I am not one to advocate the importance of "professionals" as more highly valued than "lay people". I don't make that distinction very strongly at all. However, it isn't necessary to go to the other extreme either! You don't have to devalue career missionaries in order to make the amazing potential of short-term lay ministry visible. Each has their place. Neither will function as it should without the other being a part of the picture.
The other thing that bothered me about this article was when Bob Roberts, Jr. seems to be taking a stab at "Business as mission" and summarily dismissing it as "an insult to the businessman". It would seem to me that either Mr. Roberts doesn't understand business-as-mission, or at best has been given a misunderstanding of what business-as-mission is.
In my experience, it is the business people who are EXCITED about business-as-mission, because it validates their role AS A BUSINESS PERSON in the whole mission endeavor. It doesn't leave them in the position of "financier" that they have been relegated to for so many years. It welcomes them to the front-lines of ministry. Why would that be an insult?
There are many things I don't understand. I try not to dismiss them based on my lack of understanding. I wish Bob Roberts, Jr. would have done as much in his treatment of business as mission. I wish that we could develop a vision for mission that would embrace the value of career missionaries without devaluing what laypeople can bring to the picture. Can we also raise the profile of short-term and lay-involvement without devaluing the career missionary?
I agree HEARTILY with Dr. Roberts that the Great Commission was given to the WHOLE church! We each have our role to play. Let's not make it a competition.
EDIT:
I need to add something here. :-) It is funny how you can write something and create (or be the victim of??) a tone that you never intended to inject into your own words. It seems that sometimes Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is misunderstood. I guess when you make a seemingly negative statement regarding a "time-honored" institution, emotion charges forward and the backlash can be unexpected. I found this post on Dr. Roberts' site that reads like a script for what was running through my mind when I wrote this post earlier! So....Dr. Bob....we agree, I think. :-)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
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I read the article, his blog, and comments on his blog and still felt strongly to say this much to Bob as a comment on his blog:
Dear Bob,
I just wanted to respond to your recent article in Christianity Today. I don’t wish to pick apart your whole article, but speak about something I do know. You mentioned that there is not a country in the world where humanitarians will not be accepted. Sadly this is wrong. I live in Russia and know quite well that many NGOs have been shut down and very few have failed to re-register. Outsiders doing humanitarian work are resented. There is very little opportunity to carry out humanitarian work. It is like this in many (not all) of the former soviet countries.
I am sorry but I found your article far too simplistic, and it seemed like you feel that you have all the answers to how mission should be carried out these days.
There are many other things that I could say about your article, but felt that I would leave it to one criticism for today. Please speak on the things you know, and leave the rest to the experts.
Thank you.
Hi Pasha. I guess I am concerned about the arrogance that SEEMS to leak through the edges of his posts. A lot of what he has to say is really quality stuff, and I enjoy reading it. Some of the broad, sweeping statements (like the one you mentioned...which I was thinking the same things you said...) get old and moldy pretty quickly though. :-) On his blog page, Leonard Sweet is quoted as saying, “If there is anyone alive today who knows more about church planting than Bob Roberts, I don’t know who it is.” I had to chuckle out loud when I saw that. Even if Sweet would choose to make such an outlandish statement about me, I don't think I would allow it to be posted on my website! hehehe. When we start to believe the Press Reports about ourselves, it is a danger zone.
Whooah. Think I'll go back to Alan Hirsch for inspiration on cp.
I think, based on the Scriptures, we have a need for both vocational missionaries and laymen. I think Paul is the best example in the Scriptures of a vocational missionary, and the rest of the early church, "turning their world upside down", are good examples of the laymen.
It's very unhealthy when the laymen get the attitude that they don't have to be on the frontlines, because that is what they pay the missionaries to do.
Just like the Elders of the Church here in the states are working to equip the saints (the laymen) to do the work of the Church (evangelism, spiritual gifts, etc). I believe the Missionaries are working around the workd to reach the lost, and then equip those new saites (new laymen) to do the work of the Church around the world.
It shouldn't be a me vs. them attitude, but a mindset of teamwork. Afterall, isn't it usually the vocational missionaries who help lead and guide the laymen when they go on their short-term missions trips?
Agreed, Jonathan! I believe that each has a role to play and we can't "set at naught our brother" (to use King James English.... hehehe) to raise our own profile. It *IS* about partnership.
Actually, I think that Dr. Roberts means to agree with us, but his tone seems to say something else, so it is not easy for people to read what he says and get the real sentiment. That is why I started this discussion...so we could wrestle with it a bit and connect the dots to get a clearer picture. :-)
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