Vulnerable Mission - Responsible Mission

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Conference for Vulnerable Mission in Norwich, England. This was a gathering of mission scholars and practitioners who desire to practice responsible mission as it relates to missionary practices, finances, and holding to indigenous principles. The conference was hosted by the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission which "seeks to encourage a wider use of mission and development strategies that depend on locally available resources and local languages." (from the website)

It was a joy to be with a friend of mine, whom I served with in Cambodia in the early 90's, as she was the keynote speaker for the conference. We reminisced about times gone by. But along the course of our conversation, she apologized to me for how we "did missions" in those days, and this apology made me think. 

I have always said that I knew so little about being a missionary during those days. I first went to Cambodia just a few days from my 23rd birthday. I was a Bible college graduate, had a call of God on my life, and knew that God had led me to serve in Cambodia. I learned much from my missionary colleagues, but had never experienced or even read about a lot of the things we encountered in those days. The country was in shambles and there was such a great need everywhere you turned. We sometimes think of mission as what we can do for those who need the most help. If that was the definition, we were definitely fulfilling mission and could see the tangible results each day. However, were we conducting "responsible" mission? 

I lived in Cambodia for 3 years ('92-95), and then returned for another 6 months in 1997. So much has changed from those early days, and I can't comment on the long-term results of our actions because I was not there, but I will say that I have learned a few things in the last 21 years since I first arrived in Cambodia. The key lesson I have learned is that each culture has embedded in its cultural fabric a desire to know God and to communicate the truths of scripture in a unique way. Our role within that culture is to learn the language and culture as deeply as possible so that we communicate in a way that they understand from their cultural viewpoint, not ours, and then duplicate the message of the Gospel in a way that is understood clearly in that culture. We must refrain from the rush to reach them which prevents us taking the time to know them first. We must also refrain from using our own understanding, methods, and forms of church, evangelism, and mission, and forcing others to join us from our cultural point of view, not theirs. 

Mission takes time. Time to learn language, culture (much more than food!), and the heart of the people. In training students for ministry, I try to communicate and emulate these principles even for a home-culture setting. Each community we enter has its own unique culture embedded into the fabric of society. If we don't take time to understand what that is, we continue doing what we know, not what will bring true transformation to a society through Christ.

At the end of the day, to be engaged in responsible mission is to think about how we "do mission" and to understand that our actions, resources, and understanding of "church" may not be the way that we are to comprehend "church" from the cultural viewpoint that we have been called.  I believe that first and foremost, responsible mission is to be completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom that we need to engage in God's mission. It is not to re-create our own version of Christianity in far-away lands, thereby removing the importance of language, culture, and time in our presentation of the gospel. 

Just because we have more money than the culture we are serving in doesn't mean we have to give it all away. This produces dependency and an unhealthy view of the Gospel. 

Just because we have more experience in Christianity in our culture doesn't mean that it is the way in which Christianity will be expressed in their culture. 

Chris Wright, in his book The Mission of God, defines mission and missionary as follows:

Mission: Our committed participation as God’s people, at God’s invitation and command, in God’s own mission within the history of God’s world for the redemption of God’s creation. 

Missionary: referring to people who engage in mission, usually in a culture other than their own. It has even more of a flavor of “being sent” than the word mission itself.  

We all have a part in mission. I pray that we be committed to participate in what God has invited and commanded us to do, allowing the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and guidance in our praxis so that the Gospel is presented in a way that is revealed through the culture itself.

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If you want to read more on this topic, check out my friends book "We are not the hero" and the website of World Mission Associates.

Do. Not. Quit.

In the midst of this time of study, there are days when I would like to quit. Developing theory and training your mind to think about things differently is not for the faint of heart. 

Recently I spent a week at the guest house of an Anglican Franciscan convent for a writing retreat. The food was good, the bed warm, and the environment conducive for writing. I wrote about 6000 words during those 6 days. However, I also wrote a few messages to friends that said: "What in the world am I doing?" "Why am I doing this?"

Why am I doing this?

It is easier to quit. It won't hurt anyone. Why bother?

Let the brainiacs write the theory and study theology. I'll just keep on doing and serving.

Then I stopped and took a look around at my setting. I was in a place where women had committed their life to God and prayer. They prayed together 5 times a day, every day, and then also committed the rest of the time of their day to prayer and doing good works. They grew their own food. They made  items to sell for the upkeep of their house. They did this every day. 

They could have gone the easy route and gone to the store to purchase food. They didn't have to pray 5 times day. Surely it was enough to have only one corporate prayer. They could have said: 

It is easier to quit. It won't hurt anyone. Why bother?

But they don't. I met two ladies who had lived this life for more days than I have been alive. They loved God and because of their love for Him, they committed all of their days to Him. Sure they could have taken an easy route, but they chose to pray. Prayer is hard work. It takes discipline. It takes time. It interrupts the day. It never stops.

But it works.

So why do I bother writing a PhD? Because I believe that somewhere in this God is directing me to Him. I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm stretching. 

Sometimes I would like to give up because it just seems too hard. It takes far too much discipline. It takes an enormous amount of time. It interrupts my day. It feels like it will never stop.

But it works.

It is working to form my thinking, stretch my assumptions, and hopefully, somehow, will change a part of the world. And hopefully change it for the good of the Kingdom of God, not just my little world.

Is it easy? No way. 
Will there be more days that I would like to stop? Probably.

But I need to see the bigger picture to realize that this process is probably not for me, but for the next generation. The theories and thoughts that I put on paper will hopefully affect the theories and thoughts of those who follow me. If I can think differently about theology and missiology - to see it as God sees it - maybe, just maybe I can get it right and communicate that to someone else.

So, why am I doing this?

Because I am not going to quit.*

*special thanks to Sister Margaret for her inspiration.

The Community of St. Clare, Oxfordshire, England

Balancing Act & Old Books

During a pastoral theology course in bible college, one of my favorite professors, Dr. David Watson, stood in front of our class and said the following: "The most important lesson you will ever learn in ministry is this: BALANCE." The phrase was always emphasized by Dr. Watson's action of spreading his two hands widely apart and clapping them together with gusto when he came to the word "balance."

As I have matured and experienced ministry and mission, I have recounted this phrase many times and reflected on its accuracy. I found myself replicating this action and repeating the phrase to students I have taught over the years. Balance is indeed key to life and ministry. It is sometimes very difficult to get right, but I have observed that if I can have fresh enough eyes to see where balance is needed, the end result of ministry is typically less self-centered and more God-centered.

As I study the concepts of discipleship and missional formation, this balancing act must remain in focus as well. It is sometimes very easy to become so theoretical about a topic that I miss the practical outworking in front of my eyes. In reading a recent text entitled "Christian Formation," I came across this quote and this balancing act once again comes into focus:

"The social sciences are those sciences in which humans are the subject of study. Most relevant to the Christian educator are those that address human development—the growth and maturing of humans over their lifespan—and learning theories, which are frequently tied to the development of cognition or intellect in humans. The Christian educator is caught between two roads: the theological and the theoretical. The theology road is traveled frequently by theologians and by all those professing Christian faith, while the theory road is congested with those participating in the scientific community—in this instance, those who engage in the social sciences. But must we choose? Is there not a new path—a third way—to travel through the woods?"  

(In "Christian Formation: Integrating Theology and Human Development" by Estep, James R.; Kim, Jonathan H, (2010).)

This is a nice balance of theology and theory that I am now undertaking as I research and write in this degree program. In order to develop a theory of ministerial & missiological training, however, a sound theological knowledge is necessary and will lay a foundation for good practice. No theology, and the theory becomes my own: self-centered. Apply theology to the social sciences, however, allows for theoretical development which is God-centered. The "travel through the woods" begins to take shape as  I find the specific path that God is directing the research. If he is not in it, its a waste of my time and His! But if he is in the research (and I believe Him to be), then I trust that there will be a practical outworking of the theory developed in the process.

Thanks for your prayers as I travel the path.

And about old books - here's the latest acquisition into my library: "The Defenders of the Faith; or, the Christian Apologists of the Second and Third Centuries" by The Rev. F. Watson. This particular edition was published in London in 1893. I just thought it was cool to have a 120 year old book in my library!

I also found an original pamphlet written by T.B. Barratt, credited for introducing Pentecostalism in Europe. The pamphlet was written in 1909. No picture because I gave it back to the college to be kept in the Donald Gee Archives of Assemblies of God-Great Britain historical documents.

My new part-time job...

Working on a PhD is like working a part-time job.

It is stated that you should work an estimated 15-20 hours per week on reading and writing during the course of the program. Some weeks I can do this with no problem, other weeks its hard to get it all in.

And then there's the whole scenario of asking the question: "am I doing the right work?" With hundreds of books to read and hundreds of pages to write, it is sometimes difficult to know until after you read and after you write if you have done the right reading and writing. Sometimes you need to scrap it all after a meeting with your adviser or upon the return of a not-so-great paper. But you never really scrap the work completely, because you never know if some of that reading & research might be useful later on down the line.

So today I'm hoping to read a bit more, write a bit more, and chisel away at the mountain before me. My favorite saying about this program is this...

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

You don't know what you don't know

At Mattersey Hall, our principal teaches a "mock" course to potential students coming to visit the college during a preview weekend. The course is "What you didn't know you didn't know." Although I haven't attended the course, the title always makes me chuckle.

As I travel this PhD program journey, I realize that there is so much that I do not know. And so many things that I didn't know that I didn't know, but I really need to know.

I sat in a class this morning with vocabulary, suggestions, measurement devices, and other concepts being thrown around the world with such speed and veracity, I thought I was in the middle of a racquetball game. Only problem...I forgot my racket.

I didn't know I needed to know some of those things!

However, this is the process of learning. Examining areas where previous knowledge does not exists.

Learning - noun:

the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, or study, or by being taught

So, this is where I am. Muddling through all of the things that I did not know I needed to know to think theoretically. My glossary is growing. My brain is active. My knowledge is building.

Now, I will never gain all the knowledge in the world or even in my particular area of research, however, at this stage I am investigating the areas I do not know. My platform of knowledge will increase, and will be filtered through my perspective and context. Eventually a foundational knowledge will be expanded and then built upon. Hopefully, this will continue to increase over the years, as learning & knowledge do simply with time and maturity, but will focus in upon the areas of study that will lead to a clear practical outworking of the research I am conducting. I look forward to this moment.

But for now, I don't know what I don't know... so... back to the library!

Have a great day, friends. Happy studying.

Why missionary to missiologist?

My day has been filled with the study of missiological education. In the text Missiological Education for the Twenty-First Century (Woodbury, Van Engen, Elliston, 1997), I came across the following quote that gives the reason why I am pursuing a PhD in Intercultural Studies, and why I am attempting to move from being a missionary to becoming a missiologist:

Samuel Escobar “The key difference between a missionary and a missiologists is that while the missionary accomplishes the task that his or her call demands, the missiologists also reflects about the task in a critical and systematic way.”

Not only do I want to accomplish missio Dei (the Mission of God), but I want to reflect on WHY I am doing it. 

More to come...thanks for reading.

In the Library...

This journey all started about 9 years ago as I was completing my Master's degree. I enjoyed the research, writing, and gathering of data so much that I knew I could probably do more. In 2010-11, while in the US on my missionary furlough, I began searching for further study programs, realizing a few things along the way: 1) PhD programs are expensive, 2) There are many great and not so great programs out there, 3) It was important to find a program that fit me, not the other way around.

With these basic tools in mind, I did not make the search solely an academic endeavor, but both a practical and spiritual search. You see, I've been involved in mission outreaches since 1989. That's 24 years. I have given my life to the cause of Christ and know without a doubt that I am "called" to do what I am doing: make disciples. Therefore, if I go about study with just my head, my heart and soul will miss out on the process and my academic work will ultimately become soulless, lacking a practical outworking.

As for my background in missions, my work in cross-cultural settings has primarily been in hands-on engagement in missionary praxis. I don't have a missions degree (I have a BA in Bible/Youth Ministry and a MA in Christian Ministry), and although I do have many missions classes and lots of reading under my belt, my heart, hands, and mind have been focused on the practical outworking of helping bring the Good News to those who have not heard. Bottom line...I am not a theorist but a mission practitioner.

I am a missionary, not a missiologist.

However, after 13 years working at a seminary offering practical training to students preparing themselves for vocational ministry, I realized that I needed to have more than just experience. This is why I pursued my Master's degree and really thought that was the end of my personal academic journey. But there is something that happens as you engage in the world of academia. A switch is turned on to thought and turned off to just accepting what others say is true: you want to find out for yourself. Thus enters the vast world of research. The more research you do, the more you think, and the more you think, the more you research. You also begin to realize how little you actually know compared to the vast amount of knowledge available in the world. Although I can't learn it all, I knew that I was lacking in many areas and needed to practically engage my mind with the praxis of missions. I had floated along too long allowing others to dictate the theories, and it was time for me to step up to the proverbial plate, experience in hand, and attempt to engage the theoretical world through research, writing, and hopefully, a contribution to the academy, and ultimately the Kingdom of God.

And this is how I came to the conclusion: I should get a PhD!

So, here we are on my journey to becoming a research practitioner in missiology. After much prayer and research, I found just the right program for me at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. I started a PhD program in Intercultural Studies in December of 2011 and am now trudging along this 5-6 year long path. It has not been easy and requires a great deal of discipline, however, I am thankful for this opportunity.

I am actually in the library right now, and need to get back to work, but have started this blog to journal my path, form some thoughts, discuss some missiological topics, post research findings, and engage with others on the journey.

So here we go!  From missionary to missiologist: come & follow Shannon's journey to a PhD.