Do you trust me?
Are we done looking at national believers as unskilled or unable to do ministry without American missionaries watching them?
I still remember from years ago a missionary declaring, “All Peruvians are liars”. It reminded me of the book of Titus and the quotation about Cretians. Note that it was not Paul who said it but one of themselves. It may be true for Peruvians as it was Cretians but this cultural plague was to be met with rebuke and calls for cultural change, evidenced by the believers. Somehow, I did not get the same impression from the missionary’s words about the Peruvians that I read in Titus. As I thought about the comment, I wondered if the Holy Spirit ever indwelt the believers in Peru. Surely, the work and evidence of the Holy Spirit in them should be the same as in us.
Historically, there has been a mistrust of nationals. Some of it has been justified and many can share their stories of deception, theft and abuse of money and power by ‘trusted’ nationals. However, a few faulty nationals seem to allow the painting of all nationals with a broad brush of distrust.
Some of the fault rests with the missionary. I know of one situation where the missionaries left a significant fund behind in the hands of ‘trusted individuals’ when they were forced to leave the country. Within a short period of time, the money was gone. One explanation was that these ‘trusted individuals’ were simply employees who were never really trusted while the missionaries were there. In addition, the lack of trust led to no real training about what to do if the missionaries were ever forced to leave.
It is an amazing change that has occurred since approximately 1985. It seems that KP Yohanan’s book stirred up a willingness to give nationals an opportunity in missions. How much of the change was due to less support required is debatable. National believers started making their way to our country and gathering support for their mission. They have been welcomed and organizations rose up to facilitate the funds raised back to the national believers in their countries. The strategy of assisting national individuals overseas has taken on its own traditional approach – come raise support and an agency will facilitate the funds to you.
Red flags have been waved over and over again because of the lack of accountability. Many still hold back from any form of assistance to nationals in another country. With other good reasons and testimonies of failures, they are justified in doing so. Who is watching? Is there any accountability? Has anyone gone to see what is actually being done? All are valid questions but one key question remains.
Where is the national church? As believers entrusted with the Scriptures, we believe that the church is God’s plan for the Church Age. We have traditionally resisted the bypassing of the local church in missions. Every missionary requires a sending church. Yet somehow, that is all set aside when it comes to nationals who make their way here to appeal to our churches for support. Is anyone asking, “Who sent these people? What is their relationship to the churches upon their return? Are they simply building their little kingdom and what does that kingdom look like?”
A key component of this manifesto is to see national believers as essential for accomplishing the unfinished task. This criticism of the current strategy for using national believers is not contradictory. Rather it is a call for change. Get the National Church Involved! The neglect of the national church is negligent behavior on our part.
The challenge is for the national church to be given the same priority in missions as the American church has done for years. Our work should not be with national missionaries but working with national church leaders who oversee the work of their missionaries.
Some will say they are doing so, and some are, but consider this. A key element that has often been forgotten by those who are working with national church leaders is the need of investment by the national churches themselves. The argument that they have no money is false. They are living and surviving in their culture and context. The same call for sacrificial giving that we appeal to our churches is the same appeal that needs to be made by their churches to their people.
- It is their ministry.
- It is their mission field.
- It is their missionary.
- It should be their money.
It is personal investment in their ministry that will best answer the cry for accountability. Those who have ‘skin in the game’ will carefully watch the use of their money (and if American churches are helping the national churches, our money too).
The key will always be the integrity of the national church leader. Have we learned how to vet the real man of God from the charlatan? Are we willing to build relationships of integrity and trust national church leaders? Can we prove them, not by expecting them to fail but expecting them to succeed?
