Supporting or Sending..

 “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”  1 Cor 9:16

       There is a debate raging in many churches about the key to world evangelization.  Some say we should send missionaries.  Others claim we should support native pastors.  Which is correct?

     There are two main reasons given for supporting native pastors.  First, it seems to makes better sense economically.  If we take the money that we are using to support one foreign missionary on the field and use it to support indigenous workers, we can easily support ten or twenty of them for the same amount.  The logic which follows is: if there are more workers, more work will be done, which means we can evangelize the world more quickly.  The second reason given is that native workers are more effective.  They do not have to study language or culture, nor do they go on furlough.  It is believed that foreigners cannot understand the local people to the same depth. 

     These are good reasons, but are they Biblical?  Are they practical?  What does experience have to say about them? 

     First of all, while stewardship is an important Biblical principle, missions is not like shopping around for the best buy in the market.  The scriptures do not tell us to send our money, but our people.  It is first and foremost a matter of obedience.  Jesus commands us to “GO”.  The Great Commission does not read, “Send ye, therefore, your US Dollars into all the world...”  We must realize that the Holy Spirit is calling people to the nations.  They are compelled to preach, under strict orders from the Master.  The church cooperates with the Spirit in sending and supporting them.  This is her responsibility.

     In fact, native churches are also responsible to support their own leaders.  While not ruling out assistance, foreign bodies who support church leaders must guard against divided loyalties, lack of accountability, and a hireling mentality that Jesus warned us about. Missionaries on the field who know these leaders well actually help to prevent these problems from occurring.  Otherwise, history proves that this practice actually weakens receiving churches and undermines world evangelization in the long term. 

     Neither do more workers necessarily mean the task of reaching the unreached will be accomplished.  Hiring more hands to pick the apples in my orchard does not mean that the apples in the orchard across the valley will get picked.  Supporting a native pastor does not make him a missionary to the unreached.  And unreached people groups do not have pastors and evangelists; they don’t even have a church!  Someone is going to have to learn their culture, their language, and win their trust.  This is true for missionaries and native pastors alike, though missionaries are specifically trained for cross-cultural ministry, and are often more well received. This is largely due to ethnic tensions and rivalries which exist between neighboring people groups, and the love which is demonstrated by the depth of the missionary’s sacrifice.

     Target has had relationship with many native pastors dating back to the mid 80’s.  While it is tempting to pay salaries and have them work for us, we have stood our ground that this is not a healthy long-term solution.  We do support their training programs, help them to buy Bibles and provide them with other teaching but we are careful not to create dependency upon us or paternalism.  In return, neither do they see us as their pot of gold, their banks, or their bosses. 

     We live in a world that glorifies the fast and the efficient.  But the Kingdom operates on a different set of rules.  Jesus’ words, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies...” remind us that changing lives, peoples, and cultures is a process that takes time, and sacrifice.  The key to evangelizing the world is not primarily an ecomonic matter, but one of obedience.  The Holy Spirit is compelling sons and daughters from our churches to preach to the nations.  Woe to us if we do not send them.

 This article appeared in out Dec 1999 newsletter.  If you are interested to be on our mailing list, please write in to us.

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