At our ‘A Passion for Mission’ day on the 26th June, we are bringing together the issues of partnership and risk-taking in mission. The topics were planned separately but as we approach the day they increasingly seem to be linked. Partnership starts when we lay down our own agendas and preferences and seek first the kingdom. This is a risky business!
When the first missionaries went to North Africa in the 19th century many took their coffins with them. Not only did this symbolise their lifelong commitment, the coffin also made a useful cupboard for their clothes and supplies!
Since then the risks faced by those involved in mission work have changed considerably. We may no longer carry our coffins with us but we still take risks and put our trust in God for things that we cannot control. The following stories are examples of individuals, families and organisations that have taken risks of different kinds in order to share the Gospel.
Persevering in Dangerous Situations (Tris Lewis, Medair)
Medair started work in Darfur before the now widely reported crisis. Medair felt God’s prompting to respond to this forgotten region, suffering from chronic under investment and tribal tensions. A health care programme was initiated and for a couple of years, before the crisis, Medair travelled around the region providing health services and building friendships, offering love and hope to the people in this remote place.
When the conflict began it became dangerous to travel. Relying on our established relationships with the communities, careful travel planning and trusting in the Lord, Medair has lived with the risks of conflict and continues to meet real needs.
Sharing the Gospel in a Hostile Environment (Rachel Edmonds, Middle East Media)
MEM’s Media ministry training team has taken risks and overcome obstacles to hold training events for Iraqi Christians. We teach how to produce programmes that convey Gospel truths in a culturally sensitive way.
Participants had long car journeys through dangerous territory.They risk being attacked or detonating hidden bombs to attend our training events. Their explanation:
“We choose to take the risk of travelling because we desire to improve ourselves, our churches and our impact on our country.”
The fruit of this risk is that this small group of Iraqi believers have already begun to see their work, containing contextualised Christian messages of hope, grace and unconditional love broadcast on Iraqi national TV!
Risking our Children? (Colin J. Molyneux)
My wife and I have been missionaries in various parts of Africa since 1968 - from remote Congo jungles to Madagascar’s capital city.Our 2 children were born during these years and are now grown and are both following the Lord and serving him and their local churches in the UK.We were often aware (and were made aware by well-meaning friends), that bringing up children in those kinds of situations can be highly risky: diseases, wild creatures, remoteness, privations, poorer educational facilities etc.Admittedly, there were many times when our faith was sorely tried, and Christine and I had to resort to calling out to the Lord in prayer for his help.Now we look back frequently with hearts full of praise for his love, protection, provision and faithfulness. Halleluiah!
Working Together (Gareth Jones, Friends International)
As coordinator of the Bournemouth summer outreach, I would say that the biggest risk we take each year isn't in recruiting and training teams of young people from around the world, or in sending them out each day to meet international students on the streets and beaches of the city, but in working so closely with local evangelical churches!
Working across the evangelical spectrum can present its difficulties, but in my experience the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.Local churches provide invaluable practical, people and prayer support for the mission. Working together is something I'm passionate about as God brings the world to our doorstep.Where there's opportunity there's responsibility, whichever way you look at it!
As these stories show, the question of the role of risk in mission is as important and relevant today as it ever was.So when was the last time you took a risk in mission? This is the theme of ‘A Passion for Mission 2007’, which will be held on 26th June 2007 at the Chinese Church in London.Do come along and bring friends with you.
Beyond Partnership
Chris Neal explores what it means to follow Jesus into his future
There can be little doubt that we live at the end of the certain world. As a global community, humanity is travelling across a strange and unknown landscape, and many of the ‘signposts’ from previous generations are either being questioned or appear irrelevant for this stage of the journey. Change has always been part of human experience, but the speed and scope of change at the present time is of an order of magnitude never experienced before.
In the midst of this change, God continues to call his Church to share his heart of mission for a broken creation and for every individual within it. This challenge requires leaders who are not only people of vision, imagination and courage, but also those who are willing to think in new ways, and recognise that the present fluidity in which we live will demand creative and innovative thinking.
So frequently the Church gets locked into received patterns of thinking and behaviour, and it has often been the mission movements, which have been used by God’s Spirit to take his people to a new place of being and ministry. This maybe such a time, but in order to respond to it, leaders in mission themselves must be willing to explore new ways of thinking and being.
For some 50 years the partnership model has shaped relationships within the global Christian Community. However, the present global situation, and the mission challenge it presents, requires a new mindset which will only be developed as Christians, and the Christian Church engage afresh with the person of Jesus, and allow him to shape their thinking and mission activity. This will require a willingness to embark on an open-ended mission pilgrimage, where the only certainties are that we have a Lord who travels with us, and who goes ahead to show us the way step by step.
