'Vulnerable Mission: You mean what?' by Jay Gary
"You mean what?" I asked over breakfast, as Jim Harries explained the principles of Vulnerable Mission. "I agree with the principle of local language, but why should Western missionaries avoid using outside money to sustain ministry activities?"
As a mission leader and now a professor of leadership, I thought to myself, how will Vulnerable Mission ever fly, much less make headway against more powerful jet streams which now shape missions, such as Business as Mission, Social Entrepreneurship or Holistic Mission.
Since that breakfast I've initiated several email exchanges with various Vulnerable Mission stakeholders. I've also read several papers at vulnerablemission.com. I've come to the conclusion that Vulnerable Mission, marked by voluntary simplicity and poverty, can be a sign of hope for our times.
Despite flying straight into the headwinds of Rock star activism or economic globalization, in due course Vulnerable Mission can become a core value among thousands of new missionaries, from both the West and Asia. Why do I believe the best about Vulnerable Mission? Three reasons: first, Vulnerable Mission encourages a new generation to engage in God's mission in God's way; second, Vulnerable Mission learns from the way of Jesus in his poverty; and third, Vulnerable Mission tempers the power of the Industrial age to remake the world into a shopping mall.
First, consider the new generation. Many younger 20- or 30-something Christians are not impressed by the strength of mega-churches, nor of economic globalization. They are anti-institutional, anti-war and anti-global. They stand against the day, as David Korten warns, when corporations will rule the world. They care about social networks, personal authenticity, and spiritual relationships. As new monastics or emergent Christians, they are ready to do God's work in God's way. Vulnerable Mission can appeal to their aspirations.
Second, Vulnerable Mission is open to learn from the way of Jesus. Everyone in the gospels, who was drawn to Jesus, learned a different way. The Magi learned the way of humility and worship, in contrast to the killing machine of Herod. Paul learned the way on the road to Damascus, in contrast to the power of Second Temple proselytizers. Francis of Assisi learned the way of Jesus, in contrast to merchants and Knight Templars chasing after holy relics and crusades. In an age today marked by Islamic, Jewish and Christian fundamentalists feeding a clash of civilizations, can we learn the way of Jesus anew through Vulnerable Mission.
Third, Vulnerable Mission is a sign of the cross in an Industrial Age of media markets and hyper-consumerism. This missional mindset of embracing vulnerability calls us to take up our cross and deny ourselves. Vulnerable Mission can lead us beyond managerial and one-sided missions, where we target others, but not ourselves. Vulnerable Mission can be the hand of God to lift both the unevangelized and the evangelizer. It can transform the South and the North, and help us find mutual postures for global leadership.
Whatever noble plans we might have to employ human or financial capital to launch transformative enterprises in the developing world, we must guard against anything that violates the 'spirituality of relational power,' as Bob Linthicum writes.
Jim Harries has it right; we must not use the power of foreign language, or the power of foreign money to overplay our hand. We must not overshadow the formation of new indigenous churches. We must model the way of Jesus. We must avoid any practice that creates neo-colonialism and Western dependency.
Instead as servants, as missional Christians, we who have been sent - as Jesus was sent (John 20:21), must learn from those we serve and appreciate local ways of thinking, being and doing.
"Please join me in making plans to attend an upcoming Vulnerable Mission conference in Germany, the UK or in the U.S."
JAY GARY is an assistant professor at Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, in Virginia Beach, VA. He is also the program director for a new online Master of Arts in Strategic Foresight, helping mid-career professionals from both ministry and the marketplace learn authentic leadership, innovation and strategy as practice. He is best known among Evangelicals as the lead developer of the Perspectives Study Program and the AD 2000 Movement.
Vulnerable Mission Conferences are planned in the UK for 13th Feb 2009 (Andover Baptist Church) and 10th Mar 2009 (Cliff College). Further details at www.vulnerablemission.com
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"The thing about the vulnerable mission article
is that we are trying to live that very thing, but
actually the people who we are working
amongst would far rather we came
accompanied by a cool million or two... we're
continually being shown projects that they
would liike us to fund, which we are not about
to, not least becaue we don't have access to
that kind of money, and as a result we feel that
we are a continual disappointment to the
people here; but the article seems to be a bit
simplistic in failing to mention that the power
imbalance isn't only chosen by the
missionaries, and in fact if we did what the
article suggests and sought to serve the local
community in ways chosen by the local
community, then we would in fact be doing the
thing that the article tells us not to do, i.e.
bringing in Western money and building big
projects with it. So in some ways "vulnerable
mission" itself could actually be seen as an
imposition of Western thinking. There is also
the small side irony that if we are really
seeking to do "vulnerable mission", then we
probably won't be jetting around the world to
conferences run by Westerners in the UK,
Germany or the USA on the subject of "vulnerable mission"!!!" Hazel Frost, Argentina
"Fascinating comments and many thanks to Hazel. Absolutely hit the nail on the head.
A few short responses: 1. did Jesus come to 'please' people, or to tell them the truth? What of Paul, Isaiah etc? 2. Does the article suggest that we 'serve the local community in ways that it chooses'? Who anyway 'is' the local community? Is it easy to identify, or are there a few people with a load voice who tend to draw all the attention? 3. Is vm Western thinking, or is it Biblical thinking? Or 'godly thinking'? 4. I would have thought that conferences on vm are a way of preparing to be vulnerable?
Hazel has made some good points that we need to work through. Perhaps a big question is - are we (missionaries from the West) representing the wealth of the West, or God? Or are the two these days somehow confused?" Jim Harries, Kenya
"Hazel, you have pinpointed the pivotal question? Who does a vulnerable missionary serve? Who are the stakeholders in their work? Who is the local community? Who is we?
Vulnerable Mission needs to do serious thinking on spiritual capital and how this relates to a community's future, not just a congregation's growth. Otherwise, as you say, missionaries become brokers for Mammon, rather than bridges to God. Your thoughts?" Jay Gary, USA
"This is a good discussion, thanks guys I could do
with more of this. Just thinking on... "4. I
would have thought that conferences on vm
are a way of preparing to be vulnerable?"
Maybe for missionaries in preparation, but if
I'm on the field, and I'm not showering dollars over local projects, but I do have money to jet
myself back to the West whenever I feel like it
then it doesn't matter what the topic's on as far
as local people are concerned, I'm hardly going
to be seen to be living vulnerably. It also
raises questions about where my sources of
resources, support and learning are; am I
learning from local people, or am I only looking
for Westerners to teach me?
I think there is a big confusion about
whether we are representing the wealth of the
West or God, and what the overlap between
the two might be. Hollywood has a lot to
answer for. Here people think that the West is
perfect and that Westerners have perfect lives,
and that all they have to do is emulate the
West. There is a lot of over-realised
eschatology around. And as a Westerner it is
difficult to preach a future escatology when the
perception is that I'm preaching pie in the sky
as a way of letting myself off the hook of
sharing my riches around. Somehow we need
to get the Hollywood image into its proper
place, and publicise a few "realities"... like the
46 million USA citizens who don't have access
to adequate health-care etc, and maybe it
might be less about the West being seen to
have all the answers and more about being on
a journey together. "Local community"... "few people with a loud
voice".... Yes, I think so, and I think that is
particularly the case when we undertake "development" or "humanitarian" type
activities. People who have contact with
NGO's, particularly foreign NGO's are probably
articulate and know how to make and develop
contacts. There is also an issue that middle
classes of many developing countries live in
ways which look quite a lot like the poorer
people of Western countries, which causes
NGO's (both Christian and otherwise) to end up
working with the middle class, while the real
poor often remain hidden and marginalised." Hazel Frost, Argentina
"Thanks for that response Hazel. Not that I want to rob you of the 'glory', but almost all that you have written I could have written.
So what can I say, as I go along with most of your sentiments. Yes, it would be good for more folks to learn from the place thery're at rather than seeing rushing back to the West as a prerequisite for learning. Hence the vm (vulnerable mission) principles we are advocating - that some missionaries use local languages and only local resources, so that they don't have to 'rush back'. That frees one up from having to work so hard on 'raising funds' and checking on accountability hither and thither. Then if you 'force yourself' to use only local languages, you are obliged to drop to the bottom of the pile and spend a lot of time listening to locals before 'action'.
This then is how we are defining 'vulnerable'. Not that you are about to die of hunger, or that you 'cannot' get back 'to the West' (although such latter may also be helpful, people tend to resist such) - but given that you are powerful through FOREIGN contacts that such foreign-based power not be used to 'buy' local power. I find that if I confine myself to local languages and resources, most people aren't very interested in my ministry after a while, then it is up to me to find out how to operate within the community in which I am living so as to 'attract' folks! That's what I am understanding by 'vulnerability'. Of course I am 'different', but at least to be 'the same' (albeit a bit behind as I am pretty ignorant of local things) in terms of ministry. That means of course - what I can do 'they' can do! etc.
Do have a look at some more of the reading on the vm site. Here is a piece that says what I have above in a bit more depth that you might find helpful to start out with: www.jim-mission.org.uk/articles/normalisation-of-christian-mission-practices.pdf If you don't want to 'go back to the west', just avoid western languages and money in whatever your ministry is.
" Jim Harries, Kenya
"Yes you're correct, we have to teach the Churches the Way of Christ and His Apostles ... the way the Churches were planted in New Testament time, and now it is the time for us to go with this philosophy into the Church to develop Church leaders and Church members for the extension of Indigenous Church planting movement.
Yes I would please to attend the Vulnerable Mission conference.
Please send me more information." Rev Vijay Raju, India