In the 21st century missionaries are more likely to be Asians coming to Australia and Africans going to Europe than the other way round. So David Williams argues that we need to be clear on the right reasons for missionary-sending and be ready for the new wave of missionaries that will hit our shores.
A "missionary' can no longer be defined as an American, Australian or European who travels in Christ's name to far off lands. As Southern Cross highlighted in their last special mission feature, "the field' in which mission takes place is as likely to be Europe as Africa. There is no doubt that in the 21st century, the Developing World is becoming by far the largest missionary sending church and that Europe is becoming an increasingly needy mission field.
So when we ask "What does the missionary bring to the field?" we might be asking "what does an Indian leader bring to theological education in South Africa?" or "What does a Kenyan evangelist bring to suburban Australia?"
Our task, then, is to consider the reasons why the Church might send a Christian from one culture to another and to assess the contribution that such a missionary might make.
Good reasons for sending missionaries
1. Missionaries bring the gospel
At the most fundamental level, what the missionary brings is simply the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ commands his Church to make disciples of all nations and to preach the good news of repentance and forgiveness to the ends of the earth (Luke 24:44"49).
While we rightly critique the cultural insensitivity and colonial attitudes of 19th Century missionaries, we should also rejoice at the remarkable way that God used their ministries to give birth to dynamic and mission oriented churches across the world. Those same churches, motivated by the same gospel, are today sending their own missionaries to declare the good news to those who have not heard it.
So who will evangelise Australia, the most secular country in the world? It is African, Asian and Latin American Christians whom God is raising up to make disciples of all nations; Colleges such as those represented in these pages are training this new mission workforce. It is particularly in the area of evangelists and church planters that we are seeing a shift in emphasis towards Two-thirds World missionaries.
2. Missionaries bring ministry gifts
A second contribution that missionaries make is to bring the gifts and skills that God has given them to the service of local churches. This contribution is vital when those gifts and skills fill a ministry gap that the local church has been unable to meet.
The New Testament offers many examples of Christians being sent out to plant new churches; but we also see Christians being sent to minister in existing churches other than their own " for example 1 Thessalonians 3:2.
In the growth of new churches, we can observe a pattern of developing needs. Where no church exists, the first need is for an evangelist who will plant a new congregation. As this new church begins to grow, it needs teaching and pastoral care so that the saints are equipped for ministry.
In parts of Europe, the desperate need is for evangelists and church planters.
In countries like Southern Sudan there is a desperate need for the training and education of church leaders. In one diocese of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, only 4% of the clergy have received any kind of formal theological training and less than 15% have completed secondary school education.
3. Missionaries bring specialist skills
I believe that this is a developing feature of world mission that reflects the trends of globalisation. Let me give some examples of this. An American friend of mine in Nairobi is a librarian with a special interest in the computerisation of library catalogues. During the course of her ministry she has helped at least four local Bible colleges to migrate from paper based library catalogues to electronic catalogues, including bar coding of books to enable electronic borrowing. She has not done all the work herself, but has trained Kenyan librarians who have developed the skills they need to run and maintain fully automated library systems. Her ministry has enabled many Bible college students to make better use of local library resources, enhancing the learning of thousands of people.
4. Missionaries bring an alternative cultural perspective
This cultural dimension has sometimes been thought of as a happy by-product of mission, but I believe it has inherent value for the church. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explains that the death of Christ on the cross has not only reconciled human beings to God, but has also broken down the dividing wall of hostility that existed between Jews and Gentiles, so that God's church is intentionally culturally mixed.
Christianity is a multi-cultural faith and we rejoice in the cultural diversity of Christians around the world. As I interact with Christians from cultures different to my own, I learn new things about God and I am challenged in my understanding and interpretation of His word.
For example, when Europeans read the word "you' in the New Testament they tend to hear "you singular' while an African will tend to hear "you plural.' This highlights a key difference in way that we think " the one culture from an individual perspective while the other from a community perspective.
Parts of Scripture that seem strange to me, feel familiar to some of my students. I have had my eyes opened to the meaning of some passages of Scripture as I have sat under the teaching ministry of Kenyan colleagues in our College chapel.
On the other hand, I have sometimes taught scripture to students and found that I have said things that are deeply culturally challenging. Some examples of this include challenges to attitudes towards both male circumcision and female genital mutilation; and challenges to traditional understandings of how power operates.
As Christians interact with brothers and sisters from other cultures, the church grows in its understanding of God's character.
Bad reasons for sending missionaries
1. Missionaries bring money
A bad reason for sending missionaries is to inject financial support into local institutions.
Missionaries, especially from the west, bring financial support in a number of ways. The majority of missionaries come to institutions with their own salary support raised from their sending churches. Missionaries from the west bring networks of financial support that increase the "donor reach' of the receiving institution. Both of these factors can tempt institutions to look for missionary staff. A Bible college that fills its teaching posts with missionaries will radically reduce its salary bill. This is a serious temptation and an issue that I have faced on a number of occasions.
More than once I have been contacted by mission agencies to be asked if Carlile College could use another mission partner. I have replied that it would be more strategic for me if the mission agency would provide me with the funding to employ a local lecturer instead of sending me an expatriate teacher. I point out that this would cost the mission agency about a quarter the amount of money involved in sending an expatriate. I am sad that my request has not so far been granted.
2. Missionaries can sustain unsustainable structures
Closely related to the first bad reason for sending missionaries, is that institutions that would otherwise close down might be sustained. In the early days of the Church in East Africa, many different institutions were founded by missionaries and by the churches they planted " schools, hospitals, bible colleges and so on. Many of those institutions were launched in strategic and important centres. Occasionally they were not. Sometimes places that were strategic one hundred years ago are not significant today.
In East Africa, I can think of examples of both hospitals and Bible colleges that would be closed by local churches if the institutions were not being sustained by donor funding. The current situation for these institutions is extremely problematic and may require painful decisions that could have been avoided if more decisive action had been taken years earlier.
3. Missionaries can control local agendas
Perhaps the worst in my list of negative aspects of sending missionaries relates to power and control. Occasionally missionaries are sent in order to try and keep control over local church structures or institutions. This is perhaps a particular risk for denominational churches or missions. For denominations that have sent missionaries to far off lands in order to plant new churches, it can be hard to relinquish power and authority as those new churches reach maturity.
Neither is this only an issue for older western denominations. It is an area of concern for newer mission movements that are expanding the geographical scope of their ministry. I think, for example of Nigerian churches being planted in Europe, North America and throughout Africa, that struggle with issues of control and authority in newly established churches.
In general, established mission agencies have tried to avoid these problems by seconding personnel to the local church. So while I was recruited by a mission agency, I am answerable to the College's Board of Directors who are all senior Kenyan leaders. I rejoice in the strong governance structures that the College enjoys, with a Board who clearly see themselves as the guardians of the College's vision and mission. The Board holds me accountable for my leadership of the College and treats me in the same way that it would treat a Kenyan principal.
Still send missionaries?
Mission has been under attack in our generation, both from inside and outside the Church. From outside the church, any form of proselytism is abhorrent to the postmodern world, so that mission is viewed with extreme scepticism. Within the church there has been a reaction to some of the mistakes of earlier times, leading to a lack of confidence in the missionary enterprise.
However, if we understand that mission belongs to God, and that God's mission is to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, then to lose confidence in mission is to lose confidence in the gospel. I have argued that sending cross-cultural mission workers is vital for the growth of the church throughout the world. This growth comes not only from sharing a variety of ministry gifts, but also from the inherent value of cross-cultural engagement that can lead to a deeper appreciation of God's word.
I can think of nothing more strategic for the gospel than a focus on training leaders for the Two-thirds World church, which stands now at the centre of world Christianity and will soon become the dominant mission force around the world.
Dr David Williams will become head of St Andrew's Hall, the training college for CMS Australia in November. He is currently Principal of Carlile College in Nairobi, Kenya. This is an edited extract from his chapter "The good and bad a missionary brings' from the book ‘A Different Perspective: Asian and African leaders' views on mission’ (OCA books, 2006)
