21st Century Missions-1st century Christianity. Simple Discipleship, ethnicity, multicultural issues, anthropology, churrascos and a public display of my journey of faith, including my frustrations.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
I am completely tired of the Christian leadership and authors that lead by writing books, researching, organizing and speaking at conferences hoping that something will change. We done this for sometime already and nothing change, Christianity in the US continues declining at alarming rates and we continue hearing how fast. Jump out of the boat!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
In the mist of the SBC having their annual meeting, and paddling themselves in the back for sending 5000 missionaries, being prolife for 9 months and helping people over Oklahoma and Boston, I can not help but to reflect on the whole organization, validity and future of my former employer.
1. This past weekend I participate of an event and I was trying to explain my work during my time with IMB to one of the participants, and this is what I concluded: The structure of the company is formated in such a way that IMB has one president, 6 VP and under them 5000 more managers, directors and executives across the globe, managing programs that do not belong to them, trying to justify their stay in their country by "engaging" or creating UPG's, UUPG, UUUPGs XXUUUXUPG, UPG13, UPUPPG13 + etc. For those in "reached" places, the work of an IMB missionary is even more complicated, they are supposed to manage, influence the work done by nationals, report that work, yet they are not supposed to directly engage in the work, CPlanting, discipleship, evangelism that those nationals are doing. Makes sense?
2. SBC and the company are controlled by elected members (board of trustees) in a process similar to what political parties, state and national representatives do, the company has a budget that regardless of results during the year will be there the following year, and the following year in more or less amount. Looks to me that we do not want that for the government, yet it is acceptable for SBC?
3. Sadly and not because I am doing things differently this days, I realized that the main subjects from speakers, missionaries, seminary professors and executives it's money and the decline of it. SBC has a culture of cultivating money in the name of missions and stewardship, perhaps that is the reason most IMB missionaries will NEVER be willing or able to be "sent out to the nations" just trusting God and his provision. We love our big houses, our 8 cylinders and our Christian schools and the convenience of Walmart Supercenter, IMB missionaries try to live as close as possible to US standards, we ant peanut butter and Hershey's . Is that wrong? Not really. The challenge is that the company (name use by IMB missionaries)- provides salaries and benefits equivalent to those of CEO and multinational companies i our hosting cultures, IMB missionaries live way above most of the population, with the difference that we produce NOTHING, not even disciples as we claim. Missionaries do not live a sacrificial lifestyle as an IMB personnel, is that wrong? maybe it is when materialism and complaining becomes extremely evident among IMB's personnel, when missionaries complain and complain and complain, when Annual General Meeting becomes a time to gossip about leadership and continue complaining about the organization and the only reason they do not leave the organization its because "they have invested too much time in the company" or "who will pay for my kids college" or " I will not be able to find another job with the same benefits, 100% insurance, college fund, trips, containers, etc"
4. Last but not least, the slogan this year is REVIVE US. I am glad at least that SBC is finally recognizing that they are in danger of dying, in order to be revived you need to stop breathing and your heart needs to stop as well. My critique to the slogan is that maybe what they really mean and praying for is for God to "Bring back the good old days" bring the money back to our organization. While some want to be revived, and want to good old days back, some want to go even further on time and want to be reformed. Reformed it is not the same than to be renewed, and I am not sure which one is more or less biblical, 15th century German theology or a 21st century good old days. Does SBC needs more theology? or Good old days? more money or a new heart? The problem with both positions, neither side wants to start from scratch, both sides assumption is that they are right and just need to tweak the convention a little, get everybody inline, give everybody a uniform and let God bless our plans.
1. This past weekend I participate of an event and I was trying to explain my work during my time with IMB to one of the participants, and this is what I concluded: The structure of the company is formated in such a way that IMB has one president, 6 VP and under them 5000 more managers, directors and executives across the globe, managing programs that do not belong to them, trying to justify their stay in their country by "engaging" or creating UPG's, UUPG, UUUPGs XXUUUXUPG, UPG13, UPUPPG13 + etc. For those in "reached" places, the work of an IMB missionary is even more complicated, they are supposed to manage, influence the work done by nationals, report that work, yet they are not supposed to directly engage in the work, CPlanting, discipleship, evangelism that those nationals are doing. Makes sense?
2. SBC and the company are controlled by elected members (board of trustees) in a process similar to what political parties, state and national representatives do, the company has a budget that regardless of results during the year will be there the following year, and the following year in more or less amount. Looks to me that we do not want that for the government, yet it is acceptable for SBC?
3. Sadly and not because I am doing things differently this days, I realized that the main subjects from speakers, missionaries, seminary professors and executives it's money and the decline of it. SBC has a culture of cultivating money in the name of missions and stewardship, perhaps that is the reason most IMB missionaries will NEVER be willing or able to be "sent out to the nations" just trusting God and his provision. We love our big houses, our 8 cylinders and our Christian schools and the convenience of Walmart Supercenter, IMB missionaries try to live as close as possible to US standards, we ant peanut butter and Hershey's . Is that wrong? Not really. The challenge is that the company (name use by IMB missionaries)- provides salaries and benefits equivalent to those of CEO and multinational companies i our hosting cultures, IMB missionaries live way above most of the population, with the difference that we produce NOTHING, not even disciples as we claim. Missionaries do not live a sacrificial lifestyle as an IMB personnel, is that wrong? maybe it is when materialism and complaining becomes extremely evident among IMB's personnel, when missionaries complain and complain and complain, when Annual General Meeting becomes a time to gossip about leadership and continue complaining about the organization and the only reason they do not leave the organization its because "they have invested too much time in the company" or "who will pay for my kids college" or " I will not be able to find another job with the same benefits, 100% insurance, college fund, trips, containers, etc"
4. Last but not least, the slogan this year is REVIVE US. I am glad at least that SBC is finally recognizing that they are in danger of dying, in order to be revived you need to stop breathing and your heart needs to stop as well. My critique to the slogan is that maybe what they really mean and praying for is for God to "Bring back the good old days" bring the money back to our organization. While some want to be revived, and want to good old days back, some want to go even further on time and want to be reformed. Reformed it is not the same than to be renewed, and I am not sure which one is more or less biblical, 15th century German theology or a 21st century good old days. Does SBC needs more theology? or Good old days? more money or a new heart? The problem with both positions, neither side wants to start from scratch, both sides assumption is that they are right and just need to tweak the convention a little, get everybody inline, give everybody a uniform and let God bless our plans.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
GC efforts
Last few weeks I realize that we train people on how to do things we don't practice, we tell people they should plant churches we don't believe in and we spend resources on ventures that make us feel good and satisfy both our conscience and our bellies.
I read this morning that the Ecotourism Board in Kenya, will include for their 2013 efforts to attract more "Socially conscious companies and groups" (including churches) to spend their dollars in Kenya.
During a mission trip, if you ever feel like a tourist and if people see you as a tourist, you must be a tourist.
I read this morning that the Ecotourism Board in Kenya, will include for their 2013 efforts to attract more "Socially conscious companies and groups" (including churches) to spend their dollars in Kenya.
During a mission trip, if you ever feel like a tourist and if people see you as a tourist, you must be a tourist.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
World traveler blogger? or Desktop missionary?
Trying to do some work today for a speaking engagement on Sunday. Tomorrow I am meeting all day with some entrepreneurs to think how to effectively do our Task using our natural given gifts and abilities without depending much on external resources. I got to think that just from a Pharisaic stand point, feeling better than those who are not doing what I do, and feeling absolutely irrelevant and negative on the way our Task is carry out by yours tryly, I suddenly realize that the new trend in the M world is to become a travel expert and a blogger. WE are known as a group of people who are trying hard to appear smart and sound like the experts and know it all, so becoming a world traveler blogger makes sense, except that no body gives a carrot about our journey, except a few old ladies at church.
SO this is how it goes down: You write stories about those exotic places and beautiful people that you live among, you tell how different they are, then you write how sorry you feel about their depravity, later you write how good that land would be without those heathens. The next day you write again, this time about your incompetence to make friends, blame iton the language, culture, homeschooling, whatever, except that you forgot to write that that you were also incompetent in your own culture, among your own kind, using your own language and in your own place, next month you write about how much you hate the culture, rats, Lyme disease and yucca root flour on top of your beans.
Finally, you write thinking that you are well on your way to become the next Rick Warren and your blog will get more hits than PSY's Gangmanstyle, or Harlem Shake, whatever... and no one cares, no one reads, no fruits, nothing.
We ache so our people will be transformed! we cry out for revival, we fearlessly defend reformation of our institutions, yet, we "leave everything behind"to go to the other side of the world to blog?
SO this is how it goes down: You write stories about those exotic places and beautiful people that you live among, you tell how different they are, then you write how sorry you feel about their depravity, later you write how good that land would be without those heathens. The next day you write again, this time about your incompetence to make friends, blame iton the language, culture, homeschooling, whatever, except that you forgot to write that that you were also incompetent in your own culture, among your own kind, using your own language and in your own place, next month you write about how much you hate the culture, rats, Lyme disease and yucca root flour on top of your beans.
Finally, you write thinking that you are well on your way to become the next Rick Warren and your blog will get more hits than PSY's Gangmanstyle, or Harlem Shake, whatever... and no one cares, no one reads, no fruits, nothing.
We ache so our people will be transformed! we cry out for revival, we fearlessly defend reformation of our institutions, yet, we "leave everything behind"to go to the other side of the world to blog?
Monday, March 11, 2013
More trianing? really?
Can any one give me a real reason why we try to train everybody that crosses the door and walks the ile? why we try to institutionalize everything? we talk about missional, organic, blablabla... yet we try to put out practices inside of a box. Why are we still sending M's like if we were in colonial times? Why are we so uncomfortable and afraid of letting go our stupid control? are we interested in transformation or in manipulating through power? why we love and seek to have a uniform at our churches but we hardly seek unity? Why forms and liturgy are more important than mercy, love and people?
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