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.
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