(Originally published 9/21/2011)
I heard an amazing talk recently by Dr. Brian Fikkert, author of When Helping Hurts and Community Development Director of the Chalmers Center. His basic premise was that when we try to help the poor without having a proper definition of poverty we often do more harm than good to both those we try to help and to ourselves. He gave the example of a church who handed out turkeys and toys in a poor neighborhood every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. After several years of charity they discovered that the neighbors felt more poor and more shame, and the church people felt more self-righteous and more superior; each worse off then they were at the beginning.
Dr. Fikkert’s bottom line is that root of poverty is broken relationships going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and in reality we are all poor. He says until we can sit down together as poor people and figure out what we can do to do help each other we won’t do much good and we might actually be doing harm.
I think this has huge implications for church planters and leaders. Do we really understand the needs of our community? Are we handing out bookbags and grocery cards because that is the best way to help the people around us, or are we just looking for a quick attendance boost. Is “missional” just a code word for “marketing”? What are the real needs of our neighborhood? What are root causes? How can we help?
We have to do the hard work of a missionary. To really understand the fabric of our community, not just the demographics. To get involved with those we want to serve rather than just giving hand outs. To focus less on winning people and focus more on loving people. To sit down together with other poor people and help each other find our way back to God.
This is great, thanks Geoff. Were working with 12 Hispanic churches in Santa Ana, CA to see the education domain transformed. The school district has invited the local church to help with parenting and marriage classes. Santa Ana has a population of 380k and over 80% of the residents are Hispanic. Only 12% of the kids that finish high school are ready for college. The district is in a crisis and needs to cut even more funds next year ($71 million). We recently brought a few principles together with the 12 Lead Pastors and other influential people in the city. A pastor asked one of the principles present if the church has been of aid to schools in the city. She hesitated and responded with this answer. “Well, every year when school begins several churches from outside the city bring hundreds of backpacks to the school for our students. We receive them with gratitude and they leave until the next school year.” She then said, “to be honest we’re all backpacked out,” we usually receive 2-3 backpacks per student, I get on the phone to see if other schools could use them. It would be nice if churches built a relationship with us and asked what we really needed.” WOW! She then gave us a list of 11 things they need that trump backpacks. When she said this I heard this, Well, a bunch of nice, white suburban churches collect backpacks, I’m sure the people feel good about dropping them off in a container on Sunday’s. They get delivered and take pictures, those pictures must make people feel good when they show them the following week as they say look at what WE did! We don’t really interact with these churches until they call us to see when they can bring the backpacks over. I think they would make a bigger difference if they knew our needs and served to empower us to take care of our students and families.
Interesting insight. I agree all the money, great churches, great preachers won’t transform society. The only thing that will transform society is when disciples are released to care for the needs of their community and city. Disciples that are empowered to find ways to meet the real needs of the last, least and lost. Often we mistake participation for transformation. Transformation happens one life at a time, it’s slow and involves way more than doing nice things.
I have been wrestling with this very thing for quite some time. It’s almost as if some churches have used “missional” thinking as the newest “programmed evangelism” (e.g. previous canned evangelism strategy). I realize that many are attempting to really embrace what the missional bent is about, but the incarnational qualities are just never engaged or explored. Thank you for this post… apparently I am not crazy or terribly cynical. Okay, my 5 yo thinks I may be a little crazy.
“To focus less on winning people and focus more on loving people. To sit down together with other poor people and help each other find our way back to God.” Therein lies the heart of the MOPS ministry… in my opinion-this is how the mommy wars end and we become better mothers together.
This is how we reach EVERY mother of preschoolers.
the application is broader than church planter;)
Well said- and i’m totally stealing these quotes for something I’m working on.
The hard work of a missionary! Dengue 9 times, that is the aggregate for three of us, malaria 2 times, thyphoid and hep 1 time but at the same time! Then there is the 35 year committment not only in clouds of mosquitos and coup d’etats but “Dear John” letters from American churches.
Today we, two missionaries, can say Jesus Christ is our biggest supporter and we are reaching 2,000,000 Haitians every day. And the best part is at least half of them are sinners – drug dealers, voodooist, drunks, even politicians. Not to mention young, old, rich and poor. Right now we are the guests of the Haitian government in Miami and when we return to our home in Haiti the Martelly cabinet is waiting to meet with us.
Yet we haven’t been asked to address a US church or mission conference in ages! Go figure, our last crusade broke records and out numbered Franklin Graham’s in Haiti with 100K coming out for hours in the blazing sun. And the American church is unaware of the harvest we are reaping, either that or God has hidden us from view which can be equated with blindness.
Geoff,
Great stuff. I think the key to this discussion comes in Chris’s conversation with the principal. There was a conversation.
My fear would be that a church planter would read articles like this that are so filled with wisdom and yet miss the wisdom by simply declaring – “No more book-bags!, the smart people say no more book-bags!” What they have missed is that there must be a conversation. Maybe in your community book bags are exactly what the school need but in another it’s actually coats and in another its volunteers to sit with at risk kids. The only way to know is a conversation.
When we started Freedom Church we asked the principal how we could help. Through a conversation we found that school supplies were a huge need. Not just for the kids/parents but for the teachers who would end up buying them if someone else did not. We knew what she really needed because we asked. There were no churches bringing anything to this school. She was desperate for someone to care in anyway possible.
So my plea to church planters and pastors would be to not get caught up in the next missional wind blowing and opinions of what is truly missional because of the context of another community but have conversations with the leaders in your community and ASK, “what do you need that maybe we could help with”.
Here is a recent news story of one of our plants in Kansas City. I like what they are doing and their understanding of poverty:
http://fox4kc.com/2012/05/21/church-builds-strong-bond-with-neighboring-school
FYI – I’m a big fan of missional. Maybe I define it differently. Here is how I look at it:
1. The church is the missionary in the city and society. Not church in terms of the whole but the body of Christ living as missionaries in the city. Church people ask, how’s my church. Missionaries ask, how’s my city. We need to think more like missionaries
2. The church and it’s programs serve as opportunities to equip and release people into society. To be missional we can’t isolate ourselves on the grid of society. In fact, we must understand how the city and society works and make disciples released to transform it.
3, When we serve, don’t serve as a church, instead serve with the city. Join in!
4. Avoid thinking that good teachers/preachers change society and the world. There aren’t enough good teachers/preachers to transform society and the world. However, there are enough followers of Christ. Disciples that are sent out will change the world
5. Again, this has to do with disciples and it should. Being missional is about creating an environment where disciples are made. Programs and events don’t make disciples, environments do. The big question and this is the attractional versus missional conversation in many ways. Are we making disciples for the “church” or are we making disciples for the world. Disciples in the church show up to church; Disciples for the world are released to change it
6. Finally, to be missional is simply to be on mission. This happens in big units (the church) and small units (our life) and everything between (small group, cell groups, outreach teams, etc.). Being on mission is understanding what God has called us to and focusing on it – Luke 10:1-11
Geoff, your post struck a nerve,sorry. Great conversation though.
I recently watched a documentary, in Spanish with subtitles, about Dominican baseball players. The Dominican Republic contributes more players to Major League Ball than any other nation except the US! Of Dominican players that make the cut into Major League academies in the DR a whooping 5% are signed to the Majors! Why? Simply b/c the impoverished Dominicans want it so bad. They know a million dollar Major League contract is their way out of poverty.
Let’s apply that scenario to US churches and missions. This isn’t rocket science, missions that is. You have to want to win souls and want it so badly b/c you know it is your treasure laid up in heaven, the crown you cast at His feet, the souls you present to Lamb who is worthy. And we are working against the clock, time is running out, we work while it is yet day – urgency. How bad does the American church want it? Maybe not bad enough b/c the “formula”, American Christians love formulas,is simple as Nike’s motto, “just do it.” Trust, obey, read every day, pray and fast, persever to the end. Acts 6:4 give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. No conference needed, no strategy book, He provided one already.
In the documentary a promising young Dominican was “in training” as an older ma swung a tire on a rope suspended from a tree and the kid whacked it back repeatedly with the bat. My arm hurt watching him! No fancy gym, no machines, just hard work and desire.
But the American church and missions is more like grown men playing by Little League standards on that mini diamond just barely hitting the ball to the infield and jumping up and down when they make it to a base. Ouch that hurt, lady, what do you know?
Really I see better from a distance and for 35 years I’ve been far away on one of the toughest fields in the world. Two of my kids, home births, and two of my grandchildren were born here. Read my previous post for more details. If you thought charity/humanitarian works would win souls you were thinking social welfare brings someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Wrong. That strategy relieves short term American guilt, a bandaid on a cancer and provides operating budgets for Christian and non Christian aid.
How about short term missions? Wrong again! You’ve got to speak the language to be heard, Jesus did. So now a few words from Rev. Surratt about missional and you are all excited about missions and missionaries again? No, now I am wrong. This is again about grown men running the bases in their own little cities to fill their own little kingdoms with warm bodies that are really cold as ice. A tragic commentary on the failure of the American church to evangelize the world b/c they are so preoccupied picking at their scabs. Enthralled with “great” preachers and teachers whose sound bite theology and poorly written books encourage American Laodician blindness and poverty of truth. It is a comfort to know the Sheppherd is getting the job done w/o these introspectors!
Yes, yes I know I am blunt but then I thought I was speaking to Major League players not Little League.Forgive me for not cheering at your game?
I thought missional was another word for service.
Josh Hunt