January 24, 2006

Pablo asked me today to participate in a Mission Conference at the Presbyterian Church in Tzaljala on Saturday. He asked me to prepare a course on World Missions.

I am not a pastor, I’ve never really studied missions, but I have certainly experienced the transforming effect of mission. So I spent several hours reading and preparing for the course. I learned a lot and was really challenged by J. K. Yohannon, the Indian leader of Gospel for Asia. His book Revolution in Missions, explains why he believes that the old model of missions where white western missionaries go to foreign countries, no longer works. He is a proponent of using native missionaries that know the language and culture and can operate at a fraction of the expense of western missionaries to preach the gospel to their own people.

He also claims that western mission organizations have lost their focus on preaching the gospel and instead are focusing on social ministries that build schools, clinics, hospitals and houses for the people. He contends that while social ministries may benefit the body, if they are not offering the gospel, then they are not serving the soul of the people. Gospel for Asia’s focus is on the 2+ billion un-reached people in India, China etc. that have not heard the message of Jesus.

As a white, western Christian that has moved to a foreign country to build a medical clinic, I was challenged by this perspective and opinion. I know Hebron Foundation works with un-reached (or recently reached) people because I participated on a trip to build the first church in the rain forest for the Lacandon Indians, and they support a native missionary to that people group. But the clinic we will build will serve mostly reached people, those that have heard and accepted the Gospel. We also promote cross-cultural missions between Spanish, Mayan and American churches, and I know first hand the spiritual renewal that can occur from those experiences.

Pablo and I talked about the different perspectives and we agreed that what we are doing is validated and important. We will reach out to those that have not heard the message of Jesus Christ, while at the same time lovingly serve his people that have a real need for access to medical care.

I also ran across a quote from another missionary that really challenges Presbyterians.

“Only when we are emptied of our own self sufficiency can God use us. When a church or a mission board spends more time in consultation, planning and committee meetings than in prayer, it is a clear indication the members have lost touch with the supernatural and have ended up “serving the house of God and forgot the Lord Himself.”