Five Trends Changing the Future of Missions

Republished with permission from Baptist Bulletin July/Aug 2011. All rights reserved.

The year 1985 introduced the movie Back to the Future. In the 26 years since its debut, people have enjoyed the film, its sequels, and its spin-offs (an animated series, a theme park ride, a video game, and a website). The movie tells about young Marty McFly, who accidentally goes back in time, driving Doc Brown’s modified DeLorean sports car outfitted with the famed “flux capacitor.” The film’s somewhat predictable plot presents the idea that past decisions determine future trends.

Maybe believers can do more than just enjoy Back to the Future; maybe they can learn something from it! Maybe, just maybe, future trends are indeed the result of past realities.

Applying that idea to global missions requires the question, Could identifiable current realities change the future of how we do missions? A look at some of the tendencies in today’s culture can help identify major influences facing the future of missions and perhaps even ministry in general.

Here then are five predictable future trends based upon current influences.

The Growing Influence of Millennials

According to the United Nations, over one billion youth live in the world today; that means one person in five is between the ages of 15 and 24 (www.un.org/events/youth98/backinfo/yreport.htm). Another source puts it this way: “The world is experiencing a marked shift in demographics. High levels of population growth in developing regions such as Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean means countries here have rising proportions of youth (aged 0–14)” (http://blog.euromonitor.com/2008/11/special-report-global-youth-populati…).

Within 12 years, the total population of the world will have grown by a billion people.

The millennial generation will change things significantly, and the massive size of this generation will predictably change the way missions will operate for decades and decades to come. Historically, ministry trends always follow significant population growth, and that will also happen with the current demographic explosion. Not only will the size of the millennial generation change the way missions operates, but the basic mind-set of millennials is vastly different than that of previous generations. One author puts it this way: “We have to understand that millennials simply view the world differently from us” (Ron Alsop, quoting Rich Garcia in The Trophy Kids Grow Up).

Based upon these demographic trends, missionaries and ministry leaders around the world will undoubtedly need to make youth ministry and young adult ministry a renewed priority. It will also become increasingly imperative for mission boards (as well as churches, by the way) to actively recruit millennials for positions of influence and leadership and for ongoing impact as this generation grows into adulthood very soon.

The Decreasing Influence of Baby Boomers

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, tens of millions of baby boomers will retire during the next decade. The American media has reiterated this statistic as it relates to the exploding number of retiring baby boomers that will soon exhaust this country’s Social Security system (Good Morning America, 1/27/2011). This generational transfer will certainly impact scores of missionary endeavors around the world as aging boomers retire from Christian service. It is imperative for churches and agencies alike to prepare now for a significant turnover in their workforce due to the coming retirement of this age group.

Baby boomers came of age during the confusion of the ’60s and ’70s and learned vicariously to “Have it your way” and “You deserve a break today.” This previously record-setting demographic segment has influenced missions methods and procedures for the past several decades with their way-of-doing-things mentality. It’s important to note that aging boomers, once the largest and most dominant generation in history, and Generation X, the generation that followed, will significantly lose their cultural influence very soon to the looming millennials. It will be critical for ministry leaders to anticipate and prepare for this coming change in modus operandi.

There are basically two seemingly contradictory ways to actively get ready for this impending scenario. One, boomers should position themselves to intentionally and effectively mentor younger leaders into growing positions of leadership; and, two, mission agencies and churches must prepare to utilize retiring boomers as a potential new ministry workforce. They are likely to have the personal, financial, and social resources to continue serving long past the traditional retirement age. In other words, retiring baby boomers can be actively recruited for “second-career” ministry positions.

The Expanding Influence of Mobile Technology

Only a generation ago, a young Bill Gates turned technological culture upside down by acting on his belief that people would want their own personal computers even though this contradicted the conventional wisdom of the day. His generation is currently witnessing another technological revolution that is drastically changing the future of global communication before their very eyes.

An unmistakable example of this reality took place during the recent political uprisings in Egypt. On Friday, Feb. 11, longtime Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down from his governmental authority following several days of public uprisings. Many American news outlets reported that these protests were fueled by young people utilizing social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. It is important to note that the course of human history in Egypt was altered, not by soldiers with guns or even bureaucrats in offices with laptops, but in the streets by young people with cell phones.

The future of instant global communication is absolutely not tied to a desk. Ask any teenager or preteen. They’d much rather have a cell phone than a computer. They’re experts at texting and rarely or never use e-mail. Have you noticed? E-mail is so yesterday!

Ministry leaders already understand the absolute imperative nature of utilizing the Internet to make instant connections with their various constituencies. Already, more people locate information about churches and ministry organizations from websites than from any other source. However, to really move ahead toward the future, leadership teams will need to strategize about how to utilize mobile technology for effective ministry communication. The rising popularity of iPads and smartphones indicates that the future of the Internet will not be limited to a home, an office, or even a “hot spot.” This is a growing reality around the world. Ministries, perhaps not unlike the young revolutionaries in Egypt, can realize the vast potential of making instant personal technological connections with almost everyone directly to their handheld mobile device. What an amazing opportunity.

The Weakening Influence of Western Culture

A recent report from the Pew Research Center made a startling prediction: the world’s Muslim population is expected to increase by 35 percent in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030. “Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population over the next two decades,” the report says, and “if current trends continue, Muslims will make up 26.4% of the world’s total projected population of 8.3 billion in 2030” (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1872/muslim-population-projections-worldwide…). This will certainly change the face of missions over the course of the next few years.

For the past several years the world has experienced a Western-leaning youth culture. According to Elissa Moses in The $100 Billion Allowance: Assessing the Global Teen Market, “The United States is cited more than any other country as the nation with the greatest influence on teen fashion and culture.” That American cultural influence may subside quickly with the extensive growth pattern forecasted for Muslims, and ministry leaders must soon prepare for this seismic shift in cultural influence.

However, today’s youth may be more prepared for the coming cultural shift than previous generations. Authors Thom and Jess Rainer say that about 70 percent of millennials are friends with someone from a different ethnic or racial background and that 87 percent of millennials are willing to marry someone outside their racial or ethnic group (The Millennials: Connecting to American’s Largest Generation).

Another United Nations report adds that the majority (about 85 percent) of the world’s youth live in developing countries, with 60 percent in Asia alone (www.un.org/events/youth98/backinfo/yreport).

These factors indicate that the approaching global influences may look much different in the future than they do today. At this moment, the majority of teenagers around the world are very much alike as consumers of a truly media-driven way of life. The rising crest of clout from the East (the seemingly ever-growing economies of countries like China and India), combined with the predicted population growth of Muslims, points toward a cultural swing that may impact missionary endeavors for years to come.

The Continuing Influence of God-centered “Reformation”

A movement in today’s Christian culture may also help forecast a change in global ministry, and that is the rising resurgence in Calvinism and reformed theology. Pastors Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City), John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis), and Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Church, Seattle) are currently some of the most popular and most downloaded speakers in today’s podcast universe.

One writer says, “Weary of churches that seek to entertain rather than teach, longing after the true meat of the Word, these young people are pursuing doctrine and are fast becoming new Calvinists” (Collin Hansen, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists).

It is not the purpose of this article to argue the validity of one theological interpretation over another. Bible scholars and theologians can certainly handle that task with much more acumen and expertise. However, it may be important to note that today’s younger generations of Christian leaders are in fact embracing a renewed God-centered reformation. Christianity may be experiencing a new generation that is fed up with entertainment and fluff. The days of a quick devotional tucked into the middle of an all-nighter or a weekend Christian rock festival may be over, replaced with a growing appetite for a serious study of Scripture. There seems to be a growing trend in some religious circles back toward liturgy and a high-church methodology. Perhaps the emerging generation will swing the ministry pendulum back toward a deeper and truly Biblical definition of discipleship.

Christian political pundit Chuck Colson made this observation: “If we want to see revival in the church, we need to be at least as serious as the Marines are about preparing men and women for battle. Perhaps we ought to rethink Sunday school, dust off the catechisms, and start teaching the Bible and theology to our young people again. If the theologically attuned young Reformed crowd is any indication, they can handle it. But it’s not just for Calvinists. Every successful Christian movement has embraced ways to effectively pass on the faith entrusted to the saints once for all” (“Doctrinal Boot Camp: Conforming to the Truth of the Faith Is Necessary for Survival,” Christianity Today).

New generations of young people seemingly crave the deeper, more serious things of Scripture and they appear to hunger for truth—for real answers to real questions. Author Gabe Lyons made this observation: “[Christians in the new generation] have rediscovered Scripture and immerse themselves in it in a way that differs from the practice of recent generations” (The Next Christians: How a New Generation Is Restoring the Faith). Christian leaders must make a renewed commitment to the truth of God’s Word presented in clear, creative, and complete ways that challenge the thoughts and lifestyles of a new generation.

My comments here are observations, not necessarily predictions. However, cultural change is coming at what seems to be warp speed. Believers must have their message and basic mandates for global outreach firmly grounded in the never-changing and always-relevant Word of God. Baptist missionary forefathers perhaps never anticipated current trends such as international jet travel, the Internet, or cell phones, yet I believe they would have enthusiastically embraced the ideas of easy, quick transportation and instant global communication.

Maybe a practical illustration can be found in the familiar Back to the Future tale. Maybe future trends can be identified by today’s current realities.


Mel Walker, president of Vision For Youth, an international network of youth ministries, is a lifelong youth ministry specialist who has led short-term missions trips to Germany, South Africa, and Italy. He also annually leads teams of high school students on missions trips to inner-city Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. He and his wife, Peggy, have three children who serve full-time in vocational ministry. Mel and Peggy attend Heritage Baptist Church in Clarks Summit, Pa. Visit Mel’s blog.

Discussion

that the argument that deputation is a weeding-out process is perhaps a false claim, or a superfluous claim… . It could be said of going to university or seminary, for example. Did the missionary go through a bachelors and masters program? In accomplishing that, he certainly did a lot that shows us he has the gumption to stick it through …

And I’ve known not only one missionary who’s done deputation, then headed back in a few months. It doesn’t follow.

[RPittman] What gives us the right to tell them how to carry out their ministries?
I didn’t actually notice anyone claiming any authority to dictate how to carry out their ministries.

It is entirely appropriate for people to discuss whether current models best reflect Biblical principles. It is entirely appropriate for people to discuss whether current models are the best way to do things as society changes, since as you acknowledge, the current deputation model is extra-Biblical.

Several people on this thread do have some pretty extensive missions-related experience. This is not just a pooling of ignorance.

I’ve heard several missionaries say they use a limited number of sermons on deputation and furlough. They sometimes have to, because they spend so much time in travel or as guests in people’s homes, when there is no opportunity to study and prepare. I experienced that, though only for a few months at a time, thankfully. I used the same sermons more than once, and never pretended I didn’t.

A lot of the “boot camp” of deputation has nothing to do with what a missionary will face on the field. I do see value in the process, but I’m not sure why you are so determined to defend it. Just because there is value in it does not even begin to suggest it is the best way to go about things. There are more and more missionaries who think it isn’t, that something needs to change. The problem is coming up with a better way, and then getting enough people to agree to adopt it. Inertia is powerful.

Brother Jung, you suggested tentmaking. As a tentmaker, I’ll just say that it is very, very difficult to make that happen. We had much difficulty even though I was taking my job with me. If the authorities think you might actually be taking a job that one of their citizens could have had, they simply won’t let you in the country. They want to know where the money is coming from to support you before they will let you in, and if you say you are going to look for a job, they will tell you to go back home and look for one.

[RPittman] Anne, I’m not really sure of the exact thrust of your point on universities and seminaries. I may have repeated the point you made. But, I did want to add that we cannot successfully argue that college or deputation is NOT a weeding out process because there subsequent failures. There will always be failures because of human weakness and people who endure great testing may fail at a later point. Failures are due to many different causes. However, later failures do not necessarily indicate that earlier potential failures were weeded out. The reasoning is that if they quit during deputation, then it is more likely that they would have quit later without deputation under the rigor of the mission field. We don’t know this and cannot test it but it is a reasonable inference.
My point is that viewing deputation as a weeding out process is not necessarily logical. It is quite possible that there are missionaries who quit deputation who would’ve stayed many yrs on the field if they had gotten there in the first place (without having to do yrs of deputation).

There are no special, magical elements of deputation that prepare a missionary for living on the field. And if we just do deputation to go through the experience of doing something long, hard, and with many rather meaningless elements, I’m saying that earning a university degree is the same kind of “weeding out test” then.

[RPittman] In any field, there is a higher failure rate at entry level.
maybe it’s not entry level. maybe it’s just bizzare?

:)

It used to be that entry level was going with no support promised. Maybe that was a better weeding out process?

I just want to thank Mr. Roland Pittman for standing up for us missionaries who had to go through deputation. When I think about the 6 years that my wife and I experienced on deputation it was a life changing experience.

For 3 years as a single man, I traveled up and down the east coast of America. Then in 2007, my wife and I traveled for 3 years on deputation. On many occasions we heard pastors say many things to us about things.

For us, deputation was a “boot camp” experience. We experienced our ups and downs. As we are now on the field here in Australia, I think back to the words of our pastor that exhorted us to “be strong in the power of His might.”

Because of Calvary, Wesley A. Pittman God's Ambassador to Australia

I think I understand what you are saying, Anne. If deputation is being viewed as a ‘boot camp’ of sorts, it makes me wonder why people don’t get credit, so to speak, if they have already accomplished some hard challenges in their lives, like earning a university degree with high marks, or owning/managing a successful business, or operating a large farm. I mean, I grew up on a farm with no indoor plumbing, so would I get ‘credit’ for already knowing how to live in an impoverished area? How would deputation teach me more character than I already have? And why isn’t the home and the church enough of a boot camp to prepare young people for ministry? Exactly what aspects of deputation provide character training and testing that hasn’t already taken place and couldn’t be accomplished another way? To whom are these missionaries ‘accountable’ during this supposed training period, since they are in essence on their own, and there are few if any ‘witnesses’ to their methodologies or particular struggles?

Lots of interesting questions being tossed around. I agree http://sharperiron.org/comment/33239#comment-33239] with JG , that we shouldn’t be so focused on creating a ‘system’ that ‘works’, but rather as to whether or not the status quo is truly consistent with Scripture and actually accomplishing that which it purports to set out to do.

As an urban missionary that has raised support throu gh a deputation process, I actually agree with most of Roland’s assertions, except the first and last one.
Prepares the missionary for the field by:

Experience in dealing with people of many different social, economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds

Teaching faith and dependence upon God

Experience in preaching, teaching, and speaking in different venues with different audiences

Prepares the missionary in dealing with different foods, accommodations, etc.

Keeps the urgent need for missions before the local church and their hearts warm to the cause of missions

Encourages young people to consider the call to missions

Forms bonds between missionaries and the local assemblies

Missionaries often have a fruitful ministry to the local churches by encouraging the struggling pastors, challenging the members, etc.

Keeps the people’s hearts warm to missions giving

Informs local congregations of specific fields and needs

Finally, it is a boot camp that weeds out those who are unsuitable, not committed, or lack the right stuff for mission work
Out of the 30 or so churches to whom I presented our ministry, all but one happened to be white, middle-class, suburban or rural in its culture. Now that may be because of my contacts, but as we see even here at Sharper Iron, most of fundamentalism happens to be monocultural.

As for deputation as a boot camp or a weeding out process for their mission field, it did not prepare me for what I experience in the inner-city. What deputation prepared me for was fundraising! Through deputation, I learned to develop relationships with people, share our ministry in a way that connects to people, and then ask for money.

In fact, I have had multiple friends that demonstrated endurance and commitment and the right stuff for deputation under the umbrella of a reputable missions agency, yet couldn’t cut it overseas on the mission field in a cross-cultural environment. They had a relatively easy time adjusting to connecting with churches that were very much like themselves (which were all the churches that they presented their ministry to on deputation), but when it came to living in a completely different culture, where they had to deal with open sewage in the streets, buying food in the marketplace (which took a day to do, rather than an hour), and working through the language barriers while they learned the language as well as other communications barriers, they realized that cross-cultural missions wasn’t where God had them……

I think a better boot camp would be a 6 month to a 2 year missionary internship where the aspiring missionary lives among the people that he will be ministering the gospel to under the mentorship of a godly, experienced missionary who then can determine whether they have the right stuff to become missionaries.

Yet the other reasons that Roland gives for doing deputation are essential for keeping missions on the front burner in the church. So actually I am for aspiring missionaries to do deputation before they go out onto the field……..

[RPittman] Yet, the Apostle Paul eloquently defends the right of the minister/missionary to be supported and to live of the ministry. Do you contradict this?

Does not time spent in working for one’s own livelihood take away from time and energy spent in evangelizing and church planting on the mission field? It makes perfect sense to me that we in America give of our abundance to support the workers on the mission field. We see no problem with paying pastors full-time salaries in America; why not on the mission field? And Paul characterizes this as the abounding of our love and faithfulness, which is to our spiritual benefit. But, greed and selfism causes men to rationalize many specious arguments against what is plainly taught in Scripture.
You can probably guess that I’m not against missionaries being supported. I would say that making retirement, education, team trips, vacation, etc. a part of that meaning, while not unbiblibcal, is going beyond what the Bible specifies and creates a salary standard based upon pretty much the wealthiest nation on earth.

I don’t know, it’s probably a choice between imperfections, and I guess I am glad my misison agency lets me choose the imperfections I want to deal with to a great extent. I know the stress of being”undersupported,” but I know the helpfulness of it, too.

That’s just silly, Mr. Pittman, to suggest that I would prefer a system that doesn’t work- the point is that we tend to be obsessed with creating ‘systems’, rather than responding to individual situations with spiritual discernment, creativity, and intelligence. Too often the answer to everything is “That’s just the way we do it, and that’s the way we’ve always done it”.

The ‘proving’ aspect of deputation is problematic IMO because before a person commits to ministry, they should no longer be considered a novice. It seems to me that the deputation system assumes the person is a novice in need of a ‘boot camp’. Spiritual training should take place in the home and in the church. If it isn’t taking place in the home, and a person is gifted and called to ministry, then the church needs to step up and mentor them until they are fit. Sending novices out to stumble around for 3-5 years groveling for a paycheck doesn’t sound like a solid proving ground or an ‘efficient’ system.
[Joel Shaffer] I think a better boot camp would be a 6 month to a 2 year missionary internship where the aspiring missionary lives among the people that he will be ministering the gospel to under the mentorship of a godly, experienced missionary who then can determine whether they have the right stuff to become missionaries.
What he said.

As for ‘ignoring’ your reasons-
Prepares the missionary for the field by:

Experience in dealing with people of many different social, economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds
Do you have any evidence that this is true? Or is it just an assumption?
Teaching faith and dependence upon God
This isn’t learned in any other way?
Experience in preaching, teaching, and speaking in different venues with different audiences
This can’t be accomplished during a mentoring/training process under the supervision of a local church?
Prepares the missionary in dealing with different foods, accommodations, etc.
Let’s see- there’s an Olive Garden, an Abuelo’s, and a China Buffet just down the street. Do you need 3 years of deputation to learn to eat weird stuff?
Keeps the urgent need for missions before the local church and their hearts warm to the cause of missions
Is that what happens? ‘Cause it looks to me that half the church is snoozing, until someone starts singing “People Need the Lord” and everyone wakes up and looks properly moved.
Encourages young people to consider the call to missions
This can’t happen any other way?
Forms bonds between missionaries and the local assemblies
How is this accomplished when the missionary shows up, shows slides, and is out the door in about 2 hours?
Missionaries often have a fruitful ministry to the local churches by encouraging the struggling pastors, challenging the members, etc.
So do evangelists.
Keeps the people’s hearts warm to missions giving
Why are their hearts cold in the first place? Is that spiritual freezer going to truly be thawed by pictures of cute kids and and a stirring rendition of “Thank You for Giving to the Lord”?
Informs local congregations of specific fields and needs
OK. But this can also be done via other means of communication.
Finally, it is a boot camp that weeds out those who are unsuitable, not committed, or lack the right stuff for mission work
The bulk of the weeding out process needs to take place before deputation, not during.
[from the OP] Christian political pundit Chuck Colson made this observation: “If we want to see revival in the church, we need to be at least as serious as the Marines are about preparing men and women for battle. Perhaps we ought to rethink Sunday school, dust off the catechisms, and start teaching the Bible and theology to our young people again. If the theologically attuned young Reformed crowd is any indication, they can handle it. But it’s not just for Calvinists. Every successful Christian movement has embraced ways to effectively pass on the faith entrusted to the saints once for all” (“Doctrinal Boot Camp: Conforming to the Truth of the Faith Is Necessary for Survival,” Christianity Today).
Yeah- that too.

[RPittman] So, I am righteously irritated when affluent and comfortable Christians try to denigrate the means of supporting our workers on the mission field. One doesn’t have to support missionaries with their own money but please don’t try to be pious or self-justifying about it.
I’m not sure I see “righteous irritation” in the Bible anywhere, but I think I see illogical irritation on SI. :) I say that with all due respect to someone whose contributions are often challenging and valuable.

1. This is not about denigrating missionaries (your son or anyone else).

2. This is not about denigrating those who give to support missionaries.

3. The deputation discussion IS about the means of connecting missionaries with those who give.

4. This is not about denigrating the faithfulness of those who have worked within the current “deputation” system. It was the system in place, and they worked within it to get to where they could serve in the place to which God called them. Praise the Lord for their faithfulness.

5. This IS about questioning whether the current extra-biblical system of “matching” missionaries with givers is the wisest and most in keeping with Biblical principles, or whether it should be tweaked, or whether a vastly different extra-biblical system should take its place.

So my recommendation is that you shelve your irritation, and ask your son if he, having gone through the process, can think of any ways it could possibly be improved. And then put your mind to the task of thinking of other ideas, whether modifying current processes or going completely outside the box, to improve the way we get missionaries to the field.

But don’t say, “My son did it this way, and he was faithful even though it took a long time and a lot of hardship, so everyone else should just suck in their gut, get to work, and do it that way, too. And besides, it has benefits doing it that way.”

The fact that deputation has benefits doesn’t prove anything. Running a marathon in army boots has benefits, too, but that doesn’t mean it is the best or wisest way to do it.

And by the way, Derek Jung is indeed a tent-maker, in answer to your earlier question.

The Scriptures clearly teach that both supported and tentmaking ministries are appropriate. The Scriptures give no clear direction on how to “connect” potential supported missionaries with potential supporters, and as Jim Peet suggested and more and more missionaries are concluding, in a rapidly changing world the old models need to be reevaluated. There ARE multiple Scriptural principles that should apply to that evaluation.

[RPittman] Yes, Anne, even serving with a mission board goes “beyond what the Bible specifies.” Knowing “the stress of being ‘undersupported,’ can you not rejoice that some are well-supported? We ought to rejoice with our brothers and sisters in their blessings.

And yes, it was my Son, as Susan indicated, who posted a thank you to me earlier. He had a long, hard deputation experience with setbacks (e.g. USA dollar fell around 40% against the Australian dollar, etc.) And he with his wife went to the field undersupported because his mission board, a local church board, allows the missionary to make these decisions. Also, one of his major problems is that the Australian salary standard is higher than the comparable American standard. In this case (Australia), your “salary standard based upon pretty much the wealthiest nation on earth” is not an accurate representation (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index). Wesley and Erin work to supplement their lack of support. So, I am righteously irritated when affluent and comfortable Christians try to denigrate the means of supporting our workers on the mission field. One doesn’t have to support missionaries with their own money but please don’t try to be pious or self-justifying about it.
If it makes you feel any better, i don’t mind how other missionaries are supported—who am I to do that? I have honestly had to struggle with not comparing my lifestyle to theirs, and I am happy for my american sisters that they can have some financial padding that makes the brink-of-insanity feeling maybe a little easier, although I think that they struggle with those moments just as much as I do. I think the initial brunt of the culture changes is padded by having more money to maintain a lifestyle they are more used to and get help/resources to make the stresses more bearable. I have some of that, too, and I’m very thankful for it—i have a vehicle to drive and I can afford cappuchinos :D

Also, about tentmaking, it’s a question in the sense that, in Australia, for example, someone could work decent hours and make a comparatively decent income. Here, if V or I worked Ukrainian jobs, we’d get maybe $100-$200/month working full time or more. It’s just not worth it. Working for foreign-supported companies would have to be alternative in underdeveloped countries or choosing to live on that type of income with so little time for ministry.

We do personally support other missionaries, and I don’t begrudge them their support, and I’m thankful for some of my american missionary friends who’ve helped fund our post-abortion seminars and summer camps.

And I agree with you too.
[RPittman]
[Rob Fall] I agree such operations must be carefully planned and overseen. However, in many cases, they are viable alternatives to sending a church planting American missionary overseas. There are many ways contrary to popular belief to skin a cat.
Rob, I’m not arguing against other methods. One size doesn’t fit all. My points have been directed toward a plurality of means including tent-making, associational support, training and supporting nationals, and DEPUTATION. We agree, I think. All these approaches have strengths and weaknesses. We should recognize the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. Then churches, mission agencies, and missionaries have to make their choices. However, what bothered me is some have tried to assume a superior position by claiming Biblical support that they didn’t have. It seemed to me that this thread was on a roll against deputation without recognizing its advantages as well as it shortcomings. So, I pitched into the fray to balance the arguments.

Hoping to shed more light than heat..

[RPittman] I seemed to have irritated you, friend, and you are intent on setting me straight. :)
Impossible. I said there’s no such thing as righteous irritation, and I’m too self-righteous to let it happen to me. :p

Serious point:
There were kind of vibes that tent-making was the more spiritual means with missionaries who were more committed and dedicated than the deputation types who have steady support begged from hard-working folks in American churches.
As far as I know, there was one post (from a tentmaker) who asserted that tentmaking was more Biblical. I hope (as a tentmaker myself) if I had seen posts asserting that we were more committed and dedicated that I’d have been more active than you in refuting it. I don’t think I saw any kind of negativity towards supported missionaries coming through.

The only thing that even verged on that was regarding the question of whether deputation was good preparation/weeding out, and some have asserted that some missionaries weren’t prepared. That was an illogical response to your argument, because no “weeding out” process is going to be perfect (see Demas, etc). But even that wasn’t an attack against supported missionaries, it was simply arguing that deputation “weeding out” isn’t working.

This is not a tentmaking vs. support discussion, generally. It certainly isn’t a “supported missionaries aren’t as spiritual or committed” discussion. It’s a “support raised one way” vs. “can we find a better way to raise it” discussion. Your response has appeared to suggest that there is no better way and we shouldn’t even be looking for a better one.

No one suggested you have less credibility because your son is a supported missionary. Presumably, you have more knowledge of the process than a lot of people. But statements like this are detrimental to discussion:
Throughout the history of the Church, there have been naysayers opposing missions.
That falsely impugns motives. No one on this thread has remotely opposed missions.

Finally:
IMHO, rather than arguing about methods and other things to no profit, I would like to hear ideas of how we can increase our giving and send more missionaries. If we expect faith, sacrifice, and effort on the part of missionaries, can we expect any less of ourselves?
I agree with this. I praise the Lord that we serve a God who gives His people all things richly to enjoy, but while they are enjoying, it would perhaps be better if they didn’t also say, “It’s too bad we don’t have the money to send out more missionaries.”

Some supported missionaries often feel hesitant to talk about it, but it can be really hard for them when they go back to the States and see the way people live, while on the field for them, any car breakdown or appliance failure is an immediate crisis. Since I’m a tentmaker, I don’t have to feel so shy in talking about it. :) When a mission board sets support levels low so they can tell supporters, “Our missionaries sacrifice,” I cringe. It probably means their missionaries can’t afford hospitality, or tracts, or something else.

But it’s not an “either/or” discussion. We can talk about a renewed commitment to giving and sacrifice AND talk about which methods provide the best stewardship of the resources God provides.

Is there anything at all that you see could be improved in the deputation process, or do you think it is the best it could be?

Brother Pittman,

I fear you are more ” http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tilting-at-windmills.html tilting at windmills ” than defending turf

Brief and final responses:
[RPittman] There were kind of vibes that tent-making was the more spiritual means with missionaries who were more committed and dedicated than the deputation types who have steady support begged from hard-working folks in American churches. They are sort of missionary fat-cats.
Response: Haven’t seen these vibes! Unclear who the “fat-cats” are!
[RPittman] Throughout the history of the Church, there have been naysayers opposing missions.
Response: Probably so but where on this thread have you seen such “naysayers “?
[RPittman] Such a one was Diotrephes
Response: Are you saying that comments on this thread represent the spirit of Diotrephes?
[RPittman] William Carey faced exactly this sort of thing but he preserved
Response: And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carey_%28missionary%29] how did Carey support himself ?
During the first year in Calcutta, the missionaries sought means to support themselves and a place to establish their mission. They also began to learn the Bengali language to communicate with the natives. A friend of Thomas owned two indigo factories and needed managers, so Carey moved with his family north to Midnapore. During the six years that Carey managed the indigo plant, he completed the first revision of his Bengali New Testament and began formulating the principles upon which his missionary community would be formed, including communal living, financial self-reliance, and the training of indigenous ministers