There is many ways to begin this blog, but first I want to clarify a few things:
- Every Christian should live in dependency in God not to material things, nationality or culture.
- This is not a generalization, but speaking with brothers from other countries and what I see here in Peru.
Let me explain first what I mean with dependency, what I mean with is the thought of foreigners that you need to be careful with nationals because they can become dependent on the foreigner or the Western World in different ways like financially, spiritually, and etc.
Although there is has been a lot written and said on how to be careful with nationals in many levels, there is has been little writing on how this mentality affects missions. Let me unpack each one looking at both angles of the issue.
- The doctrine of dependency disarms the local church: Usually when foreign missionaries come to work with local churches, they join them in an outward manner but not inwardly. What do I mean with this? Interactions become very superficial, you will see photos of people having meal, reuniting for bible study and more. But how many of you who know a missionary overseas can tell that their pastor knows the missionary they are working with.
Why do I say this? Because we all still sheep, a healthy church culture will seek to hold each other accountable, despise of their nationality, gender, position and more. Because we all are pointing each other to the hope that is in Christ to finish the race. When we close the doors of our heart, although we have the close of our home open, we set the ground for the seed of pride to grow. Is dangerous for a Christian to serve in many things and for no one to know how they truly doing.
The church is disarmed when they can’t hold accountable to their leaders, for that creates a false sense of “don’t touch God’s anointed.” It will built a leadership made of favoritism and not character. The church body needs to be taught and encourage to examine the character of their leaders and teacher to guard the church and to disciple them in discerning for new leadership as well themselves preparing for this task.
B. The doctrine of dependency affirms the savior complex: Usually those whom preach dependency have a lot of safeguards, one of them is that he is the only one who can be trusted.
One time a missionary and a short term missions leader were talking on paying the translators a fee for their work. The missionary argued that it would make them dependent on foreign money and that it would make them greedy, the man saying this didn’t know a lot of the interpreters working with him because he lived in one of the most exclusive districts in Lima where only rich people or foreigners would live at but he believed to have a great assessment on the character of their workers.
When something is trusted because of your ethnicity or your nationality you affirm a form of superiority that is not taught in Scriptures, but its product of your culture. A part that needs to be redeemed by Christ. Now this is not also en encouragement to trust any national. But this is a call to focus our trust based on character and not on a passport, whether to nationals or foreigners. There is only one who came to save us all and His name is Jesus and everyone else who claims that has been saved by Him, depends on Him.
(Hold on, let’s have a rest here, Are you learning here or are you getting mad because of some prejudices that you have on your mind? Are you wondering if you like or not this post instead of wondering if it is true or not ?)
C. The doctrine of dependency leaves the missionaries vulnerable: One of the most needed things in the mission field is accountability as much for the nationals and the foreign missionaries. Usually what they do is to write a report on how things are going, but to be honest you only hear to one perspective, who knows how their marriage is doing? Who knows about their purity? Who knows about their struggle? Who knows about their fears?
Missionaries need to be cared for the church they don’t want to become on them, but the problem is that instead of worrying for that, the focus should be we all become dependent on Jesus. The mission field is not only a place for missionaries to teach about Jesus but to grow deeper in their relationship with Him along with their foreign leaders.
D. The doctrine of dependency stripes the biblical principles of leadership and work: Any missionary who is in the field should be potentially qualified to pastor a church speaking on character not titles. We do not need to look if the person will or not become dependent, although there is cases where that has happened but it has been a result of a bad character not nationality. We must encourage our workers to be qualified biblically and to provide for them the income they need for their Gospel work, whether they are national or foreigners but that must be based on the biblical principle: are they qualified for the work?
Any missionary or national pastor needs to affirm that the beginning and the end of their authority is the scriptures, not their culture.
Now, what do you advice to end to this destructive doctrine?
- Communicate with your missionary and ask them if they have a pastor, if they have one but don’t speak your language, contact a translator or a brother or sister who speaks the language to have updates on how they are doing.
- Visit them in the country they serve and spend time with the locals whom know their life.
- Pray for them and ask them specific ways on how to pray for them.
- If a conflict, listen to both sides, and make the assessment, do not just listen to your missionary and make a judgment, that is partiality.
We all running together this race to point others to Jesus and to help each other to keep running.
