The Labourers’ View of the Field

This is a little different in style to my usual posts, but something that I hope will be interesting to chew on as you consider the world in which we live, where 42% have little to no access to the good news of Jesus.

Over the past year, several long-term workers in our area have made a few observations on how the current mission force in our corner of South Asia is made up compared to the last few decades. I thought I would highlight some here in order to stimulate prayer for newly arrived workers, and perhaps to be encouraged to be part of what God is doing around the world.

I would also love to hear from those ministering in other fields if these observations are also evident in your areas, or if different trends are evident. Which are unique to our field? Are some traits associated more with closed countries?

All that being said, these observations are not mine, but those who have been here a lot longer than I, who know the landscape well, and who also have probably applied some broad brush strokes to this data.

1. The majority of worker families in our mission community have at least one former Missionary Kid in the family

One long-term worker (herself a former MK) noticed at a recent organisational conference, that out of the Western families present (Westerners being the majority), that there were only 4 in which neither spouse had grown up on the mission field. Of the singles, about half were former MKs, and some of the families also had both spouses who had grown up on the field.

The number of those who didn’t grow up in a Christian/church-going household were even smaller. While not 100% sure on the number, but it seemed like somewhere about 5 or 6 people from the whole organisation.

I am curious to delve deeper into this subject, to see how it shapes the Christian community here. If those who are passing on the faith to locals grew up on the field, what flavour does that lend to their ministry. For example, growing up in pioneer environments, what does their view or expectation on what a healthy local church looks like, both for good and for bad? How does their experience help locals to cross cultural divides within their own country with the gospel? How are views on first generation believers shaped in a community where the majority are second, third, etc. generation believers who were committed enough Christians to move overseas? These are perhaps also questions to be asked of churches at home made up of varying demographics. How do the particular types of people in our local church empower us to reach our communities in unique ways, and what blind-spots do we have due to the lack of certain types of people?

I don’t have answers to this, but I am eager to hear some ideas of others.

One thing is certain though; this is an encouragement and a challenge. It is incredibly encouraging as a father of MKs, to see others pick up the mantle in bringing the gospel to the nations. The seeds of love for the lost planted in their hearts at a young age have sprouted, blossomed, and have been blown in the wind far and wide to spread the aroma of Christ around the globe. We hear many stories of problems that MKs have in life, but here is one great blessing, and that encourages me as a father.

The challenge is directed to the churches of sending countries. Are we doing enough to help believers feel the weight of responsibility of the lost? Why are those who did not grow up abroad not moving overseas for the sake of those who are perishing without Christ? It is a question worth asking.

2. Where Business-as-Mission was perhaps once seen as necessary but not ideal, newer workers see it as a more desirable option.

In many of the countries of the world you can’t rock up on a missionary visa like you once could. You need to have a legitimate reason for being there. But it has been the observation of some that many new workers wouldn’t choose another option even if they could.

Again, this is not my observation, but it doesn’t surprise me. Even in Ireland, a much healthier view of bi-vocationalism in ministry seems to be growing. Many books are being written these days on the high value of work, as a part of man’s created purpose. There is less of a divide between “secular” work and “ministry”, but rather a push for believers to see every aspect of life as service to God, especially in the workplace. Whether the necessity of having a business in the mission world fed back into Western theology (as is often the case with theological shifts) or whether those who are being sent now have just been formed well by new emphases in theology at home, is hard to say. But whichever it is, it appears that many workers are not simply content to live in their adopted country and share informally. From winning legitimacy with their neighbours, to caring about holistically shaping communities in their new homeland, working in practical business-minded ways seems to be desirable amongst new workers.

Now, that is not to say that previous generations were unconcerned about those things. One needs only study the life of William Carey from centuries ago, tracing to many modern-day workers, to see examples of social impact that missionaries have made on nations over time. I think that what the observer of this point is noting, is that the conduit by which that is accomplished has shifted. Business and NGO work are perhaps becoming the choice option to bring the gospel to bear on society. Not in social work sans gospel, but in gospel-infused businesses that breathe life into communities in word and deed.

3. First-term missionaries are coming to the field later in life

Several people have noted this fact, though it is perhaps too early to tell if it is yet a trend in our area or not.

It seems that most of those who came 20-50 years ago in the first waves of modern mission to this area were mostly young singles. Straight out of university, on various teams like OM, these singles came, invested in language, and moved around the country, often living in villages and with local families. Many of these singles later married and settled in this area.

A second wave of workers came between 10 and 20 years ago, who were majority couples. Their pathway was similar to the above, though perhaps a little less itinerant due to the changing nature of the country, and the need to settle in one area. Then they started families in country and continued on.

But it seems that the current wave of workers are mostly families, or couples who are not newly married, when they arrive on the field. This is probably predominantly due to the easier nature of travel with families nowadays. But this does change some on-field dynamics and raise some important questions.

One altered dynamic is in team life and ministry. People are coming to the field with more of life behind them, which can be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing that brings varied experience to the table, but also a hindrance that can make it harder to assume as much of a learning role as someone straight out of university.

Another is in how we interact with the communities around us. We are even less able to do long homestays with local families, or to be as itinerant, due to children’s school schedules, and sleeping arrangement logistics etc. However, it does perhaps lead us to be able to make relationships with a different sphere of society in our early days.

It would be difficult, and unwise, to categorise any of these trends as positive or negative. It seems that, in the great sweep of human history, God chooses to use various methods, appropriate to the moment, to bring salvation to the nations. Nonetheless, it is interesting to hear of how things have changed over the years, and perhaps the wisdom comes in being, on one hand, attentive to what good things could potentially get lost if not we are not diligent, and on the other, attentive to what fresh breath of air these changes might bring to the church in this nation. In this way we can learn and build off what has gone before, and offer ourselves up to the Lord to be used in new ways that are fit for the moment.