Category: Member Care
Co-Creating Safety
Psalm 34:4-7 speaks of the Lord’s salvation. To illustrate the real-world meaning I share from the homily I presented at my uncle’s funeral. The subject leads me to call out those among us who threaten safety, especially of the young and vulnerable. We must remain diligent in our protection of one another.
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Nil By Force
This post tackles a tendency for some to get aggressive in our evangelism and missions approach. A triumphalist mindset remains prevalent in global missions circles but the posture encouraged in Scripture is that of quiet humility, gentleness, and honouring others’ dignity.
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Patron Providence
It tends to be human nature to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”, so when missions realises the damage that paternalism can cause, we can too easily dismiss the benefits of healthy patronage. We must remain mindful of ‘when helping hurts’, but that doesn’t mean total withdrawal. The generosity of God’s people remains central to the effectiveness of God’s mission.
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Hope Deferred
We live in an era of missions when, if we don’t consistently and persistently shift our expectations to match reality, we will suffer great harm. The triumphalism of yesteryear will not carry us forward. In humility we must surrender our grand plans and yield to the new and wonderfully fruitful thing God is doing in our day.
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The Lack Perception
I got called out. I made fun of a friend and fellow leader in a way that stung him and he challenged me to consider if there was some deeper resentment behind the banter. It was a needed wake-up call. Self examination before the Lord revealed some ‘stuff’ to work on. As leaders’ we’re never above reproach.
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Listen To Lead
When leading a community, it is not only advisable to listen to the community but listening should be considered as nourishment to the leader. As the world becomes more resistant to impositional approaches, the attitude of Christ should guide the Christian leader forward.
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The Delusion of DIY Faith
The media is making much of former Christian leaders (supposedly) abandoning their faith. Properly understood, a direct result of our faith is the incorporation into a collective. Western autonomy undermines this. How might we reclaim it?
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Spirit(ual) Leadership
In the face of great demand for great leaders, many leadership books have been and are being written. They focus on many things, even servanthood, but tend to overlook one major prerequisite for leadership: great following.
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Mutuality: Give & Take
The very concept of ‘team’ frames the problem of tension in missions. Teams exist to achieve common goals, usually in competition with others. It is a modern-industrial invention applied to missions, not a Biblical principle.
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Love Reciprocated
We make too little of reciprocation in missions strategies. We arrogantly think that we engage in mission to only give, out of our superior surplus. We need a big dose of humility, acknowledging our need and being open to receive.
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