For the amount that "reaching the nations" is discussed and prayed about and pushed at Antioch, there aren't that many missionaries overseas. There are lots of people who have been on mission trips. There are lots of people that sign up for a church planting team. There are thousands of young people who pledge to go (at the height of World Mandate weekend). However, there are few committed missionaries in the nations.
It is indisputable that Antioch sends more missionaries than the average church. I am just saying that in relationship to how much it is emphasized, and how many people pledge to go, it is small. Yet the judgment towards other missions organizations including ones very similar to their own such as YWAM or Vineyard is very biased, yet subtle.
When I was there, going to the 10/40 window was the only acceptable place to plant a church. It wasn't the case that if you felt the Lord calling you to plant a church somewhere else that they discouraged it (because they wanted as many as possible.) It was just that going to the hardest places in the world was talked about more, the missionaries that were planning to go there were revered, and missionaries that went there were talked about as super-Christians.
I already discussed the flaws of many of the processes in my previous post "A Better Way To Do Missions," so I won't cover it again.
What I think is interesting is that most of the senior leadership has never served long-term overseas.** Many of the hardcore college leadership didn't go overseas like they intended in the early years. They planted churches in the U.S. Why? Because it is the most dangerous, most unreached, most unchurched? No, because it is a lot easier to go to Wheaton (for example) and reproduce the ministry experience they had at Baylor than it is to do it the Middle East.
I am amazed at the number of churches that are in the U.S., near university campuses, that are doing what ACC in Waco did. They have an endless supply of impressionable college students to feed a machine called cell groups. They like the idea of "reaching the nations." They like large, emotional worship sessions. They like thinking about being influential in worldwide revival. They go to other places in the U.S. and tell other college kids that they should go to the nations, but don't do it themselves.
They like the idea of mission trips, because who doesn't want to have a cool trip to a foreign country paid for by supporters. They go the country for a few weeks, do some prayer walking at the most famous tourist sites, witness to their taxi drivers, have worship and devotion time, and call it a success.
If you look at the most recent World Mandate video, you will see that the idea of missions is a lot more fun that the reality. How much time is spent giving a cup of cold water? How much time is spent talking about it? Many people are trying to do the right thing. It is just that the system is setup to fail them by getting them all excited for something, yet not providing the tools to do it right.
World Mandate 2010 Promo from K E on Vimeo.
**I will be generous and say long-term is 5 years, but in reality it takes much more than 5 years to see something worthwhile to leave behind as a church plant. It is amazing how few missionaries from Antioch aren't overseas for even 5 years.
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Kevin Johnson, Danny Mulkey, Blake Hartsock, Nate Bobbett, Steve Findley are leaders that have all planted churches overseas. I'm sure there's more but those are the ones I know of. I've been at ACC for over 9 years and haven't seen the 'over-focus' on the 10/40 window like you have written. However, if the 10/40 window is where most of the unreached live, then I would hope someone would focus on it. And I can tell you that the folks I know serving in that window are there for a long time, as they know the work it takes to build relationships with Muslims. There are many ACC church plants in the U.S. because the church leadership has said themselves they'll probably plant a church in every state. However, people have to hear a personal call to go plant a church somewhere. Robert Herber felt like he was to plant a church in San Diego, and it took a bit of prayer on the other leaders' part before they felt the same. Should Robert tell God that he shouldn't go to San Diego because the 10/40 window has more needs?
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is that your experience is mostly with the college ministry at Antioch, and I joined after graduating from Texas State.
What is your experience of safety concerns with young AMI missionaries? Many of the countries in the 10/40 window are not safe for Americans at this time, and in particular for young, inexperienced Americans who don't know the language and the culture.
ReplyDeleteOh lawd. I just came across this and I’m dying. Obviously I only came across it because of my own personal despise of these people, including my uncle, so don’t throw that at me those defending this church.
ReplyDeleteLook. I don’t know what a 10/40 window is, but jargon and lingo is insular- making you feel good to be part of the crew.
What do know is, I know how rich my uncle is from family wealth, yet I still get emails asking for donations for his kids to go on trips.
What I do know is his family lived in one of the richest states in the world and maybe had a dozen members of his “planted” church but sent all his kids to international schools with astronomical tuition.
What I know is that he has stolen from my grandmother.
What I know is he is a hack. As is the church.
What joke about is that they count numbers for their “baptism Bash” that are actually those unhoused wanting a shower and coffee.
Walk across the street Antioch. Serve YOUR community. It’s not a dick fight.