Overturning Tables, Part 1

One of my favorite books on missions was "The New Friar" by Scott Bessenecker, so when he came out with a new book, "Overturning Tables: freeing missions from the Christian-Industrial complex" I had to read it. It is right in line with what God has working on me/my Bible study of what God has to say about poverty and power inequalities. I typed up five pages of quotes I wanted to share, so am dividing them up into three main subjects: Diversity in Missions, Capitalism in Missions, and the History of Missions. Afterwards, I will add some of the things I have learned from my personal Bible study about poverty/power inequality. 

Diversity in Missions: quotes from "Overturning Tables"

“The demographic of most protestant missionary conferences in the US could be described at male, pale, and frail…The number of black Southern Baptist missionaries in the US is only one-half of one percent, and of the 4,900 missionaries only 423 (8.6%) are minorities (and they have a more minorities than any other large denomination). This raises the question: is there something about how protestant mission is shaped that makes it easier for white folk to enter and more difficult for others? Surely ethnic minorities are no less spiritually gifted or qualified for missionary service.”

“With exceptions like YWAM, I have observed the graying of North American missionaries. I was speaking to a missionary recruiter from the Evangelical Free denomination who told me the average age of the freshly minted missionaries they send to the mission field is forty years old…What began as a youth movement is now a middle-aged movement.” 

“The US missionary community continues to grow, but that growth is slowing. The European missionary effort is in decline while the missionary movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin American are picking up. The Brazilians, for instance, now have more cross-cultural missionaries than the Brits.” 

“Protestant churches and mission ought to animate structures that are economically lean and easily allow the poor to serve as missionaries, resisting the creation of a professional missionary class occupied almost exclusively by middle class, formally educated individuals.” 

“As long as the middle and upper classes are onboard, those with access to these funders can find financial support. One reason there are so many white, individually supported Christian workers (I am one of them) is because we can more easily afford to buy our way into mission with help from our friends, not necessarily because we are more qualified than everyone else. Many of my highly qualified Majority world friends, and some of my Western friends who didn’t grow up in the middle class, simply do not have the kind of connections required to pull together the $50,000 to $100,000 price tag of yearly financial support.” 

 “The introduction of a second church in a town that previously had only one church for everyone proved a great dilemma. Before that time it was assumed that a resident would worship at whatever Christian church had been established in a town or village, regardless of the denomination. Neighbors and workmates would quite likely share the communion table, no matter how they may have differed in theology. But a second church meant there was a choice.” 

“It is relatively easy to build community with those who are like us. It is another thing altogether to build community with people who have significantly different backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities. In Christian mission, I have found the most robust communities are extremely diverse. Unhealthy forms of idealism are sacrificed on the altar of compromise and practicality in a diverse group. As we move away from individualism and toward a communal understanding of life and Christian mission, diversity will force us to balance the need for individual expression, culture and personality within a functional collective. “

“Multiplicity happens when these emerging ideas and ministries can be released to operate on their own. The incubator is no place to live for very long. Allowing our churches and parachurches to spawn smaller, local ministries that may or may not choose to loosely affiliate will have the effect of pushing ministry and resources out to the margins rather than bunching them up in one place.”

“Let us rethink our orientation to the cultural, political and social centers we have constructed for the faith, and draw into mission those who are on the margins. Otherwise we will naturally build insular systems that work well for those at the center but will exclude those in the margins.”

“The dichotomy that we must either absorb locals into our structures or allow completely local structures to emerge is a false one. It is born of similar fears inherent in the racist prohibition of mixed marriages. It is also fueled by a cultural preference for independence. Americans especially love or independence…Both the patron-client mindset in poor countries and the highly independent vision of partnership in rich ones are unbiblical.” 

“The survival of individuals depends on the collective in ways lost upon those of us living in societies that are WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic)…the truth is that we need one another, and not always in the ways we imagine. The poor don’t primarily need the wealth of the rich—though some redistribution can be helpful. They need the dignity and honor that standing shoulder to shoulder with the mainstream can provide. The rich don’t need the labor or cultural insight of the poor. They need the boldness, the faith and the humility that come with the poverty of spirit evident in so many of our brothers and sisters in the margins.”

“We can no longer afford the price tag attached to the middle-class version of Protestant mission—particularly those living in the majority world or who are otherwise cut off from middle-class or wealthy donors.”