Standing Amazed

“A real eye-opener! A paradigm shift! Has given me a whole new perspective on how I should live my Christian life!"

These were typical statements written on the evaluation forms at the end of the two workshops I’ve gave this past week in both Jos and Abuja, Nigeria. To be honest, I’m more than slightly amazed by such strong reaction. What started out to be some basic instruction on biblical fundraising principles has certainly ended up becoming much more for virtually all of the seventy-plus participants in the two seminars.

My training event was divided into two days with one main subject each day. First, I attempted to lay a solid foundation on a theology of stewardship. Then, I showed how best practices of fundraising for ministries could be built on that foundation. Using what I’ve been learning myself during the past year from Tim Keller’s messages and the writings of my friend, Scott Rodin, I attempted to show how differently a steward mindset is from one that believes we get to control what we possess. Everyone appreciated the practical examples of fundraising methods, but it was really Day One that impacted folks the most. As I’ve reflected on it, I see at least three possible reasons.

1.       Prosperity Gospel--Nigerian churches are rampant with this false teaching. Many pastors are using it as a means of draining what little financial resources their parishioners have in order to pad their own pockets. Nigeria has the richest Christian churches in all of Africa, if not the entire Global South. Limousines and private biz jets are openly flaunted by Nigerian mega-church pastors as evidence of God’s blessing.  In contrast, my seminar friends immediately saw how a theology of stewardship directly counters a “name it—claim it” thinking. If everything we own belongs to God in the first place, managing it as a steward looks very different than greedily chasing after more material stuff.

2.       Gate-Keepers—African culture in general and in Nigeria specifically, anyone in leadership is venerated, especially pastors who are viewed as being the mouthpiece of God. As a result, pastors tend to become little monarchs who tightly control their ecclesiastic kingdoms. One fall-out of this is that few churches will open their doors to have a mission organization share about its ministry let alone consider financial support for anyone outside of the church. That’s why there was immediate interest in the transformational model I presented in the workshop of approaching churches as partners in the Great Commission as opposed to “begging” for a charitable donation.

3.       Harvesters vs. Sowers—Thanks to Scott Rodin’s insightful little book, The Sower, I explained the difference between a Harvester fundraising mindset that seeks to reap as much support income as quickly as possible with a Sower’s mindset of investing into people’s life-long journey of becoming a godly steward and letting God’s Spirit do the motivating for giving. This truly was a paradigm shift for most workshop participants and many pledged they would immediately change the way they interact with supporters.

Everyone at the workshops agreed that the people they wished could be challenged by this seminar were Nigerian pastors. So, several of them are already brainstorming on how we might be able to put together a more nationwide event a year from now that would specifically target the gatekeeper church leaders of this country. It will be exciting to see what happens.

There are a few times in my ministry career when I felt like I was simply doing something regular and normal, only to be blown away by how God unexpectedly used it as a channel of His blessing for others. Presenting these two workshops this past week in Nigeria has definitely been one of those times.

Nigeria--The Untold Story

As I write this blog, I’ve now been in Nigeria for a full week.  My workshops and seminars have gone great—a subject for my next blog post. But what has overshadowed everything else on this trip has, of course, been the news story of the kidnapped girls of Chibok.  Even as I write, the CNN channel in my hotel room is broadcasting a live report being made just a few miles away here in Abuja, an interview with a Major General of the Nigerian Army. It’s clear that this story is finally making its impact on the world, as it should have weeks ago right after the kidnapping happened.

But what has been most interesting to me is to listen to the comments of my local Nigerian friends and contrast them to the international news stories I’m seeing on TV. That contrast can be summed up in one missing word: Christian!

Absent from virtually every broadcast I’ve seen is the element that concerns local citizens the most—the fact that the Boko Haram has again and again specifically targeted Christian populations of Nigeria. Do you ever hear it reported that the school where the girls were taken from was specifically a Christian school? Or that a similar Islamic school not far away was not touched at all?  Or that several girls who were able (allowed?) to escape were all Muslim? Why is it that these facts never seem particularly relevant to the international media?  I can tell you these and other key facts about recent Boko Haram attacks on Christian villages, churches and schools have certainly not been missed by the population here in Nigeria.

One reason for this is the backdrop of growing frustration Christian populations in the middle of the country have about the slow by steady progression of Muslim Fulani tribal people moving down from the north. During the past several years, these nomadic cattle people have slowly, but surely, taken over traditional farming areas, pushing the non-Muslim farmers farther south. I’ve heard reports that sometimes the Fulani intentionally set fire to farmers’ fields as a tactic to dominate the land for their herds. As their numbers expand in a given area, they get key Imams elected to government offices who, in turn, support legislation that favor further Fulani expansion.

Now, they have moved into the rich, fertile Plateau State and in just the past year and people report seeing herds of their cattle on the outskirts of the city of Jos. Increasing civil disturbances and “incidents” in the city’s outlying areas have caused Christians to fear for their safety and therefore move out of those areas which are immediately back-filled by newly arriving Muslim Fulani. All of this has made many of the Christian ministry leaders I’ve been speaking with this past week more and more concerned and nervous about the future stability of their country. “The Fulani may not be as radical as Boko Haram,” said one friend, “but their ultimate intention is definitely the same—rid Nigeria of all Christian presence and turn it into an Islamic State.”

With 170 million Nigerians in this country, more than half of which are Christian, that is probably not going to happen anytime soon. But what could certainly happen is a bloody civil conflict not unlike what caused Sudan to be split up into two competing nations.

Is it any wonder that these local Nigerians are more than concerned when they perceive that the full story of Christian persecution does not get reported about the kidnapped Chibok girls?

Bail Out!

1st Lt. Arthur Lewis - US Army Air Force

It was early morning on November 10, 1944. A B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber took off from Rougham Field just outside of Bury St. Edmonds, England. The plane climbed up to join 235 other bombers and 154 P-51 fighters all being deployed on a mission to disable the Luftwaffe airfield at Wiesbaden, Germany.

Positioned at the very front of the plane was a young First Lieutenant by the name of Arthur Lewis. As the plane approached its target, he peered through his Norden bombsight, lining up the cross-hairs on the airfield below and pulled the trigger to release his bomb payload. Just then, however, the plane was hit by flack immediately setting two of its four engines on fire and puncturing its Plexiglas nose. Some of the fragments of the clear plastic Plexiglas struck Lewis in the face blinding his left eye. The pilot immediately put the plane into a steep dive that succeeded in extinguishing the engine flames but which also left them at tree-top level, alone and separated from the rest of the squadron.

Running on just two engines, the crew attempted to get as far as they could back to England but realized that they would have to abort the mission somewhere over Belgium—hopefully behind friendly Allied lines. The pilot gave the order for the crew to “bail out” and one by one the men jumped out of the plane already at a dangerously low altitude. Lt. Lewis dropped out through the bomb bay and immediately pulled his ripcord deploying a white, silk parachute. Seconds later, he was on the ground, landing in the soft dirt of a farmer’s garden.

Possible field near where Dad landed with his parachute.
Note the remains of a former windmill.

For the past day here in Belgium, I have been reliving the events of this B-17 mission as I’ve attempted to relocate and explore the very places that my father experienced on that fateful day in November 1944. Thanks to some on-line World War II forums, I learned about the exact location where Edgar Prigmore and Jack Malahy, the pilot and co-pilot of that B-17 finally were able to crash land the plane in an open field. I’ve triangulated more or less where my Dad landed with his parachute and also discovered the house that belonged to Dr. Vander Schueren, a local village doctor who took care of my dad for a couple days helping to remove some of the pieces of Plexiglas from his left eye. 

Dr. Vander Shueren's former home in
St Levins-Houten, Belgium

Although the plane was scrapped and never returned to service, all of the crew survived and were soon reunited to fly more missions with the 94^th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force. My father completed 34 of 35 missions before the war finally ended. That led him to feel called to return to Europe as a missionary and finish out his “tour of duty.”

Standing alone alongside those quiet fields in rural Belgium, it was pretty amazing to think how much my own life has been impacted by the events of that fateful day. From my dad surviving a dangerous mission and parachute drop to my growing up as an MK in Portugal and inheriting his passion for missions, I am deeply touched by the way God orchestrates the events of history to shape our lives.

And I hope something similar will be said of me some day what is written on his tombstone at the Fort Snelling veterans’ cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota:  He finished his final mission.

Very CRAF-ty!

For the past week, I’ve been participating in the Consultation Regionale d' Afrique Francaphone (CRAF.) This is a gathering of French-speaking ministry leaders who have met every two years for the past sixteen to share best practices in mission outreach across their continent. The venue of a vintage seaside hotel in Dakar, Senegal has been a great place for this meeting as men and women not only enjoy lively African worship in the lecture hall, but all sixteen workshops and training forms have been able to function during the day in the available boardroom/classroom facilities.

Despite the fact there are quite a few white faces in the mix (usually Western mission staff working in Africa) CRAF is totally run and managed by Africans themselves. Having attended way too many consultations dominated by Westerners, particularly Americans, I’m finding this distinct African flavor of CRAF to be very refreshing.

One of the sober highlights of the week was a poignant personal report brought by Anatole Banga, the representative from Central African Republic. The accounts he shared and even a short video taken secretly by a cellphone of the atrocities carried out specifically against Christians by the foreign insurgents was simply too horrendous to even explain or repeat. How governments like my own can stand by and give political excuses for non-involvement in such a human tragedy is simply beyond belief. And despite a few French troops now guarding the Bangui airport, Anatole claims there are still street killings every single day.

My reason for coming to CRAF was in response to an invitation to be one of the trainers for the CRAF Institute, a set of nine elective courses offered morning and afternoon. My topic was Biblical Stewardship and Resource Development – a fancy title for how to do local fund raising. Because many had never heard the word “intendance” (stewardship in French) before, hardly anyone signed up at first for my course. But by the time the word got around, I had about thirty of the 120 total CRAF participants joining me. And, it’s cool seeing how “intendance” has become a real buzz-word of this conference.

What really blew my mind, though, is how the folks in my course started making applications of Biblical stewardship to other areas of life besides just fund raising. “This would totally change how we ‘do church’ here in Africa!” said one person. “We simply have never really been shown that the Gospel is not just about spiritual restoration but also restoration of all areas of life.” As a result, I now have a standing invitation to return sometime to Senegal and lead a more in-depth exploration with local pastors of how to create practical applications in their own context of Biblical stewardship.   

One thing is for sure: it’s great working together with such CRAF-ty people!

Downsizing for Survival

It’s not what I came out here for. The original plan was a follow-up visit to this national Bible translation organization in northwestern DRCongo to provide the next stage of training in management and board governance principles.

 Instead, I discovered my friends here were grappling with a serious financial and management crisis that threatened their survival. Within two hours of stepping off the airplane in Gemena, DRC, I found myself addressing the board of directors and offering counsel towards an action plan than meant drastic downsizing.

Part of the reason I was recruited by Wycliffe Associates to provide organizational development training for national groups like these is because many of them have faced sudden transitions from being implementers of Western projects to now running complete programs all by themselves. Often feeling like they’ve been dropped into the deep end of the pool, many struggle to implement the basics of management without adequate training.

Meeting with board members and an after lunch shot at the director's home

 

 

That’s why I wasn’t totally surprised to find myself trying to explain to both management staff and board members that an approved budget that has twice as much expenditure as expected income simply doesn’t work!  Even then, it took some colorful graphs and cash-flow charts to help them see how they had no more options left but to cut costs and downsize--immediately.

So, although this week here in one of the most remote parts of Congo did not unfold the way I had expected, it has certainly been one of swapping earned friendship and credibility for some tough advice that hopefully will allow this important Bible translation ministry to survive onwards and even rebuild itself on a new, stronger foundation.

Of course, not all has been hard-nosed management discussion.  I’ve been treated every day to a lunch and dinner of very authentic Congolese food consisting of fufu (boiled manioc), pondu (manioc leaves), chiquong (fermented manioc) and boiled plantain bananas!

Ministry Update

Here are two ways that we are sharing updates about the past year of personal ministry.

The first is an infographic of ministry activity in 2013.

 

The second is this 2.5 minute video clip which you can watch on YouTube by clicking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhH6TtM8bk8

When I especially think about the 170,051 airline miles flown this past year, I am so grateful for God's hand of protection and safety every step of the way. PTL!

Under His wings,

Jon Lewis

Cross-Cultural Class

Even though I never traveled more than a few miles from my home, I feel like the past few weeks have taken me around the world several times over. Why? Because I had my first experience of teaching a course on Cross-Cultural Ministry at Whitworth University. Every single day, during the three and half week period of Jan Term, I had the chance to share with seventeen students what God is doing to advance His Kingdom around the world.

As part of the Theology Department’s upper division offerings, TH317 or Cross-Cultural Ministry is an elective course designed to expose students to contemporary issues in global missions plus give an introduction to the cross-cultural understanding needed to effectively engage in ministry in a foreign context

It wasn’t too difficult picking the required reading for the course. First, my friend, Paul Borthwick’s brand new book, Western Christians in Global Mission was a must .Then I used David Livermore’s Cultural Intelligence as a great way of teaching how to adapt to cultural differences. Finally, Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert’s, classic When Helping Hurts was essential for teaching how to engage in ministry with true sensitivity especially for those of us from America.

To add a little fun and break up the long, three-hour class sessions, we had a daily cross-cultural snack, curtsey of volunteers from among the students. Together, we enjoyed such things as Swedish rice pudding, home-made German soft pretzels, Indian dhal and Japanese seaweed wafers.  Speaking of food, Anita and I had the entire class over to our place for an Indonesian feast of nasi gorang, chicken sate with peanut sauce, and vegetable gado gado.

What has made this teaching experience the most meaningful of all for me was what the students produced as their final project. Asking them to dream up a brand new ministry in a foreign culture, I had each write their final paper in the form of a proposal for support from a church or foundation. Included in the submissions were plans for a rehab home in Ukraine for trafficked women, a counseling center in Japan to address teenage suicide and micro-enterprise in India using recycled saris. Not only were all the papers done well, but I believe many could easily become real-life ministries.

Will I teach again at Whitworth in the future?  It depends if I’m asked again, of course, and if I can fit it in to my existing overseas workshop schedule. But for now, I’ve found this experience to be both enjoyable, fulfilling and a great way to travel the world without having to get very far from home!