I had a conversation this week with an individual who enthusiastically promoted their personal mission organization. Although I wasn’t much interested, I listened politely but moved on to other subjects as soon as possible. Curious, I did some checking and found that there was indeed such an organization that recently registered as a corporation in my state but with no financial statements on file. Impressive.
Whatever happened to the simple fact that believers were always on mission everywhere and that groups of believers, churches, gathered together to do God’s work? What would a church be like where the members all had their own autonomous mission orgainzation going but no one was much interested in pooling their gifts, talents, skills, and resources to cooperate on a mission that God led the group to accomplish?
And what would a denomination or convention of thousands of churches be like if every church had their own mission plan and offered only tepid support for cooperative missions as a whole?
I’m not much interested in a boutique mission organization that exists to fulfill the mission strategy, or fantasy, of any individual. The work may be good. The delivery of mission efforts may be sincere and somewhat benefical but if an overall strategy is lacking in that only the tiniest fraction of the unsaved world is given attention, then no thanks. Sure, I understand the thinking that maybe God is at work in all of these and that He is directing the minds and hearts of His people in such a way that all these fragmented efforts coalesce into a Grand Strategy to do His work in the world.
Unfortunately, the evidence is overwhelming against that conclusion.
Individual, boutique missions is a product of American affluence and culture. We’ve got money. We like to be in control of spending it in ways that make us feel good. Look around and you find that it seems these mission projects that your friends are so passionate about are all within easy reach, a cheap airplane ticket, and in open countries. Often they are in desirable destinations, that is, places where folks used to Western standards would like to go.
Thank God that Southern Baptists have a global missions strategy carried out by our largest organization, the International Mission Board, that attempts to address the needs of people far beyond a cheap plane ticket and a nice place to go. I’ll put what I can into IMB and not dilute my giving by trying to help some of the numberless tiny, wasteful, non-strategic, boutique missions organizations.
Thank God that our North American Mission Board has broad strategy objectives. You may not agree with the approach but it beats by light years the strategy of doling out funds to our pals and colleagues to do some nifty botique mission project.
Some honest questions for the personal, boutique mission organizations:
- Am I spending more on travel expense than on actual missions to my target group?
- Is the salary and administrative expenses greater than missions expenditures?
- In the long haul is what I am doing helpful or harmful to recipients?
- Who benefits the most? Participants or recipients?
- Are more pressing needs being ignored while I do my own thing?
- Am I ignoring avenues to participate in projects that have a broad strategy to do what makes me feel good?
IMB has ways for churches to help in a strategic way. Ask Dave Miller and Bart Barber how. They do it.
Is the future of church missions to be that we all get us up a non-profit, try and raise money to do our own thing under the banner of missions…and while we contratulate ourselves on our personal missions interests in places where churches, Bibles, and Christian witness is abundant, most of the world goes to hell without hearing the Gospel even one time?
God forbid and no thanks, I’m not interested in giving to your personal mission organization.
Thanks William for this very strongly worded evaluation of Boutique Missions. It is spot on.
How would you define “boutique mission organization”? Are we taking any parachurch ministry here? Or just small ones? Or ones that only operate in one country or with one people group? Or? I personally follow two separate parachurch missions organizations, and they are very different- one is Samaritan’s Purse. It’s global, its shoebox ministry is Gospel centered. I would assume I don’t have to go into much detail about it as it is quite well established and has been in existence for decades now. Another is localized to the slums of Dubai. It’s specific and aimed at rescuing women who… Read more »
I consider that one of the strengths, and one of the greatest appeals to me, of the SBC, is the IMB and NAMB. They enable many small churches, like mine, and many 40 hour a week employees, like me, to participate in sending the Gospel to places needed, both at home and abroad. Our church also has the privilege to having sent some of our ‘own’ as SBC missionaries. I thank the Lord for this set up, and pray that we will continue to do our part in the proclaiming of the Gospel, both in our own neighborhoods and across… Read more »
After 38 years with IMB (half in Brazil and half at the home office) , I said a hearty AMEN!
There are a number of missions organizations that do effective work outside the SBC who may have a more narrow aim than the IMB and yet fill necessary gaps in mission work. The IMB, itself, though global in its vision, has a narrow focus that emphasizes Unreached and Unengaged People Groups. Parachurch missions organizations focus on areas of missions that the IMB does not, often working in assisting and supportive roles (Wycliffe, MAF, Bible League, SIL, to name a few.) Further, while the IMB has given primary emphasis to UPGs and UUPGs, there remains a need to assist in areas… Read more »
Todd, I wondered (while reading William’s post): could the narrowing of the IMB’s focus to primarily church planting, with a special emphasis on un-/under-reached people groups, be a major contributing factor to the rise of ’boutique missions’?
William, in the main I agree with you. This “boutique mission” phenomenon is not unique to the USA. I saw this again and again in Southeast Asia. It seems everyone wants to establish his/her own mission and direct it. When you have lots of small missions, you lose economy of scale. That is, you have lots of duplication of effort and higher operating expenses. To understand economy of scale compare the prices at WalMart with the prices at the little grocery on the corner. Our readers should check out the administration and finances of any mission agency or charity before… Read more »
Every church has limited resources and makes opportunity cost decisions about their missions money. While there are many orgs that do a good job in needed areas, with necessary ministry services, I am settled on IMB as the preferred destination for my and my church’s funds, partly because they have an overall strategy, are in areas for the long haul with resident personnel who learn the language and all that. Not to say that there aren’t other orgs that do well. Why shouldn’t an SBC church not focus giving, praying, and going with IMB and not fritter away funds on… Read more »
As an IMBer, I want to say thank you to all our supporters who allow us to do what we do overseas. Over the years, though, I have gained a great appreciation for “boutique” missionaries who come and work along side us every day. Many are qualified SBC individuals who perhaps were following God’s leading to the mission field at a time when the IMB was not hiring, or not sending to places or jobs where these individuals could make the best use of their gifts and talents. Others have been omitted from service with IMB by medical or other… Read more »
As an SBC pastor, I have led my churches to give to the IMB as the “default” and primary method of missions support. In every church I’ve served, however, we have also given to additional missions causes. This has especially been the case when we sent one of our members to serve with a missions agency other than the IMB (in our case TEAM and Multiplication Network) — I firmly believe that if we are to be on record as the “sending church” that such sending should be accompanied by significant financial support. In other cases, when the church had… Read more »
Yep Todd!
It’s a Both/and not an either/or.
Having spent years working overseas with both the IMB and several non-denominational faith missions (Operation Mobilization, Bible Christian Union—subsequently merged with TEAM), as well as having partnered and fellowshipped with many more GCC (Great Commission Christian) groups on the field, I can affirm that both the IMB and many other GCC groups are engaged in strategic, worthwhile missionary efforts on the field. That being said, William’s “honest questions” in his post are spot on and worthy of careful consideration.
I liked your article William. I have been on many short term mission trips and I have seen our missionaries in action. I have never seen anything but sacrificial Christ-like hard work and dedication in the cause of the great commission from our missionaries. These brave men and women labor under very difficult conditions many times, and some under the threat of death. I would encourage all of us to consider our sacrificial support for the CP to fund our missionaries, and many other worthwhile ministries in the SBC. I would agree with many that we are not perfect. I… Read more »
I agree with William that the IMB should receive the main emphasis and support of every SBC church; however, Todd (as usual) makes a good point. If I was a pastor, and a couple from our church went to serve with the Wycliffe Bible Translators, I would include them in our church’s giving.
I like the use of the term “boutique missions.” I served bi-vocationally as a staff member in charge of missions in a church that had a real tendency to get caught up in such experiences and watched them divide the congregation when the participant, mostly the same group of people, kept demanding that the church members give to support their work, and got angry when some members wouldn’t contribute. There was an annual trip, starting with one to Germany, then two years in a row to Costa Rica, then to Japan. The slides and videos they brought back showed a… Read more »