Worth Considering
John McCastle, a faithful reader involved in orphanages in Africa, sent me this. I thought you might like to consider what it implies in terms of willingness. It moved me, too.
Perspectives™ on the World Christian Movement
Worth Keeping: A little creativity can bring great results
Indeed, creativity in mission giving is not lacking Northeast India. The case study below illustrates how local churches there raise money to support their missionaries.
Below in an excerpt from Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives in Best Practice in Missionary Retention
A little creativity can bring great results
Mizoram is a state in the remote mountain region of the Northeast of India. Due to its extreme geographical location and its delicate security situation (hemmed in between Bangladesh and Myanmar), this region has been basically excluded from the economic development of India.
The mission secretary of the Presbyterian churches, Reverend Vanlalhruaia, says: “Our state is poor. We are not able to export anything of economic value, but, we do export one thing for which we are very proud. That is the Gospel.” The churches in Mizoram are sending missionaries in an impressive way. The synod of Presbyterian churches alone has sent about 1,000 missionaries.
The church in Chanmari has 1,855 members, and it is supporting 120 missionaries that it has sent out. A couple of months ago, I met the mission secretary Reverend S. Nengzakhup. He told me more about the impressive missionary movement of evangelical churches in Mizoram, and how the economically poor churches are supporting their missionaries.
How do the poor churches in Mizoram support so many missionaries? They do so mainly through very creative ideas, which have grown out of their love for Jesus and a burden for the lost. These poor churches are a great example to all of us.
1. Vegetable gardens: Many churches have set up a church garden where they plant vegetables, bananas, oranges, grapes, ginger, rice, or teak-trees. Church members work there voluntarily. All the profit goes to mission.
2. Chickens for mission: Farmers keep some extra chickens (clearly marked as “missionary chickens”). The money from the sale of eggs and meat goes to support the missionaries.
3. Portion of the field: Farmers designate a portion of their fields to mission. The entire profit from it goes to mission.
4. Collecting firewood: Women collect firewood in the woods or straw on the fields. They carry the goods to a place at the entrance of the village from where it is sold from time to time. The money they earn goes to mission.
5. Collecting crabs and snails: Women collect crabs and snails at the river banks. They sell these at the market as a delicacy. They donate whatever they get to mission.
6. Market stalls: Churches open a shop or a market stall to sell tea. All the money earned goes to mission.
7. Wholesale shopping: Church members buy goods in bulk (e.g. a sack of salt or whole animals to slaughter) and then they sell in small portions. All of the profit goes to mission.
8. Donation of work: Church members collect stones, work as carpenters, do embroidery, etc. They donate this extra income to mission.
9. Rent for missions: Churches build a shop or flat into their church building and the resultant rental income goes into the mission box. Some church members reduce their own living space so that they can rent out a room in their home. The rent goes to mission.
10. Part of salary: Civil servants and employees give the seventh part of their wages, because they get paid for Sundays without working.
11. Small loans: Church members receive a small amount of money (5 to 100 rupees) and they do business with it. Any profit they make goes to mission.
12. Christmas Feast: Families do without their Christmas dinner and presents. Instead, they give the money to the missionaries.
13. Imaginary field visit: In their imagination, people visit their missionary in his country of service. They calculate the cost for travel, accommodation and food. Then they give this amount to mission.
14. Short term mission trip: Church members make a short-term trip to the missionary and help him to build his house, a school or a church. Through this, they can help with their gifts and experience, while deepening the personal relationship with the missionary.
15. Thank-Offering box: church members bring collection boxes from house to house and they ask for donations.
16. Day of fasting: Many Mizos fast one day per week. They give the saved amount to mission.
17. Portion for the chieftain: In former times the chieftain in a village received a quarter of the meat of a hunted animal. Today this portion is given to the missionaries.
18. A handful of rice: When preparing a meal, a housewife puts a handful of rice to the side before preparing a meal. This amount saved goes for her missionaries.
These creative ideas, coupled with the ardent desire by families and churches to give as much as possible to mission, characterize the Mizo mission movement.
Good practices in Mizoram
Many believe this impressive movement began with the good practices of the first missionaries to Mizoram: James Lorrain and Fredrick Savidge. They had taught the Mizos to become self-supporting right from the beginning. They had handed over leadership responsibility for churches, schools and for evangelism as early as possible. By 1953, an indigenous mission committee had been founded. In 1961, this was enlarged to a missionary society (SBM). Mizoram was, until recently, a restricted military zone. Foreigners could not enter the state, so the churches had to work without foreign help. In addition, there were several revivals since 1906, through which a great part of the population became Christians. Thus, the local believers depended on their local resources, and they encouraged and supported one another.
Their mission movement is built on the traditional values of their culture such as helping people in need, doing good and sharing generously (even competing with one another for the privilege of giving). The high standard of education (schools had been introduced by missionaries) contributed to good theological training. Mizos have an emphasis on lay preachers, God’s love and prayer, writing their own songs, the expectation of Jesus’ Second Coming, and thankfulness for their salvation.
Out of their poverty and need, the Mizoram churches have been involved in world mission. Pastor Nengzakhup writes: “Mizos have never considered poverty an excuse to avoid participation in world evangelization. If the church in Jerusalem had looked at its poverty and concluded that it could not afford to send out missionaries, the Gospel would not have gone out from that city. It is not affluence but zeal and gratitude to God that drives Mizos to maintain their enthusiasm and active participation in world evangelization.” And he concludes that: “Any church can be a missionary church, irrespective of its economic situation. Poverty need not inhibit a church from participating in world evangelization. This attitude is biblical. Although money plays a vital role in missions it is not the primary need.”
By Bloecher, Detlef – “A little creativity can bring great results.” Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives in Best Practice in Missionary Retention, eds. Rob Hay, Valerie Lim, Detlef Blocher, Jaap Ketelaar, and Sarah Hay. Pasadena, William Carey Library: 2007. Pgs. 357-359
