Even Jesus Came to Serve
Our field leader had come to visit us and would be staying in our home for two nights since we did not live in the same city as he did. The purpose of the visit was to check up on how we were doing in our ministry (ie evaluate usJ) and to encourage us, as we were relatively new to the field at the time. During his visit, and as a means of further evaluating us, our field leader had also asked to spend some time with our French partner—a well-known evangelist and church planter with whom we were doing an internship.
When the four of us (our field leader, our French partner, David, and I) gathered at the church for an informal discussion, the conversation took a sudden detour. Even though we were supposed to be the one who were being evaluated, our field leader couldn’t resist asking the French partner how our mission organization was viewed by French partners. When our field leader asked the question, he seemed pretty confident. It was clear he was anticipating a positive report. Our French partner hesitated, chuckled slightly and said, “Do you want the truth?”
Showing subtle signs of defensiveness, our field leader replied, “Yeah. How are we perceived by the French?”
I remember wishing I could sneak out of the room. I made myself as small as possible, and tried to look disinterested.
Our French partner folded his hands and looked down at the table. He was trying to figure out how to tread lightly. As diplomatically as possible, he said, “Your organization has historically been a theological training institution. It’s what you’re known for…it’s in your DNA. Over the past few years, you’ve shifted your focus to discipleship and church planting. Now we are getting invited to your discipleship and church planting training conferences; however, none of us have seen you excel at discipleship and church planting, so we don’t believe that you have anything to teach us. Europeans like to see that something is working before we invest in it. In short, your organization is known as an organization that talks big and does little. My advice to you would be to just do some discipleship and church planting for a few years, and when you get some momentum and find something that works, then offer to train others.”
Our field leader was visibly taken aback.
“[H]ow leaders respond to critical feedback largely determines how much of it they will receive in the future.”[1]
He responded respectfully to our French partner, but after leaving the church, he began to defend the organization. Soon he started criticizing our French partner, and by the end of the evening he had convinced himself that the feedback simply represented one person’s point of view, and therefore wasn’t valid.
“[T]op leaders have a tendency to overcritique negative feedback, while instantly agreeing with positive feedback.”[2]
We, on the other hand, heard the critique loud and clear. As missionaries who were newer to the field, we believed that we had learned something critically important about how we (as USAmericans) should engage in mission in France.
While our mission organization kept doing what it was doing in France rather than addressing the issues highlighted by our French partner, David and I started doing exactly what our French partner recommended. Our agency kept asking us to bring French friends and partners to their discipleship training conferences, we opted instead to use tools and processes taught to us by our French partners and attempted to make disciples and plant churches.
This was one of many “red flag” experiences I have had as a missionary. It was one of many encounters that made me realize that it was time for the American Church to re-think how we engage in foreign missions. Because truth be told, most American mission agencies have visions and missions that put them (the foreigner) in the driver’s seat. Most mission agencies SAY that they want to support and encourage local efforts, but don’t have a path or model for developing true partnership and collaborations with nationals, and therefore default to do missions TO or FOR the other instead of missions WITH.
The agenda to plant churches and then hand them over to local leadership has been proven faulty in that the majority of missionaries who plant churches fail to hand over leadership, and end up staying as long as 20 to 30 years in their post.[3] The recommendation is that missionaries elect to “equip” or “mentor” or “train” church planters while encouraging nationals to take the lead is a step in the right direction; however the very idea that the nationals need “equipping,” “mentoring,” or “training” conveys the message that missionaries HAVE something that the other NEEDS, and establishes an imbalance of power from the onset.
What if missionaries came expecting to be the ones who needed to be “equipped,” and “mentored” and “trained” by national partners? What if the model was to come humbly as servants, seeking to learn rather than lead? Can we serve God as servant? Or must we always take charge? What makes us think we have all the answers?
Elan helps missionaries transition to the field in France as servants of the living God, who come as he did—not to be served, but to serve. We help missionaries find French mentors and coaches, equipping them to be learners rather than leaders. We believe that the Kingdom of God is built collaboratively, free from power dynamics that place one person over another, with Christ as our head. Crazy? Maybe.
[1] Dennis Tourish, The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership: A Critical Perspective (New York: Routledge, 2013), 109.
[2] Tourish, 110.
[3] Paul Clark, “MISSIONARY CHURCH PLANTING IN GERMANY: A SURVEY OF THREE EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS” (2006), http://pmgermany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/church_planting_in_germany.pdf.
About the Author
Jennifer Williamson
Jenn Williamson is a wife and mother of two adult sons. Before moving to France in 2010, she was the women's pastor at Life Center Foursquare Church in Spokane, WA. As a missionary with Greater Europe Mission, she is involved in church planting and mentoring emerging leaders. Jenn benefitted from French mentors during her transition to the field, and recognizes that cross-cultural ministry success depends on being well integrated into the host culture. Academic research into missionary sustainability and cultural adaptation confirmed her own experience and gave her the vision to create Elan, an organization aimed at helping missionaries transition to the field in France through the participation of French partners.10 responses to “Even Jesus Came to Serve”
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Brilliant post!! Thank you Jenn for courageously charting a new way for mission that begins with humility and listening, rather than arriving with all the answers.
It sounds like this moment was a turning point for you in your ministry. I like how it happened at the beginning of your time in France. Often these pivotal moments, though they may seem insignificant, dramatically shape the future. I think in this case, with your development of Elan, it has.
It is funny how significant small moment like this can be. It makes me want to be very careful about how I engage in the seemingly insignificant moments of life and ministry. We shall see what ther real impact of Elan will be. I believe it’s still a work in progress.
Hi Jenn!
Wow, “Most mission agencies SAY that they want to support and encourage local efforts, but don’t have a path or model for developing true partnership and collaborations with nationals, and therefore default to do missions TO or FOR the other instead of missions WITH.”
I have to admit we have been guilty of this in our tribe. Thanks for your solutions, “What if the model was to come humbly as servants, seeking to learn rather than lead? Can we serve God as servant? Or must we always take charge? What makes us think we have all the answers?”
I have been doing many collaborative projects with your Four Square tribe lately. I must say, I think we have so much in common…
I do love my Foursquare tribe, though like all tribes, they are imperfect.
It’s hard to stay in servant-mode as we grow and develop as leaders. But this is truly my prayer.
As I am sure you have seen, we Americans have a hard time with the “humbly as servants” part. We enjoy being the one that carries the light to the lost, the one that opens the truth to those that the are seeking. I talk with a couple coming to our area last night and they ask me what should we do and I responded to come, meet people and listen. I think they wanted more. Thanks for representing a different way of modeling leadership.
Yes. It’s hard to ‘inspire a vision’ when the vision is to sit humbly and watch and learn, to wash feet, and to trust that God is glorified in the simple things.
Jennifer,
Excellent post. I think some understanding may also be gained by applying what we learned in Meyer’s culture map as well. I am glad that your French partner felt able to speak clearly and am sorry that your leader was unable to hear any constructive criticism.
There are many good things about the psyche of those who call themselves Americans. There are also some things with which they struggle, particularly in a foreign context. That ‘take charge’ attitude that gets things accomplished often comes across as arrogant. I am glad the you and David had that experience early on and were new enough and humble enough to hear what was being communicated. I believe your efforts to help others adjust on the mission field will benefit greatly from your experience.
We’ll see. I do hope that myy project cna help move us from a place of saying we want nationals to take the lead to having actual ways of entering a culture to partner and collaborate, not daring to decide who should do what, but serving shoulder to shoulder for the Kingdom.
Jennifer,
Thank you so much for the insight into your organization and how you are working with those who God has partnered you with. What do you think is the hardest thing for Americans to adjust to so they are effective where God has put them? Along those lines what are some of he things that you see as a positive American missionaries bring to the field.
Jason
Hey Jason, I think that Americans do bring a spirit of encouragement and hope that is lacking in many cultures. We contribute creativity and we are willing to take risks. These are all good things:)