There is much that I could report right now, but at this time I will delay giving an update. Instead, I want to use this opportunity to address an issue that has been troubling me for some time. This is not just a pet peeve, but instead is something that is tearing at the very fabric of the church and diminishing its effectiveness in reaching the world. It is contradictory to the Word of God, and it must change.
What is this cancer to which I refer? It is the church using secular standards to determine the ability of its people to minister.
I know, you were expecting something far more dark and sinister. Or maybe something that sounds more spiritual. But trust me when I say this issue is undercutting the heart of God and the effectiveness of the church. Allow me to demonstrate.
Imagine Joe and Susan are feeling led to go to the mission field. So, they approach the missions board of their denomination and express their desire to go to a foreign field to serve God. What happens next? Well, the first thing that happens is a review of their education and experience. Do they have a degree? Is it the right degree? What kind of job experience do they have? Do they have the necessary skills to do effective ministry on the field? And they are placed under a microscope to determine if they are usable.
Then, if they make it past that gauntlet, they are thrown into the deep water of deputation. (For the uninitiated, this means fundraising. And it can be a nightmare of closed doors and frustration.) The couple and their family will spend months or years seeking opportunities to speak in churches, traveling, sharing and asking for support. This is so very challenging for so many reasons. First, it is difficult to get into churches to speak at all. Most pulpits are guarded far more securely than New England Patriot footballs, so most of these calls are met with a simple, “Sorry, but no.” And that is if the calls are even returned.
But they will get some opportunities to speak, often when the pastor needs a vacation or break from the pulpit. So, they go before a congregation where they are subjected to a similar review that they endured with the missions board. Each person in the congregation analyzing whether these people are worthy of support. But that determination is often determined more by how dynamic they are as speakers and how well they communicate their plans. Do they know exactly what they are going to do? Do they have a clear plan to get there? (I know, that sounds like reasonable questions. But it is important to note that almost always everything changes when they get to the field. Effective ministry is not determined by one-year, five-year and ten-year plans, but by the ability to hear and follow God’s voice one step at a time.)
So, for some this process is quick and relatively painless. They have good contacts, are strong speakers and organizers and are charismatic in their approach. Money flows quickly and they are on the field in no time.
But for others, they struggle for years seeking to raise support. Not because they are not called by God, but because so many deem them unworthy and unequipped.
But is this what God had in mind? I don’t think so. This is the church using the world’s standards to determine believers’ abilities to minister. And we are missing the point. Allow me to demonstrate:
“When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’" – 1 Samuel 16:6-7
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’" – 1 Corinthians 1:27-31
The Word of God makes it clear that God intentionally chooses the ones that the world overlooks. God picks the weak, the unimpressive, the ill-equipped and the insignificant through which to do His work. Why? So when the work is done the person does not received the glory. He wants it to be obvious that it was done by God’s power, not man’s. But the modern church has abandoned this principal and instead looks to résumés to determine a person’s ability to serve. And it is crippling ministry.
One of my daughters, Carissa, was wrestling with the decision of whether to go to college or not. She has been called to missions, but recognized that college may or may not be a part of that plan. If God wanted her to continue in school she was willing. But, at the same time, she did not want to spend tens of thousands of dollars and end up with student debt that would delay her heading to the field unless she was sure that was what God wanted.
During that struggle, a well meaning believer counseled her to go to college. And the illustration she used was one of a lumberjack chopping trees. She said, “Time sharpening the ax is never wasted.”
My response to that is this: Yes, it is, if your ax is already sharp. And, yes it is…if you are not an ax. Different ministries require different preparation. Let’s not waste time sharpening a wrench.
After much prayer and consideration, Carissa chose not to go to college while two of my other daughters, Brittney and Krishauna did. Their calling were different, as they felt led toward special education, so they needed their degrees. Carissa, however, is called to open a group home for girls with special needs in Uganda. She felt her best preparation would be hands-on experience working in a similar group home. So, she has been serving as the co-director of Hogar de la Esperanza. And she is fantastic at it! The Spirit of God is on her to do that work, and it shows.
Carissa is organized and efficient at running the home, even though she is laid back and artistic in her personal life. She is intentional and well-thought-out in her ministry, even though she is laid back in her personal life. She is the near-perfect blend of playful and serious that enables her to keep her head even when everyone else is losing theirs. God has empowered and equipped her to follow her call.
But, from the outside, you might think that Carissa is not equipped. Who does this young lady with no college degree think she is? How is she, a young, single lady ever going to move to Uganda and begin a new ministry? And so, she is often overlooked. And her fundraising has been difficult. (Part of that is because she is often not allowed to speak in churches. Part of that is because she is not a natural public speaker. That is not her gift because God is calling her to a ministry that does not require public speaking.) But, I guarantee you, God is going to use her to do great things for Him!
Carissa is just one example out of hundreds of thousands. This is occurring, not just in relationship to the mission field, but in day-to-day ministries in churches. People are examined with eyes of the world instead of God’s eyes and deemed worthy or unworthy. Many are discarded because of their “lack of qualifications” and many others, who see this played out, don’t even try to rise up. We are stifling entire generations and squelching what could be a movement of God.
But God uses the unlikely and overlooked. I give you the following examples:
My friend, Dick Rutgers, who has no degrees. He is one of the most effective ministers of the Gospel I know and is used daily to touch the lives of the poor and disabled. And he touches thousands of believers, myself included, through the way he lives and ministers with selfless abandon. He is the primary tool God used to bring my family and I to Guatemala. He is one of the people I most respect in this world. But Dick would likely be overlooked by most missions boards.
My friend, Judy Kerschner, is trained as a nurse. Yet, do you know what she does? She started and runs the best school for children with disabilities in all of Guatemala. (This is not spoken carelessly and is not an exaggeration at all.) Can you imagine someone trained as a nurse suggesting that they wanted to open a school for children with disabilities? But God led her and, through His power, she has. And it is clear that God has done it.
Me, a pastor with a degree in Christian Education, directing a ministry for children with special needs. Are you kidding me? What am I doing opening a group home, bandaging bed sores, treating infection and fitting wheelchairs? I never planned on this and am sure not the best equipped to do this. Yet, here I am. On January 25th I posted the following status on Facebook:
“Four years ago today my family and I stepped off a plane into Guatemala. We had no idea what we were doing, but we knew we were called.
“Today I stand in awe of all that God has done. The group home is open and providing excellent care and abundant love under the direction of my incredible wife, Wanda. Our rural village ministry has provided care and assistance to over 150 families. Our new special education ministry is being established in San Pablo La Laguna, headed by Brittney. And, Lord willing, our ministry will be expanding into Africa as Carissa makes her move to Uganda in 2015 to open a group home for girls with special needs. And God has surrounded us with amazing partners in ministry, including Dale N Anita Beyer, Gerardo Hernandez, Manuel Moran, April Clark, Katie Riley, Anny Yesy and many more who love and serve selflessly.
“Who am I that God would allow me to be near Him as He does His work? Today I praise Him, because He is worthy of every drop of credit and glory!
And that is the key. No one who knows me would ever give me the credit for what God has done. I am weak, frail and poorly equipped. Even the few skills and little training I do possess have resulted from God’s orchestration of my life. I, of all people, should be overlooked and discarded. Yet God came along and picked me, not because of who I am, but because of Who He is.
So, can I encourage all of us to do something? Let’s stop looking with human eyes and start seeing with God’s eyes. Instead of asking who is the best speaker and who has the highest degree, let’s start looking deeper and noticing the unnoticed. There are people all around us that God wants to use, in spite of their weaknesses. (By the way, that includes you and me.) When a missionary comes to your church, take a deep breath, be still and hear God’s voice. Let’s stop seeing the outward men and women and start seeing hearts.
In every situation, there is only one thing that matters…the call of God. If the call is there and the person has the courage to follow it then God will do great things. And this will have nothing to do with degrees, charisma, speaking ability or job training. Instead, it will have everything to do with God.
Okay. I feel better now. If you have actually continued reading to the end, thanks for letting me share. Let’s go unleash the church on the world.
Because of Him,
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew.
