Three observations from the NRB convention

I just returned from a convention where three things stuck in my mind after conversations with people. I’m just passing my observations along, not necessarily with commentary.

* I had dinner one evening with a group of people affiliated with a well-known youth ministry. I had spoken earlier to three of the younger people in this group and we hit it off pretty well. At dinner, though, conversation with the ranking brass among there group was a bit discombobbled. In part, we didn’t have time to tackle the topics that were brought up, and secondly I never really understood where he was going. We were talking about missions, and he suggested that the largest “unreached people group” were the youth of the world. I have heard this before; it wasn’t a new idea to me. However, this just doesn’t fit into the way people groups are delineated, and I have to wonder if people working to evangelize youth aren’t just trying to latch onto popular missions terminology to further their own cause. And their own cause is worthy, I’m not denying this. I just don’t like to muddle such definitions which deserve and warrant as much clarity as language can give them.

Surprisingly I ran into one of the gentlemen I most respect in ministry, a man I was privileged enough to grow up around. Two things in our discussion over ice cream stood out to me.

* Pertaining to fundraising (and thus the topic of this blog), he recently stepped down as director of the Bible camp as I’ve known him for decades and assumed the role of CEO of a newly created group of para-church ministries. Essentially, he sees himself as the fundraiser for these ministries now. He told me about a challenge he learned of at a fundraising event recently where millions of dollars was at stake. From that he created his own less daunting challenge, aiming to get 100 people to each give $100,000. Since he established this goal he has seen the largest donations come in since the beginning of his tenure with this ministry (some 30 years ago). None have been single donations of $100k yet, but he is encouraged!

* He also relayed a brief anecdote about a short-term mission trip a pastor led some of his congregation on to India. My friend, via his own congregation’s work in India, has been to the country more than 10 times at this point and lovingly too issue with the nature of this particular mission trip. The pastor and his team, apparently, paid to go to India to pour a foundation. My friend’s time spent in India allowed him to suggest this was a gross misuse of money. There are in his experience many people capable but out of work who could have performed this task. Essentially, a few Americans traveled overseas (airfare probably more than $1,500 per person) to do something the locals were perfectly capable of and needed as employment.

Mission trips are an integral part of long-term missions strategy, but to do them well is important and takes time and research. See the Standards of Excellence as a good starting point to quality and relevant STMs.