God's Mission Matters
Hit the brakes!
Moving away from a problem solving approach to mission
August 15, 2010
By Dennis Smith
"Bear one another’s burdens." (Galatians 6:2)
Americans fix things. It’s in our DNA! We’ve long thought of ourselves as a nation of problem-solvers; America’s economic progress has often been linked to our capacity for innovation.
As participants in world mission, our Mr. Fix-It problem-solving mentality has been a mixed blessing. We are learning that what is broken in the rest of the world might not be susceptible to our proposed solutions.
Indeed, many of our mission partners would respectfully ask why, if we are so good at fixing things, so many parts of U.S. society (and even the PC(USA)!) remain broken? They will help us remember times in our relationship when our desire to “fix” things sometimes has caused more problems than it has solved.
As we journey together in faithfulness to Jesus, God’s Spirit will guide us in the best ways to channel our creative capacity and resources in ways that honor local cultural and historical contexts. This takes time, patience and lots of listening.
With more than 170 years of experience under our belt, PC(USA) World Mission has learned that our mission partners must take the lead in addressing local issues. God calls us to accompany our mission partners and to practice mutual accountability. We have wonderful gifts to bring to the table of partnership: our energy, our skills, our resources. But we learn, in this process, also to name the gifts our partners bring to the table and to understand that their gifts are no less valuable than ours.
Our partners call us to faithfulness and help us to experience God’s world, both at home and abroad, through new eyes.
Listen to this month’s episode of “God’s Mission Matters” and hear stories by Debbie Braaksma, former mission co-worker for both the Reformed Church of America and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) for 11 years in Kenya and four years in the Sudan, and current staff member of Presbyterian World Mission; and by Nora Bland, a teenager from a PC(USA) congregation, who went on a 2009 mission trip to Guatemala.
Get past episodes of 'God’s Mission Matters'
Subscribe to 'God’s Mission Matters'
Subscribe to "God's Mission Matters" with iTunes.
(Download iTunes for free if you don't have it.)
Subscribe to "God’s Mission Matters" with Google. 
Subscribe to "God’s Mission Matters" with Yahoo.
Or subscribe with your favorite podcasting tool or other feed reader. Clicking on the RSS button to the left will generate the actual URL that you can paste into your feed reader.
'God’s Mission Matters' Stand by me episode toolkit
Use these resources to equip your congregation, network, youth group and other groups in your church for mission involvement. You may use any of these for activities in the context of Bible studies, Sunday Bible class, worship service and committee or session meetings.
- God’s Mission Matters: Hit the brakes
Prefer printed? Download and read this ready-to-print booklet including the text of the podcast, a study guide for group leaders and a reflection on popular culture. This is a great tool for a learning session in your congregation or mission group context.- Download a copy of Handouts 4 and 5 on models of development ministries from Interactive Sessions for Faith in Action: Understanding Development Ministries.
- Matters from Pop Culture: Problem-solving: the story of Proof shows us the difference between problem-solving and relationship-building as analogies of how we approach mission
-
Matters of Worship
Prayer:
Loving God, we yearn to be a part of Your mission to share the Gospel in word and in deed. Teach us to see not only needs around us, but the people behind those needs. Teach us how we might best come alongside brothers and sisters in Christ through ministries of compassion, justice and transformation. Give us open hearts to receive the gifts these same brothers and sisters might offer to us. In the powerful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Hymn suggestions:
“The Servant Song” (2222, Sing the Faith)
“They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love” (2223, Sing the Faith) - My Story Matters
Read stories of mission workers on "Hit the Brakes!" as a good practice in mission:
Rose Fields: Read how this Young Adult Volunteer from 2008-2009 learned to “Hit the brakes.” - Forum
Tell us how YOU learned to “Hit the Brakes.”
Post your story in the “Hit the brakes” forum. You may also share your reactions to the podcast and related articles (Note: you must be a member of the Mission Crossroads interactive community to participate in the forum. We invite you to join the community today!)
Get past episodes of 'God’s Mission Matters'
- July 2010 — Perceive the power!
Through church culture dynamics in India, reflections from Paul’s letters to the Romans in relation to inadvertent motivations underlying good intentions, and the breaking of gift-giving patterns in a Philippine village, we learn how God calls us to be aware of power issues in mission relationships. - June 2010 — Stand by me!
By sharing who we are across cultures, through recounting how Moses and Hobab recognized their need for each other, and in an eloquent eulogy to a woman who had become like a sister to a foreigner, we learn that God calls us to “Stand by” others in mission in interdependent ways.
- May 2010 — Ask and tell
Unsought and now silt-filled wells in Ghana, contrasting Gospel stories about faithfulness in community versus greed and self-service, and mutual sharing of faith and companionship between Presbyterians in Guatemala and the United States show us how “asking and telling” (mutual accountability) in our resources and relationships is vital to healthy mission relationships. - April 2010— Open your eyes
Stories about a Guatemalan woman struggling courageously against violence, a North American woman being accompanied by a humble Filipino farmer, and Jesus bringing new vision in myriad ways give us the gift of “open eyes” when we engage in God’s mission with people from other cultures and faith experiences. - March 2010 - Check your bags
Cultural baggage: what we bring with us as we engage in mission
By pausing to try to see another’s perspective, in seeing how Jewish Christians in the first century dealt with new converts, and through observations of our own culture we gain insights into the ways culture both defines us and limits us when we engage in God’s mission - February 2010 — Just be there
Being, not doing: do we have to “accomplish” anything?
Through Jesus’ example of being with the people for 30 years before engaging in a “doing” kind of ministry, in learning a new verb for simply being present, and by letting go of the need for measurable results, we catch glimpses of God’s mission often being more about relationships than tangible achievements. - January 2010 — Listen up!
Listening to and learning from our partners
In an empty church in the Philippines, through partnership with “humble peasants” in Nicaragua, and along Jesus’ walk to Emmaus, we find rich lessons in listening and learning in mission.
What is 'God’s Mission Matters?'
"God’s Mission Matters," a monthly podcast of Presbyterian World Mission, helps you learn how to engage more faithfully and effectively in God’s mission. "God’s Mission Matters" brings you insights from mission workers and scripture based on a guiding “tip of the month” for mission involvement.
- Hear true stories from long- and short-term mission workers about guiding principles for mission practice
- Listen to scripturally based reflection centered on the mission tip of the month
- Share your own stories showing how you learned “best practices” for mission involvement
- Use the "God’s Mission Matters" Toolkit for additional resources for deeper study and reflection.
Podcast contents
"God’s Mission Matters" highlights lessons from the Bible and true-life mission stories:
- Parables that Matter — long-term mission workers telling stories about mission, in their own words
- Matters of the Word — the Scripture teaching us valuable mission practices
- Short Mission Matters — people of God telling stories from their short-term mission experience
On upcoming episodes of 'God’s Mission Matters,' released the 15th of each month
- Bridge the gap
Improving communications between here and there - Pray the way
The power of prayer in mission - Be different
Bringing the mission experience into everyday life - Take stock
Small churches engaging in mission