In the Name of “Mission Work” book about CAM/Mast

[Ernie]

Parents and churches often care more about the character of the person filling the role than about their training or qualifications. This position does have its problems, but what is the better alternative?

Character always needs to stay number one in a Christian work of any kind.
But training can also be promoted and expected.
I don't see it as an either/or type of thing.

[mike]

Parents and churches often care more about the character of the person filling the role than about their training or qualifications. This position does have its problems, but what is the better alternative?

Character always needs to stay number one in a Christian work of any kind.
But training can also be promoted and expected.
I don't see it as an either/or type of thing.

I don't either.

[Ken]

Parents and churches often care more about the character of the person filling the role than about their training or qualifications. This position does have its problems, but what is the better alternative?

Character always needs to stay number one in a Christian work of any kind.
But training can also be promoted and expected.
I don't see it as an either/or type of thing.

I don't either.

We value experience and expertise in every other walk of life, don't we?

[joshuabgood]

Parents and churches often care more about the character of the person filling the role than about their training or qualifications. This position does have its problems, but what is the better alternative?

Character always needs to stay number one in a Christian work of any kind.
But training can also be promoted and expected.
I don't see it as an either/or type of thing.

The thing is character actually wasn't prioritized here so that shoe doesn't really fit. And it actually wasn't a vetting problem...his character was a known entity to the sending church, the mission org leaders, local Haitian churches, etc.

It seems there were other priorities guiding his selection and retention...I could speculate about why he was retained while others were dismissed by CAM during those same years. But I will refrain, however, that angle should be explored...

[mike]

Character always needs to stay number one in a Christian work of any kind.
But training can also be promoted and expected.
I don't see it as an either/or type of thing.

I don't either.

We value experience and expertise in every other walk of life, don't we?

It's part of the definition of character also, no?

[Ken]

I don't either.

We value experience and expertise in every other walk of life, don't we?

It's part of the definition of character also, no?

Not necessarily.

[Neto]

A major complaint of the author is the lack of education and training for CAM missionaries, noting how surprised he was to learn program directors were actually farmers, mechanics, loggers, or some other profession unrelated to their supervisory role in the mission, and that their decision-making often reflected this lack of training.

This raises a number of questions for me.

1.) Do Christian mission organizations with a much higher level of education and training among their staff end up doing significantly better at handling crises (or having any in the first place) or even of accomplishing their mission goals?

2.) What sort of education and training should be required of Christian missionaries?

3.) How qualified were the twelve disciples of Jesus to be missionaries?

4.) What is the difference between planting churches, outreach, and dispensing humanitarian in the United State and doing so overseas? Do all Christians who intend to evangelize a community have to be educated and trained to a certain level, or just those who do so overseas in a foreign culture?

5.) What are the best fields of academic study for a person who wants to be a missionary in a foreign country or culture?

The author says,

Being "godly" seems to be the only specific requirement to become a missionary and have a decisionmaking role.

This kind of thing is said about other roles that are thought of as professions by society, but which conservative Anabaptists are perfectly content to have filled without professional training, such as the position of a teacher in their schools. It is unthinkable to public and many private schools to hire a teacher without a college degree or some kind of certificate or training, but in Amish and Mennonite schools you basically just have to be a warm body who's willing to try it.

Parents and churches often care more about the character of the person filling the role than about their training or qualifications. This position does have its problems, but what is the better alternative?

I added numbers to the questions to hopefully make my comments easier to follow. (Just my thoughts on this.)

1.) In terms of moral issues, I don't think so. There was a Bible translator I knew who was "caught" touching some of the native girls inappropriately. Later some of the MK girls complained about him as well, saying they were afraid to go in the pool while he was there. But it wasn't handled very well, either. There were signs that something was amiss, because he was on the executive committee at one time, and would sometimes curse when someone differed with him.

2.) First, integrity should certainly not be overlooked. A Christian worker who is going to do cross-cultural work should have training for cross-cultural work. Self-cultural awareness is a good starting point for being prepared to recognize and respect differing cultural attitudes and values. Study in ethnology can prepare the worker to recognize the felt needs of the "target group", and to be able to see how these needs can be met within the cultural system. A trained anthropologist-ethnologist will be able to understand the culture of the people well enough to see what seemingly unrelated elements of the culture will be in conflict with the objective - the expected cultural change. Understanding the central or primary value of the culture will allow planning that will avoid a conflict with this value, unless it is so anti-Christ that conflict is essential in order to see real spiritual change. But this awareness will avoid being broad-sided by seemingly irrational opposition.
(Regarding integrity, a thorough application will include consultation with a list of references - people who know the candidate well.)

3.) The disciples had daily contact with Jesus for around 3 1/2 years. I am quite sure that exceeds the class time in a 4 year degree. (It is said in Scripture that "the Jews saw that they had been with Jesus".)

4.) Many types of "home service" also requires training in cross-cultural ministry, but I would say not to the same degree. But even language training may be necessary in many types of in-country ministry/evangelism. (At some point, it becomes 'missionary work' instead of 'evangelism'.) Speaking of language learning, don't depend on using a language other than the target community's native tongue. (Look at the mess Paul & Barnabas got into, but not knowing the local language.)
I think that a church planter needs just as much training as a foreign worker, but of a different type. Even cultural enclaves are not the same as the same cultural group in their country of origin. (There are also different types of cultural settings along a spectrum of exposure to a dominant culture, such as a band, a tribe, a kingdom, or a folk society, each often requiring a different approach.)

5.) I kind of gave my thoughts on this in # 2, but I would say (in addition to Bible study courses and theology, and depending on the type of ministry, possibly also study in the Biblical languages) Anthropology, Ethnology, World Religions, and Linguistics. (Of course some foreign countries speak English as their official language, but there will be subtle differences, and almost certainly other major languages as well.)

[Ernie]

The thing is character actually wasn't prioritized here so that shoe doesn't really fit. And it actually wasn't a vetting problem...his character was a known entity to the sending church, the mission org leaders, local Haitian churches, etc.

Which is an issue that I have had with CAM and many other missions... a not very thorough vetting process in some cases, and low standard/expectation in others. As was noted, this is changing at CAM...

When I was hired at CAM, there was not much vetting going on. By the time I was hiring people, (prior to the Jeriah publicity) a much more stringet vetting and expectation was put in place in the department where I worked, but it had not yet been implemented in all departments and an annual questionning was not in place in some departments.

[Ken]

The thing is character actually wasn't prioritized here so that shoe doesn't really fit. And it actually wasn't a vetting problem...his character was a known entity to the sending church, the mission org leaders, local Haitian churches, etc.

Which is an issue that I have had with CAM and many other missions... a not very thorough vetting process in some cases, and low standard/expectation in others. As was noted, this is changing at CAM...

When I was hired at CAM, there was not much vetting going on. By the time I was hiring people, (prior to the Jeriah publicity) a much more stringet vetting and expectation was put in place in the department where I worked, but it had not yet been implemented in all departments and an annual questionning was not in place in some departments.

How much do you think would have changed and with what level of urgency if the JM episode had stayed secret and unknown to most people inside and outside of CAM?

[mike]

Is this book also being published in Creole?