Article on Followers of the Way

[ohio jones]

Part of 'living plain Anabaptist" would be ..., although "living conservative Mennonite" these days would quite honestly mean ....

Likewise, plain Anabaptists would .... The modern conservative Mennonite ...

With difficulty I restrain myself from moving this post to the thread on Stereotyping and Overgeneralizing People and Institutions.

[GaryK]

Is it any different to be the most powerful person in the room here in the US?
Should we also call for an end to traditional western authority structures as well, and view anybody with wisdom, ordination, etc. as simply equals... with no more responsibility or authority than anyone else?
I'm quite sure the latter would not go over well at FOTW.

I think it simply comes down to how we handle our authority and influence. Jesus had every reason to have a power differential when he came to earth, but he humbled himself and became a servant.

This is a disposition that serves both missionaries abroad and leaders in North America very well.

I’m with Ernie on this one. What’s more, as someone who’s been a member of the Honduran Evangelical Mennonite Church for 18 years, I can tell you his critique misses the mark.

I agree. I think it's very possible for Western missionaries to go into a foreign country and pursue church planting endeavors if it's done with the disposition Ernie mentions. Just yesterday I watched a video of a double pastor ordination in Liberia that was officiated by only Liberians. When we left Liberia in 2008 we had ordained 2 pastors and turned over the senior pastor responsibilities to one of them. They have had their share of problems to work through since then, including one of the pastors dying and the other one leaving. This meant ordaining another brother who has served faithfully for quite a few years and is now in the process of moving to and starting a church in Lofa County, which is where he was born and raised. This brother is the one who officiated at the recent ordinations.

I think one of the most important thing Western missionaries should do is make it clear that they are there to promote the church of Jesus in that culture and take the necessary steps to turn over leadership of churches to the nationals as soon as possible. Aren't we glad Apostle Paul was active in this way?

[Silentreader]

Part of 'living plain Anabaptist" would be ..., although "living conservative Mennonite" these days would quite honestly mean ....

Likewise, plain Anabaptists would .... The modern conservative Mennonite ...

With difficulty I restrain myself from moving this post to the thread on Stereotyping and Overgeneralizing People and Institutions.

Sometimes restraint is over-rated