Dependency

One of the most important issues in church-mission relations today is the challenge of finding enough resources to carry out the remaining task of reaching the unreached. Unfortunately, many mission-established churches and other institutions are economically paralyzed and feel they have little or nothing to contribute toward the remaining task. Hence, the resources for reaching the unreached are still being given to existing churches still dependent on outsiders.

The problem of dependency is at the heart of many other problems in the Christian movement as well. Dependent churches not only feel they cannot sponsor their own outreach, they feel they can't support their own service projects such as clinics, hospitals, guest houses and other things which the Christian movement is doing elsewhere. Economically paralyzed churches are also behind under-funded Evangelical Fellowships, Christian Councils, Bible Societies and interdenominational theological institutions, etc. In fact, sometimes their spirit of dependency also characterizes the governments to which they send their members as representatives.

In spite of this, the good news is that there are churches and other Christian institutions which used to be dependent on outsiders but have shown that positive change is possible. They have learned how to mobilize local resources adequate for their own needs as well as for outreach. But for the dependent churches, unless attention is paid to mobilizing local resources, they will continue to look to others to make provision for them, not just for outreach, but sometimes for their own survival.

Glenn Schwartz