Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Paul as a Type or Model for Missions, Japanese Evangelical Mission Society

I have been thinking about the Apostle Paul as a type or model for missions. To start I want to say I think there are several different models for mission work in the Bible so for those who do not fit this type do not be discouraged.

When I look at Paul I see a multicultural missionary and not a cross cultural missionary. By the term multicultural here I am speaking of someone who has a natural place in more than one cultural, and not someone being sent from their place in their "home" cultural to a "foreign" culture.

Paul was a Roman citizen. Roman citizenship gave him priviledged access to the areas he wanted to go. Ultimately the place he wanted to go was Roman and it was his citizenship that allowed him to appeal to Ceasar and be sent to Rome to have his case heard there. His multiculturalism also meant that he knew his field to an extent that allowed him to be a tent-maker. He could make a living if need be and live off from his knowledge and place within the host culture as we see of his time in Ephesus.

It seems to me that as I look at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, the first world is moving to a more multicultural format much like in the days of the Roman Empire. I believe supportung multicultural missionaries rather than crosscultural missionaries is a good use of resources. Here in Japan cross cultural missionaries are disappearing and multi-cultural missoinaries are remaining.

Now I need to close with saying Paul is just one model. The cross cultural guys are doing great work and many of them work in very expensive areas I would never consider opperating in. There are certain areas that are either cost prohibitive (Tokyo). Also outside of the none first world one needs outside support (ex. Aids in Africa). So there is a place for traditional cross cultural work.

But there are more of us multicultural people now too. That is one of the reasons we are excited to join the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society. A mission society created by Japanese church leaders in America to send people with multicultural connections to Japan here for service.