Western Christians in Global Mission Quotes

“Start releasing the American dream. In The Progress Paradox, Gregg Easterbrook uses parameters like healthcare, options, living space per person and mobility to conclude that we who live middle-class lives in North America or Europe are living a lifestyle that is, materially speaking, "better than 99 percent of all the people who have ever lived in human history." 2
He goes on to show the great paradox of our material wealth. As our lives have grown more comfortable, more affluent and filled with more possessions, "depression in the Western nations has increased ten times."3 Why? Easterbook cites Martin Seligman, past president
of the American Psychological Association, who identifies rampant individualism (viewing everything through the "I," which inevitably leads to loneliness) and runaway consumerism (thinking that owning more will make us happy and then being disappointed when it fails to deliver) .4 Like the rich farmer in Luke's parable, excessive individualism and rampant consumerism distracts us from the care of our souls. We enlarge on the outside and shrivel on the inside, and we find ourselves spiritually bankrupt.
If any characteristic of North American society might disqualify us from effective involvement in mission in our globalized world, it is the relentless pursuit of the so-called American dream. (I think it affects Canadians too.) The belief that each successive generation will do better economically than the preceding one leads to exaggerated expectations of life and feelings of entitlement. If my worldview dictates that a happy and successful life is my right, I will run away from the sacrifices needed to be a genuine participant in the global mission of God.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Ron Sider rocked the Christian world over thirty years ago with his book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. He now challenges Christians to pragmatic ministry to the poor by joining in a covenant he calls the Generous Christian Pledge.' He encourages every Christian to undertake a lifestyle mission for the poor. The pledge reads: "I pledge to open my heart to God's call to care as much about the poor as the Bible does. Daily, to pray for the poor, beginning with the Generous Christians Prayer: "Lord Jesus, teach my heart to share your love with the poor." Weekly, to minister, at least one hour, to a poor person: helping, serving, sharing with and mostly, getting to know someone in need. Monthly, to study, at least one book, article, or film about the plight of the poor and hungry and discuss it with others. Yearly, to retreat, for a few hours before the Scriptures, to meditate on this one question: Is caring for the poor as important in my life as it is in the Bible? and to examine my budget and priorities in light of it, asking God what changes He would like me to make in the use of my time, money, and influence."
The cage-rattling statements of Jesus and James demand a response. The Generous Christian Pledge is a great place to start.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Rah speaks prophetically. That is, if we don't learn diversity and racial harmony in our own country, how can we go into the world? To aspiring missionaries he writes, "If you are a white Christian wanting to be a missionary in this day and age, and you have never had a nonwhite mentor, then you will not be a missionary. You will be a colonialist. Instead of taking the gospel message into the world, you will take an Americanized version of the gospel."7”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“When we encounter hardship, if God doesn't answer our first prayer-and our
first prayer is almost always, "God, please take away the pain"-then we can pray: "Okay then, Lord, please use the pain for your purposes. Put me into ministry with others who need to know your comfort." We can pray, "I wish I had a job, but use me this week in the unemployment line"; "I pray for a relief of my loneliness, but use me to reach out to refugees who may be far lonelier than I"; "I'm praying that you will heal this cancer, but if you don't, please use me this week at my chemotherapy treatment.."7”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Stephen Prothero's God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World speaks directly to this issue. A professor at Boston University, Prothero observes that the claim that all religions are fundamentally the same is an insult to all religions, because they have different benchmarks and different goals and different frameworks and different worldviews.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“There is a saying in the Middle East that "poverty is the mother of terrorism." And hopelessness is the mother of a lot of violence in the world. If the choice is between going to a great banquet in heaven with seventy virgins versus living a life of unemployment and poverty, some will be willing to blow themselves up to escape this life.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“The "business as usual" agency has a board made up of white, middle-aged or older males working with a "from us to them" attitude. The "business as usual" church supports crosscultural missionaries, but these folks are all the same culture and ethnicity of the majority of the members of the church.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“I remember one worship experience in which we were all singing "Our God Reigns." One of the verses begins, "How lovely on the
mountains are the feet of him who brings good news." I was standing next to the only Nepali delegate to the conference. His coworker had been arrested for his faith the day before he was to fly to join us.
In his cultural tradition, the man next to me worshiped barefoot (as in God's command to Moses in Exodus 3:5 to take off his sandals, because he was standing on holy ground). As we sang about the feet bringing good news across the mountains, I saw my brother's feet. I thought about the thousands of Hindu villages scattered across mountainous Nepal, and I realized we were singing about his feet: feet that were taking the gospel to places I will never see. I confessed, "Lord, you are doing something in the world I never knew.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“We met Bautista several years ago. His amazing testimony of conversion to Christ, after being the shaman for a village of Yanomamo people in southern Venezuela, graphically taught us about the reality of spiritual warfare in the world.20”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“When an American comes, he or she is often assumed by Africans to be credible and authoritative. This is part of the advantage Mutebe warns against losing.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Jewel Hyun, a Korean American woman, became engaged in global ministry later in life. She enjoyed meeting with me as she prepared for ministry trips, during which she would speak in other countries at conferences. On one occasion she was preparing for a trip to East Africa, where she would be speaking to women who had suffered displacement as refugees as the result of an ethnic genocide. She was concerned about how she could "connect" with these women who lived in such a different world.
If you just met jewel, who looks very distinguished, you would never know that her childhood years included fleeing from North Korea and living with her family as refugees. I knew her story, so I responded, "Tell them your own story."
"Why would they want to hear my story?" she replied.
"Because when these women look at you, they will think to themselves, `This is a nice lady with beautiful clothes and manicured fingernails. She's nice, but she has no idea of the life we've lived.' When you tell them your story, you will be a living representative of hope for them."
Jewel told me later that her story connected her deeply to the women, as they realized that she too had shared in the fellowship of suffering.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“When we engage with people from the Majority World church, many of whose lives are characterized by hardship and suffering, they ask us, not unlike Thomas asked of Jesus, "Show us your scars, and then we'll believe that you understand the same gospel that we've embraced.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“As the pastor of the large church preached, I noticed that he was very old and spoke softly. His Mandarin sermon was unintelligible to us, but we observed the young men as they sat captivated by his words.
After the service, we all went out to lunch together, and I asked the four new young Christians, "Your pastor: is he a good preacher?" I was thinking more of his oratory, his stories and his exegesis. The young men all nodded and one of them replied, "Oh yes! He is a very good preacher. He suffered in prison for many years for the gospel."
To them, the quality of the pastor's message was based on the credibility of his life of obedience and the fact that he took up the cross of Christ daily. The technique and content of the sermon was secondary.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“What we need in Africa is fellowship/brotherhood from fellow sojourners. People who will take time to know, relate and walk alongside us as brothers and sisters. We want a relationship and sharing about our walk with Christ. This means taking time to visit with us, listening rather than speaking, preaching, training or giving money to fix our problems. All the things mentioned above are important and many times necessary, but they should not be offered as quick solutions or quick fixes to our problems and needs. They should be extended after creating a relationship. What is needed is creating time and space for mutual sharing concerning our spiritual journeys and encouraging each other. Many times, I feel that the church in the West feels they have everything to offer and nothing to learn from the South. There are lots of resources and opportunities in the West ... of all types ... economic, technological and even spiritual, and the church is many times generous in sharing these and this is good. But there are also some issues, including on the spiritual side. We would like to be given opportunities and space to share and contribute in challenging and encouraging the church in the West in their spiritual growth and dealing with some of their blind spots4”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Through all the ages to
come, the Indian church will rise up in gratitude to attest to the heroism and self-denying labors of the missionary body. You have given your goods to feed the poor; you have given your bodies to be burned. We also ask for love. Give us friends."3”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“To help me be a better listener and observer, she shared a little proverb that I carry with me whenever I travel. She says, "With two eyes and two ears and one mouth, try to observe and listen four times as much as you speak."
Her advice has paid off. I learn much more by staying quiet. I pick up more cultural signals when I am observing than when I am talking. As another sage observed, "When I's talking, I ain't learning nothin' new." Or again: "Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent" (Prov 17:28).”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Traveling over the past twenty-five years to more than one hundred countries, I have often asked local leaders, "Where does the church in the West fit in global missions?" Responses have included: "You have the educational resources"; "You are enthusiastic and optimistic"; "We have the people, but you have the money." I suppose I have heard dozens of responses, but I have not yet heard any leader say, "Well, you really set the pace in teaching us how to be servants." We in North America know how to be in control, but do we know how to follow the orders of those who will lead Christendom through this century? We often pray, "0 Lord, use me," but how do we respond when we feel used? If Jesus came not to be served but to serve, will we be willing to follow his example?”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Oscar described the idea of partnership from a more relational culture's perspective: "For us in Africa, we think from a family paradigm. When we come together in partnership, it's a partnership based on relationships (not tasks), and we stay partners for life.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“The ideal solution, as I mentioned in chapter six, is to build relationships before any money is exchanged. Because this is not always
possible, both North Americans and Majority World leaders need to strive toward honesty and trust. North Americans need to learn to give without holding controls. Majority World leaders need to understand where the questions from the Western donors are coming from and respond with integrity.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Avoid Paternalism: do not do things for people that they can do for themselves."" They go on to explain five ways that we in North America sometimes act paternally.
•Resource paternalism: believing that throwing money at global problems will solve them.
•Spiritual paternalism: believing that since we are materially rich and they are economically poor, we must have the deeper walk with God.
•Knowledge paternalism: believing that we are the teachers and they are the learners.
•Labor paternalism: doing work for people that they could (and should) do for themselves.
•Managerial paternalism: taking charge when things are not moving at a pace that satisfies us.9
For effective North American-global partnerships to exist, we need to revise our paradigms, or the ways we look at things. Several partnership-related paradigms needing revision stand out.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“After opening remarks, I asked the group a question: "What comes to your mind when you hear
the word partnership?" The missionary members offered words like mutuality, sharing, respect, cooperation, collaboration and so on. It struck me that, as far as I could tell, none of the First Nations people had spoken. After a long silence, a First Nations person spoke firmly but dispassionately: "When we hear the word partnership, what comes to our mind is that this is another way for the White man to control us.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“•from taking a course or reading a book on world religions, to developing a friendship with a Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist person, to moving to a city in North Africa or South Asia in hopes of being a witness for Christ there
•from becoming an advocate for immigrant rights, to getting involved in the diplomatic corps, to becoming a lawyer at the United Nations dedicated to getting countries to abide by the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
•from going on a short-term mission trip to reach children in a poor barrio, to supporting a child for forty dollars a month through World Vision or Compassion International, to becoming a social worker dedicated to serving children
•from learning a language, to learning about people who don't have the Bible in their mother tongue, to becoming a linguist who translates the Bible
•from dedicating thirty minutes per day to pray for the nations of the world, to building crosscultural friendships, to going to serve in a multicultural organization
•from studying business at a university, to learning about microfinance, to engaging in business partnerships designed to create jobs for the poorer populations of the world
•from taking a stand for an issue (advocating for free-trade coffee, opposing blood diamonds, opposing the manufacturing of "conflict minerals" for cell phones), to becoming an advocate for the people affected, to becoming an executive with a multinational corporation who brings the Christian value of dignity for the people affected by these issues
You get the point. These are not issues that will be solved by a generous check. These are issues that can take our lifetimes.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Start thinking long-term. Going on a short-term mission trip might be motivated by the spirit of generosity. Becoming a long-term advocate for the concerns you observed or defending the rights of the people you met will take sacrifice. Financial support of non-Western missionaries might involve generosity. Submitting to their leadership on your multicultural team might be a sacrifice. Exposure to global needs and opportunities will challenge us to respond, but most of these responses will require long-term commitments.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“An old joke describes the difference between sacrifice and generosity. For a chicken to bring eggs to breakfast is generosity; for a pig to bring bacon is sacrifice. Generosity gives out of abundance; sacrifice costs us something.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“As wealthy North Americans-and I use the term wealthy relative to the vast majority of the world, not to the lifestyles of Forbes magazine's list of billionaires-it is often easier to be financially generous than personally sacrificial. The sacrifices needed for effectiveness might mean greater commitment to an incarnational lifestyle: moving into the barrio and developing long-term rapport so that we can work together toward economic growth for the community. It could mean making the long-term commitment to learning a language, researching another world religion or adjusting to a foreign culture. It often means laying aside our own priorities and asking where we fit in the vision of others. It might even mean laying aside our impulsive desire to send more short-term mission teams.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“•from hard power to soft power. Hard power (control of information and resources and the agenda) no longer stands. Soft power means influencing behavior through inviting everyone into the process, engaging the widest audience possible and leading by influence rather than by control.
•from "gathering-based" metrics to "scattering-based" metrics. Gathering-based metrics focus on what you control (how many members, how many attended and how many events). Scattering-based metrics reports on the difference the people are making in their communities: not how many people attended our service, but how many hours of service did our people give away to their communities.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Relationships are important. A pastor from Nairobi, Kenya, was explaining to me the biggest difference between meetings in the West and meetings outside of the West. People from the West tend to be strategic, and they
approach meetings with agendas, schedules and lists of follow-up items. Many people outside of the West, who prioritize relationships, first want to know if they can trust us and if we can do good work together. The relational aspect and getting to know each other is so important. In my relationships, I can ask myself this question: how are we building trust with each other, and how are we growing in our relationship as we work together?”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“An African leader and I were talking about our various perspectives on the involvement of the United States in several global conflicts.' He startled me with this observation: "From most of the world's perspective, the USA doesn't have friends in the world; it has `interests.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“In the spirit of reciprocity, our church began receiving teams and leaders from the Moldovan church as long ago as 1991. In sharp contrast to the Moldovan pattern-and I say this to my own shame, as I
helped shape the relationship-it was many years before a Moldovan pastor preached from our pulpit.”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?

“Pastor Oscar Muriu of Nairobi Chapel openly invited North Americans to join the African church in reciprocal service. But he exhorted us, "Don't come thinking that you are coming to fix Africa. You cannot fix Africa."
Isaiah Lawon from Nigeria echoes a similar caution. He writes, "You Americans are problem-solvers. Every time I come to the U.S., I like to spend a couple hours in the New York underground and at Walmart and driving around your road system! I find solutions to problems that I never thought of! I like to watch your TV advertisements! We in Africa tend to live with our problems. The negative when it comes to North Americans coming to serve in our world is that Americans don't easily live with a problem; they want to solve the problem and move on. Here we tend to live with the problems, and we'd rather not have an outsider come in to fix us."8”
― Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?