Mennonite missions

Print Article

Regarding the November 2011 issue: Great article on John Powell. He was a big influence in my life from the time he spent in Hopedale, evidently just before he had to separate from the Mennonite Church (early 1970s?). I remember the compassion with which he shared in spite of what had to be intense inner turmoil. Thanks for his witness.—Randy Springer, Hopedale, Ill.

I must take a moment to thank you for the depth and richness of this year's edition on mission (November 2011). From the wonderful tribute to the life and service of John Powell to Everett Thomas’ impassioned call to support mission across the street and around the world, it is a celebration of God’s holistic mission through the global church called and sent. The editorial, Stanley Green’s column and James Krabill’s article add many helpful nuances to the common discourse on mission in the 21st century.—Paula Killough, senior executive for advancement, Mennonite Mission Network

There is one other "problem" that should be added to "Six Problems for Mission Agencies" identified in the November 2011 issue (Editorial). Nationally, and likely in the Mennonite church, there has been a huge shift of mission dollars from long-term programs to short-term mission trips—likely because of the immediate rewards of a hands-on experience.

When done well, these can have important educational benefits for participants, can build important relationships with local people and sometimes do some important work. But often the relationships end when the participants return home and the work they accomplish could have been done more efficiently by local people and provided needed jobs and income. When the real costs are calculated, the work done is often expensive. Sometimes because of cultural insensitivity and lack of quality preparation, short-term mission trips actually do harm to the local church by building dependencies and leaving the participants with simplistic and wrong stereotypes of local people and the meaning of mission. In a world where mission involves reciprocity and partnership between strong autonomous churches around the world, the expertise and stability that mission agencies provide is needed, as are long-term relationships and culturally sensitive missionaries. They provide stability in difficult situations and do creative strategizing, which equips a missional church.—John W. Eby, Dillsburg, Pa.

I take issue with some of statements in the next to last paragraph of the November 2011 editorial. Regarding Japan, it is true that after World War II, in response to MacArthur’s call for missionaries, many missionaries came; also, many Japanese then became believers. Today, if your "4 percent of Japan is Christan" number came from RJC World, you would find a different view in the next sentences: "The statistics show that there are probably .5 to 1 percent who are actually members of a church. And only half of them actually attend a church." Yet the Japanese Mennonite churches on the island of Hokkaido, in the Tokyo area, in Osaka and in Kyushu are witnesses to two facts: (1) the first ones emerged because of the coming of missionaries, and (2) they grew and spread through the efforts of both the missionaries and the Japanese believers. You can find some of the facts about these early Mennonite missionaries in the Japan chapter of the forthcoming book published by the Institute of Mennonite Studies about Emma Richards, the first Mennonite Church woman to be ordained, as well as in the memoirs of Lee and Adella Kanagy.—Nancy V. Lee, Harrisonburg, Va.