Missionaries Must Nurture Relations With The Secular Community. By Kevin E. Jesmer 11-28-15
Missionaries Must Nurture Relations With The Secular Community
By Kevin E. Jesmer 11-28-15
Mark 12:17, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (ESV)
Other articles in the series….
Missionaries Must Nurture relationships Part 1: The Sending Church and the Mission Agency 9-3-15
Missionaries Must Nurture Relationships Part 2: The Receiving Church and Missionary Team 9-15
Missionaries Must Nurture Relationships Part 3: The Person of Peace and the Family 10-2-15
Missionaries Must Nurture Relationships Part 4: With Extended Family 11-26-15
In this series we are investigating the different components of a successful missionary endeavor. In the development of a mission, there are not just missionaries. There are other missional entities, which partner in unison, to allow the body of Christ to thrive. God desires for all of them to work together. The important thing is to recognize these parts of the body and nurture working relationships with them as we live as missionaries.
I propose that the most fruitful path is nurturing solid relationships with 10 missional entities, all of which are part of the body of Christ, and finally with the Bible and Jesus himself. These relationships are…
- … a sending church
- … a mission agency
- … a receiving church
- … a missionary team
- … a “person of peace”
- … the family
- … the extended family
- … the secular community
- ….the Word of God
10…Jesus Christ, the living God.
This paper will define the ten areas of relationship building. Our own family experience as a house church will be reflected upon. The things learned from the current mission to the Canada will added. There will also be some advice on how to nurture the relationships in these ten areas.
This part will deal with number eight, nurturing relationships with the secular society in which we live. Let’s see….
Part 1 : The Sacred And The Secular, Can The Two Co-operate In
Gospel Mission?
In Mark 12, Jesus was to talking to some religious leaders who were trying to catch him in his words. He called for a visual aid, saying, “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” Jesus wanted to help ordinary people learn how to live in God’s world. The denarius was minted by Rome. At that time, Roman currency was the standard for international trade. It represented Roman rule. Jesus looked at it and asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. In verse 17. “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.” (NIV) When Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” he was laying down the principle by which God’s people should live in the secular world. God’s people are not divorced from the secular. They are call to be in this world but not of it. Being in this world entails fulfilling one’s duty as a citizen with an attitude of honor and respect, acknowledging the authority established in the world as coming from God. God wants us to respect and honor the basic order of the society we live in…granted. But can that relationship with the secular go beyond just being a good, dutiful citizen? Can there be some co-operation with the secular world in propagating the Gospel and should missionaries seek to nurture relationships with secular organizations rather than just trying to flying under the radar?
What I am about to propose is controversial to some people, but plainly obvious to others. I believe that it is possible for Christians to co-operate with secular entities to further the Gospel cause. Missionaries need to be proactive in nurturing relationships with the secular world, in order to bear fruit for God’s glory and for the longevity of the mission.
There is no question that the Bible does tell us not to be yoked with unbelievers. (2 Cor 6:14-15) A yoke is a piece of wood that fits over the neck of two oxen, enabling them to pull a load together. The yoke that should make the burden easier could make things unbearably heavy, without the right relationship between the two in the yoke. The basis of such a statement lies in the principle that we are God’s temple, his dwelling place. Jesus died to purify our hearts through the grace of forgiveness. Our hearts are made into a holy dwelling place where the Holy Spirit can dwell. When God makes his home in our hearts we become his holy people. He does not want us to compromise with idols or with the world. With God’s grace, we can be in this world but not of it. But how does this principle apply when Christians seek to co-operating with secular powers to further the Gospel cause?
God does call all Christians to come out of the world and be separate. First, let’s explore the Biblical mandate to be a separated people. Consider a few Bible verses. With these verses a Christian can come up with a pretty convincing argument on how there can be no working relationship with the secular world…ever. They could even argue that Christians must isolate themselves in guarded communities, in an attempt to be “different” from the world, for the glory of God. Let’s look at some of these verses…
James 1:27, “27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (ESV)
1 John 4:4-6, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (ESV)
2 Corinthians 12:16-18, “16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (ESV)
Romans 12:2, “ Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (ESV)
John 17:11-16, “11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (ESV)
1 John 2:15, “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (ESV)
John 15:19, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (ESV)
Indeed we are called to be God’s holy people. But what does that mean? And how can we live in this world and serve Christ alongside people and organizations who don’t believe in Jesus? Should we do this?
Jesus shows us how to be in this world, but not of it. Jesus is the pure, holy and spotless Lamb of God. “Holy” means to be set apart for God. Jesus is the definition of holy. There is no one as pure and holy as he is. The Holy One, took on flesh and came to this world, to dwell as a man and live among a sinful humanity. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (ESV)
Jesus’ earthy ministry lasted for 3 ½ years. During that time, Jesus, the Holy One, walked among the people of the world. He preached, he walked in their markets, he spoke to crowds. He ate and drank with tax collectors and “sinners”. Matthew 9:10-11, “10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (ESV) Jesus came to serve, to seek and save what was lost and ultimately to suffer and die at the hands of sinners. Before his death, he never stopped reaching out the secular world with the Gospel message. After his death, he rose again and led all those who put their faith in him, to everlasting life in the Kingdom of God. Yes, Jesus surely knows how to be in this world but not of it.
Jesus successfully navigated fellowship with tax collectors and sinners because he was always operating with a kingdom purpose in mind. What I mean is that, whatever Jesus did, he did for the glory of God and to expand his kingdom. There must be a kingdom purpose when we enter into co-operating relationship with secular organizations. Whatever co-operating we do with secular entities must somehow, compliment the objectives of Christ’s Kingdom. The principles of God’s work must be upheld as we labor together in the harvest fields.
We must have some relationships with secular authorities. We are called to pray for the secular world. 1 Timothy 2:1-42 reads; “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (ESV) The goal of their prayers is so that people may come to the knowledge of the truth, which is the Gospel.
Christians are also called to live among the non believers in ways that they may be well thought of by outsiders. 1 Timothy 3:7; “Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” (ESV) But keep in mind, there will be times that Christians will never be well thought of, no matter what they do. But, despite the world’s rejection, we are still called to nurture positive relationships with those around us. Again, the purpose is to communicate the Gospel to them.
Christians must submit themselves to the ruling authorities living as citizens of the country that we are living in. 1 Peter 2:13 reads, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority.” (ESV) Romans 13:5-6, “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.” (ESV) Jesus himself told his disciples to pay taxes to Caesar. Mark 12:17, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (ESV) We are to pay taxes and engage in public service. Of course, the submission is only to a certain point. But that is the topic of a whole other paper. Whatever we do must be with a kingdom purpose in mind.
Christians can interface with the world, by working secular jobs. In Acts 18:1-3, we meet Paul and two others who were working in the market places. “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.” (ESV) Paul was a tent maker missionary. He, along with Pricilla and Aquila, sewed tents. That means that they must have rented space in the markets and negotiated with buyers and suppliers. They must have had relationships with those in adjacent market booths. We also meet a Christian working closely with secular city managers. Romans 16:23 reads, “Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.” (ESV) Erastus was working side by side with the secular authorities to help manage the city. In this way the Gospel could be shared as people worked together, even in a secular cause, like managing a city.
Christians are to live honorable lives among the pagans. Look at 1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” Keeping our conduct honorable among the pagans, means being good citizens and good neighbors and even friends with non believers. It means submitting to the laws of the community that we are living. It could also mean co-operating with non-believers, from time to time in carrying out the good that we are called to do. It means praying for people. God may help some of them to be saved through our peaceful and quiet lives in the secular world.
We need to be careful giving secular authorities “a seat at the table”, in regards to mission. In regards to Gospel mission, we need to be careful that Christians are making the decisions to essential works. This requires God’s wisdom to navigate those who are coming to the table. Christians must realize that if we completely isolate ourselves from secular authorities, giving them no heed, then we can find our selves fruitless. We may be so consumed with being separated from the world that we literally find ourselves alone and out of touch.
God may want us to work together with people who don’t believe and at the same time, he may not want us to, for there are times when working with secular authorities could hinder the Gospel. No two situations are the same. There needs to be the wisdom of God in each and every relationship.
If we chose to work with secular entities, remember, that nestled among the secular bodies are sincere believers that will be favorably disposed to the Gospel cause. When Elijah felt that he was all alone and that the whole world was against him, God reminded him that he was not all alone. Look at Romans 11:3-4, “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (ESV) Though the organizations we may enter into co-operation with, are secular, there will undoubtedly be believers within those organizations. There is no need to suffer needlessly under a siege mentality. Lift up your eyes to see whom God is sending your way.
Jesus will protect his own, as they seek try to navigate this world. We try our best to be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. But in the end we trust the Lord. John 17:14-16; “ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (ESV) Secular organizations are not the evil one. The evil one is the devil. Jesus promises to protect us from the evil one and help to nurture and strengthen the relationships the devil seeks to destroy.
I cannot think of examples, in the Bible, of Christians working directly with secular organizations to propagate the Gospel cause. But there are principles could open the way for this to happen under certain circumstances. Such co-operating relationships can be fruitful, though we can not find such examples in the New Testament. Some principles in the New Testament can support this thesis, as we have explored. There are also lots of examples throughout the last 2,000 of years of history. We see Christians nurturing relationships with secular authorities to push ahead with the Gospel cause.
Co-operation is a symbiotic relationship. There is a relationship of that brings mutual benefit to all those involved. There are some common goals that secular organizations and Christians share. The well being of the community and the upbringing of the children are some area of common goals.
Working with the secular can take on three forms. First, there could be direct formal co-operation. Second there can be indirect co-operation. This could include the believers and non-believers unofficially coming alongside to serve a common purpose. An example could be disaster relief, or serving the homeless. Third, a Christian placing themselves in situations where working relationships may develop. Examples of this would be working secular jobs or participating in the public school system. It could also involve making secular holidays missional, like reaching out to the neighbors at Halloween.
America used to be full of examples of the Gospel and the secular working together. There was Bible distribution in the schools. There was Bible teaching in the schools. There were soup kitchens, hospitals, universities, homeless shelters, etc. Nowadays these types of relationships are becoming rarer as people are advocating the separation of church and state. But serving the poor, needy, the sick and raising the children always seemed to have been done through a relationship with the sacred and the secular.
There is a danger, when believers begin to work with the secular, that the secular may overtake the Gospel influence in such endeavors. Consider the case of the YMCA and many hospital systems and universities around the world. Yes, things could go south when we nurture prelateships with the secular. But things could also go south when Christians co-work with other Christians. But there is something to be said about giving people and organizations a chance and trusting God in the whole matter.
Though some works may loose their Gospel flavor, Christians should not grieve, nor hold onto their achievements forever. They need the creativity to move onto the next great cause and rejoice that the Gospel influence has been left in some institutions. Always remember, God is in control. Move onto the next work. God will do with that work as he deems fit. Those works will be like the ripple effect in the overall history of God.
As Christians, we need to open up our minds and our hearts to seek new and innovative ways to co-operate with the secular organizations to serve Christ. This type of relationship could be a well spring of many blessings. It will require God’s people to think outside the box. It will require us to confess that we are called to be missional and engage the world for a kingdom purpose. I do concede that there will be situations where we don’t want to even have a relationship with the secular community. There are times when persecution does not allow this. This is where we need God’s wisdom and be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. (Matt 10:16) Yet, the early Christians found ways to minister, even in the persecuting Roman society. For those who seek the way of nurturing relationships with the secular, there is so much good fruit to be born, for ultimately it is the Lord who is in control.
Part 2: How I Ignored Nurturing Relationships With The Secular World.
I neglected nurturing relationships within the community where I was trying to preach the Gospel. My community is an American university campus in a small, Midwest farm town. Our family headed up a house church ministry for fourteen years, specifically focusing on students. The people in the rest of the town were not considered the target of our endeavors. Though they were a necessary component in our Gospel work, provided by God, we were ignoring this fact and hindering the work of God in our community.
At a church staff conference, a guest speaker, a past president of IVCF (Intervarsity Christian Fellowship) spoke. In her message, she urged everyone to make relationships with key leaders of the campus. She suggested that we be proactive by introducing ourselves and inviting leaders out to lunch to talk about our church and our plans. I was very impressed with her advice. It was very wise. Yet, I never heard of anyone actually doing what she said. I know that I never did. I just continued on the same course, trying to have Bible studies with students, staying focused on my “unique” calling and ignoring the secular campus leaders all together.
I was actually content with ignoring the secular world. My main concern was to have about six to eight faithful Bible students, with whom I would study with over the next three years. I held onto a hope that these students would grow spiritually, so that they too could teach the Bible to someone else. I was happy about the location of the house church. It was clandestine. There was a rental house on one side, a parking lot, two roads and a railway around us. You get the point. We were isolated, and I was convinced that it was the best thing to remain that way. I felt I did not need to nurture relationships with the secular world. To me, it would be a waste of time and I would be letting non-believers know about my ministry. Why would I want to jeopardize the ministry and why should they “have a seat at the table” anyway? I was simply content to fly under the radar and do my own thing.
I operated with a “siege” mentality. I ignored the townspeople around me. When we started a house church ministry, there was no introducing ourselves to existing churches. There was no checking to see if we were duplicating what already existed. We did not seek to serve in any community causes. We didn’t talk to university leaders to discuss the mission. I was also ignoring the neighbors during secular holidays. I don’t agree with Halloween, but I am sorry about how I reacted to it. Every Halloween we would leave the house before supper, eat at a restaurant and go to a church harvest festival. Some years we would just turn off the lights and hunker down in the living room hoping nobody would ring the doorbell. We could have been more missional and taken the opportunities to meet the neighborhood kids and their parents, talking with them at my door. Yet, I lived with a siege mentality. It was “us” and “them”. Subconsciously, I thought the whole world was opposed to what we doing. And this is how I headed up a single family house church for fourteen years.
But I learned, over the years, that the whole world was not opposed to our ministry. There were many allies around us, even secular allies. For example, for over five years, I preached the Gospel in the hospital. There were about thirty nurses following the Sunday worship message for about five years. People were encouraged. One person even made a sizeable offering to the mission. (Thank you very much. I will never forget her generosity). Nurses were passing out manuscripts to their family. No one stopped me from ministering in the secular hospital.
The banks and property investors co-operated with us when we were buying (and selling) a Bible house. We were granted a great selling price and one year free rent and several years of cheap rent prior to stopping the house church. It was because God had a Christian banker planted right there in the bank to help us at the right time. It was a great relief to know that I am not under siege in this community, but surrounded by people who are willing to pray for us and even partner with us.
I used to justify ignoring the secular community. I reasoned that I was called to be a campus shepherd and my neighbors are campus students, even though my literal neighbors were the citizens of my town. I turned a blind eye to this truth. To make students my neighbor, I said to myself, “I will just spend more time on the campus and force myself to make students my neighbors.” Actually, it felt like I was forcing a square peg into a round hole. One time I asked a leader in the church, “How come everything needs to be so “heavy”?” I was referring to my spiritual life and relationships with other people, in general. Everything seemed “heavy”. Something inside me wanted change, but I did not know what was needed. Jesus would eventually let me know.
Isolation from the community was causing me to loose touch with those around me. Nurturing relationships with the secular community keeps Gospel workers from being disconnected with the people they are called to serve. For example, did you know that there are Christian ministries in North America where their members are dressed like 17th century European farmers and they speak the language of the mother land, even though seven generations of their people have lived in North America? How can this happen? It is because they have ignored nurturing healthy relationships with the secular culture.
I was on this “isolation” road. After 27 years, I amassed dozens of ties and white dress shirts and several suits. I thought it was all part of the attire needed to carry out campus mission. But no students were wearing ties… nor suits. Not even PhD students. I began to ask myself why? What is it with all the ties and suits? I reasoned that it was to teach this generation respect and integrity. But I was not dressing like the people I was called to serve, at all. I was also getting older. I was speaking a Christian jargon, unique to our ministry. Yet I was called to become like my neighbors and be one with the rest of the Body of Christ. Yet I was drifting away from them. Why was this happening to me? It was because I was not nurturing a healthy relationship with the secular culture. As a result I was loosing touch with those I was called to serve. I was becoming more isolated.
God revealed something life changing to me in an unlikely place. I was at a community festival called “Corn Fest”. I was in the family area, one Friday night, listening to a band, enjoying the music. I looked over the adjoining fence, where fellow co-workers were also enjoying the music with a beer in their hands. I saw dozens of other people I knew, enjoying the music and enjoying each other’s company. And I saw the chain linked fence between us. At that time, God helped me to realize, “Kevin, these are your people.” It was such a simple revelation. But what a life changing thought! What a relief! These are my people. These are literally my neighbors, friends and co-workers. These are the people God has placed me among. I am a servant of God called to serve people such as these. These are the people that are opening their hearts and homes and lives to me. Was I opening my heart to them?
God would help me to begin nurturing relationships with the secular world. After fourteen years, the stresses of operating in isolation, pushed us into greater relationships with the community. It was out of necessity. I became a regular member of a secular men’s singing chorus. We started attending and supporting a secular soup kitchen. We started making relationships with other churches. We rented out a worship space in a local church. For a short while, I attended the Sunday worship service of another church, for the stresses of life and ministry, were forcing me to seek out relationships with other Christian men in the nearby community. God was pushing us out into the community, into the right direction.
By the grace of God, my heart was set free! No longer was I forcing a square peg into a round hole. I felt freer to share the love of Jesus with those whom God brought into my life. The relationships with the people around me are more organic, more natural and not “heavy”. Lasting friendships are being formed and God is working through these friendships nurtured in the community.
Part 3: Ways Missionaries Can Nurture Relationships With The Secular World.
There are many ways that missionaries can nurture relationships with the secular world and still remain true to their faith. Co-operation with secular organizations can be pleasing to God. Christian Millennials realize this. They are very open to co-operating with secular entities in order to get a mission done. They do not mind, as long as the goal is achieved.
Control your thoughts concerning your prejudices about working with the secular. Everyone is not out to stop your ministry. There is no need to live under a siege mentality. Many organizations are more than willing to enter into some partnerships with Christians. I asked a friend of mine, “How will the leaders of remote First Nation communities in northern Canada perceive Christian missionaries coming into their community?” He stated that they leaders, even if they do not believe in Jesus, will welcome the missionaries, thinking that the coming of the missionaries will bring greater resources. They would welcome the partnership.
A team of missionaries to the First Nation people in Canada are nurturing relationships with the secular. They served the whole community and joined in community celebrations. In their first visit, they had a “meet and greet” session in the town hall. In subsequent visits they met with the chief and council. They also distributed fliers in every home, informing the whole community of their intent. On one visit they joined a volleyball game, organized a movie night and discussion, they visited homes, had a sledding day for the kids and entered a canoe race. Recently, they went to a Christmas Parade. They were very up front with everyone in the remote community about their mission. A pastor and the founder of the missions agency, traveled over 1,000 miles to meet with the chief of a remote community to say “hi” and brought a gift. It did not matter if the chief was a Christian or not. They were nurturing relationships with the secular, building foundations on which Christ can build his church.
There was a church plant in a nearby Illinois farm town. The church planters had weekly barbeques/Bible studies in their home. They served at the local homeless shelter. They put on Christian praise concerts in the city park. They ran the street bonfire at a community fall festival. They put much effort into nurturing relationships with the secular community around them.
Last year, (2014) our church (KBC) celebrated their twenty year anniversary. I heard part of the story as to how they came to pioneer a new church in Sycamore. Some leaders of the church actually visited with several pastors to inform them of their intent and to make sure that they were not duplicating what someone else was already doing. They were nurturing relationships in the community. They were also showing respect for the churches and ministries that were already present.
There is a secular organization that I am very interested in. It is called, “Camp Power.” It is a two month camp where kids from a low income neighborhood are served with sports, food, field trips etc. The university (NIU), partners with them to provided coaching, mentoring, etc. The police come along side. Different organizations and individuals, band together to serve a common goal. The goal is a secular goal but a good one. The participants are believers and non believers. Getting involved in such an organization, I believe, is pleasing to God and furthers the cause of Christ
Working a regular job is a way to nurture relationships in a community. Missionaries might be called to be tent makers, like Apostle Paul. Working a job is not for everyone. Some missionaries are full time and receive funding. But those who feel called to live as tentmakers will have a special connection with the secular community. Workers in the market place can bring integrity into business relationships. Healthcare workers can care for the people living in the margins of society. There can be jobs in the academic world, bringing with them leadership in the development of thought. I work as a nurse and have done so at the local hospital for 17 years. This has allowed me to meet so many different people and nurture lasting fruitful relationships within the community. We are all part of God’s bigger family. Let us operate with a global perspective.
Churches may offer up their resources to secular organizations. Our church has a relationship with the American Cancer Society. They open their offices for their monthly meeting. They also host the yearly “Luminary Event” which is held in the office. A leader in the church has the privilege to deliver a message on the steps to the courthouse. They do this free of charge. It is a very symbiotic relationship.
Disaster relief is another road to co-operation. There are ample tornados and hurricanes to go around, allowing us to provide assistance. When a recent hurricane came through DeKalb County some of the people of our church organized themselves to serve in disaster cleanup. They were a great witness to those who suffered loss. The community turned out in droves. Secular people and Christians were joyfully working side by side, clearing trees, cooking food, etc. It was a beautiful example of what humanity is capable of when tested by disaster. When I become an American citizen, the person interviewing me knew I was a nurse. He asked me if I would step up and help others in case of a disaster. I pray so. Doing so is part of loving your neighbor. It is kind of sad, when a church ignores providing local aid, when a major disaster passes through right next door, thinking it is not their ministry or calling. Disaster relief is a great opportunity for ministry.
Sending kids to the public school system may be a way for missionaries to nurture relationships with the secular world. What better way to meet kids and parents than to be immersed in the public school system? Being a parent of a student really opens doors for relationships to develop with the secular world. Supporting the schools, by joining committees is secular work, but at the same time, the work of God. It is missional. You are meeting people. I do understand that in some communities, sending kids to the public school system is not possible. One missionary from an Asian country stated that if he sent his kids to the public school, they could be kidnapped for ransom. In some Central American countries the public schools are filled with gangs. Missionaries need to pray and apply God’s wisdom in their own unique situation.
Working a secular job and sending your kids to public schools are not directly nurturing relationships with the secular. You may not be able to declare outright that you are serving in Jesus’ name. But you will be able to make friends in the community. You can find a place in the community, laying the groundwork for co-operation with secular organizations. This will lead to opportunities to testifying about Jesus and even discipleship.
Developing relevant programs in the community is a way of nurturing relationships. Christian churches need to show their worth to secular governing bodies and potential donors. In the mission to the Northern Canada, a person, who is a secular historian, advised me about our mission. He told me to tell the missionaries to develop programs in the community that will benefit the people, especially the children…things like a breakfast program. He also said that the missionaries should document clearly what they are doing and show how their work is benefitting the community. They need be able to prove their worth. Some day someone will ask, “What good are you doing that is of value to the community?” The sad thing is that many churches don’t have much to show. Missionaries must nurture relationships with secular governing bodies and show their worth. The elders of the community need to see it. Future partners, both Christian and secular, need to be aware.
When Christians demonstrate their worth, then non-believers will respond. There is one person I have known for many decades. He is an avowed atheist. He doesn’t want to even talk about Jesus. But I was shocked when he told me, “If I would join a church it would be the Salvation Army. They do so much good.” He was actually imagining himself joining a Christian church. He was actually impressed about the charitable work of a Christian organization. It was all because that ministry showed its worth in the secular realm.
Some communities have laws forcing Christians to gain accepted by the community.
In Indonesia, a Christian ministry needs the unanimous endorsement of everyone within a certain radius. This is not easy when 99.9% of the people around them are Muslim. But, miraculously, the Christian church gained permission. The church served the immediate needs of the neighbors. It included a tennis court a spigot from a clean water source and an internet café for the community. They were accepted into a very unlikely neighborhood. A partnership reached. They nurtured relationships with the secular.
Even though a ministry may try to build relationships in the community, It may not be possible. One pastor and his wife, when they started a house church in one community, took fruit baskets to the neighbors. They introduced themselves and tried to make relationships. The neighbors did not respond to their overtures. The neighbors have been generally cold in their relationships to the house church over the decades since it first started. But I must give them credit for trying. Christians must never give up trying to nurture relationships with the secular world as they seek to share the Gospel.
Part 4: Conclusion
How sad that we miss the opportunities that God has put in front of us, as we claim to be holy and claim to be focused on our own “special” mission. We will operate in isolation and be very disconnected to those whom we are called to serve. The work of God will be hindered.
There are a myriad of ways that a missionaries can enter into co-working relationships with secular organizations. Lift up your eyes to see the incredible opportunities God is opening up for the advancement of the Gospel as Christians nurture relationships with the secular. The light of the Gospel will shine forth in ways that we couldn’t even imagine.
Mark 12:17, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (ESV)
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