THE SELF-EXILED CHRISTIAN LEADER ...

Dr. Marc S. Blackwell, Sr. 
Cape Town, South Africa 

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 

(1.) Introduction: The 'self-exiled' Missionary or 'national' Pastor. 

One of the most obvious overseas problems in Christian service is the issue of the "self- exiled" or "self-isolated" foreign-based or national-based missionary or pastor.  As Independent Baptists and Fundamentalist leaders we are often faced with decisions, both spiritual and strategic, that are obstructed or restricted by our lack of a "learner's spirit." We obstruct or restrict our own best interests by our own unwillingness to be a learner - especially if this learning calls for humbly listening to our co- workers, peers or even the nationals to whom we've dedicated our lives to serve. 

Of course, every missionary and pastor wants to believe that he or she is truly open to Biblical change and growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the realities are not always so reassuring. Learning from fellow Christians, co-workers and others within our missionary agencies can be a complicated issue for most of us. The problem is summarized and solution found in the Biblical teaching on submission. Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Ministering to and even confronting one another in truth with love is, as often as not, a rejected ‘item’ or overlooked thought in the the average Fundamentalist missionary's job description.

 IT'S TIME FOR A GOOD DISCUSSION. 

 (2.) Must the independent missionary or pastor be his own best enemy ?

 Equally problematic with the learner's spirit of submission is the tendency of the isolated missionary to become increasingly obstructive. Selfishness and self-centeredness are at the root of many problems on the mission field. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians simple principles of sound communication are clearly outlined. All too often, these principles are ignored between missionaries, pastors and between spouses on the mission field. [1. Be honest, Ephesians 4:25; 2. Keep current, 4:26,27; 3. Speak the truth in love, 4:15, 29 {attacking problems not people), and 4. Acting, not reacting 4:31,32. (See further thoughts on Communication throughout the titles on Christian & Biblical Counselling available through the writings of Dr. Jay Adams.]

Without doubt domination, and posturing for power or control is a major issue on most fields of missionary and can also be seen among national pastors in various regions of Christian service. All would agree that this is most unbecoming for a Christian servant, but the book of Acts and the Epistles make it clear that this is not a new problem, no, not at all! Only a Biblical answer will meet this need but missionaries and pastors will need to recognize this “priority.” We must be careful not to deny the damage and fragmentation done to our otherwise sincere efforts at evangelization and church planting by our obstructive attitudes and biases.

Theologically like-minded missionaries, pastors and other Christian leaders need to give special attention to the "things" mentioned in such verses as Romans 14:19 "... the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another."

 PERIODICALLY, MISSIONARIES and NATIONAL PASTORS COULD AND SHOULD MEET FOR DISCUSSION: 

One possible point of discussion could follow something like this line of thought: How can missionaries and/or national pastors and leaders genuinely focus on these "things" referred to in Romans 14:19 without compromising their Biblical stand? Is it possible that some Christian leaders may even be hiding "other personality or spiritual weaknesses" behind the various "ministry issues,: interpretations of Scripture or even the abstractions related to various understandings of ‘Fundamentalism.’ Ecclesiastical separation between missionaries supported by some of the same churches and sometimes brethren mistake obstructionism with faithfulness? 

 (3.) The fully competent missionary as his own stumbling block.

 Change, spiritual growth and vision suffer greatly on the modern mission field due to a restricted view of the need for and processes of learning. Though few would be willing to openly, even boldly, state that 'since they are competent Bible College graduates with possibly even a Masters Degree or more, what real need do they have for the help or opinions of younger or lesser educated or experienced co-workers?' -- nonetheless, this attitude is not rare! Some missionaries and pastors simply prefer isolation and honestly believe 'their privacy' or lone operations to be the safest "haven" from criticism and interpersonal problems. Others seem to define "independent" as a Biblical mandate for refusing to work together.

Many of our younger generations of Christian leadership have forgotten that "independence" was from ecclesiastical denominationalism and its compromises and problems.  Far too many missionaries and pastors have chosen to ignore the Biblical teaching and New Testament examples of interdependence and team ministry that were more than just common - rather 'interdependence' was the 'rule.' Some even believe their "Fundamentalist Heritage" endows them with a right to be belligerent or difficult towards others.

To learn to better minister together is simply not the goal of many missionaries though they are so often sent and supported by the same American churches.  Pastors of local or 'national' congregations often hide behind the "stress of ministry," time constraints, outside work pressures, etc. Of course, these excuses seem quite acceptable when the missionaries that planted these churches were 'conveniently independent' or self-isolated, as well. The fact is that cooperation, team-work, inter-dependence are ideas that, for so many, simply do not hold a high priority in their understanding of the Christian ministry.  


Spiritual unity as a Biblical principle cannot exist in one "more important" corner while being ignored in other areas of Christian service - especially due to our failure to understand it and prioritize it throughout our lives and ministries. Compromise and ecclesiastical separation are really issues but we must know the difference in a "macro" understanding and a "micro" application and simple human "pettiness."  

DISCUSSION NEEDS TO INCLUDE VISION AND CORE-INTERESTS: 

What problems can (and cannot) be resolved through improving the missionary's competency level, and what problems can only be resolved through learning to share vision?What problems can only be resolved through our facilitating others where core-interests exist, or by sharing pertinent lessons we have learned with others? 

 (4.) Isolation as "authority". 


All too often, and regrettably, isolation is used as a means to authority, power or self-confidence. Thus genuine "teamwork" remains a rare commodity on the mission field today! The value of working cooperatively are simply not understood by many. For many, "it simply takes more time to work together or coordinate a project than it would take to do it myself." Many reply that "teamwork takes too much time." The benefits of teamwork are just not obvious to many missionaries though most local churches in the U.S.A. encourage their staff to use these benefits to the maximum. The commitment, the involvement, the potential and real conflicts that would need resolving all work together to dissuade many missionaries from making any meaningful *team relationships. For some, it is just too much work, too much of a time commitment and emotionally draining to submit one to the other.

SUMMARY: Some of the obvious results of missionary isolation are ineffective, inefficient and/or fragmented missionary efforts. Then there are the not-so-obvious dangers and results of isolation: battles with stress and depression, early resignations; unresponsiveness or habitual orientation.

Regrettable a failure in resolving the conflicts between values and deeds can even open doors to other emotional stresses and a total lack of teamwork among missionaries, the failure to have good team relationships among missionaries or even the hyper-independence of some missionaries has been know to become an excuse for their fall into immorality.
                          drMSBsr

 SOME POSSIBLE OR FURTHER DISCUSSION TOPICS: Does Matthew 18:15 apply to two missionaries working in the same field of ministry?
What role should local churches and missionary agencies play? [* Note: Galatians 2:11,18] 
Do any of the models of missionary teamwork provide truly Biblical answers to the independent missionary's need for moral or spiritual care, ministry growth or crisis intervention? How could an informal but genuine missionary sense of "informal accountability' meet the need and where could today's independent missionaries be falling short? Models of note for discussion: • Partnership Teams (twos or couples) • Missionary Agency Field Teams or ‘Field Councils’ Regional Fellowships or Associations • Informal Committee efforts • Learning Teams or Learning Ministry Teams Other potential models.

NOTE: "Overcoming Each Other on the Mission Field" was initially presented on 27-1-98 at the National Leadership Conference Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary as one of three 'Papers' presented. ________________________________________