Accelerated travel accessibility and virtual communications technologies will change the definition of “missionary.” An inventory of insurmountable global challenges facing humanity along with rapidly evolving virtual technologies are certain to impact the future(now) church. The structure of our near-future global faith community will bear little resemblance to “missionary /church structure” known in the past.
Mission activity will no longer be out of sight, out of mind. An emerging ubiquitous connectivity will help refocus attention and rechannel resources to real needs. Travel “correspondents” or local liaisons will upload video or journalistic stories and events – keeping church donors and those directly involved informed of the physical and spiritual needs of a community. Some of the stories could be picked up by major news channels.
Short term missions, in particular, will need to become media and virtual-centric as wireless, mobile and satellite technologies and infrastructures cover the planet - shrinking diverse global communities and enabling “partnering with a village” as faith communities establish relationships with a village or community in the developing world.
Christian short-term mission organizations are not missional. On an extensive search, I found only 1 out of 40+ that was faith-centric in its purpose and mission yet graciously accommodated and invited people of any background. Most short-term mission sites were characterized by strong Christian language that effectively excluded pre-Christians / non-Christians from participation. A large percentage of sites had shoddy presentations and were not tuned in to the possibilities of incorporating video or emerging virtual media. Rarely were any of these mission organizations included on clearinghouse sites for volunteer programs.
With growing concern regarding possible negative impact their travel might have, people are starting to see a bigger picture and want to be involved in a sustainable, holistic approach to travel. Non-Christian “mission” websites were more far-sighted in their approach and gracious in their hosting abilities. The Internet opens the opportunity for a higher standard of collective wisdom and partnerships. It presents a bigger picture - a connected, participatory global community.
The church is often seen as lacking credibility – uninterested in moral issues that are of major concern for many, including the negative effects of globalization, poverty or global warming(ie creation care) and is better known for its adversarial stance rather than what it supports. In this regard, the church is not presenting a balanced image of the Father heart of God. God’s heart is for the marginalized and vulnerable.
Missions typically taken on by the church are now being pursued by social entrepreneurs and the corporate world, who view their social missions as both spiritual and evangelistic in purpose. Sincerely concerned about issues such as extreme poverty, AIDS, environmental and cultural preservation, they model compassion and responsibility.
The church, now employing modern business models to build mega organizations, may not even be aware that this phenomenon is occurring. One day it may awake to find itself superseded missionally by the social enterprise and business sector, which are on many fronts starting to merge. However, this might not be a bad thing. World needs are far greater than the combined global church can address. I believe that God has heard the cry of the poor, the suffering, the broken hearted, the dying, the fatherless, and He is calling “whoever will” to become involved - the more innovative, the more radical, the more productive – the better. A strong sense of urgency is becoming globally pervasive.
Organizations of all types are increasingly recognizing the church as a pivotal partner in humanitarian and social justice efforts. Local churches have intimate knowledge of the needs within their various communities. All efforts are needed in consort – bridges must be built to work together – each has strengths to be acknowledged by the other. To achieve this, the church must act in humility rather than its historically exclusive attitude. Bridges must be built and crossed over by Christians in all channels of culture. That bridge is not going to be built by the secular world or the self-sufficient marketplace. The emerging, decentralized, virtually-leveled landscape is the window of opportunity do this.
Ideally, we can build cooperation and dialogue across diverse faith and business communities around a shared commitment to service and community building, thus creating a stronger sense of mutual trust, respect, and understanding not only in the church but in the global community at large. In doing so we express Christ’s love, passion, and concern for the whole world.