Dear Missionaries, Let’s Skip the Savior Complex and Address Your Issues (Part 1)

Living in Kenya (was born and brought up), I sometimes wondered at some American speakers and pastors who’d private-jet or first-class/business-class their way into the country, have a 2-day conference, burn through a bazillion shillings, and jet out.

Worse was when a local church had to fund-raise to host the preacher.

I wondered if there wasn’t a better way to spend all.that money? A method with more lasting outcomes for people?

And now that I live in the US and see how some of these preachers and speakers *actually* conduct themselves I have more questions than answers.

Here’s the thing. (well, *my* thing)

One of the best ways to do “missions” is to equip the local people to do their own work.

You don’t have to show up and be a superstar for a day (or seven days for the mission-trippers.) Your funds can go further and do better work without your presence.

Not saying nobody should ever travel for missions. (For example, some mission work, like medical, is important) But generally, we should be changing how we do things.

Missions-hearted people can help without being an extra burden to those they are trying to help.

You can help without taking the opportunity away from the locals. Or spending a lot of money to do some immediate “small good” while you could spend the same with a longer-term impact.

You can help without baking yourself into the programs indefinitely, never really having a “planned-obsolescence” type approach to your involvement in the local work (i.e., your strategy is always to be present doing the work, rather than train, oversee and eventually trust locals with all the work.)

To everyone, you can travel. But think. Don’t do what has always been done. Think long-term impact vs. short-term. Think about equipping versus swooping in and doing the work locals can do.

It is doable. Do your research. If you want to help, you can find a way to help well.

Missionaries and Savior Complex: Funding Missions, Neglecting Home

Side thing. It also blows my mind how some churches fund missions abroad while sparing little to no funds for next-door missions.

They support missionaries and effusively fund raise for programs abroad. But do next to nothing to help local under-resourced communities and areas.

Y’all might not know this, but many immigrants to the US are shocked when they discover the existence of impoverished communities here. Because we all imagined you already helped your own before crossing the oceans to come help us.

Continue reading part 2 of the series Dear Missionaries, Let’s Skip the Savior Complex and Address Your Issues (Part 2)

Read Part 3 of the Series Dear Missionaries, Let’s Skip the Savior Complex and Address Your Issues (Part 3)

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