In Defense of a Little Mercy — Installment #1
For many decades, there has been somewhat of a divide between two approaches to world missions. Unfortunately, it tends to divide Christian ministry to people throughout the world into “2 camps.” And there is often a question as to which ministry is most needed or better suited to “reach the world with the Gospel.” Let me give a very general and simplistic view of them.
First, let’s consider what we might call “the Gospel Camp.” This would include those who see as first priority the need for preaching the gospel as the primary purpose for world missions. Indeed, this is a clearly stated priority for fulfilling what is called the Great Commission (GC), as seen in Mark 16:15.
It should be understood what is included in what we might call “Gospel ministry.” This not only means traditional modes of evangelism, it includes Bible teaching, church planting, discipleship, equipping leaders, and other similarly related ministry. These are all things I’ve personally been involved with over the past 36 years in both the USA and other nations. I continue to have an actively strong commitment to these areas of ministry.
The second “camp” includes ministry which is often referred to as “the Social Gospel.” This may include a broad range of ministries from large ones like World Vision and Compassion International to small, virtually unknown ministries scattered throughout the world. They would be included in this second “camp” which I’ll refer to as “the Mercy Camp,” because preaching the gospel is not their primary agenda. These ministries tend to be more humanitarian based.
These “mercy” ministries may be simple medical or health outreaches, feeding programs, education-based ministries, caring for children, building and infrastructure projects or relief-oriented in their focus of ministry. Virtually all of these see their ministry being a means or a bridge for spreading the good news of the Kingdom of God. Some are more assertive and direct in connecting what they “do” with the Gospel message.
The needs for the ministry from both “camps” in the world is overwhelming. There are over 4,000 people groups who are unreached, meaning, they have never heard the Gospel. Not even once. Then there are the billions of those who may have heard, but have not responded, or heard, but need further teaching and training and nurturing of their faith.
When it comes to the needs of people beyond their spiritual needs, it is more than overwhelming. Consider the impact of the Katrina relief ministry within the USA, it’s still unfinished. Then consider the ongoing needs of continents like Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. The needs are staggering. Much attention is placed upon relief for natural disasters, but there are plenty of ongoing needs which affect millions of people — poverty, illiteracy, corruption and oppression, AIDS and other diseases, and the list goes on.
Is one ministry “camp” better than the other? Is one better able to fulfill the GC than the other? Is one more “successful” than the other? Of course, it depends on who you ask!
But my question is — why does there need to be a favoring of one “camp” over the other? Why must there be a choosing of one over the other? Why must there be any division at all?
Let me illustrate with a personal anecdote the dilemma I see with these “2 camps” of ministry. A young woman who served with our ministry (with my wife and I) for several years in the Philippines was being interviewed by her church board. She was asking for the church’s support in being sent out to work with us. One of the elders (at that time) asked her tongue-in-cheek, “so, how many souls will be saved in your ministry?”
Unfortunately, it was a humorous effort to remind her that what she would be doing was somehow less valuable than true “gospel ministry.” The assumption being she would only be caring for children, abandoned and abused babies and children. The ministry has since expanded to include ministry to abused girls (pre-teens to young adults). We’ve seen over 150 children placed in loving, Christian families throughout the world in the past 18 years.
But, there’s more to the story. Early on, my wife realized our ministry would extend beyond caring for the babies and children. Indeed, it has. Our staff (now 22 nationals, plus 5 missionaries) was primarily Roman Catholic, but not born again. Over the years we’ve seen 90% of our staff come into a personal relationship with Jesus. Of the 25-30 abused girls and young women the ministry has cared for, virtually 100% have been born again. Many of these have become “evangelists” in their own right to families, friends and others. How many evangelistic ministries see that high of a conversion rate?
There are far too many stories and threads of stories which extend out from our small, independent ministry in the central islands of the Philippines. There are literally millions of similar stories within “the Mercy Camp” of ministries throughout the world.
The question remains and begs a rational answer — why does a distinction need to be made which pits one ministry “camp” over the other? Why must world missions and the fulfillment of the Great Commission have a division between these “2 camps?”
Lest it seems I’m creating a “straw man” argument, the church our friend was sent out from is the one I had planted and pastored for 12 years. This same church cut our support at one point because I moved from a ministry in “the Gospel Camp” to the ministry in “the Mercy Camp.” Ironically, during this one year hiatus between “camps, ” I was serving as an interim pastor for our local Filipino church and equipped some of our leaders for a new church plant. Later, that church gave birth to another and sent three men to the Bible college I started in 1995.
I’ll let the words of the apostles, James and Paul, close this for now, but this isn’t my last word on the issue. (Italics below are mine- TK)
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. [James 1:26-27 (NKJV)]
But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. [Galatians 2:7-10 (NKJV)]
