Why I Am an American
Baptist Part Two: A Missiology That Has
Kept Me in the Family
As I shared in part 1, I have not always been an American
Baptist. My first experience of ministry
shaped by a clear set of denominational values and practices came as a summer student
missionary between my sophomore and junior years in college. I worked with a
local Baptist church in Michigan, who was attempting to plant a church in a
nearby community. I was told not to
contact any other church in that small community because they were not “Word
churches.” Only our brand of Baptists
had it right. It dawned on me that part
of our work was to supplant ministry already being done in the area by other
churches. I felt uncomfortable; this was
not a missiology that resonated with my developing (at that point two-year-old)
faith.
Later, among American Baptists I found a missiology that was
humble and recognized the value and authenticity in the work of people from
other Christian groups born of different histories and places. I delighted in the way American Baptists
celebrated the particular cultures and practices of the places where they
minister, be it in “Little Italy” of South Philadelphia or the villages of
Congo or the cities of Europe. American
Baptists, when we are at our best, have respect for the diversity of the human
family and, in particular, respect for the ongoing ministries of believers who
have lived there faithfully long before we arrived.
My church in Ohio went on a mission trip to Mexico, where we
worked with ABC-USA missionary Tim Long at the seminary in Mexicali. I was impressed by the gentle but determined
way Tim taught us to respect the ways of the locals and to follow their lead. He made it clear that local believers knew
more about ministry (and construction) in that place than we ever would. We realized that we were guests in someone
else’s homeland; we had come to partner with an ongoing ministry.
The following year my church went on a mission trip to an
ABC-USA Christian Community Center in Hamtramck, Michigan, run by former ABC-USA
Home Missionary Sharon Buttry. Forty-one
percent of the residents in that community were foreign born, coming from the
Middle East, south Asia, and southeastern Europe. The collection of languages being spoken and
the variety of restaurants that lined the streets were mesmerizing. Sharon’s sensitivity to the diversity of the
community and her appreciation of the cultures represented in the neighborhood
was obvious. We realized that we were
guests in someone else’s community; we had come to partner with an ongoing
ministry.
My wife Debbie and I spent 10 years as American Baptist
missionaries in Europe. We tried to
model what we had learned from other American Baptists. ABC-USA missionaries are almost always
invited in by national partners to come alongside them and strengthen their
ongoing ministries. The national partner
sets the agenda and determines the priorities.
There is respect for their traditions, history and values. American Baptists recognize that the best
wisdom for ministry in a particular place is found among those folks who have
been ministering there for generations.
They work with a spirit of humility, seeking to be helpful where they
can, and leaving as small a footprint as possible.
Too often North American missionaries enter a place of
ministry with the mindset of a benefactor who already knows what people need
and distributes benefits as a patron handing out Christmas hams. In some cases we met missionaries who worked
in the land as a type of occupying force, with little regard for what the local
believers were doing or thought was important.
In some instances, they refused to work with any national group and even
tried to stay “under the radar” of local Christian groups. Some had a subversive mentality;
unfortunately, they were subverting the efforts of local Christians who had
worked and sacrificed for decades in that place.
American Baptists, whether in a foreign land, an American
city, or their own community, have a listening, appreciating cooperative missiology
leavened with humility. This is why I
have remained an American Baptist and always will be. We have always been a people on mission. I like the way we travel through the world.
Why are you an American Baptist? Share your journey with me, and I’ll share it
with the larger Regional family. Email
me at jkelsey@abc-nys.org.
Might I suggest that you make November American Baptist Identity Month in your
church? You can find resources to assist
you at http://www.abc-usa.org/inspired/resources-for-churches/
and brief video clips at http://www.abc-usa.org/inspired/video-archive/. I suggest the following videos: Jimmy Carter talks about American Baptists’
work on behalf of the equality of women in church and society; Suzan Johnson
Cook speaks to the importance of preparing the next generation of church
leaders; Tony Compolo reminds us of American Baptists pioneering and ongoing
work in cross-cultural missions; and Luis Cortes Jr. raises up the biblical
mandate for practical ministry in the community. Let us celebrate our American Baptist family
next month (or any other month you choose.)
Blessings,
Jim Kelsey
Executive Minister
