Does Helping Really Help?

Distributing Blankets

For many years the church in the US has been sending short-term mission teams all over the world to do ministry in various contexts. The method of serving has not always been helpful though. In fact sometimes the helping we have sought to do has ended up hurting the long-term ministry on the ground. Because of this many have recently become more aware of the motivation and methods of doing global missions in various contexts.

This past summer we joined up with the church in India and saw how helping helps. Our team was able to do several things during our time there that clearly was seen as help to the local church and ministries in India. I want to share these ideas with you today to challenge short-term team leaders, participants and supporters to ask the right questions that will lead to effective ministry support on the field.

Our partner in Bangalore is Pastor Babu and Mizpah Christian Assembly where we began investing our time, energy, and finances. This servant-filled church has an amazing passion to reach their community for Christ. Through prayer and thoughtful communication, we have been able to hear their heart and see their vision for their people. 

 

Praying For God's Healing

We have been blessed to walk the road of church planting in a village outside the city of Kolkata as we joined with Pastor Paresh and his ministry team to provide biblical teaching to children and teens in this village.

It is such a joy to walk with the local church and allow them to lead the work of ministry on the ground. This is a challenge for our task driven US short-term teams who want to feel "productive" and "busy" for the Kingdom. Yet, the reward comes in watching the faces of children explode with excitement as the pastor comes to their community and loves on them. When these great men and women of the mission church come to these villages of thatch and cinderblock houses the lives they are touching come alive with joy and thanksgiving.

 There are times when our plans do not coincide with the plans of our partners, and we struggle in our hearts as we walk with the local church throughout the week. But what a great God we serve! He had a plan for the team to support the local church in the vision God had already given them for ministry to those villages. He simply wanted to demonstrate Psalm 67 to us by using us to provide resources for His ways to be made known and His salvation to be shared through the local church!

 As I sit at my desk, I have a new understanding of how helping does help. I see in a fresh new way how when there is need within the body there is a provision for that need within the body. I pray that as we continue to serve the church in India, we will help them by selflessly giving to them the resources they need to reach their community!

Distributing Rice to Lepers

Helping helps when we serve the local church and support them as the agent of transformation used by the Holy Spirit to reach their world. Helping helps when we teach His Word to the children and teens of a village who will share what they learn from us to their families and friends and be used by the Father to reach their world.

Helping helps when I am willing to ask the right question, "How can we help you do the ministry that God has called you to do in your community?" Helping helps when we are willing to become the support crew for the local church to fulfill its mission of reaching its world and teaching His Word in their communities to grow the Kingdom!

Helping helps when we are willing to listen to the needs of the local church members! Let's all be willing to help in a way that helps!

 

 

                                                              -------------------------

 

 

"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death?" -- Dave Davidson

 

 

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c) (3) non-profit ministry.

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated