One of the biggest challenges we face when talking about race is that we don’t have a common vocabulary. For example, using the word “justice” associated with race evokes vastly different reactions. We have had different experiences, so we don’t see the same things or use the same language to describe what we see. Therefore, we misunderstand each other.

Building Healthy Missions Ministries - Step 3

“I just wish I could put you all on an airplane so you could meet the people that have come to know the Lord because of your support.” – Ron Frietas

I can’t tell you how many times I heard Ron Frietas say this to the Alameda church in Norman, Oklahoma, back in the ‘90’s when he and his wife Georgia were our missionaries to Curitiba, Brazil.

Building Healthy Missions Ministries - Step 2

If your congregation is going to have a healthy, impactful, and resilient missions ministry, the things you get involved with globally need to fit who you are locally. If you are out of alignment, you will likely end up in one or more of the ministry dysfunctions I wrote about earlier in this series.

Building Healthy Missions Ministries - Step 1

In my last blog article, I wrote about common dysfunctions of missions’ ministries. I hoped it could help churches in the same way that Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team has helped business organizations avoid the habits that destroy their effectiveness.

However, the real challenge is not just spotting and deconstructing dysfunctions. We also need to construct healthy missions ministries proactively. That is more complicated.

The 5 Dysfunctions of Missions Ministries

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy, AnnaKarenina

This is one of the most famous opening lines in world literature. It’s classic. Who can argue with it? Well, call me crazy, but I think Tolstoy is just plain wrong.