The Pace of Missions

Scott Moreau

Monochronic vs Polychronic Time

Time as a ribbon or roadAttend to one thingTime almost tangibleInterruptions unwelcomeSchedulingClock-PromptnessPrivacy valued

Time as a pointMulti-level simultaneous

involvementTime intangible

No problem with interruptionsNo scheduling

Relational-promptnessPrivacy not valued

Monochronic Polychronic

Lines in Mono- and Polychronic Cultures

MONOchronic: Time as a ribbon or

road . . .

POLYchronic:Time as a point . . .

Biblical “Pace”: Acts 1:1-11Jesus began to do and teach

Until the day he was taken up/After he said this, he was taken up

After giving instructions

After his suffering he showed himself and gave proofs that he was alive

He appeared to them over a period of 40 days

On one occasion he was eating with them

Wait for the gift my Father promised

In a few days you will be baptized

At this time are you going to restore Israel?

It is not for you to know times and dates

He will come back in the same way . . .

The Pace of Communication

From letters by boat and telegrams . . .

. . . to letters by air and international phoning

. . . to 24/7 instant access

The new information technology, Internet and e-mail, have practically eliminated the physical costs of communications.

Peter Drucker

The Pace of Communications: The Internet

The growth of the InternetHow does the Internet change things?

You are here!

The Pace of Transportation

From a scale of months . . .

. . . to a scale of weeks

. . . to a scale of hours and days

By the year 2010, almost 1 billion people will be traveling by air.

http://www.open-video.org/

The Pace of Mission

From burial in country of service

. . . to occupational life in cross-cultural service

. . . to short-term projects in cross-cultural settings

Short-term missions . . . is not a one-time phenomenon. The missions landscape has changed, and mission agencies that adapt to it, while remaining faithful to biblical principles, will prosper.

Stan Guthrie, Missions in the Third Millennium, 92.

Nineteenth-century missionaries to West Africa packed their belongings in wooden coffins, never expecting to return to their homelands. They were short-term workers only in the sense that many of them died within a few years, some within months, of their arrival . . .

Stan Guthrie, Missions in the Third Millennium, 86.

STM Reality TV: Travel the RoadTravel the Road, the groundbreaking reality television series that documents the adventurous lives of young missionaries Tim Scott and Will Decker over 18-months, through 25 countries, across 40,000 miles is a unique look into the world of frontline mission work.The journey is filled with danger, excitement, adventure and epic triumph as Tim and Will undertake unbelievable expeditions into the most remote areas of the world to bring the gospel. From the deserts of Ethiopia to the island villages of Papua New Guinea they travel from country to country with one backpack, a change of clothes, and a message of hope that pushes them deeper into the unknown.The journey is a landmark television debut of reality programming with a purpose.

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0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

1992 1996 1998 2001 2005

Long-Term U.S. Missionaries (>4 years)

The number of long-term U.S. missionaries grew from 32,364 in 1992 to 33,714 in 2005 (up 3.0%)

Warning: 2001 to 2005 saw a drop of 3.0%

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16

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32

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

1996 1998 2001 2005

Short-Term Missionaries (2 weeks to 1 year)

Short-term missionaries going through U.S. agencies grew from 63,995 in 1996 to 144,318 in 2005 (up 125%)

Warning: There was a 14.7% drop from 2001 to 2005.

0

25,000

50,000

75,000

100,000

125,000

150,000

175,000

200,000

1996 1998 2001 2005

Long-Term Short-Term

Long-Term and Short-Term Compared

While short-term numbers grew dramatically (up 125%), long-term numbers were relatively flat in comparison (up 1.9%).

Keeping Up with the Pace of Missions

www.mislinks.orgwww.strategicnetwork.org www.momentum-mag.org/wiki/www.emqonline.orgwww.lausanneworldpulse.comwww.worldmap.orgCustom designed Internet-based resources and training

Implications for MissionsPace of Communication

Business can take priority over relationship building• One result: direct approaches valued over elliptical approaches

We can disconnect from local settings (everywhere can be your local)Those with better access become the gateways and power brokersOne minute manager versus “3 mile an hour God” settings

Pace of TransportationThe Rule of “Robert’s Rules of Order”We can assume short-term command and control

Pace of MissionPartnering projects versus genuine partnerships Shift in resources towards things with immediate payoffValuing partners with leaders and leadership styles that focus on the immediate rather than the distant