An Indian Perspective on Dependency and Missions (Part 2)

Editor Note: Monday we posted an article by Craig Ott that noted his caution on supporting national leaders and missionaries. Today’s article continues yesterday’s post from Vijay Meesala, who works in India for a ministry that seeks support for national Indian pastors and leaders.

I once received an email that read:

Hello Vijay, 

…As for more churches and organizations for support… I will think and pray and let you know if any come to mind. However, I would also like to ask you if you have done your best to invite local churches in your area to contribute to your ministry. Please don’t be offended by this question…. But I want you and the churches of your area to experience the blessing and testimony of 2 Corinthians 8:1-5.

Here is how I responded: 

At the most fundamental level there is little comparison between the typical Indian village church and a Western church. Below are some areas of comparison. (The following is from a Westerner who was involved in the mission work for more than 30 years and gained much wisdom from the mission):

I’m sure there are many other areas of comparison. 

I hope you understand my heart; I am not saying these things to judge which churches are superior and inferior. However, there is a general misunderstanding from the churches in the West that we (Indian and Asian churches ) only and always seek help from the West. Yet this is not accurate for all the churches. Indeed, it is an exaggeration.

I am not denying the fact that there are many who seek Western help, including our own mission work, and receive enormous amounts of generous support from the West. Praise the Lord! I also want to acknowledge that there is a danger of being dependent on the West. But that the Church in India or elsewhere is existing only with the support of the West and there is no local support is definitely not true. In our context in rural Andhra Pradesh, I estimate less than 25-30% of churches only receive help from outside India.

“I also want to acknowledge that there is a danger of being dependent on the West. But that the Church in India or elsewhere is existing only with the support of the West and there is no local support is definitely not true. In our context in rural Andhra Pradesh, I estimate less than 25-30% of churches only receive help from outside India.”

The support that we seek from the West is to enhance and further the work of God more effectively and faster. It is also because more than 75% of the wealth is in the hands of Western Christians (according to some mission statistics). Someone has said that if the Church in the West thinks that she is doing a favor to the churches in developing countries by giving money and other things, then that is not a biblical attitude but an attitude of worldly superiority. The Church belongs to God and God will build His Church. But by supporting each other I believe we are doing our part in God’s family.

For these reasons I firmly believe that the Church in India enjoys the joy of 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 much like other churches in similar contexts. Believers in Indian villages give to the Lord out of their extreme poverty and they give it willingly as said in the Scriptures.

I hope to continue dialogue about this, and I am willing to learn more as well. I just wrote what is on my heart with much prayer and reflection. These are my general feelings about the Church in the West but not against any particular individual or church. Please let me know what you think of this. I will be happy to hear from you.

My request is this: Please do not generalize and make hasty decisions based on some past experiences or because someone said it was so. Moreover, let the Western Church/pastors/mission leaders also examine themselves to see if they are too dependent and yet not seeing it, while they point fingers at indigenous missionaries.

One last thing, I am saying this with much caution and love: I am not sure if a Western pastor/mission executive/leader/staff of a mission or organization would continue to serve and minister in the same ministry/organization if/when he knew that the next month's check/money/support was not going to come. He would try to find another job placement because he has a wife and children. (I am not seeking to generalize; there may be exemptions)… But I am sure that almost all the indigenous missionaries I personally know of in Asia or Africa would continue to serve the Lord no matter what may come, may it be persecution/famine/or anything.