Enjoy this blog from Alan Howell who joined our staff late 2023 as our MRN Director of Church Relations.

—Dan Bouchelle

“Does it really need to take that long?  Isn’t there a quicker way to get the same results?” 

Comments and questions like that pop up frequently when we talk about how to participate well in missions today.   In an age of instant access, video on demand, and commercial travel, we’ve come to expect rapid results.  And those expectations impact perceptions for ministry, as well.  Many of us are primed to look for shortcuts and express lanes so that we can get the biggest impact as fast as possible.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it does mean that we often want quality and quantity without the necessary time qualifications.

The truth, though, is that in many areas of life, good, strong, lasting things take time.  We know that the formation of diamonds and pearls happens over a long term.  They can be made artificially, but it isn’t quite the same.  And Jesus’ parables pointed his disciples to the power of slow growth where plants that take the time to deepen roots bear fruit, and even miniscule mustard seeds eventually become big enough to house birds (Mark 4).  God’s Kingdom seems to fit that type of timetable – preferring the low and slow mode of growth.  Ministry happens at the speed of relationship.  And that means we may need to adjust to a slower gear and settle in for a longer ride.

A helpful contrast may be as close as your kitchen.  Consider the difference between the microwave and the crockpot.  While microwaves certainly have their uses (they’re great at warming up that stale, cold cup of coffee and for popping that bag of popcorn before watching a movie), I don’t think any of us would want to use a microwave to cook a Sunday dinner pot roast or follow a favorite recipe for homemade chili.  That’s what the crockpot is made for.  Crockpots leverage extended time and temperature to produce meals that are made to be savored. Keeping the heat on low and slow makes everything glow as the right ingredients come together just right.

Strong missions churches adopt the crockpot approach more than the microwave one.  The incarnation of Christ shows us that the best form of Gospel witness is Gospel with-ness.  And making time and space to be truly present and personal reflects Jesus’ style of life and ministry.  It takes a significant amount of time to learn language, to learn the culture(s), to develop credibility, and to cultivate friendships.  Those are long term investments and require the congregation to appreciate the fact that ministry takes time.  Missions is best cooked in the crockpot.  Microwave approaches, on the other hand are more likely to produce crackpot missions(!) which we all should want to avoid.  The ministries that meet the Master’s taste test and call for the chef’s kiss will be created by steeping and simmering in connection to one another over an extended period of time.     

Here are a few key characteristics of a crockpot approach to missions:

1.     Focus on doing a few things well.  As Ron Holland (MRN board member) has observed, the quantity of a church’s “noes” allows for the quality of the church’s “yeses.”  A crockpot church will focus on getting the right ingredients in the right place and will resist the temptation to do too many things.  Instead, this type of church will focus on doing a few things well.

2.     Allow for plenty of cooking time before considering pulling the plug.  It is hard to evaluate the fruit of a ministry, especially a cross-cultural one.  Some churches make the mistake of evaluating too early and others fail by not evaluating until it is too late.  Strong missions churches will get multiple perspectives from a variety of taste-testers (both insiders and outsiders) to determine when a mission effort needs to end or move into a different stage.  Crockpot churches are especially careful not to make judgements too early in the process.  They give time for workers to develop roots in the culture and prepare the way for meaningful fruit at the right time.

3.     Make sure the mixture isn’t too dry.  One danger with crockpot cooking is that if there isn’t enough liquid, the mixture can burn.  In missions, having the right ingredients is only useful if there is plenty of living water in the batch.  Everything needs to be marinated and soaking in Christ in order to produce something that will sustain everyone at the table.  Crockpot churches will keep an eye on the mixture and make sure to pour in prayer and care on behalf of their workers to make sure they aren’t getting too dry.

Those are just a few of the ways that the crockpot approach to missions matters.  May we be a people who take a long-term approach to partnering with God.  May we collaborate in efforts that nourish everyone involved!

If you’d like to talk more about ways to strengthen your church’s missions program, contact me at alan.howell@mrnet.org.

Grace and peace,

Alan Howell