The trouble with advocating for missions in “near” cultures (cultures that, at least at first glance look a lot like our home culture) is that it doesn’t seem as real. We’ve been programmed to think of missions as “suffering for Jesus” by going to share Christianity with people who really need it- poor, uneducated masses of people with strange customs, darker skin than ours, and a naive joie de vivre.
This “first-to-third-world” understanding of missions has radically affected our missiology and our self image; and neither for the better. Our modern missiology values perceived difficulty over perceived ease or comfort. Of course, we should be willing to go wherever God leads us. We also often fall into the “savior complex.” People don’t need us, they need Jesus.
This is why missions in Europe usually falls apart- churches don’t value it in the forst place, and if they finally do make an effort to get involved, they dont’ feel like they’re doing missions. Believe it or not, it can take a while for a missionary in Europe to understand just how different the French culture is from American culture. After all, they watch the same movies, listen to the same music, and eat the same fast food as we do. Lots of them speak English. They’re educated (often more than we are), wealthy (especially with the weakening dollar!), and proud. They look just like us!
That’s the challenge of missions to near cultures. How can we overcome these prejudices in order to be fully obedient to God’s leadership?
