Mission Competition

The other day I sat in on a webinar on Collaboration.  The idea of the webinar was to enhance collaboration between mission sending agencies, but the principles discussed are applicable in many different settings.  As one gentlemen put it, “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”

A good part of the opening was taken up with finding a common definition of the word itself.  While that sounds like a total waste of time and seems like semantics, it’s actually a very useful exercise, as the whole concept of collaboration is based on the idea of commonality.  If you don’t have a definition in common you’re probably not going to be collaborating much at all.  From the panel’s conversation and subsequent thought I would suggest the following order:

Chaos.  The order of things as we experience them without intentionality.

Competition. The initial structure reflects our inherently selfish humanity.

Cooperation.  As we rise above competition we cease hostilities, agree to disagree and respect each others’ boundaries, going so far as to encourage each other.

Coordination.  As we begin to perceive our commonality, we find ways of working together for common good.  This stage goes up to and including sharing part of our organizations –assets and perhaps even sharing tasks.

Collaboration.  True value is manifested – we share people and build off each other’s strengths without overdue consideration.  Organizations have only ideals and vision separate from each other.  

Commitment.  You can no longer tell which is which – the goals have become one and the same.

I thought it appropriate to share this because I keep having conversations with churches and people who seem to think we are in competition in mission, some even within our own organization.  Who will ‘get’ the money and people coming down the short term mission pipe?  Which missionaries will ‘get’ the best (in the context of the discussion - richest, largest) congregations in Seamless Link?  Which congregations will 'get' the best (in the context of the discussion - most charismatic and agreeable) missionaries?  Who will ‘get’ new converts in our town?  Who will ‘get’ the next role as president?

Are we really in competition?  In the eyes of those who cannot see beyond themselves, yes.  But in the eyes of God, absolutely not.  He is building His Kingdom without any regard for our fiefdoms at all. 

The question isn’t who ‘gets’ which person/resource/position.  The question is who is more prone to take those persons/resources/positions from God, add value to them and give them back to God.  After all - that's how the Father deals with the Son and how the Son deals with the Spirit.  It is and should be a question of discernment and maximizing eternal value, not a question of proportion or personal goal(s).