Are You Running?

The mission field is filled with independent ministries and missionaries who are scattered far and wide and many times have no church covering whatsoever.  The United States is abundant with parachurch ministries that operate independently from local churches.  Why?  Why do we have so many indendent, parachurch organizations all trying to do the same thing?

Sometimes it makes legal sense or tactical sense for an organization to operate independent of a particular denomination or influence so that it can have a really broad scope of ministry and funding.

However, any missionary will tell you that a vast amount of the independents are independent because a church couldn't support their vision, didn't think they were ready or felt like a bit more accountability would be appropriate.  A vast amount of the Christian parachurch organizations in the U.S. are parachurch because churches couldn't support their vision, didn't think they were ready or felt like a bit more accountability would be appropriate as well.

Certainly, the Church has failed by choosing to fund too many events, trainings and pamperings for the already saved - who have their ultimate reward and should need nothing - instead of funding works for the indigent, lost and others who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

However, many of these independents have simply run away from learning, accountability and being responsible to leaders above and around them.  They are independent because they ran away from the pressure cooker of joint ministry that actually makes the Body of Christ the Body of Christ.  Others ran away from life situations that they could not conquer.  Others ran away from training that would have made them more effective in the field.  Many of these simply could not follow and, though now they lead well, they will never lead as well as if they learned to follow well first.  Many of them are simply independents instead of parts of the Body of Christ.

How did you get into the ministry you were in?  Were you prepared?  Were you asked?  Were you called?  Did you run?