Lesson Learned #1 (Ministering to the Ministers)

I thought I would start a lessons learned blog to go along with our life blog. As we all know, whether missions trip of any length or really any other dramatic experience in life. The lessons we learn during that time tend to be enduring. I wanted to start to collect these enduring lessons. I thought this was a good one to start with.



No one comes to Mexico to minister to Americans. That is pretty much obvious and fairly clear without actually verbalizing it. Those who are here are so to minister and spread the gospel amongst the people groups of Mexico. That is their passon, their desire, and the primary reason they came. Regretfully, for the school we teach at, where I would estimate 60-70% of the core teaching staff is Foreign (American or British), there is no one here who genuinely desires to minister to them. The range of the teachers varies drastically, but most of the teachers are energetic, passionate 20 somethings passionate to spread the gospel of Christ. As most missionairies we have previously encountered also share, transition to another country is not easy, and support is so important.



Here again is where we find the problem. No one comes to Mexico to minister to Americans. As we have personally experienced, and we hear time and again in their stories, they feel alone hear. I think for all who go overseas a time comes when you hit rough patches and just feel desperately alone. One Baptist missionairy website I found said that 75% of all missionairies go home with 3 years of leaving and never return. These statistics should not be surprising as we find similar statisitcs for state side pastors and youth ministers. From what I have seen, those statistics seem to be fair or even low for the percent who make it beyond their two year commitment here in Mexico. With that being said, I do not think any of these groups lack passion, maybe just support.



The question is then begged? Why are we not seeing the obvious need to minister to the ministers. Just as no one comes to Mexico to minister to Americans. Rarely does anyone go to a church to minister to the ministers. Being involved also with an inner city mission, college ministry, and youth ministry. I have seen the same thing. Regretfully, from my own selfish experience I realize that we are often so pulled by our own needs that we fail to ever minister to any one at all. If we do get up the heart to minister, we want to do it to those in a situation we consider to be struggling or inferior to our own in some sense. By doing this, we garner a certain sense of satisfaction out of it. When I look up information on those ministering to the ministers, I generally find it to be solely retired missionaries or pastors ministering to their counterparts. Regretfully, as the numbers above show, their are very few pastors, para church ministry leaders, or missionaries who really make it to retirement to do so. With that being said, I think the church as a whole and individuals believers within it always need to be more cognizent of this need. We yearn for leaders and servents, but then regretfully take so much from them that they run out of things to give.



While they are our leaders, now as always, those who minister need desperately to be ministered to. I encourage you to think about this and consider it where you find yourself.