Cover of NWHCM December newsletter (design and photograph by Andy Olsen)
I was in Haiti in November when the U.S. polls closed and the election results rolled in. The way Haitians were partying on the streets and in their homes, you would have thought it was THEIR president being elected.
And now, as I sit listening to live coverage of Barack Obama's inauguration, there is a similar sense of jubilation. Hordes of people are partying in Washington, DC, and the newsmedia are working overtime to cover all the minutiae (ad nauseam?) of the day.
Regardless of your political persuasion, I think we can all agree there is something more than just a sense of history at play. Obama represents a dramatic shift from politics as we've known them for nearly a decade. And welcoming a black president to the White House carries with it a feeling that we are pioneering something as a nation, that we are embarking on a whole new thing - perhaps something more in tune with our present-day identity as America.
It's exciting for me, not because I agree or disagree with Obama's policies, but because I love it when something comes along that makes us think differently (more critically?) about the world around us. For many, of course, it might also be a little scary. And that's OK.
Similarly, I believe today's church is being pushed to think differently about missions. The world has changed, or at least our understanding of it has. A pastor I greatly respect said recently that the church has historically been (rightfully) criticized for providing spiritual answers to practical problems. Today, we are learning how to provide practical answers to practical problems, and spiritual answers to spiritual problems.
Though they are closely tied, there is a distinction between the two. And we are beginning to get it.
In addition, I believe that many in today's Christian church are starting to make an important paradigm shift in missions. The prevailing attitude has been one of "us" and "them." We as Westerners respond to the Great Commission and go out to minister to "them." The only problem is, there is no expectation put on "them" to also participate in missions. If we believe the Bible was meant for all people in all times, then the call to missions is uniform for everyone. Missions is "us and them," in our communities and overseas.
This new way of thinking - really a partnership, if you will - has important ramifications for international missions. I believe it means missions in the 21st century will be far more relational, far more incarnational, and far more communal than it has been in the past. It will be a shift toward two-way ministry, with a view of the Western church and the national church as equals. And I believe it will be centered on a dual focus of long-term discipleship and evangelism, rather than only the latter.
In fact, I think it has to be this way. As missions become increasingly holistic (a good shift), we must be increasingly careful to focus on relational discipleship and community building, or there will be very little separating us from secular NGOs and relief organizations.
Erika and I are excited to be a part of Northwest Haiti Christian Mission because we feel they have the vision and the infrastructure in place to do this new paradigm really well. As an organization, NWHCM is still refining what this looks like in their particular setting, but they are well on their way and they have an open desire to continue fine-tuning their approach.
NWHCM also has a great vision for using media to not merely connect with supporters, but to create trans-national communities between American churches and Haitian churches. It's exciting to think that Haitians could view missionaries not merely as a source of handouts or spiritual wisdom, but more beautifully, as neighbors and close friends.
On my end, the mission has given me great leeway to incorporate photos, copy, audio, and video in a host of new ways (well, new for most missions orgs). It's a little daunting, to be honest, just how much I'm being encouraged to push the envelope, and it will no doubt take some time for me to get up to speed. But it's a position of great privilege (and responsibility) to be able to exert a lot of control over the specifics of how my photos, stories, etc. are used. It allows me to speak into the ways we communicate and ensure that my work is presented in the best possible ways. I can't think of any photojournalists who wouldn't dream of a similar situation.
Let me be clear: I don't mean that I deserve control, as if I'm someone special. Not at all. But in today's cash-strapped media market, photographers are generally told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. As a result, they are finding it harder and harder to produce good work. And even worse, they are finding it harder to utilize appropriate, effective outlets for their work. Corporate media machines chop it up, minimize it, bury it, or manipulate it to suit their purposes. More than ever, it is so important to get your work in front of the right audiences and to package it in the best way. We are in an age when NGOs and ministries are able to do just that, without anyone telling them what to do.
It's a great feeling. Now, please pray that I don't mess it up too badly. :)
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