WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

TYPES OF BI-VOCATIONAL LABOURERS
193
the good news by life, deed and word. 1 That is what the Great Commission
focuses on – “to make disciples” where you live and work.
Being self-supporting is an obvious issue among bi-vocational workers.
At the 1989 Lausanne Congress in Manila, I was involved in a “Tentmaking
Track”. One of the issues related to how different bi-vocational labourers were
supported. There are a variety of ways of support – from full salaries in
companies, to partial support, to support from churches. 2
WORKERS DOING HOLISTIC MISSION
Many bi-vocational workers are involved in difficult situations where
there is poverty, corruption, and injustice. Some Christians work with mission
and development agencies and they are sent to places with such conditions.
Christians should be in the forefront of facing and addressing these challenges.
As followers of Jesus, we cannot think of fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission
if we lack concern for the world’s poor and marginalized. Eighty-five percent
of those living in the so-called “10/40 Window” 3 are the poorest of the world’s
poor.
In Jeremiah 29, God’s people were in the worst of situations, in exile in
Babylon. In that context, God calls them to live and settle for the long-term. He
then gives an amazing command in verse 7 to “Seek the peace and prosperity
of the city… Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
As mentioned earlier, the Hebrew word for “peace and prosperity” and
“prosper” is shalom. The word “shalom” means more than “peace”. It
communicates a sense of total well-being of people – not just spiritual. It is a
holistic word. It reminds me of the ministry of Jesus. Our Lord had lived among
beggars, lepers, prostitutes and people marginalized by society. Jesus brought
“shalom” to such people.
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in answer
to the question, “Who is my neighbour?” In advancing the Gospel among lost
people, we must also answer this question, in order that we may minister
holistically among the people we encounter. Some people are not only poor,
but they also are victims of unjust practices of their culture and society. There
are huge challenges. Jesus had faced similar challenges in His mission, as we
read in Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 42:1-4.
My colleagues and I have been studying the Scriptures as we work with
practitioners of holistic mission. There are enormous challenges and many
complex issues. The following suggestions may be helpful as you begin to
consider holistic mission.
1 Bradshaw, Bruce (1993), Bridging the Gap: Evangelism, Development, and Shalom. Monrovia, CA: MARC. This is the 5th volume
in the “Innovation in Missions” series edited by Bryant L Myers.
2 This issue is developed in a book by Patrick Lai (2005), Tentmaking: Business as Missions, Colorado Springs, CO: Authentic
Publishing.
3 The “10-40 Window” is an area extending from 10 degrees to 40 degrees North of the equator, which stretches from North Africa
across to China.