Untitled - St.Francis Magazine

St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 2 | April 2012 Many of the neediest countries where we choose to work are plagued by internal strife or religious fundamentalism. For mission organisations that have enjoyed the last fifty years of relative economic and political security, this new context for mission is a challenge. They need to revisit their theology of risk and suffering, put resources into preparing their people for today’s context for mission, develop best practice guidelines and appropriate policies to respond to God’s call in today’s world, be willing to restructure the lines of responsibility and communication to create flexible responsive structures, and be willing to fulfill their leadership mandate as part of much more complexly related communities of God’s people. In this paper I will consider the role of the mission agency in working in cross-­‐cultural Kingdom work that is carried out in a context of risk and suffering. The first section will share two case studies that will form the background for the rest of the paper. In the second section I will consider the question of who is responsible for what in the processes and decisions in a crisis. In the third section I will suggest some best practice guidelines for a mission agency before, during and after a crisis. The fourth section will consider questions of leadership in the face of risk, suffering and persecution, while the fifth section will ask some questions about community and examine some of the principles of partnership and community that should shape a mission agency’s practice in today’s context for mission. 2. Two case studies 20 20 Names and places have been changed to protect the identity of those involved in both cases. 148