Pastor of my dreams - Baptist Bible Tribune

TeamTanzaniaBy Jim Smith | BBFI Associate Mission DirectorRecently, I had the opportunity tointerview Dave Jones, BBFI missionaryto Tanzania, regarding their teamconcept of missions. David and Bonniewere approved as missionaries throughthe Fellowship in 1986. Their successfulteam approach to ministry wasconsidered by some to be revolutionaryback in the 80s. John and Julie Kirklandand David and Bonnie Jones, havingbeen friends for years, wanted to goas a team to Africa. At the beginningthey went to Kenya, and then TeamTanzania took shape in 1990 whenthey moved to Dodoma, Tanzania. Iasked Dave specifically about the ideaof working together in a foreign countryas a team.JS: Thanks for taking time toanswer some questions for ourreaders regarding the concept ofdoing ministry as a team. As fundamentalBaptists, we sometimespride ourselvesin being independentto thepoint of beingmavericks. Whatare the benefitsof the team approach?**: Assurance and strength:Enormous strength and courage infacing a new culture and change isdrawn from another family.Companionship and morale: Not onlydoes the missionary have the partnershipof a coworker, but thewife (often tied to home byyoung children, schooling,and day-to-day chores) hasthe companionship andcamaraderie of anotherwoman in similar ministry.Gifting: Team memberswith varying gifts, abilities,and passions in ministrycan complement eachother and share responsibilitiesin ministry.Work distribution: Usingtheir spiritual gifts andnatural talents together, responsibilitiescan be dividedand shared. Ministries can be expandedand developed without such a strain onone man and his family.Finances: Ministry expenses can oftenbe shared, easing tension on tight missionarybudgets. These are just a few ofthe benefits, but there are dozens more.JS: What would be the dangersin a team approach?**: Major hazards of a team“marriage” go hand in hand with thoseof a normal marriage: communicationfailure, jealousy, conflicting thoughtsand feelings, etc. There are three keysthat we have found to ensure a longlastingbond: 1) spiritual unity, 2)communication, and 3) commitment.JS: Did you get any negative responseto this approach initially?**: We promoted the team idea withsuch naive enthusiasm, we probablymissed a few raised eyebrows orignored some negative responses. I canonly remember one pastor who openlystated “That’s never going to work,and I can’t support it.” Several othersquestioned, “Who is going to be theleader? How is that going to work?”But far outweighing any negativeresponse was the tremendous supportwe received from people in the pew.After our presentation, people wouldcome to us bubbling with enthusiasm,expressing their excitement to hearthat two missionary families, friendsfrom youth, were joining up andheading to Africa with the gospel.18 Baptist Bible Tribune [ February 2009 ]