wfn.org | Shorter terms for mission workers

[Beth Hawn]

Microsoft Mail v3.0 (MAPI 1.0 Transport) IPM.Microsoft Mail.Note
To:  'Worldwide Faith News'
Date: 1998-06-17 12:58
Priority: 3
Message ID: F43EB828D205D211AAB0006008075ABF
Conversation ID: Shorter terms for mission workers

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June 17, 1998
Mennonite Board of Missions
Beth Hawn
219-294-7523
<NEWS@MBM.org>

Overseas missions address shift toward short-term workers

HARRISONBURG, Va. (MBM) - It was something like facing the infamous   
question
of which came first the chicken or the egg.

Mennonite Board of Missions Board of Directors grappled June 11-13 with   
the
question of which should come first in mission: the development of the
program or the placement of the personnel?

Facing continued requests for MBM to provide resources for people in
international locations to do mission work, the board wrestled with
questions from staff over which approach should be MBM's policy and   
priority
in mission efforts beyond North America until integration is complete   
with
the Commission on Overseas Mission and the Commission on Home Ministries.

While this round of meetings only initiated the conversation, the board
recognized a shift in overseas mission from long-term mission workers to
volunteers and workers with shorter-term assignments.

"Today, we ask people to go and put down roots as if it is for life,   
learning the
language and creating relationships, but we don't expect/guarantee a
lifetime term any more,"  said Alice Roth, MBM vice president for Global
Ministries.  This shift is linked to the fact that mission staffing   
decisions
are often a joint concern of local church leaders together with the   
mission
agency.

In responding to this shift, one of MBM's objectives is to "develop   
short-
term service options within strong long-term ministry bases, especially
respond[ing] more vigorously to requests for short-term Anabaptist
teaching and other leadership-training needs."

Roth, for whom the June 11-13 gathering was her last board meeting, will
leave the question in the hands of her successor.  This fall, she   
completes
81/2 years with MBM staff in Elkhart.  She and her husband, Willard,   
served with
MBM in Ghana from 1968 to 1973.

In other matters, the board appointed Ester and Omar Cortes-Gaibur as   
joint
COM/MBM workers in Chile from October 1997 through September 2000.  The
couple previously had served as COM workers in Chile.

* * *
MBM staff