DJ from the orphanage

I’m not a big fan of mission statements and taglines. Mission statements or taglines can serve a purpose, but too often they are written in a way to only make the organization look good. Most of the time, tag-lines are only a vague shadow of what any organization is actually about. Up until very recently, Google’s tagline was “Don’t be evil.”, weird, cool, but it has nothing to do with day-to-day operations or objectives of Google Inc.. (Ironically, I had to “Google” Google’s tagline…)

I’m part of an organization that has a tagline that is actually powerful: “Back the Heroes.” It sounds obvious at first, find someone doing great work and back them. Find the right person and help them. Come alongside someone changing the world and help them work towards the goals they are pursuing. Backing the heroes happens less than you would think, especially in short-term missions.

Too often, people want to build their ministry, not THE ministry. This happens in a lot of churches, not just in missions. People in ministry who are more concerned about being in charge, being the one on the microphone, building their own kingdom of followers. If a pastor doesn’t work with other ministries, it’s a problem. If a worship leader has to lead every song, never giving others the privilege, it’s a problem. We have a local pastor in our town who, although far from perfect, does get one thing right every time. He’s always open to having good teachers take the pulpit for a weekend. Not many pastors are secure enough to do that.

In short-term missions, people often want to do it on their own. They want to build their own kingdom, not THE Kingdom. This can be a problem because, by definition, a short-term mission is SHORT-TERM. Ministry, real ministry, takes time. Time to get to know people, time to build relationships, time to earn trust, etc. The only way to be effective in short-term missions it to come alongside someone, or some organization, that has been on the ground for a while. Someone who knows the people, the needs, and the best way to reach the goals at hand. For effective short-term missions, you need to back the heroes.

Mattew 20: 25-28 “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

When we decide to back the heroes, it means it’s not all about us anymore. It means coming alongside someone and helping them reach their goals, helping them be successful. There is not a lot of glory in being the water-boy, or the sound guy, or the timekeeper at the 5K, but those jobs matter a great deal. The neglected people in the background are the ones who make the difference between success and failure.

“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.” ― John Wooden.

A team I’m part of recently had the privilege of helping with a great ministry serving in some of the most impoverished areas of Tijuana. A small, underfunded church, led by a great man, is changing the world. Pastor Albert is all glowing energy. He pastors a church with passion and in his spare time has built a powerful ministry feeding and caring for the immigrants who have landed at the border of Mexico and the US. He feeds between 500 and 1,000 people a day and is now housing immigrant families on cots in his church.

The “back the heroes” ministry I mentioned came alongside Pastor Albert to help with a day of outreach. Our short-term team prepared meals, passed out gifts and blankets to families, and helped organize a church service and worship time for those interested (using another local pastor and worship team who know the people well). Although our short-term team did an incredible job, it would have been nothing without Albert and his profound vision for the people in his area. He gave direction leading up to the event, steered us away from some ideas that would not have worked, and lead us with grace and vision. We found a hero and showed up to carry the water (quite literally in this case).

“Don’t be evil.” Google’s tagline, might actually work for a ministry, but take it a step further. Back the heroes.

If you would like to join us in backing the heroes, please contact me or check our website:  www.strongtowerministries.org

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