Island Fever?
Thursday, 9 December 2010
| Danny Bell
When it comes to evangelism, it is right that we remember those far-off places where the Gospel has not been preached. It is good that we endeavour to provide badly needed resources for the continuation of evangelistic work.
The Pacific Islands have been a mission focus for over a century and now the ratio of ‘non-churched’ to ‘churched’ nationals is lower than in western countries like Australia. While there are outlying villages still clinging to traditional practices, the impact of the gospel on the Islands has been extensive and significant. This was recognised even a decade ago when a PNG political reporter noted, “The place is overrun with churches.”
Given this situation, wouldn’t it now be time to start concentrating on other ‘mission fields’ where there has been less success? Yet large scale missionary journeys are still being undertaken to the Islands from all denominations, all seeking to make their mark in the Pacific. Many are organised by retired Island missionaries who can’t seem to “let go”. There seems to be a stampede for the Islands that might even be described as feverish.
Participants in these Island trips often return with wonderful stories about their encounters with Island locals, yet there are good reasons to wonder how many of these involve true conversions. They have been working with locals who are already culturally Christianised. When missionaries enter outlying villages, there is already a deep religious aspect present and poverty often leads locals to adopt anything that looks better than what they have. Is our desire to head to the Islands more fuelled by wanting to feel like a ‘true missionary’ than by a deep concern to extend the reach of the Gospel?
Why do the Islands, usually considered a thoroughly ‘harvested’ field, still attract Christians young and old when so many other areas are neglected? Could it be that it is easier to go on trophy hunting tours and come back with success stories than to evangelise our own society? Could these trips be more about tradition or having an experience than reaching the unreached? What about the much more difficult and challenging work of winning those around us?
We know how hard it is to reach the average Australian, who often has no background in religion and has been brought up with a presumption of secularism and often a distrust of Christianity. Much more effort is required to communicate the gospel and call people to discipleship. In the Islands, everyone is so friendly and welcoming: in Australia, people are suspicious and distant. In the Islands, people join in willingly and efforts to help are appreciated: in Australia, getting people to help often feels like extracting teeth and our efforts are received with ambivalence. In the Islands, we see buildings erected and filled on the same day: in Australia, we see too many church buildings emptying.
Maybe it’s time to turn our focus to this tougher mission field. Maybe we need to think of Australians as “unreached people” as much as others in places that seem exotic. We must not let the excitement of far-off ‘spiritual safaris’ lead to neglect of the mission field right under our noses. God still calls some people to distant places, but most of us are called to mission right where we live, as difficult and sometimes uninspiring as that may be. Ellen White set forth this challenge: “We need not go to Nazareth, to Capernaum, or to Bethany, in order to walk in the steps of Jesus. We shall find His footprints beside the sick-bed, in the hovels of poverty, in the crowded alleys of the great city, and in every place where there are human hearts in need of consolation. In doing as Jesus did when on earth, we shall walk in His steps.”
Next time we are thinking about what to do for God, spare a thought for a very large Island whose population is mostly ignorant of what Jesus has done for them. Working for our own local community may not have the “Getaway experience” of heading for the Islands, but the rewards will be just as special. Let’s pay tribute to those missionaries who work in one of the most challenging environments on the planet – Australia.