CRM - Empowering Leaders

Q: What do you mean by the phrase "A Christian Order Among the Poor"? 

A: We are an Order as opposed to a "mission agency".  Mission agencies focus on "the task".  The reason they exist, the people who are a part of it, how they structure themselves, what they give their attention to, is largely if not exclusively defined by "who they are trying to reach".

In InnerChange we see ourselves as an "Order".  Order is a powerful word which connotes mission, mystery, discipline, distinctive values, and longevity.  On the other hand it is a word with ominous undertones that raise eyebrows in some circles, particularly among Protestants.  Order often conjures images of harsh severity, authoritarianism, and elitism.

In establishing InnerChange as an order, we seek a structure that has proven durable for centuries and embrace a wineskin that can encompass the vitality of our prophetic, contemplative, and missionary currents - not just the missionary task.

For us an Order includes among other distinctives:

*Prizing the company of Jesus above the mission itself

*Living as missionaries in supportive community with one another and the poor

*Pursuing our calling as a way of life, not simply a task

*Inspired by distinctive values and marked by a theology of the poor.

* Dedicated to lives of simplicity, obedience, and purity

* Sustained and renewed by a contemplative spirituality

* Operating at a level of symbol

There is much, much more that can be said about this.  If you are interested in learning more, go to "Inside IC".

Q: Most mission agencies today seem to be focused on "Unreached Peoples".  You don't seem to focus on that.  Can you speak to this?

A: In actuality we do have a concern and a focus unreached people, but perhaps defined a little differently.  If instead of categorizing people by ethnicity one looks at socio-economic status, we find that well over 60% of the world's population is poor.  And among the poor populations of the earth, very few missionaries reside and work.

In addition to the need for evangelization, we in InnerChange consider other concerns as important in our decision making regarding where we deploy teams around the world.  We find in scripture God's heart and passion for the poor and the marginalized, the widow, the orphan, the outcast, and the stranger in the land. 

So issues of poverty, injustice, and oppression as seen in scriptures such as Isaiah 58, Micah 6:8, and heart that Jesus has for the poor as seen in Luke 4:18,19 and Matthew 25 move us and shape our missional and prophetic action in the world.

Again, this is another big question.  Check out more about InnerChange at "Inside IC"

Q: Isn't it dangerous to be living in inner city neighborhoods and poor slums overseas?  Should Christian workers be exposing themselves and their children to such dangers?

A.  This is a tough question.  No two ways about it.  It's interesting though what some InnerChange women - including mothers - say about this.

First, what do we define as "dangerous"? 

From our largely white, middle-class, suburban culture we think first of the drive-by gang shootings and other violent crimes which appear on the evening news. 

But what about the dangers that are rampant in the suburbs that people rarely think about.  Dangers to the soul and to the family such as out of control materialism, the worship of comfort and narcissism, the individualism that is so prevalent that many people are dying of loneliness and depression, and the rapid, busy pace of life that robs virtually everyone of peace and rest and real relationships?  Are these not genuine dangers??

Another response comes from an InnerChange Mom.  One day she was walking with her two small children, one walking and one in a stroller.  On their way they stumbled upon a homeless woman, almost unconscious and in very bad condition.  They called the paramedics for help.  When the firemen and paramedics arrived and treated the women, one of the firemen pulled the woman aside and sternly exhorted her, "This is a bad neighborhood, you should get out of here!" 

And her reply was, "And what about all the other children and families that live here?!" 

There is a not so subtle racism and lack of concern for the safety and well being of families and children who live in the neglected urban neighborhoods.  Somehow it's ok, or it's expected, or it's just the way that it is that the social conditions of urban communities - substandard housing, poor schools, abismal health care, few recreational opportunities, and high crime rates - is what it is... 

As Christians, is it really ok that so many "neighbors" (think Good Samaritan Story) and even Christian brothers and sisters live with this as their daily reality?

In summary, there are real dangers in our neighborhoods.  Many InnerChange staff have been robbed; some multiple times.  Fortunately we have not suffered violence within our ranks - unlike so many of our neighbors. 

People who join InnerChange do need to count the cost.  But we also have experienced how God helps us and how our InnerChange community and many, many of our poor neighbors have rallied around us and helped us in times of need.  In times of crisis, we bond with our neighbors and they discover that we are willing to suffer and endure the trials they face... even if our suffering is but a shadow of that which they face on a day by day, year after year, basis.