Global South & Global North Mega Challenges

‘Global South & Global North Mega Challenges.’

“It is a small world after all” says a popular song written long before the word Globalisation became familiar.  Globalisation is not the discovery of the modern day but it has been God’s purposes for eternity.  Some use globalization for the benefit of the common people but there are vested interests who misuse globalization for their selfish purposes. Globalisation is a reality and is never going to be reversed.  In this context the Great Commission which is a global mandate from our Lord Jesus Christ has to involve every nation in this world.  The economic crisis, environmental issues and the international politics are no longer the domain of a few countries that are economically powerful.  The developing smaller nations are included and play a major role in every global issue.  The Global South and the Global North have to work together in equal partnership for carrying out the global mandate of our Lord Jesus.

As we continue to envision the churches and mission leaders on the specific mission challenges in India, we are beginning to realize that many of these challenges are not unique to India but most other developing countries who share similar contexts.  The contexts in China, South Korea, South Africa, Nigeria and Brazil are very similar to the contexts of India.  Europe and North America who led the global missions in the past are fast becoming the new mission fields as immigrants from Asia and Africa have inhabited these lands.  The west is rapidly becoming multi-cultural and multi-religious communities.  Central Asia, South America and many other parts of Africa continue to remain major challenges even as South East Asia, South Asia and China where the unengaged people groups dominate.  Briefly the Global mega challenges are urbanization, migration / Diaspora, middle class peoples, marginalized peoples and religious fundamentalism.  As in the business and political world, we need to learn to network and partner together if we are going to address any of the mega challenges.  How can the Global South and North bring their strengths together in partnership for the Gospel to transform communities?

Recently we have begun to notice a sharp decline in the number of Internationals coming into India from the Western countries involved in traditional ways of doing missions.    Many factors have contributed which include entry restrictions and the change in the media focus and perception. The economic development of India, the economic needs in South America, Central Asia, Africa and some of the South East Asian countries seem to be always in focus.  The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have also contributed significantly to a change in the priorities of the global mission movement.   However Internationals from South Korea, Singapore, Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina and others have started to flood the country in creative ways.

The main strength of the global south is people.  There are hundreds of capable Indians who can be sent as disciple makers to other nations.  Even as the Indian churches and missions are beginning to see this new opportunity, they are faced with the economic constraints.  It is true that India is developing economically but the economic prosperity is more for the higher middle classes and the elite among whom Christ followers are very insignificant.  The Indian church has traditionally supported missions in India both through the denominational structures and outside the structure but to economically support overseas missions is a very different chapter.  

Turning the pages of missions’ history in India, we would realize that the Western churches have provided many medical personnel to the mission hospitals in the rural areas and teachers to Christian mission schools.  All of them came as volunteers through church based mission agencies.  In the last two decades this has significantly changed even though there are specific needs in mission hospitals and schools.  We are unable to replace them in rural areas with Indians or other Internationals because of the lack of financial support. 

For a few years the West started to provide financial aid to recruit personnel but now that funding seems to be soon drying up.   There is an assumption that the West should only support financially and stop sending their personnel.  The entry restrictions in many nations are mainly for volunteers but there are a number of creative opportunities opening up.  Salaried positions in corporate organizations, medical institutions and educational institutions are available for internationals with highly specialized training rather than those with qualifications seen as competitive to the nationals. The global south welcomes entrepreneurs with foreign investments.  This provides opportunities to build relationships with the middle class peoples in all these nations who need to be discipled to follow Christ.  What we need is financial and other infrastructure support for nationals to be involved in missions and for some of them to go to other needy places in the world. 

Thousands of Indians migrate to other countries seeking educational opportunities, economic prosperity and career growth.  There are many Christians who also follow the trend.  Among them few go with a vision to disciple other nations.  One of our visions for missions and churches in India is to start sending Indian professionals outside India.   Their living expenses are often met by salaried positions in their placement.  But there are other hidden costs of language study, children education, emergency evacuation and member care costs for those being commissioned to be involved in missions.  We are beginning to realize that Indians being sent overseas will be very different from those who come from older sending countries.   The recruitment, placement and member care policies and systems may not work as effectively as it did for the western personnel who crossed national boundaries.  The western missions and churches have to come alongside the global south to evolve new ways of recruitment, placement and member care.  Rather than encouraging the global South to import proven structures, systems and resources, the Global North must partner with them to contextually develop their own structures, systems and resources.   We need to be creative and the Global North can partner with the Global south to make the global mission movement truly global.

 

Partnership is not all about funding.  Even though countries like India is economically growing, the growth does not necessarily mean that giving to missions is increasing. There are number of factors that are hurdles in mission fund raising.  The main strength of the Global South is the human resources.  The question we need to continue to ask is how we can involve personnel from the Global South in global missions.   This involvement has to extend from the grass root participation in teams sent out to the leadership of the global mission movement.  This is where the Global North must come along side the Global south.   There has to be more sharing of resources of human and funds.  The partnership between the global south and north is the key to fulfilling the global mandate of our Lord Jesus.   Maranatha! Amen.    John Amalraj

Published in 'Indian Missions', Quarterly journal of India Missions Association, Hyderabad, September 2009