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Obstacles and Realities
For the Spiritually
Mature only
The information I share here is personal, and is for pastors who have a serious interest in missions. My biggest and immediate
obstacles on the mission field are language, culture, and acceptance. Regarding my goal to see the National Church become
indigenous, autonomous and missionary (the true goal of missions), I feel the IBMA philosophy of using US support to finance
Filipino Church Planters keeps the Filipino subservient, dependent, and prevents the National Church from standing on her
own, or seeing the relevance of having her own missions program, resulting in only 15 percent having any viable missions program.
Stateside obstacles include changes while I am away, misinformation from visiting NPs seeking support, being wrongly "labeled"
without being known, and the high costs of a new structure of missions which requires far more finances, reports, policies
and administrations that limit my freedom to minster more cost-effectively for government or legal conformities.
The days of getting on a boat, arriving in a jungle, setting up camp, learning the language, befriending the people, preaching
the gospel, and living by faith are almost over. Today it's flights, bank accounts, cell phones, marketing, PC's, Blackberries,
retirement plans, palm pilots, stationary, directories, strategies, advertising, video presentations, financial consultants,
brochures, diplomacy, fellowships, image, showcase, publications, ad campaigns, CPAs and POAs, politics, social reform, and
more. Please pray that church planting does not become five percent of what we actually do!
CLICK HERE to read of our problems when returning to the Field.
OK, Here are a few specific Obstacles that I experience.
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Things take longer!
May 15th, 2009
A typical example of how long it takes to do three simple things,
and how interuptions can delay them.
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Why It Takes Longer On The
Field
Three simple tasks: I had three things to accomplish
in Olongapo City. Pick up my repaired church PC, pay an internet bill, and solve a problem with our satellite dish.
Interruption: But as I was getting ready to leave, my water pump
to our house overheated, buzzed, smelled like electric smoke, so I unplugged it. I went across the street to get some
help from my deacon but he was out of town. His teen son was with him. I texted my associate who was at the market-place
but got no response. A half an hour later I found him in his room because he had changed his phone number and didn't
tell me. I gave him instructions in how to replace the water pump and left with my son, starting our hour drive into
Olongapo City.
First task a failure:
When I arrived to pick up my PC they tested it. But on the bottom of the startup screen,
I counted 20 times the guage moved left to right. Something was seriously wrong. But after I convinsed them to
try another hard drive, it worked. So I left the PC there for them to backup, replace, partition, format and do
a Windows XP install. Since the replacement hard drive will be a better brand, I agreed to pay the difference. I was wondering
why they built and sold it with an incompatible hard drive, why they said it was a software problem the last two times
I brought it in for the same thing, why they said it worked when it didn't, and why they ignored the error message I wrote
for them when I dropped it off "lose cable" and then "Hard drive Error. "
Second Task not needed: My next stop was to pay the internet
bill I had received. Easy right? But when I walked in I found it jam-packed because there was a power outage the day before.
After 40 minutes of waiting for my number to be called, they told me the bill they sent was wrong because my wife already
paid it. Since I already wasted 45 minutes, I decided to pay a month in advance. It was only then that I was handed a new
number that went to the payment desk!
Third Task unresolved:
My next stop was to visit my satellite company to inform them that after I reloaded
my card, the channels still weren't coming in. Not knowing where they were in Olongapo, and after trying to find it with Joshua
who thought he knew where it was, I went to the Police Department and then the Municipal. No goverment agency in the
entire city could help us, and the phone book showed nothing. . . . .Now
past lunch, Josh and I went to McDonalds, and as I was going through my papers, I found a phone number on the back of a reloading
card. But when I called it I got an automated voice. Finally in desperation, I asked a lady who was eating with her family,
and learned it was inside a four story building, a large store called Acampos. . . .So I went in with Josh to the third floor where they said the office was, and saw a glass counter. No one was
there. . . .Then
a lady came and said I was at the right place, so I told her my problem. But she could not help me. According to her, it was
Manila who must digitally reset my system.
Interruption still interrupting:
Exhausted of getting nowhere, I decided to drive back home. But when I arrived home,
the replaced water pump was making a loud grinding noise, the broken pump was not delivered to our mechanic neighbor, and
the associate who was to take care of it was playing games on a borrowed notebook PC. So after I spoke with him we replaced
the water pump with another repaired one in storage and it ran much quieter.
Problem returns: But a few hours later I noticed it would
never shut off. It was too weak to bring the pressure high enough to trip the shut off. So I drained all water, re-primed
it, ran it, put the cap on, and it slowly climbed up to around 40 lbs. and shut off. But it's a temporary solution. It just
doesn't have the power it should.
Can't even buy a Coke! At
6 PM, as I was watering the grass in the front with our other pump, I decided to send Joshua out to get us a Coke from across
the street. It closed just before he got there!
Two New Interruptions:
Then when I tried to type you this true story (my son was with me the whole time), the
electric went out. And to remain consistent, my UPS also failed so I lost this story! So when the electric returned, I decided
to type in notepad so if the power goes out again, only a small file would be open. And it did! Frustrated, I am again typing... saving my work after each sentence!
So let's review: After driving an hour each way, my PC
wasn't fixed, my internet bill did not have to be paid, my satellite problem could not be corrected in Olongapo, my replaced
water pump still needs some work, my hard drive probably has a few fragmented temp files, and I couldn't even enjoy a simple
pleasure like drinking a coke.
Pray for us missionaries!
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Furlough!
Furlough is great for thanking pastors, being with family and friends,
shopping, gaining weight and raising new support. But it also makes the missionary's flock vulnerable to wolves
during his absence!
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The Other Side of Furlough
You would think that a furlough is what we missionies take to relax
and recooperate. But that is not usually true! Leaving your church, work or ministries for an entire year can
result in takeovers, false doctrines, drops on standards, and foreign philosophes that change the personality and character
of a church, often taking months of hard yet tactful leadership to regain what was lost. A missionary must also get
new clothes (I wear no winter clothes here and what I have will be five years old when I return), a new suite (cuts and styles
change), a vehicle, sometime a renewed Driver's License, a current directory, a new cell phone (mine won't work in the US),
a missions display, a notebook and projector for presentations, and more. He must also work on his presentation (I use
powerpoint but even that is time consuming to construct), try to schedule, plan where he will travel and when, visit both
supporters and prospects, help out his sending church (at least I do), make prayer cards and a new letterhead, attend required
retreats or seminars of his mission board to be updated on new policies, and so much more. And before he returns to the
field he must help establish and say good bye to any teens he is leaving behind which is hard for any parent. Then
he has packing, shipping, storage, flight bookings, entry visas, airport, transportation back to his church (we are
five hours away from our airport), cleaning, repairing, setting up home and office again, assessing his church, immediate
problem solving, work programs, and ministry re-entries, etc.. So if a furlough missionary shows up to your church looking
a little exhausted, pray for him. In fact, he may actually enjoy being on the field where his heart is, than being in
the states as a polished showcase for missions. Don't get me wrong. I like furlough. But I love my
work here more!
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Lack of Platform for Effective Discipleship
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When you construct a building with a Lego set, you first
start with a green flat platform that enables you to attach your first row of lego bricks as the foundation. In the same way,
when you work with someone, you assume that there is a basic platform you can work with to start laying the right foundation.
But this platform of basic values, it NOT the same here.
For example, when a little child sees the jeepney driver
smoking right next to the NO SMOKING sign in his own jeepney, after ten years of riding jeepneys to school, the young adult
has been conditioned into believing that the written law does not have to be obeyed - INCLUDING God's Written Word when they
later become a Christian! This also holds true for the His promises (promises are easily broken here), absolutes (people change
day to day to survive), trust (hardly anything is certain or dependable here), kindness (the desperate often abuse kindness),
and much more! Don't be deceived! The "many" churches that are often used as a proof that the Philippines has been "over-evangelized"
have memberships where these "basics" are still missing, and you'd be surprised what is tolerated in the average church here.
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Wrong Assumptions!
While some think I am "rich" few Pastors know I went without an air-conditioner, car, defrost refrigerator, phone,
etc. during my first term. And while many accuse the American of not turning over his works to nationals, few know that I
had offered to ordain and turn my church over to our associate pastor, but that he didn't feel led to accept.
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When you see a missionary in a missions conference or in your church on furlough, you have no idea who he really is and what
he has been through, the decisions he must make on the field, and the prices he is willing to pay to keep his convictions
and to stand on principles. While many think American Missionaries spend too much, few know I went without a car, air-conditioner,
defrost refrigerator, phone, or American style washing machine during our first five year term in order to help our church
obtain needed property. And American pastors who briefly visit the Philippines, only see what is projected and really don't
know the motives, methods, and poor ethics that are often used to build "thriving" works from both NPs and AMs (American
Missionaries), and often hear only one side of the story. The AMs are often silent when being misunderstood or maligned and
cannot "blow the whistle" because they live here among them. All I'm saying is please get both sides before making
a final opinion between AMs and NPs. Like everything else, there are both good and bad ones.
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Sexual Temptation
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Once when I was walking by the Victory Bus Station in Olongapo City, a Filipina grabbed my arm and asked me if I wanted to
visit her place. When I told her that I was a pastor and was married, she responded that no one needs to know! It was only
when I said my wife would get angry in Tagalog, that she backed off.
Some in poverty, view the American Missionary as a potential ticket out of the country, as money, or may try to set him
up for extortion. Since I have been here I have been propositioned twice, had a domestic helper admit she had a "crush"
on me, and learned of three National Pastors and one American Missionary who fell into sexual sin. I never drive any woman
in the front seat of my car, teach PC to any woman alone, or counsel any woman if my wife can handle it. I also communicate
with my wife, keep no secrets and share my life with her. Cell phone texting, E-mailing, letter writing, counseling, visitation,
or providing transportation, are all potential dangers to the missionary who does not maintain a real relationship with his
wife.
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Dear Missionary Letters
These letters are from those who dropped us. Sadly, there were many others who dropped us while we were still on the field,
without even notifying us.
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It is our desire to focus in on fewer ministries throughout the world and support them with larger amounts of finances. To
do this, we must cut back on the number of missionaries we support so that we can provide them with more financial support
and more one on one encouragement. We sincerely desire to make an impact in the lives of our missionaries and the people they
work with. As of March 1999, we will no longer support your ministry for which we are deeply sorry... I really hate to send
this type of letter to you when you just recently returned to the field, but the situation makes it necessary. We are having
to make some financial adjustments here at XXX. This is the second round of cuts we have had to make in order to balance our
budget. Unfortunately, we are going to have to reduce our monthly support. I am doing this through email because it is the
fastest way to contact you... It has been our privilege at XXX Baptist Church to be involved financially in your ministry
for a number of years. We rejoice in the fruit that has come into the Kingdom of God through your ministry, and know that
God has His hand on you. With regret, I must tell you that, due to strategic changes in our missions program, we have made
a decision to discontinue our monthly support of your ministry. Please know that this move is no way an indication of our
disapproval of your ministry... It is with a heavy heart that we write to you of our intent to stop supporting you. We are
concerned with the lack of evangelism and church planting in your ministry, and disappointed with your lack of enthusiasm
for your ministry when you presented your work. (OUCH, THAT HURTS)... It is with sincere regret that we must inform you that
due to this decrease in our weekly attendance and offerings, we must decrease your monthly mission support....My heart is
heavy as I must inform you of our inability to continue supporting your ministry.We have been unable to send any support to
you for the last six months....I am writing to cancel your meeting with the XXXX Baptist Church of XXXX. I have recently resigned
my position as pastor and we will probably be unable to continue our support... Our Pastor has resigned and attendance has
fallen short. At this time it our duty to notify you now that we may have to decrease your support level.
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Lack of Acceptance
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By lack of acceptance, I referring to the few National
Pastors, who either due to jealousy of my being a "rich" American, competition for support, or a resentment of how Americans
can get more attention and opportunities than they do, prejudge me as their enemy resulting in gossip that has affected my
reputation, fellowship and ministry..
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Gossip
Gossip is no small thing and can destroy a missionary's reputation
which affects his church attendance, seminary enrollment, opportunities to preach, fellowships and much more.
"These six things doth the LORD hate...he that soweth discord among brethren
(Prov.6:16-19) The "accuser of our brethren" is called Satan (Rev.12:10)
Please click these links below if YOU have heard Gossip about me!
An page of testimonials
In my Who We Are page
In my Articals page
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Gossip about me includes:
- Not turning over my church to a National because I think they are incompetent as leaders.
- Treating Nationals Pastors like servents instead of fellow co-laborers because I think they
are inferier.
- Having been petitioned to be deported by a group of national pastors for saying bad things
about them.
- Stealing members from other churches.
- Kicking out the poor while keeping only the rich as church members.
- Dropping the financial support of our sent out Missionay letting him and his family starve.
In defense, let me say none of these things are true. (1)
Our assocate who I encouraged to take over this work felt called to church plant so we sent him out. Our church is now,
(within BBFI Missions Policy) a base for training and sending out until God sends us the right man. (2) My
national pastor friends can attest I treat them as co-laborers. (3)
I have never been petitioned to be deported (but I confirmed who started this rumor, invited him to meet with me, but
he is not interested). (4) Never stoled members from other churches or tried
to hire any on staff. (5) We discipline all rebellious members regardless
of their financial status. It only looks like we keep the rich because habitual non-tithers are not kept as members.
(6) Our church supports our sent out missionary very substancially, never missing
a payment, but will gradually reduce support in a church approved systematic plan to encourage this work to become self supporting.
Gossip can be brutal and heart-breaking as this one National
Pastor wrote me:
Thank you for the help &
efforts you have done in clearing my name with the many issues and accusations made against me. I know you have made some
sacrifices just to extend a hand to me a fellow laborer in the Lords vineyard, especially in the most trying time of my life
and ministry when nobody seems to care and not even one among the fellow Zambales pastors in the Zambales came to offer their
support. Thank you for the friendship you had shown me and the brotherly counsels, for I was indeed encouraged to continue
doing the Lord's work. NOTE: This
Pastor's innocence was later established and I'm so glad I stuck my neck out for him.
Brethren, PLEASE, let's stop the Gossip!
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Financial Desperation
More than 27 million Filipinos, nearly one in three, live on a dollar a day or less. About a third of the labor force is jobless
or under-employed, with around eight million more leaving the country to work abroad. Since I have been here, I have seen
five leave their pastorates for better financial offers.
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For many National Pastors serving in a poverty-stricken country, offerings are not just to run the ministry, they are
essential because they feed your family. And if you offend a member, several families may leave and you cannot eat! Also,
if you are short on funds a large attendance, even from those not tithing, can be used in reports to gain outside supports.
Because of these things, I have seen pastors compromise their stand for the sake of finances. This includes marrying
the unequally yoked, "blessing" homes, business and cars of the unsaved, visiting members of other churches trying
to convince them to transfer or contribute, accepting transfers and disciplined members from other churches without checking
with their former pastors, cheating or bypassing building permits, tolerating known sin to keep the offerings, forbidding
transfers from distant members who want to join churches of like faith that are closer to them to keep their attendance and
offerings, not letting church plants become autonomous to keep them as your own works, quickly laying hands on questionable
works to claim as your own to project yourself as "successful" and much more. In other cases, negative aspects
of the culture can be retained by an under-trained pastor and costly mistakes caused by short cuts often lead to church splits,
the loss of a building, or scandals. While MANY pastors are ethical and honest in ministry, the burden and pressures of financial
hardship, a hungry family, lack of support, lack of formal training, and a sink or swim situation, creates a "survival"
mode that justifies unethical methods. And until I see my own kids going to bed hungry at night, I realize I cannot identify
with their situation, nor condemn them that easily. My only recourse is to be nice, think of them as friends, help them
when I can, and be available to steer them in the right direction, hoping that they will see from my own efforts, that God
really does bless when you do things His way.
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Unfair Expectations in My Relationships with Nationals
What NPs are saying
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Several times I have been asked "How do you get along with the Nationals?" as if my ministry can be evaluated
this way. But please let me respond by also asking, "How are YOU getting along with all YOUR Independent Baptist co-laborers?"
Like you, I try my best to befriend my area co-laborers, but also like you, there are a few who I cannot fellowship with for
doctrinal and ethical reasons. So please don't think all missionaries can get along with all NPs. If it doesn't happen in
the USA, it probably won't happen here (although it would be nice). In fact, with our different cultures, and the extreme
imbalances between the "have" and the "have nots," getting along is actually more difficult here than
in the States. And this is even MORE true when laying the right foundation for an autonomous work, which does not provide
the fast financial solutions that some not only are looking for, but also feel they are entitled to from the "rich"
American foreigner. After all, "Isn't that what your support is for? To help us nationals?" It's not as easy
as you think.
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Paper Work!
Mike, you are an excellent missionary. Out of all the missionaries I have had the opportunity to visit on the field you are
definitely the most balanced and busy about the work of the Lord. My wife, Steve, and Melissa would all say the same thing.
Do not let this (my recent financial reporting errors) discourage you. It is just something that has to be done. Keep up
the good work. My Interim Pastor Chris Wass
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Just this morning, I received an e-mail from my missions office, that my financial reports contained errors, and one was
MAJOR that resulted in a chain reaction that will require weeks of digging, computing and typing. I also must do reports
for Missionary Visa renewals, and grade all papers and review all student records for our Seminary. And then since we live
on the church property, we also must keep records of church purchases and payments, and are currently in a building program.
Keeping receipts, recording all your spending, trying to obtain new templates from on line, correcting mistakes, trying to
understand and comply with new financial reporting procedures, can take almost a full day or more each week. In fact, much
of my time is spend grading papers, writing curriculum, figuring out my finances, doing various reports, doing my prayer letters,
designing lessons and sermons, and I guess, well, updating and improving this website. And getting to these financial reports,
in this modern age, these reports can get complex and deep, with schedules, itemizations, explanations and more. So please
pray for me. I'm just not good at these type of things and often don't understand how to do them and get frustrated. Currently,
my missions office located a mistake as far back as December of 2007, which will require that I reexamine and redo all effected
entries. Sometimes I wish I could just get on a boat, arrive on an island, go deep into a jungle, find a tribe, construct
a hut, and start a mission. But I guess those days are over. (UPDATE... All my records are done).
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Unreliable Equipment!
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Just this morning I turned on our church PC and an error message came up. Since it had a warranty seal, I did not open it
up, but drove one hour to where our church purchased it. The technician hooked it up, turn it on, and reported it was a HD
Partition problem. On this PC were all my sermons, church hymns, seminary curriculum, student records, and other data, I
checked my flash drives and discovered my backups were about six weeks old. So if I need a reformatting, or if I cannot retrieve
my data as a slave drive,I lost six weeks of work, including sermons and student transcripts, and must now painstakingly review
all my seminary curriculum to prepare it for CD distribution under our National Training National projects which will set
me back a few weeks. Yet this PC was purchased NEW, and was less than TWO months old! This is typical here, and directly
affects my time management. Other breakdowns include water pumps, printers, voltage regulators, UPSs, CD players, flash drives,
fans, clocks, our washing machine, air conditioner, and more!
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Losing support to the Heart Stirring Nationals
While all churches have the right to drop or support any missionary, a good pastor will inform their missionary why, and will
not drop him until he returns on furlough so he can makeup the financial loss. Dropping a missionary on the field when he
cannot recoup, and with no explanation, is very uncaring.
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I had preached and sang in his church several times, my family ate dinner in his home, I spent all day helping his church
re-shingle their roof, saw and welcomed him at fellowship meetings, assisted their church in other areas, and always sent
him my missionary reports faithfully. Even when my support was suddenly cut off without explanation, I kept him on my prayer
list, and visited him and his church on furlough. But when he seemed distant and didn't really say much, I knew something
was wrong, and finally removed him from my mailing list.
But one day, when I found his church's website, I visited their missionary listing to see if my name was still there.
And that's when I saw it. I had been replaced with a National Pastor who was serving in Tarlac, Philippines. I discovered
he had visited churches in the north to mid east, getting support from both conservative and progressive Independent Baptist
churches, but I was unable to find any website of his to look at his work.
While this missionary could be a very ethical and spiritual church planter, this was not the first time I had been dropped
without any explanation because an NP had captured the hearts of my former supporters. Some may even hint that Americans like
myself should be dropped, because the NPs can do the job better with far less funds. As a result, missionaries like myself,
who are still God-called and who sacrifice, are penalized for being Americans. I can't help that I was born in the US or
where God had called me. All I can do is try to fulfill His will with less support, and thank God that He counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry.
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Negative Reviews from Tourists!
There is always tension between the HAVE Americans and the HAVE NOT
Nationals. But articles like this, hurt my reputation as a missionary. In the Philippines, things are not always
what they seem, and perceptions are not always based on knowing the facts. An under-supported, hungry, and
doing things the hard way, National Pastor, quickly feels the unlevel playing field when the more supported and influential
American Missionary arrives, which in tturn can create jealousy, bitterness, resentment, and competitions for support. If
you are a US Pastor, please don't think all American missionaries are like this, and as a missionary, let us be more
sensitive to this unlevel playing field our support can create.
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“I am about to make myself one of the most
unpopular men in America. My 'sin' will be to tell the truth. I just returned from a missions survey trip [where] I spent
about three weeks looking at the ongoing works in Metro-Manila, as well as out in some of the provinces.. WHILE AT A PASTORS
LUNCH-ON, I MADE THE MISTAKE OF ASKING.. ABOUT. AMERICAN MISSIONARIES.. A HUSH FILLED THE ROOM… the Filipino pastors
looked at one another, looked down, and did not answer me. The host pastor, trying to be very gracious to his American guest,
stepped into the void and said “Only time and eternity will tell.” I asked the host pastor to give me an
honest assessment of the Americans he knew..and he hesitated again, and then asked if I really wanted an answer. I replied
that I did. He cleared his throat and told me that American Missionaries fall into six categories” (Here are just
two of the six mentioned) “The Vacationary can be identified by the camera around his neck, and the tour ticket stubs
sticking out of his pocket. He is having such a great time touring the beautiful country he has little time for church planting
and soul winning. However to salve his con-science he makes a point to give every tour bus driver a copy of the tract God’s
Simple Plan of salvation. Of course all of this money for his travel comes from his faithful supporters back home. The
Mission-Hari (hari means “king” in Tagalog) comes to the field, and rents or buys a big house, hires cooks,
and maids for his wife, and a gardener and sometimes even a driver for himself, goes out to some small indigenous works..
has his picture taken in front of the church.. with his arms around the local pastors, gives the pastors $50 a month ..and
sends the pictures back to the States telling the supporting churches what a great job he is doing working with the local
people and being a help to them..”
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Fatherly Opposition
Their Website
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Received from another Missionary via e-mail...We ask your special prayers for three of our young people in the Church, Charity,
Joy, and Kim Moncada. These three sisters have been faithful Church members for over a year now, but their parents are now
forbidding them from coming to Church. These parents have been a problem in the past, but now they are getting even worse.
When I went to visit them recently the father opened the door and immediately started screaming and slammed the door in my
face. I couldn't get him to converse or explain what the real problem is so please just pray that the Spirit would work in
his heart. This man drinks and is reportedly involved in drugs also. This has been a heart-breaking situation as these three
have been extremely faithful to the Lord and Charity has even expressed the desire to become a missionary when she grows up.
We also have a youth named Jeriz who really wants to continue coming and has expressed the desire to follow the Lord in baptism,
but her mother is standing in her way and causing problems in their family so that Jeriz won't be able to attend anymore.
Please pray that the Lord will work these problems out and give great victories and bring these parents to salvation also.
These kinds of problems with our young people have been constant here and we need your assistance from your knees!
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Furlough and Divisions among the Brethren
To be straight forward with you, I decided several years ago to quit supporting BBFI missionaries other than the one we have
supported for many years and whom I know personally. Knowing the direction of the BBF over the last decade, I will not support
the fellowship nor their missionaries. I have some good friends that remain in support of the BBF and I remain their friend
but do not support them financially.I hope you understand.
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He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (Jn.1:11)
While I appreciate his being honest with me, I see a problem. In 1980-83, when I attended a BBFI college, I was challenged
by godly men in their chapel, to "stick by the stuff" to "shuck the corn" and "shake the tree."
The Word of God was the KJV and the mission field was white unto harvest. And when I was approved by the BBFI, just about
everyone I knew was KJV, conservative and unwavering. So I took what I was taught and went to the Philippines where God enabled
me to church plant, start a seminary, and launch out many ministries. But now that I have been faithful for three terms,
I am rejected by my own.
Like Rip van Winkle, I have returned to a time that I don't understand. The conservatives do not want me because I am
BBFI, and the BBFI does not want me because I am conservative. Yet, it was the BBFI who trained me to be conservative. Now
I don't fit in. Where do I go? How do I raise additional support? The progressives don't like me and the conservatives
don't trust me! But all I did was remain faithful. So why am I being punished? I was away in the Philippines when all these
changes took place and wasn't there when the lines were drawn. I thought I was being faithful. Now I learn I am an outcast.
If you are a conservative Baptist pastor, please give me a chance and don't just label all BBFI Missionaries as having
no standards, no convictions or being worldly. Many of us older missionaries have remained unchanged since we were first
approved many years ago. To ask us to change agencies at this point in our lives is almost suicide for us. And if you are
a progressive, please don't shut your door to me either. As a missionary, local church autonomy is deeply ingrained in us.
This means we understand the Baptist Distinctive of letting your congregation govern themselves under your shepherding as
their Pastor. We are missionaries, not Camp Evangelists.
Please click on the links above and get to know me before you judge me. Thanks, Missionary Mike Mislan.
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Now that I had trusted you with this
stuff,
please don't become my enemy!
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