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March 28, 2021
I’ve highlighted the impact of my recently finished book called “Journeying Together: Ministry Support Development in Collectivist Communities” in past newsletters. Since then, it’s impact has gone well beyond me, and that’s what I’d like to highlight this month. For example, I was recently listening to a cultural diversity talk on my phone and was surprised to hear quotes from the book. I knew the listeners in the room were coaches from different agencies and churches that onboard missionaries. i.e., the book is strategically being used in the training of those who coach missionaries who don’t fit in the “white evangelical” mold. That’s great news!
 The book represents a major breakthrough in eliminating a “colorblindness” that’s plagued the onboarding and support-raising process for decades. Ten years ago when I attended such conferences (see picture), the attendees were mostly older and white, representing many who faithfully served on the field. While I was delighted by their sage presence and learned much from their holistic, pastoral ways of coaching I also felt disturbed by the lack of cultural diversity among the attendees, the talks, and their tools. Most were not familiar with the unique thresholds many minorities faced and even resistant to new resources that acknowledged such thresholds. Fast forward to today; coaches now have access to training and my book published by Cru in their toolbox to help onboard missionaries of color with unprecedented effectiveness.
This book is aligning Kingdom Rice to other leaders who are similarly innovating to bring greater equity to missionaries around the world. For example, I woke up one morning to receive an email from John Denbok, entrepreneur and executive director of Serving in Mission (SIM - a ministry that oversees thousands of missionaries in Canada):
“Let me start off by saying you’ve done an excellent job with your MPD (Ministry Partner Development) book. I really enjoyed reading it. It has affirmed many of my key findings. I have reviewed all of the support raising “how to” books out there and yours is the first/only book that addresses cultural issues.”
My book is helping John innovate a pilot project among his staff that can revolutionize onboarding. And just today, I received an email from Wycliff Bible Translators inquiring about how their staff can better engage with the book. That same email named other organizations unbeknownst to me engaging with my book. Originally written for missionaries on the field or onboarding, I’m joyed to know the book is landing in the lap of innovative leaders who are helping eliminate the “colorblindness” the onboarding process has carried for so long.
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