Alliance for Vulnerable Mission
March 6th, 2008See AVM Bulletins; produced every month
EVENTS 2013:
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Introduction to AVM (Alliance for Vulnerable Mission)
The AVM (Alliance for Vulnerable Mission) seeks to encourage wider use of mission and development strategies that depend on locally available resources and local languages.
These strategies are “vulnerable” in the sense that they do not have fringe benefits built into them, deliberately or otherwise. They will therefore fail unless or until there is strong local confidence in their spiritual or developmental value. The missionary or development worker will allow them to fail rather than prop them up with outside money.
“Vulnerable mission” may be seen as part of the movement toward contextualization of the Gospel of Jesus, which we regard as the theory of many and the practice of few. We would like to see more people take the risks of contextualization and vulnerability in order to reap the rewards that only come to those who value local resources and invest in local languages.
If local tools seem slow or weak by comparison with foreign money and English (Spanish etc. – European language), then we say with a wise missionary of long ago, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10) While vulnerable mission may not be the only biblical approach to mission, it deserves much more attention than it has been getting. Let’s talk.
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… that there should be some missionaries from the West whose ministries are conducted in the language of the people being reached, without use of outside financial subsidy.
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Contact: jim@vulnerablemission.org
To participate in a list-serve discussion of vulnerable mission issues by email click here (if this link does not work for you, write to jim@vulnerablemission.org): PEARL
To receive the monthly AVM bulletin, send an email to: jim@vulnerablemission.org For back copies of the Bulletin go to http://www.jim-mission.org.uk/avm-bulletins/index.html
For a video presentation of vulnerable mission click here
A series of conferences were arranged to be held in the USA and Europe in 2012 to further these aims. The conferences have now been completed. The rationale for the advocating of these policies is given in many papers collected especially at the following two locations:
Articles by Jim Harries, chairman of the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission
Some of the above articles are already published in Journals including: Missiology: an international review, Exchange: Journal of Missiological and Ecumenical Research, Evangelical Review of Theology and Lausanne World Pulse. More articles are sought for publishing on the web and/or presenting at the conferences. In brief, vulnerable mission is a means of over-coming widespread problems in mission (and development activities) in the two-thirds world, such as the creation of unhealthy dependency, neo-colonialism, the prosperity gospel, mission as secularisation, corruption and chronic under-development. These issues are avoided because by confining themselves to the use of local languages and resources missionaries ensure that their activities are appropriately contextualised.
The use of local languages in ministry combined with ‘missionary poverty’ (the two key principles of AVM) enforces humility and operation on a ‘level playing field’ with local people. Once these two conditions have been given as foundation, then ‘Vulnerable Mission’ can be extremely wide in its expression and can certainly include: provision of care for the sick, faith healing, theological and other education, church planting, literacy, water projects and so on.
AVM already has partners in many churches, missions and schools including SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics), SIM (Serving in Mission), Church of God (Anderson), WEA (World Evangelical Alliance), WCIU (William Carey International University), WMA (World Mission Associates), GMI (Global Mapping International), TWR, and many more. More partnerships and affiliations are sought. Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches, groups and individuals are welcomed. The AVM is led by a small executive board made up of Dr. Stan Nussbaum, (Global Mapping International), Chris Flanders, (Abilene Christian University) and Dr. Jim Harries (Chair, Missionary in Western Kenya). This is supported by an Advisory Board that includes: Alex Araujo (Partners International) and others (see below). Readers are encouraged to peruse the above websites.
For a few discussions already engaged in and recorded by Jim Harries with people over vulnerable mission see: Discussions
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Board Members
Jim Harries, Chairman of AVM, missionary in East Africa
Dr. Stan Nussbaum. Executive board member. Staff missiologist for Global Mapping International.
Dr. Chris Flanders. Assistant Professor of Missions in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Also Director of the Halbert Institute for Missions at ACU (www.acu.edu/missions). Former missionary to Thailand for 11 years. Executive Board Member.
Dr. Jay Gary. Advisory board
Member. Peakfutures consulting,
and lecturer at Regent University
Advisory board member
Director for National Mission
Movements for Partners
International, consultant
for cross-cultural mission
partnerships
Timothy V Reeves, member of the advisory board, is also a member of Norwich Central Baptist Church one of Jim Harries’ supporting fellowships in England. When Tim saw Harries’ formula: Meaning = Text + Context, he knew he had to get involved; this was different.
Stan Chu Ilo is a catholic priest and assistant professor of religion and education at St Michael’s College, Toronto School of Theology, in the University of Toronto. (Details http://www.vulnerablemission.org/stan-chu-ilo/ )
Jean Johnson, member
of the advisory board,
serves as an international
consultant with World
Mission Associates
helping bring awareness and
change to unhealthy
dependency as a result
of global mission efforts.
Jean spent 16 years as a
missionary in Cambodia.