The visits to wealthy Manila brought to mind some attitudes to consider, especially when it comes to a gospel for the well-off. The efforts of individuals and organizations in the Philippines also made me think about the impact we can have on this world if we just partner. I came across a blog item about how our everyday work matters to missions. The key points are:
- “Everyone can be involved in more than going or sending.”
- “Your faith is more than hot air.”
- “You can model the power of the gospel to people around you.”
The blogger encouraged readers to think of their involvement in missions as more than becoming a missionary or supporting missionaries. It means treating every day in their lives as a day on mission. The three points seem basic, but they are foundational and reflect a framework I have come to conclude is virtually universal. It’s the servanthood framework.
Servanthood has three elements: agency, duty, and accountability.
- Agency: A servant represents (is an agent) his or her master, not himself or herself.
- Duty: The servant takes on his or her master’s priorities, not his or her own. This means servants must also develop a level of competence to discharge that duty.
- Accountability: The servant must account to his or her master about the results of his or her activities.
The blogger’s three points correspond to the servanthood framework this way:
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Servanthood
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Blogger
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Comment
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Agency
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“Everyone can be involved in more than going or sending.”
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Changing one’s perspective about missions recasts missions as alignment with God’s will in all things.
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Duty
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“Your faith is more than hot air.”
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Thinking of missions as more than a specific profession leads to the realization that faith becomes the priority in all areas.
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Accountability
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“You can model the power of the gospel to people around you.”
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Rethinking missions underscores the importance of demonstrating faith with action. Action is what God requires.
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Those three elements could also apply to the workplace and show the workplace is a mission field. For example, the basic functions of managers correspond to the elements of servanthood, creating an opportunity to turn management into a servanthood opportunity and a way to turn the workplace into a mission field:
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Servanthood
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Blogger
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Management functions
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Agency
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“Everyone can be involved in more than going or sending.”
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Alignment. Managers align plans with business objectives.
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Duty
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“Your faith is more than hot air.”
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Integration. Managers make priorities real by integrating the different business functions under the business priorities and objectives.
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Accountability
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“You can model the power of the gospel to people around you.”
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Management. Managers ensure accountability to the business owners by doing things to turn plans into action.
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