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.

Introduction to AVM (Alliance for Vulnerable Mission) Conferences, 2009

The Alliance for Vulnerable Mission (formed 2007) seeks to promote Christian mission to non-Western people using a Biblical model of ‘vulnerability’, more precisely defined as – using the language of the people being reached, and not using foreign funds to support one’s key project or ministry. This is a reaction to many problems caused on the mission field by the use of foreign languages and a lot of mission funds in furthering projects. It is also a ‘normalisation’ of the foreign field – encouraging foreign mission by the West to occur on the same basis as it does ‘at home’ where church ministry (almost?) invariably occurs in local languages and building on locally available resources.

A series of conferences have been arranged to be held in the USA and Europe in 2009 to further these aims. The conferences are open to anyone interested in pursuing or better understanding ‘vulnerable mission’, while oriented especially to the mission specialists of churches, Bible colleges, mission agencies and so on. The conferences have been arranged on a regional basis to make it as easy as possible for people to attend. Costs and details of the conferences are give below:

Dates of Vulnerable Mission Conferences, and Locations
Tuesday 13th January Oklahoma, USA. Oklahoma details
Friday 16th January Colorado Springs, USA. Colorado Springs details
Tuesday 20th January Boise, Idaho, USA. Boise details
Friday 23rd January Seattle, Washington, USA. Seattle details
Tuesday 27th January Indianapolis, USA. Indianapolis details
Friday 30th January Lancaster, PA, USA. Lancaster details
Friday 13th February Andover, UK. Andover details
Wed. 18th Feb., Schorndorf, Stuttgart, Germany. Stuttgart details
Tuesday 10th March, Peak District, UK. Cliff College details

Those wishing to contribute papers to these conferences please contact Dr. Jim Harries (jim@vulnerablemission.com) with details of your proposal. Please bear in mind the aims above. There can be a wide range of content to the papers, providing the above two guidelines are incorporated. The focus must not be on how Western missionaries should use funds, but on how to minister without them. Linguistically it should be on the advantages gained in the use of the non-Western language found at the location of ministry. (This does not mean that the missionary sending organisation concerned must function according to the above conditions. Missionaries may be supported using outside funds, and mission organisations can operate in English or other Western languages, but what the Alliance seeks to promote is that the key ministry engaged in should be dependent on the local economy and language.)

The rationale for the advocating of these policies is given in many papers collected especially at the following two locations:

- contributions by various authors

- articles by Jim Harries, chairman to 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), Bibelseminar Königsfeld, 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. Tim Lewis (William Carey International University), Dr. Stan Nussbaum, (Global Mapping International), Jay Gary, (Regent University) and Dr. Jim Harries (Chair, Missionary in Western Kenya). This is supported by an Advisory Board that includes: Rev. Hans Schultheiss, (Bibelseminar Königsfeld), Rev. Dr. Steve Skuce, (Cliff College), Glenn Schwartz (World Mission Associates), and Steve Knight (Serving in Mission).

Those planning to attend the conferences are encouraged to peruse the above websites. Those with time to read only one article, please look at this short provocative piece: Vulnerable Mission

Conferences will include presentation of papers, responses to papers, and much time allowed for discussion. Delegates are encouraged to come a day early and stay on for an extra day by making arrangements with the local conference coordinators who are as follows:

Conference Locations, Coordinators and Email addresses.

USA

Oklahoma: Rev. Woodrow Walton
- woodrow.oklahoma@vulnerablemission.com

Colorado Springs: Rich Lotterhos
- rich.colorado@vulnerablemission.com

Boise, Idaho. Rev. Don Armstrong
- don.boise@vulnerablemission.com

Seattle, Washington: Matt Collins
- matt.seattle@vulnerablemission.com

Indianapolis, Indiana. Tim Broyles
- tim.indianapolis@vulnerablemission.com

Lancaster, PA. Carol Stigelman
- carol.lancaster@vulnerablemission.com

UK
Andover, John Butt
- john.andover@vulnerablemission.com

Germany
Stuttgart, Hans Schultheiss
- hans.schorndorf@vulnerablemission.com

UK
Calver, Rev. Dr. Steve Skuce
- steve.cliffcollege@vulnerablemission.com

The programme we are proposing for the conferences is given below. Speakers are still to be appointed. As mentioned above, we hope there will be a strong emphasis on discussion. Depending on the people who register, we will also have less formal discussions on the days before and after the main conference event.

Vulnerable Mission Conferences Programme:

8.30 to 9.00am Welcome.
9.00am to 9.30am Worship.
9.30am to 9.45am Introductions.
9.45am to 11.15am First session.
11.15am to 11.45am Break.
11.45am to 1.15pm Second session.
1.15pm to 2.30pm Lunch.
2.30pm to 4.00pm. Third Session.
4.00pm to 4.15pm Break.
4.15pm to 5.00pm. Concluding Discussions.
5.00pm Departure.

Amongst the discussions to be held before and after the main conference, will be ‘the way forward’ for the Alliance. This will depend very much on just who becomes available. There are many options. Perhaps to organise a more academic conference. Or to publish a book arising out of the 2009 conferences. Or to set up a wiki (website that enables different people to contribute to a discussion). The options are very wide – so there is probably no point in my adding more here at this point.

Logistical details, including cost, will vary from one location to another. Please contact the conference coordinator concerned for information on this, and/or consult the appropriate blog that contains information pertaining to the conference that you hope to attend. Registration for many of the conferences can be done over the internet. For the others (in the UK) please contact the coordinator concerned for registration details.

Here is a copy of a letter to be used to send people details of the conferences: Letter to Interested Parties

Conference Outline-Details.

USA

Tuesday 13^th January 2009 Oklahoma. Grace Assembly of God, 1041 So. Highway 54, P.O. Box 1629,Weatherford, OK 73096 (contact: Woodrow Walton at: woodrow.oklahoma@vulnerablemission.com) tel.(580) 938-2694 More information: Oklahoma details

Friday 16^th January 2009 Colorado Springs, Colorado. Penrose House, 1661 Mesa Avenue, Colorado Springs (contact Rich Lotterhos at: rich.colorado@vulnerablemission.com) More information: Colorado Springs details

Tuesday 20^th January 2009 Boise, Idaho. Church of God, 3755 S. Cloverdale Rd., Boise, Idaho 83709 (contact: Don Armstrong at: don.boise@vulnerablemission.com) tel. 208-362-1700 More information: Boise details

Friday 23^rd January 2009 Seattle, Washington. Overlake Christian Church. 9900 Willows Rd NE, Redmond WA 98052 (contact Matt Collins at matt.seattle@vulnerablemission.com) More information: Seattle details

Tuesday 27^th January 2009 Indianapolis, Indiana. Church at the Crossing Youth Center, 9111 Haverstick Road, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 (contact: Tim Broyles at: tim.indianapolis@vulnerablemission.com) tel. 317 844-9355 ext 23 More information: Indianapolis details

Friday 30^th January 2009 Lancaster, PA. World Mission Resource Center, 600C Eden Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 (contact Carol Stigelman at: carol.lancaster@vulnerablemission.com) tel. 717-299-1427 More information: Lancaster details

UK

Friday 13^th February 2009. Host: Andover, Hampshire. Andover Baptist Church, Charlton Rd, Andover. Venue: 31-35 Bridge Street, Andover. SP10 1BE (contact John Butt at: john.andover@vulnerablemission.com) 01264 351645 More information: Andover details

Germany

18th February 2009 Freizeitheim Aichenbach, Christian-Friedrich-Werner-Strasse 57, 73614 Schorndorf, (contact Hans Schultheiss at: hans.schorndorf@vulnerablemission.com) Tel. 0049 7725 93840. Contact the above address for details of accommodation before or after the conference day. More information: Stuttgart details

UK

Tuesday 10^th March 2009 Cliff College, Peak District. Cliff College, Calver, Hope Valley, S32 3XG UK (contact: steve.cliffcollege@vulnerablemission.com) tel. +44(0)1246 584215. Accommodation is available in the college to those who want to book in both before and after the conference. More information: Cliff College details

Jim Harries

Chairman of the Board: Alliance for Vulnerable Mission

See the articles below for insights into ‘Vulnerable Mission’

Race, Language and Traps in African Development

Intercultural Dialogue

Difficult Questions of Giving - A Response

Frontier Missions and Pragmatics

The Effectiveness of Short Term Missionaries to Africa

Language in education, mission and development in Africa: Appeals for local tongues and local contexts

The Immorality of Aid to the Third World

Is there a cure for Dependency among Mission-Established Churches?

A new book on mission ‘dependency’ available over the web

‘The Name of God in Africa’ and related contemporary theological, development and linguistic concerns

You mean What?!

Seen in a Different Light

My Experience

Vulnerability Inherent in Bible Translation

Fringe Practice?

Poverty and Mission (See listing and click on ‘Poverty and Mission’)

Comments

Board Members

Dr. Stan Nussbaum. Board Member. Staff missiologist for Global Mapping International

Glenn Schwartz. Advisor to the Board. Director. World Mission Associates

Jay Gary. Board member. Peakfutures consulting, Regent University.

Steve Knight. Advisor to the Board. Communications Coordinator, SIM international office

Hans Schultheiss. Advisor to the Board. Lecturer in Missions, Germany

Rev Dr Stephen Skuce. Advisor to the Board. An Irish Methodist minister and former mission partner
in Sri Lanka, currently teaches missiology at Cliff College, Derbyshire, England.