Dependency: When Good Intentions Aren't Enough
Western missionaries, though well-intentioned, often unwittingly create unhealthy situations in local churches when faced with the desperate needs in other countries. Their ready access to cash and resources often promise to deliver their brothers and sisters from perceived and expressed hardships. Unfortunately, in the long run, such practices create circumstances where indigenous churches and ministries become dependent upon outside funding to survive. This paper examines the issue of dependency from both a biblical and missiological perspective and suggests way that missions and foreign missionaries can avoid creating unhealthy dependency. (60 KB)