When I’ve asked Christian leaders, What is your priority, growth or quality? They invariably answer, We seek to do both. We don’t see them as mutually exclusive. But if we look with our eyes and hear with our ears, as Jesus exhorts us to do, we know them by their fruits. Reality is growth comes first, then quality.
In your mind, consider several different mission organizations that you are familiar with. Each organization has departments that provide oversight for; member care, mobilization, I.T., field leadership, and short-term missions. Now, if you’re from one of these organizations—I’m not going to pick on any one agency although I’m tempted to—which of these organizations has the best member care? Which agency has the best mobilization? Can you name an organization that is absolutely the best mobilizer out of all the scores of mission organizations that do mobilization?
Who’s the best? You don’t know, do you? I can go down the list—40+ services we’ve identified that most major mission organizations offer their people. In all but a few areas, nobody knows which mission organization/agency offers the best service in each area.
And if a mission agency’s service in any one area is not the best, how does that agency justify offering in Jesus’s name, anything that is not the very best? If one mission agency is providing a service that is better than another mission agency shouldn’t we be outsourcing our mediocre service to the one who provides excellent service? From a Biblical perspective of being “good stewards” and being “fruitful and productive”, each mission organization should focus on doing what God has assigned them to do and doing that better than anybody else. Then they should outsource other services they need to those who specialize in those areas.
This thinking leads to 2 questions;
1) Why is each mission agency providing so many services at average quality, when we could come alongside and work together focusing on utilizing one another’s God given strengths? In other words, Why don’t mission agencies outsource to one another those services they are not strong in?
2) How do we determine which mission organizations services are the best, when currently there is no way to compare one agency’s services with another?
For example. BAM/B4T is a relatively new service which more and more organizations are adding to their list of services. Yet why start a BAM/B4T department when there are already a couple of groups specializing in that?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these questions.
Why not? Relationship. The core strength of a one-stop-shop agency is the relationship you build with them through receivIng all of the services from one place. Most people pick the agency that fits them best, knowing that they have to make compromises. If I used a purely outsourced approach, I'd have to compromise that relationship that I get from a single agency. As more orgs offer quality ala carte services, more overseas workers will see this as the best way to go.
Thoughtful post and I agree with the thinking and the logic. But there is always a sense in every organisation that no one else really knows “us” or has the same vision or same bonding. History often decides how change (such as outsourcing) will occur. So often the older mission groups find it most difficult to change or to even consider it. Outsourcing frightens Missions and none profit organisations – there is a sense that they are about people and outsourcing is not. There are potential changes taking place in Member Care – slight outsourcing and more sharing than ever before. But missions are not like businesses – if you don't read the necessary changes in business you go out of business; often quickly. Missions can hang in there for a long time gradually becoming less and less relevant whilst still being funded. Specifically in the area of BAM B4T, I do not think most missions are prepared or can offer the right services and often are using people from other traditional mission sectors to service B4T BUT should be considering outsourcing from the start.
Brad, if you outsource your services you will get better service, but you can still retain the relationships you speak of here by being part of a network of like-minded people. In B4T that can be done through the OPEN network.
Hi Brad, that's one perspective, but if you are active in a network like OPEN, you and your kids will find the same level of relationships, but with people more centered on what the Master has you doing.
Right on Bill!