"Whither goest"...IMB

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph Patrick...aka Gerry Milligan

Considering ALL that has gone on and ALL that has been written about The Village Church, one thing continues to bother me...The Village Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist church with "several" of its members working abroad with SIM. The Village Church threatened to withdraw support for the SIM missionaries from their church. My question is WHY SIM and NOT the IMB?

[William Thornton]

Under what arrangement are TVC people with IMB? Traditional IMB appointment or some hybrid arrangement where IMB provides certain support services to TVC teams which are TVC controlled? If the former, IMB is powerful enough to make its own decisions and not feel threatened by any loss of TVC funds. If the latter, TVC can cut ties as the wish.

I'm not sure what you are getting at here and you may need to spell it out to me.

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph
Patrick...aka Gerry Milligan

William, sorry if I was too esoteric (which often happens when I know what I want to say but my fingers do not always comply). I was just wondering why TVC being aligned with SBC chose another mission agency for their congregants rather than the IMB. And, is this now the new sending pattern for missionaries, bypassing the more traditional routes for another.

That being said, I have little knowledge of SIM as to how "cutting edge" they are in their approach to missions (Some sending agencies seem to point with pride at the number of their missionaries have been arrested or kicked out of as country for evangelism).

[Dave Roberts]

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph Patrick...aka Gerry Milligan

Dave, I am aware that many SBC churches go outside the denomination's sending agency. We met many of them in our time with the IMB. When Charles Stanley's church and Adrian Rodger's church were sending their own missionaries it was said that the IMB was too moderate. Now, that is no longer being said, so we are back to my original question of why?

[Haruo]

Maybe the IMB isn't sufficiently domineering and sicko for their taste. Seriously, Mrs. H and I found the account of this church's behavior just flat out sickening.

On the other hand, I haven't seen where TVC was cutting funds to SIM missionaries, aside from this one couple that had left the mission field after the husband's misbehavior with children came to a limited degree of light. But then the story Dave linked is the only one I've read in its entirety on the subject. And I saw they were going to keep funding her till August, despite her having left not only the mission field but the church; as long as those funds come without strings, that would be the one bit of commendable behavior I might be able to see in TVC's actions.

[William Thornton]

I'd guess that reasons include, (1) church personnel that failed IMB appointment process/requirement, (2) easier and quicker route to a chosen field.

TVC is large enough to have the resources to "partner" directly with imb. Why sim was the preferred route I haven't heard.

It was difficult at times but I always resisted independent mission organizations in my churches.

[Tim Bonney]

[William Thornton]

BTW, I like your happy looking new photo with the white hair, teeth, and beard nicely matching in descenting order and also the blue garb. Makes it look like you enjoy what you're doing.

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]

Many of the mega churches in the SBC aren't on board with the IMB, either with financial support through the CP, or in providing them with personnel. The "we do our own thing" attitude that you find in most larger churches is prevalent in the SBC's bigger congregations as well. And many times, families and individuals choose other agencies for their mission service because the IMB has a pretty specific profile for candidates that they might not fit as well. At the last church I served in Houston, in addition to CP support for the IMB, we provided support for a pastor of an international Baptist church in Central America which was not under the IMB umbrella, in order for him to have a way to handle his taxes. And one of the young men who grew up in the church went to an international post with Campus Crusade, and our church collected individual contributions to help with part of what he had to raise to serve.

It sounds like the Village Church would have a problem cooperating in missions with the kind of support that goes through the CP, because they couldn't have control over the people who administered it or received it, and therefore, could not be "in covenant" with them. That appears to be their bottom line.