This is an article from the September-October 2012 issue: Simple Churches

The Dependency Syndrome

Prevention and Early Detection

The Dependency Syndrome

Those following medical reports these days are aware that several themes keep recurring. One is the importance of prevention of serious illness. Another theme is early detection. Of course, the third is radical surgery to correct that which has gone too far. Both prevention and early detection improve the health of a population. When done appropriately, those two can help to avoid radical surgery. No doubt about it.

I frequently get e‑mails from missionaries or church planters who are struggling with a full‑blown case of dependency which was neither prevented nor detected early. Recently a vivid example appeared in my inbox.

A congregation in the southern part of the United States decided to begin a separate service for people in the community who do not speak English as their first language. They are to be commended for wanting to see the gospel presented in the heart language of the people. Unfortunately they were not familiar with what it takes to avoid dependency in a newly planted church. Neither were they very good at early detection when the symptoms began to appear. Now they have a full-blown dependency problem.

In their desire to be helpful, they paid with outside funds the pastor who was assigned to preach for the new congregation. Unfortunately this gave the wrong impression from the beginning. The pastor was perceived as “owned” by the people who paid him. The people in the newly planted congregation were glad to let someone else pay their pastor.

Second, out of their compassion, the people planting the church gave the new congregation free use of a building. Later on, another congregation in the area, without obligation, gave them a church building they no longer needed. The new congregation was enjoying a free pastor and a free building. Now the people who planted the church are wondering why the new congregation feels no responsibility for their pastor or building.

By the time things got this far, the people planting the church were wondering what they should do. Obviously it was too late for prevention or early detection. This would take radical measures—perhaps major surgery. Simple bandages would not be much help.

It does not mean that the situation is irreversible. However, someone will need to think and pray seriously about how to resolve the dependency mentality which developed. The following are a few suggestions.

First, the well‑meaning church planters need to recognize that they gave the impression that a new congregation doesn’t need to contribute to the cost of running its own church. However compassionate they were, they gave new believers in a new congregation the impression that church is free.

Second, their biggest challenge might be with the pastor they “hired” to lead the new congregation. Neither he nor they realized that being a “paid professional” sent a powerful message to the new congregation. He might have become a tentmaker or at least been a bi‑vocational pastor in the early days of this church planting. This would have sent a healthy message to the new congregation: “I am one of you; I also work for a living. Let’s build this new congregation together. You are as important as I am.” Who will help him to become aware of the damage that has already been done? Not only that, who is bold enough to recognize the dependency mentality and suggest that something must be done? 

Third, the congregation itself will need to be reprogrammed in their thinking about how churches develop. They were given the impression from the beginning that they were too poor to pay their pastor or to contribute toward their own church building. Being given the impression that new believers are too poor to give something back to God is a common symptom of the dependency syndrome. There are many examples—some in Scripture—where new believers gave to God out of their poverty, recognizing that in the Christian faith, giving is a greater blessing than receiving. In 2 Corinthians 8, for example, the Macedonians gave out of their extreme poverty and severe trial.

Fourth, getting out of this dilemma will take serious effort on the part of all who are involved: the well-meaning church planters, the subsidized pastor and the new congregation. Everyone will need to take a serious took at the meaning of the gospel. But most of all, they will need to abandon the idea that supporting the church they attend is not the responsibility of outsiders.

What does this salvation cost? We are fond of saying in our preaching that salvation is free. In one sense this is absolutely right. But the real cost of our salvation is that for the rest of our lives as believers, we will be asked to turn over to the God of heaven everything we previously considered our own. 

Whenever people are given any other impression about the cost of becoming a believer, the seeds of the dependency syndrome might just be sown. And before long, it is too late for prevention or early detection. We might as well get an appointment with the surgeon.  

Comments

Hello am blessed to visit this site ,
AM serving the lord here in kenya planting churches has been my passion
Hope we can get   resources e.g Bibles and other materials thanks hope to hear from you
Vision is to reach people in villages , towns, cities and nations with the word

                    PRAISE THE LORD

              —————————————————-
INTRODUCTION : IAM BONIGALA SUNDARA KUMAR, IAM WORKING AS A PASTOR SINCE 15 YEARS. I COMPLETED MY POST GRAUADATION . BY THE GODS INSPIRATION IAM GIVING MY SERVICE TO GOD

TESTIMONY ——-  I WAS A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE IN HEALTH DEPARMENT . I WORKED IN TRAIBAL AREA . THERE PEOPLE ARE IGNORANCE AND SUPER STITIONS.IN THAT TIME GOD TALKED WITH ME HE BLESSED ME THEN I DECIDED I WILL BE A GOD SERVANT.I REGINED MY JOB. NOW IAM TRULEY DOING GOD WORK . HE IS WITH ME ALWAYS HE WILL SHOW WAY TO WALK..

MY ACTIVITIES :IN MY COUNTRY MANY OF THE PEOPLE ARE HINDUS , AND VERY POOR PEOPLE. SO IAM CHANGING THEM BY JESUS GOSPEL AND ALSO GIVING HELP TO WIDOWS , ORPHANS AND POOR PEOPLE.

2) SPECIALLY IAM CONDUCTING MEETING WITH WOMENS AND MAKING
THEM INTO SALVATION WITH GODS GRACE.

3) AND ALSO CONDUCTING GODS GOSPEL MEETINGS IN THAT (SALVATION) MAINLY WE ARE PREACHING ABOUT SALVATION, GODS LOVE, COMMANDMENTS ETC..

4)AND ALSO WE ARE DISTRIBUTING BLANKTES , SAREES, BOOKS, MEDICINE, CLOTHS,RICE,MONEY, TO WIDOWS , ORPHANS, OLD PEOPLE,
AND POOR PEOPLE.

5) TO GIVE SHELTER TO WIDOWS , ORPHANS, AND POOR PEOPLES WE ARE SEARCHING HOME TO THAT WE NEED YOUR HELP.I WILL SEND ALL DETAILS
          TITLE :    R U D E F

PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION : RUDEF IS A REGISTERED NON PROFIT MAKING , VOLUNTARY   NON GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION WORKING IN THE RURAL AND SEMI URBAN AREAS OF VILLAGES OF 10,000 IN INDIA OUR ORGANISATION WORKING IN THE PRIORITIES OF PROVIDING SHELTER AND FOOD WITH PEACEFUL.LIFE BY PRAYING TO GOD . AND HEALTH CARE , COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE RURAL AND SEMI URBAN ARES OF ANDHRAPRADESH STATE AND IN INDIA ALSO. AND ALSO PROJECT LIKE RUNNING , ORPHANAGE HOME, AWARENESS PROGRAMMES HAVE BEEN INTIATED AND BEING IMPLEMENTED SUCCESSFUL.

                                                  WE HAVE A TEAM OF DEDICATED GRSS ROOT VOLUNTEERS ,EXPERIENCE,  QUALIFIED, PSCHYCOLOGY COUNCELLORS , PASTORS,QUALIFIED DOCTORS AND PARAMEDICAL ON OUR PANNEL, HUS ENABLING US TO IMPLEMEN OUR PROGRAMME EFFECHIVELY WITH RESULT ORIENTATION.

                        OUR CONTACT PERSON THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY IS AVETERAH IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL WORK AND HAS RECIVED APPRECIATIONS FROM THE GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS ON SEVERAL OCCATIONS WHILE IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMMES, SHE WILL FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPER IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THIS PROJECT.

        TARGET AREA AND PEOPLE:
OUR TARGET TO VISIT MINIMUM 10,000 VILLAGES IN INDIA AND ALSO THROUGH OUT THE WORLD . THE RURAL POOR AND WORKERS AFTER BECOMING TOLD THEY CANNOT ABLE TO DO ANY WORK BECAUSE OF THAT MISERABLE. LIVING CONDITIONS.AND THEY WILL NOT GET ANY SUFFICIENT FOOD TO EAT AND TO DO THEIR WORKS ALSO. THEY FEEL DIFFICULTY TO BEAR THEIR LIFE AND THEY WILL AMY INVITE THE LIFE TO END.BUT THEY FEELVERY SAD TO THEIR OLD AGE AND TO ASK OTHERS HELP. WE ARE GIVING SHELTER TO THESE OLD PEOPLE AND BRINGING HAPPY IN THEIR LIFEBY PROVIDING SHELTER , FOOD AND FRIENDS. AND ALSO THEY TO GET PEACE BY PRAYING TO GOD AND LISTENING GODS GOSPEL
              HENCE OUR COMMITTEE AND MEMBERS PRAPASED MOTIVE AND PROVIDE SHELTER AND FOOD GIVING PEACE IN THEIR LIFE

                                  THANKING YOU SIR,



                                        YOURS BELOVED

                          PASTOR BONIGLA SUNDARA KUMAR

                RURAL&URBAN; DEVELOPMENT EVANGILISEM IN FELLOWSHIP

                                HNO——  1-12/3,  S.C COLONY

                                CHERUKUPALLI (POST&MANDAL;),

                                  GUNTUR (DT), PIN—-  522309
                                ANDHRAPRADESH(STATE)
                                  SOUTH INDIA
    PHONE NO——  00 91 9133567115,  00 91 9505858492
email   .  ————  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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