A GREAT CO-MISSION

Father-in-law/Son-in-law team Ted and Derek co-wrote this article about the recent visit to 121 Community Church of pastors from the Bethany/Revelation Church in Penza, Russia.  Like Ted and Derek, two of the pastors are father-in-law and son-in-law.

“When people start to do close relationship, try to understand the culture of those people. When you meet for the first time, you can’t really know. It is the same with people in church. Develop relationships. Build and plan together and set up goals. It is not a one time ministry. Ross and Rodney came and learned. When we attend life groups we notice that Rodney and Ross took from our experience. We come this time to learn.”

Pastor Gennady Kuznetsov related those words (and many others) through Sergey Zelenov in response to the question, “How may we from America really help when we come to Russia?”

The value of their answer surfaces the essence of cross-cultural engagement in co-mission. Our Russian friends have highlighted for us the servant attitude needed to establish healthy, long-term relationships. We learn from one another and we are committed to one another. Trust is developed and more fruit remains from our co-mission efforts. We do not try to change the culture. We cooperate with them to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage believers in discipleship.

Gennady and Sasha Semiuglov are pastoring Bethany/Revelation Church in Penza, Russia and taking one and one-half years to merge two smaller congregations into one. It was clear to both of us upon meeting them, that their mission is to glorify God individually, as a team, and as a family.

There are advantages to sharing ministry together as family. Derek is my (Ted) son-in-law and we are active at 121. Sasha is Gennady’s son-in-law. Derek commented on sharing ministry as family, “I feel I know and can trust what he (Ted) is going to do. There is just a natural feeling to finishing the music portion of the worship and handing the mic over to my father-in-law to deliver God’s Word. Someone I have known for nearly 15 years… shared birthdays, Christmases, guitars, football games, births, deaths, laughter and tears. You already know each others' hearts, and that makes a bond for co-mission like few others.” Family ministering together is a privilege that glorifies God.

Another aspect is that of honor. Body language often needs no translation. When speaking of family and working together in ministry, Pastors Gennady and Sasha would talk freely and smile. It is the same with Derek and Ted. True ministry is not about pretense. Authentic ministry is transparent. And transparency is high risk. But when family participates together in ministry, respect for the gifts God has given the other family member(s) is deepened. Like team members, we each have different roles, but we have the same goal and are of the same mind. Honoring one another strengthens long-term, healthy relationships and transcends generational boundaries. This honors God.

Pastor Gennady states that Russians have really only had two periods of total religious freedom (1918-1928 and 1991-1998) since 1905. The Soviet time “can be compared to the Old Testament Babylonian captivity”. Russia only recognizes four religions: The Russian Orthodox Church, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism.

Evangelicals are sparse and have been severely persecuted. In counting the churches in Penza that identify themselves as Christian, our Russian friends could only think of 16. Penza is in a city of 550,000 souls.

What did we learn from our time with our Russian friends? One is the value of Community. Without some type of small group concept there would be no visible expression of Biblical Christian faith in countries where the church has been persecuted. But in all of these countries the church thrives in small groups and we are all connected thought Christ. Immediately upon meeting Gennady, Sasha, and Sergey you felt like you had known them for years, like they were old friends. Language differences may have been an inconvenience, but we are of the same mind and purpose in Christ. “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” (Philippians 1:27, NASB).

We learned the value of cooperation in ministry. It really is co-mission. We do not know their culture; they do not know ours. We in America are often pragmatists. But what ‘works’ here may not work there. We cooperate together accomplishing more and seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise to Jesus through Isaiah: “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6b, ESV).

We must steward the resources God has given us. We in America are deeply tied to our collective guilt as a nation of “haves”. This is especially true when we are confronted with the stark realities of life in cultures very distant and different from ours. We may not know why things are often as they are, but we can know that God has placed us here and given us vast resources. Our call is not to imitate “them”, but to steward what God has given us for His Kingdom and His glory.

Could part of your stewardship as a family be to find a co-mission project either here or in another country and participate together as family? Give that some thought and prayer. God may have an abundant surprise in store for you.

(phonetic translation)
Praw pa MOY em oo, paw zheets pe ta MOO khrees TAWS ee paw skan CHAAT sa pe ta MOO vee EE gree vats

Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

::Ted Elmore and Derek Tomlinson

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