Someone from [foreign country name here] is Asking Me for Help. What Do I Do?

It’s a common tale. Someone from a country in Asia/Latin America/Africa connects with you via email or Facebook and tells you about the work they are doing. All they need are books, a little money for rent, help with theological education, etc.. Many will tell you about how they are Reformed/Presbyterian and how there are so few Reformed/Presbyterian churches in their country and they want to start (or have started) a Reformed Presbyterian church to fill that need.

The story is very compelling. Sometimes it is very legitimate. Usually there are at least kernels of reality laced within the yarn. Almost always there are missing bits of important information that they have neglected to tell you.

Q: So, what should I do?

A: Contact RP Global Missions.

There have been two recent situations in which an individual or several in an RPCNA congregation received such communications. In one case they contacted RPGM right away; in another the conversation had gone on awhile before we were contacted.

The important point is they contacted us before taking action and responding to the appeals.

In both cases there were localized bodies of Reformed and Presbyterian people on the ground who knew these individuals and were appealing for them to either submit to discipline or come under care. In both cases the individuals were not presently submitting.

Giving—even the smallest gift—in these situations likely would have caused more harm than good.

Q: How did RP Global Missions know all of this?

Have you ever played the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”? Here’s how you play: One person picks a random actor/actress and the other people have to try to find a connection between that actor/actress and Kevin Bacon using the least number of degrees of separation between them. One might say that the missions world is to the global church what Kevin Bacon is to the entertainment industry. All it takes is one trusted contact in a region and a bit of inquiry and detective work from there and the connections can typically be made.

RPGM is connected to a group of NAPARC and ICRC mission executives and, simply by the nature of the work we do, we also know many people serving abroad in wide variety of locations. Using our pre-existing networks, there usually aren’t too many degrees of separation between the person who has contacted you and those in our network.

Q: But aren’t you busy with lots of other more important things?

Many times, people feel like they are bothering us with these types of inquiries, so they delay contacting us until it starts getting more serious. While it is true that we already have lots of work to do, these situations are important to us. Even if we are not working in said region, your involvement with them affects us and the RPCNA as a whole. It can damage or put a strain on relationships. It can cause others to come to us and ask why we are doing one thing in one place but won’t do the same elsewhere. But most importantly, it affects the message of the gospel.

Would you lend support to those who have gone astray, have ill-conceived plans, are not in good standing with the localized church body, or are not submitting to the counsel of the elders here in the U.S.? For the same reason, you must do all you can to be wise with whom you lend support to elsewhere in the world. And we are here to help you with that and see that as very important work that is worth our time and effort.

In short, we would love for you to have connections with people in the global church. So, don’t be afraid to strike up a culturally-sensitive conversation with a brother or sister from another country. But differences in culture, values, and motivators can complicate things very quickly. It’s easy for things to go in a wrong direction when you are missing important pieces of information about those with whom you are engaging. If they start asking for things or even wanting a closer relationship with you and/or the larger Reformed Presbyterian community, we are here to work with you as you navigate your relationship with them and the needs and desires they are expressing.