Organizations, businesses, education institutions, and
churches all have priorities and focus, a drive towards true success and
happiness for all involved. The question is where and how is that focus
primarily channeled and is it meeting the overall needs of everyone. Nik Ripken
in his book, Insanity of Obedience,
provides a triangular model explaining the effects of proper and improper focus
on three elements, the concerns of the worker, concerns of the sending
organization, and the needs of the people being served. These observations come
from he and his wife, Ruth, journeys in over 72 countries listening to
persecuted Christians and experiencing firsthand the work of outside
organizations within communities of differing needs.
Again, I
take the learnings of Nik and relate them to the everyday work of individuals
and organizations as they go out into the community near and far to not only
share the Good News but to be serving hands, feet, and minds. The base of the
triangle contains the “foundation for carrying out the mission strategy,”[1] and
the point represents the primary focus of the mission. The vertices represent
the three elements that constitute the work of the mission: the workers
(employees, volunteers, missionaries, etc.), the organization (business,
education institution, church, non-profit, etc.), and the people (community
members, residents, customers, etc.).
What are
the priorities of the organization and the worker and with whom does the
primary focus and goals lie? Is the primary focus on the people, the workers,
or the organization? The obvious answer would be with the people as the
priority is supporting them and their needs but is that how things work in
today’s society. Nik in chapter 6 provides three models of primary focus on
each of the elements: the worker, the organization, and the people. Terminology
modified to align with the broader discussion over missionary orientation.
Model #1: Focus on the Worker
The worker
represents the volunteer, the missionary, the employee, the individual who directly
engages with the people often through the efforts of a sending organization.
The sending may be across the room, across the street, or around the world
nonetheless the impacts of the primary focus being on the worker is the same.
The focus on the worker creates an inward focus on their needs and relates to
psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Nik states, “Adapting his
[Maslow’s] basic theory, security, housing, transportation, the cost of living,
schooling for workers’ children, and matters such as those are the most
important considerations in this first model.”[2] This
leads to conversations amongst the workers and their organization
administration to be consumed on worker’s needs sidelining the needs of the
people, minimizing cross-cultural communications, and suspending getting to
know the people. The people thus see a necessity for a well-developed support
system and that it is “all about me and mine”[3]
instead of the culture of the people and their needs.
Model #2: Focus on the Organization
The focus is on
the workers providing organization who “provide resources, gather information,
and train workers for effective service.”[4] These
are all important but when these priorities become the primary focus the main
purpose the people being served is often loss. Service becomes focused on
numbers, policies, and procedures which flow from the top stagnating the
knowledge and experience obtained by the worker on the ground. A disconnect
occurs between the needs of the people and the wants of the organization. Those
in the field must now navigate an almost impossible situation fulfilling the
wants of the organization while trying to focus on the true needs of the
people, which do not always fit into the organizations top driven model. The
danger lies in that the wants of the sending organization take priority over
the core purpose for going out and serving the needs of the people. Again as
discussed in previous posts, the people become mere objects of the process with
no perceived value or worth.
This for me is a
common concern for the worker and the people in today’s society and one that
reverberated with me heavily. The pressure to fill numbers to increase dollar
signs overwhelms organizations and businesses that they lose focus on their
core purpose. I spent two weeks out in the field for an organization where I
could not answer the deep question of how this organization provided anything
different and more than similar organizations and opportunities. This was not
any organization but one that impacted my life and which I stood beside and
supported with time, talent, and treasure for over fifteen years. I wanted to
get to the root of this answer and provide resources and opportunities that
would make the experience unique, but at the same time, there was pressure from
the organization to establish a set number of new entities across the country
and drive up membership. One concern for me was that we added new entities year
after year but appeared to be losing active participation just as quickly. The
reason being the entities survived and thrived only while an invested worker
was on the ground. Once that invested worker left, the organization struggled
to thrive because the people’s invested interest and understanding of what made
this opportunity better than another did not exist or was not well articulated
for the mass.
Model #3: Needs of the People
Obviously, the
primary focus should be on the people but it gets loss as the priorities shift
away from the people to the needs of the worker and the organization. When
focused on the people, there is an outward focus and understanding of how the
needs fit into the community’s culture, traditions, and way of life. Nik shares
how “words like ‘networking,’ ‘prayer,’ ‘fasting,’ ‘worldviews,’ ‘advocacy,’
‘strategy,’ ‘persecution,’ and ‘sacrifice’ are the common language of
gatherings that reflect this model.”[5] These
words help us develop programs and processes that address the needs of the
people versus words of economic and personal focus that fit into an
administrative model failing to support and engage the people.
This takes us back
to the previous two posts on going across the street and around the world. The
best worker from the West was one that needed the people who they were engaged
with, and it is not always about leading but most often being a servant first.
When the focus lies on the people, the support and engagement brings so much
more promise and love. When they feel appreciated and empowered to be part of
the larger mission and organization, the organization and the individuals will
inherently thrive and survive. Numbers today do not mean continued numbers
tomorrow. Hearts and personal investment today mean continued investment and
numbers for tomorrow.
I challenge
you to look at how you go out into the world leading and serving. What is the
primary focus at the top of your triangle: the people, the worker, or the
organization? Unsure, here are a few questions to help guide you:[6]
-
What are the core topics of conversation when I
meet with fellow workers, organization administration, and the people?
-
“Based on budgets, time, and resources, what
does our [organization, company, institution, or church] care most about? Who
do I care about?”
-
How many conversations do we have about
understanding the people: their culture, traditions, and way of life? “How many
spiritual conversations do we have each week?”
-
“How is success ultimately measured?”
They may be simple and personal questions but they reveal a
lot about our focus. I suggest revisiting these questions periodically during
meetings and conversations to keep you accountable on the primary focus of the
people.
[1] Ripken,
N. (2014). The insanity of obedience: Walking with Jesus in tough places. Nashville,
TN: B&H Publishing Group, 60
[2] Ripken,
N., 61
[3] Ripken,
N., 62
[4] Ripken,
N., 62
[5] Ripken,
N., 65
[6] Ripken,
N., 66
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