Is the EMC Creating Dependency in Nicaragua?
Why do we continue to send money to Nicaragua when we haven’t had missionaries serving there since the early 1990s? Aren’t they self-sustaining yet? Couldn’t we use our funds for other ministries that are more valuable? Doesn’t this cause them to be dependent on us?
These and other questions are ones I have heard, or thought of myself, as I’ve begun my new role as Director of Global Outreach. And to be honest, I enjoy asking these types of questions because the world is changing; our approach as churches, and as a conference, needs to respond to these changes with humility, Spirit-led discernment, and godly stewardship of all our resources.
These questions were in mind when I, together with Board of Missions member Gord Utz (Portage Evangelical Church), travelled to Nicaragua January 10–18, 2024. Would we see tangible evidence of our funds being well-spent? Would the need for ongoing support be clear to us? And what about their spiritual maturity … are they poor in this area as well?
Gerald Reimer meets Rosa Fonseca at the Morazan Church in Managua.
The short answer is yes; we saw and heard much that told us they sincerely appreciate and deeply value our financial support. Many, if not most, of the pastors serving in the 50-plus churches and outreaches receive modest, if any, financial support from their churches or the conference. Those who are in desperate need also receive food hampers from the National Council four times a year, which EMC sends money for them to purchase.
Only a few of the pastors, never mind their parishioners, have personal vehicles. And if they do, more times than not they are small 125cc motorcycles. They all ride public transportation, especially for the majority who live and serve in rural areas.
And none of this speaks to the reality that every few years this beautiful country is hit by another natural disaster, be it hurricane, flood, drought, insects, or whatever else can happen in a mountainous country that borders both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Our financial support to Nicaragua could be seen as quite modest by our standards, but for them, it truly goes a long way. To put it into perspective, on average, $1,000 of what every EMC church sends to us each year is all that goes to Nicaragua to subsidize their ministries.
Is the Nicaraguan church dependent upon us? Would they survive without our funds? Yes, they could survive, but no, they would not be able to do nearly as much ministry. The pastors would need to cut their time for doing ministry to be able to buy more food, and likely few, if any, of them would be able to carry on with their theological training to be equipped to do ministry.
I believe our funds are being well spent. I believe we are being good stewards with what God has given us. And if we heard one comment more than any other on our trip, it was a deep appreciation for the missionaries we sent through the years and the funds that help them do their work. Praise the Lord!
