Another Year, Same Old Same Old

(I know it needs proofreading. Be patient.)

It is the end of the 2023 year and a war is raging here in Israel.  So many organizations are using this difficult time to raise funds for pet projects.  There is an outpouring of concern and goodwill towards this country, and the astute know this is an excellent time to make a financial profit.  Hey, everybody is doing it.

The Southern Baptists in Israel are no exception.  This time of year, and especially this year, people are in the giving mood and the IMB of the SBC will make a big push to see that they get a piece of the action💰.  So as in years past, we'll take a look at their current shameless pitch for missions funds.

(First of all, Why do this?  Well, by the date of this post you can see that I am not attempting to stop anyone from giving wherever they wish.  No, this is just for the sake of accountability and the historical record.  You know, to see if they actually do the things they claim they will do with the funds they raise.  Take a look back at the past years I've highlighted their fundraising efforts here.  Maybe ask someone if these things they said they would do actually happened.  I live here and haven't seen what they have described (and believe me I'm looking for it!).  It follows that if you ask for a buttload of money every year because of the utmost importance of the things which you claim need to happen, you can surely bet your life they have happened, right?)


First up is the Baptist Village funnel racket, or AKA the Black Hole of missions dollars.  Found here: https://www.imb.org/give/project/jewish-evangelism-and-discipleship/ 

The plea is for $225,832 THIS YEAR.  Go back and see how much this property wants to chew through each year, because never in its existence has it ever been able to come close to breaking even.  In fact, that has never been the goal.  You🫵 pay for it because leadership doesn't want the locals to bother.  They couldn't if they wanted to, which is why they have always depended on it being paid for by someone else.  WHICH IS FINE, but God forbid they tell you that up front.

Instead, in Lottie Moon's name they ask for money for (drumroll) "Jewish Evangelism and Discipleship" which will "provide discipleship and evangelism training camps for Jewish youth and adults".  I won't go into my same tired rant about why this is a joke being played on you, but see previous posts👇 if you want a detailed explanation.

To quote them: "Jewish people of all ages can receive evangelism training and discipleship in a camp setting through this project. Your gift will help elementary, middle, and high school students develop their leadership skills by teaching them to disciple those who are in younger grade levels. A discipleship and activity center will offer training in relational evangelism.

The camp also hosts leadership retreats to develop new evangelism initiatives and global networking with all workers and partners who minister to the Jewish community worldwide.

Your partnership with this ministry opportunity will build a solid base for the Jewish Cluster’s enhanced implementation of evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development among Jews globally. The Jewish Cluster is committed to see all Jewish peoples in a New Covenant relationship with the Messiah and begin serving as a light to the nations. Your gift will provide discipleship and evangelism training for Jewish youth and adults through training camps and retreats."

If by reading this you have the perception that there will be camps and conferences throughout the year specifically about how to reach the lost with the gospel, you have been duped as intended.

They explain that "Jewish people of all ages can receive evangelism training and discipleship..."  Did you catch that?  They "CAN" receive evangelism and discipleship training", not "They WILL receive...".  So there you go - even they know that it is crossing into full blown BS territory to say with certainty that evangelism and discipleship training will happen.

And I won't even go into what they might be meaning by "leadership retreats to develop new evangelism initiatives and global networking with all workers and partners who minister to the Jewish community worldwide."  Frame this weasel word salad which has been freshly pulled out of someone's backside.  

Down below you can click a "Field Update" from October 2, 2023 called "Growth Seen through Discipleship" (nice passive voice there), where you get this:
"Thank you so much for your generosity to this ministry and the Jewish people God calls us to reach. Your prayers and sacrificial giving help believers develop their leadership skills by teaching them to disciple those who are less mature in their faith. The discipleship and activity center you support offers training in relational evangelism and hosts leadership retreats to develop new evangelism initiatives and global networking with all workers and partners who minister to the Jewish community worldwide.

Growth seen through discipleship. God has blessed this ministry, and this year, your gifts helped the scope and impact of the gospel continue to expand. Youth ministry and discipleship have grown this past year from events with a maximum of 300 people to more than 550 people. Many view these events as a lifeline for spiritual growth as they strive to be “ambassadors for Christ” among people who have rejected the Messiah (2 Cor. 5:20).

Your generosity allowed us to conduct three three-month, live-in discipleship programs with 20 young adults each. These trainings have proven instrumental in disciplining young men and women and equipping them to disciple others when they return to their congregations.

This year, we have developed a survey app to help people begin spiritual conversations that lead to the gospel. This app has been effective in training new workers to share Christ in a Jewish context and volunteers to share when they return to their home churches.

Please join us in prayer.

Pray for boldness among Jewish believers.
Ask God to use the new app to help us share Christ with Jews in our neighborhoods.
We are so thankful for you, our partners, who make this project possible. Your sacrificial gifts and intercession are truly transforming lives as we partner together to solve the world’s greatest problem, lostness."

A few notes:

1. Anyone who claims to be in missions and does training in "relational evangelism", run the other way.  If a so called missionary wants to do relational evangelism, let them do it on their own dime.  You want to support those proactively and intentionally getting the gospel to the lost, then give to that actual missionary.  There are enough church sent people on paid vacations here and around the world.

2. The Baptist Village they want you to believe is now a "discipleship and activity center".  Of course.  Instead of giving money to things like helping the "scope and impact of the gospel ... expand" and some "survey app" (Baptist Village funds?), why not give directly to the ministries which are actually the ones doing these things described (don't tell me you think the Baptists themselves are doing these things)?  Give to Netivah - https://www.netivah.com/english-netivah - and/or to Lech Lecha who do the month long programs (Netivah people can help you there).  Why give it to the slippery middle man?

3. Back to the survey app.  The biggest obstacle we face getting the gospel to the lost is not the lack of programs, resources, or apps.  The biggest obstacle is the lack of spirit filled believers who actually will get out and share the gospel with the lost.  Baptist missionaries are not proactively doing it (with the rare exception of course).  You want to talk about a waste, start with Baptist personnel in Israel - on the whole, pretty useless when it comes to personally getting the gospel to the lost.

4. "Lostness."  Pure modern missionary talk.  "Lostness" is the state of man.  I would argue that the world's greatest problem is every believer who is not being obedient to carry out the Great Commission as Jesus commanded.  Don't listen to anyone who seriously uses the word "lostness".

I could go on but I'm done with that one.


The next initiative is for the Baptist albatross in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Prayer Center, which I've talked about in detail before below👇.  This year's appeal is found here: https://www.imb.org/give/project/international-prayer-center/
and titled "Strategic International Prayer Center", subtitled "Stirring up and strengthening prayer for the nations".

They are asking for $120,000 this year.  The base budget for the prayer center is pretty much completely donation based.  There are some itemized points for donations like:
$1,200 for paper and cleaning supplies(?) ($100/mo)
$26,000 for building and grounds maintenance(!) ($500/wk)
$12,000 for utilities ($1000/mo)
$2,000 for stone wall repair

(That's $41,200 right there)

These are pretty much continual, ongoing costs as long as the place is open and functioning.  Who knew prayer was so expensive?

The appeal is as follows: "DL Moody once said, “Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.” For decades, guests from around the world have visited this strategically located prayer center, each praying for God to move in some way. Many come to be still before the Lord in prayer; all leave hearing that, through Christ, they can have the access to God they so desire!

Inside the prayer center, visitors experience a peaceful interactive prayer space with Scripture verses and activities focused on praise, confession, and intercession. The gardens offer additional space, opportunity, and encouragement to pray for the nations. Upkeep and maintenance are required to ensure the safety and comfort of the thousands of guests who visit each year. Your gift will provide the resources necessary to keep this vibrant center open so that the great work of prayer can continue in this city. We invite you to support this eternity-changing work today!

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” -Oswald Chambers"

A few points:

1: While the DL Moody quote is true, I'm pretty sure he was more of an advocate of prayer in the back room of one's house, not a multi million dollar property which resembles more the corrupt established church factions of this part of the world.  Just spitballing there.

2. Should missionaries and mission organizations be in the business of providing physical institutions dedicated to the "experience" of prayer, which contradicts everything evangelicals (and Bible principles) stand for regarding praying and faith?

3. There is the concept that when you have invested millions and millions of dollars into certain projects, to stop and change direction is an admission that it all was for nothing and a waste.  And so you often see that in missions, often the scam HAS to keep going to justify all the money you've spent/wasted thus far.  You sort of need the Prayer Center (and Baptist Village and Tabernacle in park Timna) to keep the money coming and the ruse ongoing.  GOD FORBID there are simply missionaries out there getting the gospel to the lost without any of that.  

4. The "Field Update" below from "Monday, July 3, 2023" titled "Expectant Prayers Reap Extraordinary Results" (text below) gives a testimony about the results of prayer at the prayer center.  Praise the Lord that someone's prayer was answered, but you are being led to believe that the Prayer Center had something to do with God answering this person's prayers.  That is flat out nonsense.

5. Again, praise the Lord someone's prayers were heard.  The Prayer Center is not going to make a difference in the gospel getting to the lost in Israel.  No, PRAYER is going to make the difference.  A better idea would be to, instead of an expensive place for the random person/tourist to pray, why not just use that Prayer Center money to support a full time evangelist or two, and send the personnel currently assigned to the place back to the USA to spend their time going from church to church encouraging the millions of Baptists to be on their knees in prayer for this country (and the world)?  Just a thought.

In short, in case you can't figure it out on your own, it's all a racket people!




FIELD UPDATE for the Prayer Center
Thank you so much for your generous support of our team, the prayer center, and those who live in our city. Your gifts provide the resources necessary to keep this vibrant center open so that the great work of prayer can continue in this vital international city.

At the prayer center, we always tell people to pray with expectancy. It is a place where all are welcome to come and pray in a quiet room filled with different verses and prayer prompts designed to lead people to the feet of Jesus. Here is the testimony of a person whose life was transformed because of your generosity:

A young man about 21 years old came to the prayer center with his aunt, uncle, and grandmother. After nearly an hour in the room, the young man began to leave, but his aunt called him back inside. She took him around the corner where a basket of stones sits on the floor below a banner that reads, “ . . . and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ez. 36:26-27).

She told him, “Three years ago, I came to this prayer center and wrote your name on a stone. I held it high and pleaded with God to soften your heart and bring you to salvation.” The young man was stunned because he had been in a dark place three years prior, involved in a rough, ungodly lifestyle. But, all the while, his aunt continued praying for God to change his life. This prayer written on stone was a tangible answer from God.

He came running downstairs and took my hands. He looked at me and earnestly said, “You have to tell people those things upstairs you do as you pray. . . God hears those prayers.” He rejoiced, eyes bright, “I am a new creation like you’ve never seen a new creation before.”

The young man radically encountered God and shared how God changed him. He went on to tell of his decision to move to another Middle Eastern country to work as a Christian intern in a refugee camp.

Before coming to the prayer center, the young man’s aunt had never told him the story of the stone, but she brought him to the center before he left so she could pray for his upcoming, sharing the gospel in the same place she had prayed for his salvation. God hears and responds; He can melt a heart of stone.

Thank you so much for your kindness, generosity, and partnership! Your prayer and gifts are truly making a difference through this ministry!

Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

War is in the air and we're hunkered down waiting for things to lighten up.  Sounds like a good time to see what the ol' Southern Baptists are up to, yeah?  As with previous posts on this blog, when it comes to the International Mission Board taking advantage of a regional crisis to raise funds in a duplicitous way, rarely do they disappoint.  And November of 2023 proves that some things will never change.  These posts can almost write themselves.
 

Additionally, it is also happens to be the time of the year for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, when the IMB comes to churches like Eddie Haskell with cap in hand to take advantage of not only the SBC church members' natural generosity and goodwill, but also their ignorance and trust.  Sorry if this sounds like a harsh accusation, but my experience with that lot is the source of the disgust I feel when I see what depths they stoop to in order to rake in the huge amounts of cash they need to keep the racket going.  Same playbook, same results, same corruption.

I'm not going to go into each detail of nonsense on their fundraising plea, but just highlight one item which particularly makes me uncomfortable. 

I currently work with numerous organizations here in Israel doing outreaches, follow up, discipleship, and church planting.  We all have access through the Bible Society in Israel for all of the Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, etc Bibles that all of us ever need.  With the exception of English Bibles (which we rarely give out), the Bibles we use and distribute are available for free.  FREE.

Sure, sometimes we give a donation to the Bible Society for these Bibles because we have the resources to do so.  While we only give the Bibles to people we meet one on one and to those we feel won't immediately chunk it into the trash, we do give out quite a few on a regular basis.  We give occasionally because we are committed to this work of getting God's word into people's hands not just in word, but in deed, and we would pay for them out of our pockets (we have no ministry budget, but do everything out of pocket) because it is that crucial to what we do.

So that being said, there are two main problems with the IMB in Israel (via their accomplices at headquarters in Richmond, Va) asking for money for Bibles.  The first is what I have explained in previous posts from my time at the Baptist Village and with the IMB as career personnel, regarding the absolute waste of resources.  Let's just say that we never had a shortage of Bibles laying around in every facility.  Even if you count old boxes of Bibles stashed away and forgotten about until someone inadvertently discovers the moldy container before being sending it to the trash bin.  Happened more than once.  More often than not, we would pass on the Bibles to other organizations to distribute because, sadly enough, although IMB personnel would occasionally give out the odd Bible here or there, they are truly some of the last people in the country to actually give them out.  Their lack of urgency and action (coupled with the fake talk) is central to why I am no longer with the organization so I can do this very thing (see earlier posts below).

The second problem is that the IMB is asking for $10 for one (free) Bible, and $1000 for a "carton", that is, 100 (free) Bibles.  If you really want to donate money for Bibles for Israelis, you would be wise to donate directly to the Bible Society in Israel here:

https://biblesocietyinisrael.com/donate/

The glaring question is why in the world would you give money to the IMB to pay for Bibles when you can donate directly at the source??  When I see what they are asking, money wise, for free Bibles, it is staggering.  Makes you wonder why suddenly the Baptists in Israel are asking for $500,000(!!!) like Bibles are hard to come by in this time of "crisis".  Given their track record of being less than forthright and wasteful, why would anyone give a cent to them?  Are they trustworthy middle men .. ?

Something sounds extremely fishy.  I assume that if, say, $100,000 is raised for Bibles (not an unreasonable expectation proportionally to what's being requested), 10,000(!!) Bibles will be delivered to the Baptists.  Anyone who has ever been associated with the IMB in Israel knows immediately what a joke that would be.  And yet, this is exactly what the message is to lay folk in America - give money for truckloads of Bibles.  Trust them you rubes, they're the experts. 

Not sure who the bigger clowns are, the IMB for asking, or the clowns the IMB thinks you SBC church goers are for believing ?

I'm not saying that the IMB doesn't give out the odd Bible in Israel.  They do.  In fact, I've been in team and cluster meetings where people practically take a victory lap when they recount that someone took a Bible from them.  It does happen.

But the IMB predictably using a crisis to ask for big bucks to purchase Bibles in Israel?  Please...  

Do it and you're an absolute sucker.  You have been told.

The SBC's Jerusalem Prayer Center Needs Your Ca$h

Last year the IMB's fundraising push for the Southern Baptists in Israel was the Baptist Village.  This year it's the Jerusalem Prayer Center (JPC).  And like last year, you have to give the fundraising maestros credit for their, um, creativity - they really know how to ram those square pegs of modern mission's marketing razzle-dazzle into the round holes of truth and reality.  All for the coveted missions dollars from the naive, dear Southern Baptist lay-folks on whom they cynically target in SBC churches.

If one wants to be honest, this appeal for funds for something like the Jerusalem Prayer Center (and the BV last year) is all about institution building and legacy establishing - nothing more.  This is perfectly fine, except for at least two things.  First, obviously, is that there is no mention about any connection between how saying your prayers in the JPC (as opposed to, say, anywhere else on the planet) will concretely result in "Outreach & Evangelism",  the category it's listed under.  Second, is the minor detail of how this is all diametrically opposed to IMB core values of investing in "institutions".

As opposed to my screed from last year, I'll be brief about the ongoing culture of IMB's 'Deceptions for Dollars' racket in this particular appeal.

The FIRST problem is that the appeal is under the category of "evangelism", when in fact, the appeal makes no claim that any concrete evangelism is ever going to happen by anyone.  Read it:

https://www.imb.org/give/project/jerusalem-prayer-center/

Nothing is more crucial to the spread of the gospel than prayer. 

The Jerusalem Prayer Center is a powerhouse for prayer, affecting harvest fields across the world. As of 2019, visitors from at least 111 different lands have lifted prayers for their nations within the JPC walls. Included in that number are both Arabs and Jews from Israel, itself. In recent years young families have regularly visited the JPC to pray for the nations as a family unit. Your gift will fund the installation of family-friendly prayer spaces, including an outdoor Family Prayer Garden and an indoor family prayer room, called Samuel’s Space. Both areas are designed to provide tools that parents can use to deepen the prayer life of their family, and in turn, strengthen their own work of sharing Christ to the nations. The JPC staff will provide monthly prayer events geared to young families. Prayer-related activities give parents the ability to take abstract prayer concepts and make them concrete while strengthening fathers as the spiritual leaders of the family.

The Family Prayer Garden will house the seven species of indigenous plants that God promised in Deuteronomy 8:8: pomegranates, figs, grapes, olives, dates, barley, and wheat. Verses of Scripture in English, Arabic, and Hebrew are printed on large tiles inset into the garden wall. Stone benches and water features provide quiet spots where adults can enjoy time with the Lord.

Jerusalem is a multicultural city in Israel that is significant to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The Jerusalem Prayer Center borders the largest ultra-Orthodox Jewish area of the city; the northern wall of the property is shared with a Muslim boys’ school; the front of the property borders an Arab traditional Christian school; and to the south, an evangelical church. Prayer elements allow parents to teach children to pray for the Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-Christian neighbors.

Give today to help this global prayer center flourish in the heart of Jerusalem.

What it DOES say is:
👉 The JPC is a "powerhouse for prayer, affecting harvest fields across the world" (whatever in the world that means)
👉 Your giving will fund:
  ✔ "installation of prayer spaces" which provide "tools...to deepen the prayer life" which will "strengthen (the) work of sharing Christ to the nations" (again, whatever that means).
  ✔ "Monthly prayer events" and "prayer-related activities" to make "abstract prayer concepts ... concrete"
  ✔ "Strengthening fathers as the spiritual leaders of the family".

For the cool price of $116K - installation of spaces, 'prayer elements'(?), deepening stuff, and strengthening things.  Gobbledygook.  Sophisticated spiritual missions lingo that amounts to over a hundred thousand dollars of exactly nothing.  Just vague assurances that somehow, somewhere, some nebulous evangelism should occur some time in the future.  Maybe next month, next year.  Maybe in your own lifetime.  Or hundreds of years later.  Or not.  They don't even try to explain.  But go ahead, trust them.

Let's give them benefit of the doubt (after all, you just never know, right?) why the JPC categorized "Outreach & Evangelism" (when maybe it would be more accurate to be categorized under "Discipleship & Training, or even "Missionary Care" and/or "Ministry Access").  Maybe some obedient intern hit the wrong button when publishing the appeal and accidentally mis-categorized it.  ...

 But this is exactly what they did last year with the appeal for funds for the BV.  One might conclude that a pattern is emerging, like the premeditated intention to deceive?  (If you think that's harsh, see my last few posts on this same pattern of behavior endemic in the IMB in posts from 2020 below👇, ad nauseum.)

Let's hope that maybe the writer of the appeal just couldn't stretch the truth so far as to actually make the claim that the JPC has ANY REAL CONNECTION with outreach and evangelism.  After all, this appeal is meant to appeal to the emotions - Israel+prayer+evangelism = GIVE💸💸💸.  If so, at least they didn't wander completely off the plot and give up the gig.

The SECOND problem I'd like to point out is that funding the Jerusalem Prayer Center (and, for what it's worth, the Baptist Village) violates one of the IMB's own core values of investing in institutions.

 

I've heard IMB vice presidents dutifully recite, with the same conviction and seriousness as when saying the Lord's Prayer, that the IMB is no longer in the business of financially funding/supporting these things.  Except in Israel, where they know they can fleece the flock, in spite of IMB doctrine.

Again, all of this is perfectly fine if it weren't for the brazen hypocrisy of the IMB's against its own core values.  Oh yeah, and the whole integrity thing.  Buy hey, these people are in missions and approved by the infallible IMB, so they have a special dispensation that we mere mortals can't comprehend🧠.  Just TRUST them.

Don't get me wrong, looking through the IMB's website at their appeals for funds is always good for a giggle.  The sheer chutzpah and lack of integrity of some of the appeals is always a sight to behold.  I see things like this and it only reaffirms EXACTLY WHY I left the IMB in the first place.

 

They are all good and sweet people, for the most part, who have been given authority and budgets they have neither earned nor deserve.  And it's all absent of any real, meaningful accountability (the IMB holding itself accountable is not accountability).  And, sorry, the trustee system is a broken farce - if you could only hear the private conversations of IMB folk (which I have for years), it is a pathetic joke.  But that's another subject for another day.

Go ahead and give to these things, it's a free country and please don't take my word for any of this - what do I know?  It's just one person's biased opinion.  As long as you know what is going on and see through the rubbish, give to your heart's content.  But you will get exactly nothing from what you pay for....  if you're OK with that.

MY sad ADVENTURES WITH THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST TABERNACLE (IN PARK TIMNA ISRAEL)

 It's been 11+ years since my last post on this blog.  After leaving Ashkelon under intense rocket fire and moving my family to another city in central Israel, I had to deal with the after effects, all the while in a pretty dysfunctional environment, job-wise.  There was nothing I wanted to say anymore, so the blog died.

In the past couple of weeks I became inspired again, only this time I thought I'd write about the craziness lived through.  I have written and spoken about all of this in different contexts, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive, so why not put it all down in writing?

Far be it from me to make problems for anyone, which is why I am only putting this on my insignificant and obscure personal blog (nobody ready blogs anymore).  But I am a firm believer in accountability, ESPECIALLY when gia-normous amounts of offering and donation money are involved and, arguably raised on false pretenses and/or wasted.

This post a speck in the massive internet universe, but if anyone is seeking the truth, I sure hope they will find my perspective.

Nobody's perfect, I know I haven't been (and don't claim to be).  But the truth deserves to be known if there will ever be real accountability.  And if there is never real accountability, there will be compromises of integrity.

So don't take my word for it - make up your own mind.  Seek the truth and know it - and the truth will make you free.

 

THE TABERNACLE IN PARK TIMNA
Early in our time in Israel as career long-termers, I got roped into helping run the Tabernacle model tourist site in the south of the country.  As I stated in the post below, the position I was offered, and accepted, was "church planter", but since I was informed upon arrival that being a full time evangelist and church planter was not an option for International Mission Board missionaries in Israel🤷, now there is a manufactured dilemma: what exactly will I be doing?  I'm a team player so I didn't object.  Besides, if it contributes to people hearing the gospel as they say it does, I'm all for it.  It's what I came to do🤓.

WHAT IS THE TABERNACLE MODEL?
The Tabernacle project is a for-profit business platform which the IMB runs in the south of Israel.  It is a scale model reproduction of the biblical tabernacle as described and built in the wilderness in the book of Exodus.  Originally, a Bible college in Germany built it and used it for teaching purposes, and later the Baptists bought it and set it up in the desert at Timna national park near Eilat.  There are tour guides we hire who give guided tours showing visitors what everything is as it would have been way back then.  It is made of modern materials, but by appearances and size everything looks as it probably did when it was built.

If you haven't seen it, it is pretty amazing.  If you could ever say that Bible comes to life, seeing what the original tabernacle, altar, and the other elements looked like in the same desert it was built and used originally is spectacular.  It is not unusual for Christian tourists visiting to get so overwhelmed that they break down weeping.  Sometimes Israeli grade schools regularly bring their students to see and teach about the tabernacle when they are studying that passage in school.  No need to use your imagination when you're looking at it!

CASTING THE VISION
The real reason IMB missionaries were given the funding to purchase it was the vision that it would be a great tool for evangelism to Israelis here in the land.  It wasn't cheap to buy and have shipped here, but to help reach the lost in Israel it seemed like a no-brainer.  Nobody knows the future and there are risks in anything, but what happens when all doesn't go as planned.  What do you do?  What SHOULD you do?

SLOWING THE SINKING SHIP

Initially I was asked to only be the bookkeeper of the business.  The first day I got involved, the finances were a wreck.  The bookkeeping was behind nearly a year (if you're in leadership, that's a-OK), and employee morale was pretty bad .  In a word: neglect.  All the way around.  Over the next several years, I and another colleague did a LOT of work to get everything as ship shape as possible.  So Israelis could hear the gospel👍.  Right.

DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
On the financial side, the business was hemorrhaging money on a daily basis.  I dug into the finances to find where changes cold be made and, as things stood, in the very best scenario the status quo was sinking us.

My job was to run the operation, make recommendations, and leave the larger decisions to others.  Immersing myself trying to get the business financially viable, I will never forget a conversation I had with the Israeli accountant.

Exemption period from taxes was about to expire, so I asked about the prospect of paying taxes if we could get to the point of making a profit.  She literally laughed in my face in front of everyone in the office.  She said the truth is that we will NEVER make a profit, showing me how many hundreds of thousands of dollars the business had lost to date.  It was pretty embarrassing, but more than that it was revealing to see what people really thought of what we were doing.

She (and the firm) thought we were complete idiots, and I won't dispute that.  But on our defense, this is the price that must be paid in order to get the gospel to the lost - all kinds of costs and sacrifices inherently come with that territory.  And non believers won't understand that.  Anyway, that is what the IMB is all about: making worthy sacrifices for the sake of the gospel.  Right?

BELLS AND WHISTLES, SMOKE AND MIRRORS
You know those times in your life when something happens that you completely don't expect, and you come to the realization you are indeed a naive sucker?  Well, I remember one day when the entire Baptist team was summoned to the Baptist Village conference center because an IMB trustee from America was in country and wanted to hear from each of us what we were involved in, ministry wise.  A veteran colleague introduced the team working with the Tabernacle and presented its ministry: it reaches "around 17,000 visitors a year and about half of those Israelis, who hear the gospel from our tour guides."  

The part about the number of visitors was accurate, but the 50% Israeli visitors who hear the gospel?  Hoo-boy - that was not even in the ballpark.  Not cool to botch something like that to a trustee.  Right there I discreetly texted the lead employee what she thought was the accurate percentage of Israeli visitors.  She texted back and said 15%, maybe 20%.  Doh!

Nothing more was said to the trustee, it would have been extremely awkward so I just let it go.   In the next meeting of the Tabernacle leadership I brought up the fact that we are WAY off what we are report because it's wildly inaccurate.  Obviously, it is of utmost importance that we need be accurate as far as it is up to us.  

I didn't expect leadership wanted to hear the estimate was so far off, but I got arguing in return like I am the bad guy here?  I'm just the messenger, dude.  I wasn't there in the early years of the project, maybe things had changed.  I don't know.  But I do know it would be wrong of me to know the truth and say nothing.  So after some discussion we agreed to track all demographics or every visitor from that day forward.  And as most things go with the IMB, expectation was far worse than reality.

SURPRISE (you, sir, are a SUCKER)
As time went on, the realization that I was the naive sucker started to settle in.  Kickback from leadership was not anything related to disappointment or confusion about the numbers being so far off.  What came to light was that apparently I was expected to unquestionably toe the company line, and not rock the boat.  

Reporting big ministry numbers is proof that the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent is for good reason, and continuing to pump more money in every year is justified.  It is SOLELY because of what is reported that decisions are made where resources go - should money or personnel go to this part of the world, or is it needed more over there?  Good information is vital to justify one need being met while denying others.  Whatever the tabernacle project got, somewhere else a missionary didn't get something funded or the personnel it needed.  Think about that.

LET'S HAVE A ROUND OF KOOL AID! FOR EVERYONE!
It is one thing to give others the Kool Aid you're serving to drink, but when you have developed a taste for your own Kool Aid, apparently it must be pretty intoxicating?  Call me a bit naive and trusting when it comes to those supposedly more experienced and knowledgeable (and I naturally am), but these are missionaries we're dealing with here, the best of the best.  How wrong I was.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN
You may be wondering how a bunch of missionaries could get their evangelistic tool in an Israeli national park.  Israelis are good business people for sure, but when it comes to missionaries they know where to draw the hard line.  However, it is pretty easy to get beyond this barrier if you legally sign away in your contract with the management of the park, promising to never share the gospel with Israelis.  

Sounds harsh but the park management agreed that we will give what we call the "Jewish tour" to Jewish visitors, which strictly follows the book of Exodus and Old Testament.  No mention ever of Jesus or the New Testament.  But when it comes to Christian tourists, we can give the "Christian tour", which talks freely about the imagery of Jesus and the New Testament in the elements of the spiritual tabernacle we have in the Godhead.  If there aren't these different tours for Jews and Christians, they would NEVER let the tabernacle set foot in their park.

CAVEAT
It was made clear to the park that if Jewish visitors ask us or our workers about what we believe, we are free to tell them.  They didn't like this at all but there is freedom of speech in Israel, and it is not legal to restrict us from answering questions to us about our faith.  So if a Jewish visitor asks the guides questions about the Christian tour or why this is important to Christians, the guides are free to say what they want.  And this is how almost all of the Jewish evangelism occurs.  These gospel conversations are almost always limited to individual Jewish visitors or single families because it is too risky with large groups or buses of Jewish tourists, for obvious reasons.

(Personally, I always thought what a horrible testimony it is to the park management, how readily we surrendered our privilege and obligation to share our faith so we could have our business on their property.  But I guess sacrifices have to be made in order to raise your profile.)

THE HARD NUMBERS
15-20% of our visitors were Israeli was not at all good, but as we tracked demographics over time it became clear that it was much worse than we ever expected.  It turned out that around 86% of visitors were foreign tourists, and mostly all were Christian.  This was no surprise at all because the park was marketing and advertising us exclusively to foreign Christian tourists (because we are Christian) - there was NO mention of the tabernacle on their Hebrew website at all.  Israelis barely knew we were even there.  

And What made the numbers worse was that of those 14% Israeli visitors, more than half of those who came got the "Jewish tour" were large families or groups, which meant it was too risky to mention Jesus or the gospel at all.  So that put us in mid single digit territory of Israelis hearing the gospel - instead of 50%, we're much closer to 5%.  How could this be?

HOW COULD THIS BE?
Reviewing the findings, although the numbers were shockingly lower than hoped, it is what it is.  My take was "but praise the Lord that a couple of dozen Israelis a month were able to hear the gospel".  But that's not the point because it is not the narrative leadership wants.

SO SMART
Now we get to the mind bending rubbish we became familiar with as IMB missionaries, which gets back to the IMB's alternate universe culture of twisting the meaning of normal words and concepts in the post below.  It was decided ex nihilo that Jewish visitors who got the Jewish tour, never hearing anything about "Jesus", "messiah", or "New Testament" (drum roll...) they would be counted as hearing the gospel!?!  I nearly flipped out when I heard that.

Sorry, but no one on this planet with a brain could say in any stretch of the imagination that our presentation of Jewish tour for Israelis could claim they "heard the gospel".  Especially Baptist missionaries who supposedly know better.  I guess that you can be this audacious when you are sure that you will never be questioned or come under scrutiny for these things.

After all, who in their right mind would think to ask a missionary that if they said they shared the gospel to Israelis, that they of course mentioned something about Jesus as messiah, or anything regarding the New Testament?  To a missionary, it is actually a pretty insulting question if you think about it.

I asked several times how this could possibly be done and, apparently, this is the way we do things.  I, for one, flat out refused to do anything of the sort.  I said I was going to report the number "as is", full stop.  This put me on leadership's 'bad list', because I defied them in playing their word games.  And since my of disagreement with them on these matters, I was expected to keep my mouth shut.  But I had no problem being open about the truth - this is not a mind-controlling cult we're in (I assumed).

WILLFUL IGNORANCE?
Should I assume that everyone is in on the ruse?  Even the squish I worked with saw the advantage of being a 'yes man' toadie, so I was odd man out.  And with the mentality of these characters I worked with and under, apparently what is "true" and "right" can be altered by rank and consensus.

But hey, I was like, if this is what we're supposed to be doing, then let's all talk about it freely and openly.  I always say that if you believe something, don't be afraid to shout it from the rooftops.  Or if someone else shouts it from the rooftops for you.  (Who knows, maybe the 'consensus' might not agree with you?😅😉)

SLAVE TO MESSIAH, OR TO "THINGS"?
I originally came to Israel out of obedience to God's calling on my life.  From my experience in the 1990s at the Baptist Village, I determined I would never be like most (not all) of the career folk I witnessed who did practically nothing and shared the gospel even less.  It was like they were on a paid vacation living in Israel - how else could a non Jew live for years in Israel, and get paid to do it?

Instead, I was prepared to be very uncomfortable for the advancement of the gospel.  But what was happening, while was I was giving the best years of my life, the very best of my time and energy, was it's all for an illusion based on falsehoods.  I'm not saying it was lies, don't get me wrong, but every aspect of it was being fudged, misrepresented, and/or devoid of integrity.  

THE SAID AND THE UNSAID
To be clear: I do not fault anyone for pursuing the idea of purchasing the tabernacle as a tool for evangelism.  It's a great idea and maybe worth all that money to take that chance.  Leaders get to make those decisions and are (well, SHOULD be) held accountable for them.

And I am not saying that funds were misused.  That is, assuming you don't count rank incompetence, which I guess you can't really blame someone if they just don't have any sense to begin with (although, where is the accountability for accidental, habitual waste?).  I never witnessed any intentional misuse of funds.  Unintentional is another story.

What I AM saying is that whenever the realization came that ministry expectations were not being met and numbers were no where anyone's best hopes, "things" were done to ensure the money keeps coming.  Call it exaggerating, embellishing, obscuring, overemphasizing, or whatever - it's deception.  And generating funds (HUGE amounts over MANY years) on knowingly false pretenses is disqualifying.  In my humble opinion.

THE SEAT OF RESPONSIBILITY
Where does the responsibility reside?  It doesn't reside in one person, it lies all the way up and down the line.  There is the lowly nobody do-boy (me) who carries out the work to keep things going.  There is the boss who sets the direction and communicates to superiors what happens.  There is the greater leadership team overseas who gives the decisions for approving funding (or not) for what ultimately happens on the ground across the region and world.  

And there are the people in the churches who give the money which funds everything, which is the lifeblood of the existence of the organization.  There is the loop of communication and feedback which is the accountability which everyone in some way participates.  That's ideal.  That's not how it plays out.

I saw some questionable things and spoke up along the proper chain of command.  I saw daily with my own eyes and heard with my ears how my immediate superiors responded to those issues, so they can't claim ignorance - they knew.  Their supervisors, who have a duty to know what they are responsible for, were silent and nothing changed.  I respect the structure so I did what is appropriate, putting in confidence that the system will ultimately work.

I always gave the higher ups benefit of the doubt that they knew what they have responsibility for.  They they have eyes and ears, they can find out whatever they want to know, whenever they want to know it.  Did they simply take the word of leaders below them and say "Okey dokey, sound all right to me"?  Or did they know and were also in on the ruse?  And the greater leadership back in the States also had to know, because who in those positions takes the reports without questioning?  And the laypeople who keep giving literal millions of their hard earned money to keep the game going.  If you trust your messenger without checking out the basics yourself - you too are the sucker.

IT'S NOT THE ONE THING, BUT THE DISMAL TIDE
Ultimately, I resigned not for one thing, because who among us is remotely close to perfect?  Not I.  Instead, what I have described is not the exception, but it's descriptive of the culture within the organization.  I was never sure if wider leadership ever knew what was going on, or worse, I was not sure that they themselves even wanted anything other than receiving good reports.  Who wants to deal with and fix big problems?  It might interfere with keeping the grist flowing for the machine.

AM I EXAGGERATING?
I can only speak to what I saw myself.  Let's face it, being a missionary carries with it the expectation that every now and then you have to do some missionary-ish sort of things.  You know, to keep up appearances.

One year our supervisor came to us and said that being in the city we lived in, we had to do something to show that we were "reaching our community for the gospel".  Mind you, we were rebuffed on other evangelism ideas we wanted to do, which were deemed too simplistic and doomed to failure  Instead, our supervisor with close to 30+years experience in Israel called a meeting with the other IMB couple in town to plan out the strategy.  I had another idea, but it was shot down without discussion.  Fine, who am I to quibble - at least we will finally be doing something!

His plan was as follows, and I quote: "This year you choose a tract with a certain Jewish holiday theme and put our contact info in it (an anonymous email address)  Just before that that holiday we will put the tracts in mailboxes on a predetermined street in town.  Next year you will do a block of houses.  The next year you'll do a neighborhood.  And then different neighborhoods i the following years after that.  And I will call tell "X" (our in country leader) that it was a success, and he will be happy." 🤣🤔😭 I kid you not.

So we together with the other couple got the small handful of tracts in some mailboxes.  Unsurprisingly, zero response.  But, evangemalsim = check☑️!  Your hard earned missions dollar$ at work😅.

Again, not just one thing but the entire charade, as a whole, was just a sick joke.  I didn't hang around long enough to know what has happened since, and at this point I've moved on to bigger and better things.  If this bursts you bubble about some missionaries, so sorry🤷

THE FOREST OR THE TREES?
These examples of the tabernacle, evangelism, Baptist Village, and children's camps (post below) are individual trees in the larger forest - but they ARE what makes the forest.  It's not at all about burning down the forest because of a few rotten trees.  But rot is contagious and should be rooted out.  And continuing to pipeline massive amounts of money to anyone without proper oversight and accountability (as exists in certain places) is putting the junkie in charge of the medicine cabinet.  The rot only grows.

IT'S NO LONGER MISSIONS
This isn't missions, this is big business.  Put a dollar figure to it all - the salaries, all of the expenses involved for personnel, all of the administrative personnel to support all of these people and properties, all of the taxes, lawyers, accountants, not forgetting materials and supplies for the hired workers to repair and maintain the assets - add it all up for each year and you will blown away at what is spent for the IMB to operate in Israel.  It's big business.  And with the rare exceptions it is all for the believers in the land.  Don't believe me?

The tabernacle is a supposed evangelistic tool of the IMB here, but I've already gone over that farce in the post below.  Everything at the BV (Netivah, Lech Lecha, camps, conferences) is for believers.  The "sports ministry" only stays in use by Israelis because it is understood by both Baptists and Israelis that to talk about Jesus there, the patrons will boycott the place.  

And don't tell me the missionaries don't know their place in all of this - just take a survey of actual sharing the gospel (not the fake Orwellian word games-type 'spiritual conversation' pretend evangelism) they engage in regularly.  And this definitely doesn't include the shameful and scandalous credit-taking that IMB missionaries are encouraged to report which makes them look like they are deeply involved in outreach projects of others I mentioned previously (another subject I'll probably go into soon).

THE GOSPEL, OR MAMMON?
But to take a step back for a different perspective and ask a different question.  Forget the money element all together and imagine that both the BV and the tabernacle are financially neutral (receiving no financial subsidy/offering money).

The question is this: What would happen if we took all of the missionaries involved in these platforms and properties and turned them loose to simply share the gospel with the lost?  Would we begin to see this country transform as a result of the faith that only comes by hearing?  We can only wonder.

So, for the sake of argument, let's say that no money is lost running the tabernacle.  The question is: why not keep using it to share the gospel?  Instead of that, how about this: take all of the people involved in the business (workers, managers, etc) and have them do regular, intentional evangelism (like, say, a missionary?).

To give a little perspective, there are days here in which we reach more Israelis with the gospel than were reached in an entire year from the tours at the tabernacle in Park Timna.  And I would argue that we are able to reach them far, far more effectively.  

The issue is if we are willing to rid ourselves of those "things" which, instead of helping get the gospel out, in the end only weigh us down (Hb 12:1-2).

THE BOTTOM LINE
Basically, the SBC sends dozens of personnel and millions of dollars to build up the Body of Christ in Israel.  A good thing to do, but it isn't missions.  And it sure doesn't take into account the lost who have never heard the gospel preached to them by a believer.

Big money corrupts missions, it corrupts the missionaries, it corrupts the local pastors, and it does harm to the indigenous church.  But hey, everybody is doing it, right?  So it must be OK.  And you, the donors, are happy and keep feeding them the cash so nothing will change.  Grist for the machine (or more accurately, it's GRIFT).

THE CHOICES WE MAKE
Ultimately we made our choices for a combination of reasons, and looking retrospectively it was an easy decision.  Either we could keep sacrificing the best years of our lives, our strength, and some degree our integrity to keep those missions dollars flowing to man's "things" which blessed and build up the body of Messiah in Israel.  Or we could make sure as many lost souls will hear the gospel preached from a believer as we can with the little time we have on this earth.  It couldn't be "both/and" (believe me we tried), sadly it had to be "either/or".

We made our choices.  If you support missions, be sure you make the best choices based on the best information you can get.  Never throw money to an organization, they will squander it.  Give to those missionaries who do the work of the Great Commission with no excuses.  Otherwise you are part of the problem too.

1 Cor 3:9-15
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Lottie Moon's Grift in Israel (or, Using The Haredim for Baptist Village Funding...)

(I haven't touched this blog in over 11 years.  No one will probably see this but I'm a believer that, in spite of unfortunate things which have/continue to occur, good can come of it all ultimately.  At any rate, as embarrassing as these stories are, they deserve to be told.)

A TRIP DOWN [shudder] MEMORY LANE

Since we left the International Mission Board several years ago I had not been to the IMB website. The holiday season is traditionally the big fundraising time of the year for Southern Baptists missions, and sitting in quarantine recovering from Covid, I'm bored out of my mind.  I figured I'd take a looksie at what the big push is this year, usually pretty good for an eye-roll or two if my memory served me correct. (For the uninformed, the annual Lottie Moon Christmas offering in SBC churches determines everything regarding what can and can't be done in the years to come, so it is really the biggest deal within the IMB.)

While currently serving in Israel with another organization, I was interested what there is to say about what IMB folk are doing here.  Over the past 5 years I rarely, if EVER, see them or hear about what they are doing.  Or IF they are doing anything of real substance, for that matter (hey, I was one of them for years, so it's a legitimate question). I navigated to the "Give" area to find the ministry needs here in the Holy Land. Scrolling down, you come across an article with a large picture of an orthodox Jewish man titled "Jewish Evangelism and Discipleship".

Honestly, I was not expecting that. This gives the impression that maybe, just maybe, my former colleagues have finally gotten their act together and have decided to reach the lost with the gospel? (Well, they're all 'sent missionaries' after all.) That was the primary reason I first came to Israel as a Journeyman in 1995 with the IMB. It's also one of THE main reasons I left the IMB: to be a part of an organization which proactively and intentionally shares the gospel to the lost, Jews/Arabs/whoever, instead of just talking about it. 

So I eagerly clicked on the headline and the article begins by talking about ...

... Potter's Wheel Children and Youth camps.  Doh! - my naivety and optimism got the better of me (when will I learn?). 

So what are the Potter's Wheel Children and Youth camps you may ask?  These are the Christian camps held at the Baptist Village conference center located outside Tel Aviv for over 50 years.  And lo and behold it JUST SO HAPPENS that I have intimate experience and history with running those camps and have a deep history with that place (as well as all about those characters who are behind what goes on, strategy-wise, in Israel). Before reading further I can see exactly where this appeal is going. And, sadly, it reveals that in late 2020 it's still business as usual with the Baptists in Israel.

To be clear - what all the International Mission Board does in the rest of the world, I can only give benefit of doubt that it's not like what goes on here.  Maybe what I experienced is just the exception?  You and I should pray that it is.

BACKGROUND 

To back up a few years, my time in Israel began at the Baptist Village in the mid 90s when I was in my 20s. I was there for a total of 2.5 years and was heavily involved in all of the camps throughout that time (Passover camps, summer camps, Hanukkah camps) in 3 languages (Hebrew, Arabic, English). I even met the girl who is now my wife there at the BV, where she was a counselor for the Arabic speaking summer camps - I can show you the exact spot on the patio of the BV where I first saw her. In short, the BV and camps are dear to my heart and helped shape who I am and what I do today.

LET'S TRANSLATE THE APPEAL

(Sadly, one thing I have learned over the years is how to understand what a missionary is really saying when they speak. I have done my share of speaking as a missionary, and I have listened to countless other missionaries share about their work. You can see it a mile away if you pay attention to what they say, as well as what they don't say.)

You may want to hold on tight as we forge our way through this veritable word salad.

(click to enlarge)

After introducing camps, it reads: "A discipleship and activity center [which] will offer training in relational evangelism to adults and children. The center will also host leadership retreats to develop new evangelism initiatives and global networking with all field personnel and partners who work with the Jewish community worldwide.  Your partnership with this ministry opportunity will build a solid base for the Jewish Cluster's enhanced implementation of evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development among Jews globally. The Jewish Cluster is committed to see all Jewish peoples in a New Covenant relationship with the Messiah and begin serving as a light to the nations. Your gift will provide discipleship and evangelism training for Jewish youth and adults through training camps and retreats."  

Breaking it down to its basic elements, here is what your money is going to go for (picture in your mind what each of these items mean):

"training in relational evangelism"

"leadership retreats to develop new evangelism initiatives"

"global networking with all field personnel and partners"

"enhanced implementation of evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development"

"provide discipleship and evangelism training ... through training camps and retreats"

 

A BIT HARSH, EH?

To back up, it probably sounds a little harsh titling this post about "grift".  But I think it's pretty accurate.  For example, you know about the proverbial "snake oil" con men of the old days.  They show up in your place telling you that you have a 'problem' you didn't even know you had.  Then, magically, they try to get your money by selling you the solution they conveniently happen to have which will 'fix' your 'problem'.  That is what I mean by "grift".  Still sound harsh?  The do read on..

PLEASE REMAIN CALM - ALL IS WELL

First of all, in case anyone is not aware, this "discipleship and activity center", ie the Baptist Village, is currently up and running as it always has been.  There are activities, conferences, camps, meetings which go on all of the time.  What that means is that, contrary to the appeal, at any moment any and all of these plans they are "committed to see" could be done not only this year, but could have been done many times over the past 20+ years.  It's pretty disingenuous to make it sound like getting money now is prerequisite for these things to happen, when the truth is they could very well do it whenever they want with what they have.

METAMORPHOSIS

The image or impression presented is of Jewish evangelism among orthodox Jews.  But it subtly morphs into talking about children's camps, and finally reveals itself as 'funding for the facility'!

Go back and read - it never says anything about the Baptists themselves actually DOING evangelism, but instead there is talk that there will be training of all sorts, leadership, initiatives, etc. Who knew that to share the gospel you need all of that AND a facility in which to do it? Apparently you can't just go out and start telling people about Jesus. 

From all of the tortured lingo, it appears that these people want to be seen as the "experts".  They have the experience, knowledge, and insight - maybe we just need to trust them because they know more than typical church-going simpletons. That may sound cynical, but good luck finding any explanation why this facility and conferences are such an expensive prerequisite for them to do what they are supposedly sent to do. But don't take my opinion on it. 

 A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE - THE BAPTIST VILLAGE

The Baptist Village has a deep and rich history - Google it if you're interested. Over the years I have watched as it changed from the camp and conference center in the 90s to what it is now. It changed because the organizational strategy changed, as well as losing significant funding as an inevitable result. 

The BV was supposed to have been sold a long time ago because the IMB was getting out of the property business, yet it remains in their possession to this day. Since that time it has become a shriveled husk of what it used to be, which was a blessing for thousands of believers, Jewish and Arab.  There were retreats and conferences, as well as hundreds of kids at each camp every fed at the fully staffed cafeteria, office, maintenance, and housekeeping all year long. Now, in reality, it is a bunch of decrepit buildings in search for a new purpose.

SAVING THE BAPTIST VILLAGE

Because of the ever pending threat of IMB leadership in Virginia to sell the Baptist Village, it was up to the IMB missionaries in Israel to come up with a convincing purpose to justify keeping it in their possession. All sorts of wild ideas came in to find a new purpose for it. I remember how the leader of Jews for Jesus at the time suggested to IMB regional leadership to repurpose it as a center for evangelism where missionaries could use it as a base for reaching the country with the gospel (crazy idea, I know). Instead, in the end, it was made a sports center with baseball and softball fields, as you can see exists today. As with most things, the "vision cast" isn't always how it turns out (but that's another story).

Now mind you, ministry wise, the Baptist Village didn't serve much of a purpose to hardly any of the IMB personnel. Other than the place where we'd have the occasional team meeting and Thanksgiving meal together, it was a non factor to the average missionary, ministry-wise.

In the late 1990s and into the 2000s the main thrust of the IMB became church planting, specifically of the house church variety. It was always pretty humorous hearing leadership give contorted explanations how the sports ministry and children's camps actually fits in perfectly with the overall church planting strategy of Israel. In the IMB, you don't dare question leadership, even the most absurd directives. You merely learn to nod approvingly even though you know everyone's eyes are rolling inwardly.

FROM THE BEGINNING

For us, having arrived as career missionaries in 2006 with the job title "Church Planters", we were told early on that, as gentiles, everyone knows we simply can't plant congregations among Israelis here. Rather, our purpose is to just strengthen whatever congregation we are a part of. As new people on a team, you give those with experience the benefit of the doubt that they know better than you.

What really happened that day was that our eyes were being opened to the inner workings of missionary doublespeak, and we began to learn about the Orwellian IMB missionary practice of changing the English language to serve our purposes. For example, the term "church planting" (which we came to do) becomes whatever the heck it was we ended up doing, even if there is nothing resembling church planting occurring. We say "church planting" and you think it's planting churches, but WE know it means things you wouldn't understand. Think that's outrageous? You should see the mental gymnastics when it comes to what qualifies as "sharing the gospel". But that's an entire other story for another day.

I NEED TO MIND MY OWN BUSINESS?

I'm the kind of "live and let live" kind of guy when it comes to ministry, meaning that you do what's important to you because you have to answer to the Lord, donors, and home churches for it. So what do I care about raising funds for the conference center?

Well, back in those days when we had to do our annual ministry and strategy goals for the coming year, we were directed/ordered to squeeze in our plans the use of the Baptist Village in about every possible way we could. So we ended up shoehorning the BV into what we did, not matter how pointless and impractical it was. Why? For no other reason than to demonstrate to higher leadership how "necessary" the BV is to us and all we do here. And not just us, but every other IMB missionary in Israel. So it was not that the BV was there to help with ministry, but instead WE were there to ensure that this property stays in leadership's control. Talk about messed up priorities, but this was Directive Number One if there was such a thing for us.

Looking back, it is pretty clever because if the leadership outside the country sees that something is indispensable to strategy, the price is surely worth it. And it should be preserved, even at a high cost. 

These are the tough decisions for the missions experts - spend money here means not spending it over there. What are the costs vs benefits? Pump dollars into a crumbling building instead of sending a couple to share the gospel to an unreached tribe in central Asia? Tough calls but some decisions end up being judgement calls, based on the best info at hand.

BUT...

But what was happening was nothing more than authority being abused in order to give the appearance that something was meaningful to everyone which isn't (what's a good word for that?), and everyone knew it wasn't. But like all of our fine colleagues, we are team players and we trust that our godly leadership, placed over us for our good and the advancement of the gospel, knows what is best and has their eyes fixed firmly on the gospel going forth. So we naively thought.

THE BAPTIST VILLAGE CAMPS

We love BV camps, I love them. We sent our kids to them. We ourselves met each other at BV camps. And served in every capacity of camps there at the BV. In fact, during our years with the IMB, my wife was designated to be the future camp director while she served as assistant to the veteran director for several years. You could say that BV camps are part of our identity, so I don't say these things lightly.

THE SACRIFICE IS WORTH IT, BUT IS IT WORTH IT?

Anything worthwhile is hard, stressful and requires sacrifices. Baptist Village camps were no exception. They require a lot of personnel, volunteers, helpers, and finances for them to happen. But it is ALL worth it because of the kids who make professions of faith during camp. Of all of the reasons to keep the BV open, this was reason number one. And it is the best reason.

However, there are some fatal flaws with the camps which still need to be resolved, and I'll highlight a couple of those: 1) the logistics and expense at the BV was unsustainable, and 2) appearances were not descriptive of reality, ministry wise.

A MONEY PIT 

The first issue was because of the facility. It is old, run down, and unsafe. And it needs such a high number of workers and volunteers in that high stress environment, it's reputation for fraying many relationships beyond repair is well earned in IMB circles (I lived through 2.5 of some of the most difficult years on staff there). And for campers to attend, it required such high financial subsidies from the IMB and other donations, because to charge campers the actual price would mean no family could afford to send their kids there.

What was interesting is what happened when, on several occasions, camps could not be held at the BV for external factors (war, health department, etc). As a result, the camps went on as planned, but held at Israeli kibbutzes and moshavs with similar/better facilities up in the north of the country. Each time, as it turned out, every one of those camps was better, easier, cheaper, and actually enjoyable for those involved.

It was kind of amazing but not surprising since other believers hold children's camps in these places around the country, for obvious reasons. It was clear that this was the better option for Potter's Wheel camps on every count. In the end, this was immediately dismissed out of hand with zero discussion because the ultimate purpose of camps was to keep the BV alive, so every effort was made to ensure camps would stay there no matter what.

A LITTLE SECRET

The second and most important issue, which for us ultimately signaled the beginning of the end with the IMB, had to do with the ministry aspect of camps. My wife became more and more involved in the running of the camps, and naturally we were on board with the mission because her heart has always been for children to know the way of salvation through Jesus. We were satisfied because every camp is centered on the gospel, and at every camp quite a number kids get saved. And hey, at least now we can say we are finally involved with evangelism for a change. But then reality hit...

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN

At the end of one camp, I'll never forget it, my wife was looking through the slips of paper turned in from the kids who made professions of faith. To her surprise, she noticed from the names that most were the same kids who got saved in previous camps? After a little more investigating it turned out that many of the same kids were getting saved over and over, camp after camp. Hello?

FINDING THE ADVANTAGE

Granted, Israeli messianic congregations are not know for their theological fortitude, so no real surprised. With her background, my wife knew what was obvious - these kids need decent discipling. So in addition to forwarding this info to their home congregational leaders she decided to translate and mail discipleship material for new believers to these kids. That way, the children will learn and understand what their decision is and means (you know, no need to keep getting saved every camp).

She informed both camp and team leadership what she discovered, and what she was doing to help solve this problem. This was met with concern, but not the concern you'd expect! Instead, this was seen as being a problem we thought it is. And if something is not a problem, you don't need to fix it. The explanation we got was that this is a matter for the individual congregations and they should take care of it (even though for years they clearly weren't). Anyway, we were told that it's not for is to judge and "God knows who gets saved and when".  Eventually we backed out of camps.  

Maybe it changed, I can only hope.  I know I told everyone I knew about what was happening because bringing things out in the broad light of day is the best form of accountability there is.  But in such a dysfunctional and controlling atmosphere, this is verboten.

How anyone could know this and report the raw numbers (which gives the appearance that these were all new salvation decisions each camp) I still don't understand on a personal level.  Even if there is another motive, that is unconscionable in my mind.

APPEARANCE IS EVERYTHING

To give a little more context, I remember in particular one large cluster meeting regarding team strategy, and a new-ish career team member, a bottom-line matter-of-fact kind of guy, was asking about ministry numbers for the entire cluster in Israel. He was asking directly what exactly is being reported because nobody was saying and he couldn't figure anything out. It was like pulling teeth but leadership admitted that the only salvations seen over the past several years came from children's camps. At this point I wasn't sure which was more scandalous: the inflated numbers coming from camps, or that dozens of career missionaries had nothing to show for their time there. But that also is another story for another time. 

(Another hilarious [and tragic] side story about this same team member was that something happened with him along the lines of him pushing back regarding the BS being force fed. My supervisor, quite possibly the worst missionary in the history of missions, told me that if this guy doesn't 'get with the program', he will be put in some sort of 'corrective action' and he will be made to do street evangelism for a few weeks "and maybe then he'll get the message". In other words, leadership was going to use sharing the gospel, the basic function of a missionary [duh], as a form of punishment!! That's YOUR Lottie Moon missions dollars at work.)

WHO DESERVES THE GOSPEL?

God calls and takes believers halfway around the world to accomplish his purpose. Those of us Southern Baptists, who came to Israel presumably to get the gospel to the lost, made it all the way here ... only to have our energy and time be spent building up the Body of Messiah, that is, ministering among believers.

I have long argued that the demographic here in Israel who has the most access to the gospel is children of believers. They too deserve to hear the gospel at camp (our kids did, too). But what about all of the masses here who have never heard the gospel even once? If we come all the way over here, shouldn't we put at least as much effort in to trying to share with as many as possible in the short time we have? Our actions show clearly if we believe this to be true or not.

NOBODY'S PERFECt

So maybe we can give benefit of the doubt that these are innocent mistakes, oversights, misunderstandings - nobody is perfect and nobody claims to be. I would argue that this is the pattern and is part of the problem. There is so much obfuscating, doublespeak, willful ignorance, cynicism, and embellishing going on among those who are expected to be above reproach, integrity wise. Whatever happened to being honest and let the chips fall where they may?

Putting it plainly, if the kids who make decisions get discipled properly, they will stop getting re-saved every camp. Meaning that the salvation numbers would drop, which is the main justification for keeping the BV open. While knowing this is going on and doing nothing may not amount to something that "causes these little ones who believe in Me to stumble", allowing it to continue so the numbers will be jacked up higher than normal is, by anyone's definition, inexcusable.

ORTHODOX JEWS ... CAMPS ... FACILITY

So circling back back to the International Mission Board website. It's a wild ride from a picture of an orthodox Jewish person and a headline about Jewish evangelism & discipleship, to raising money for a facility. The question still stands: Where is any explanation why a facility is necessary at all?

OR ...

What if the truth were stated plainly?

Obviously, the worry is: Would anyone give? Let's imagine the appeal were forthcoming and said, "Our facilities are in need of repair. We use them for children's camps and youth retreats for kids of believers. We do discipleship and fellowship events for believers. Israelis use our sports facilities but we have to be careful when we share our faith lest they all stop coming anymore. Our main priority is building up the body of Christ in Israel, and to make the good name of the Southern Baptists known in Israel." It doesn't exactly make you want to reach for your wallet, hence the slippery and carefully crafted wording and imagery.

WHY DO THIS?

Since leaving the IMB those years ago, we've moved on. It has been liberating to not have to pretend that what we're doing is "missions", and to turn a blind eye to what's not proper while parroting the dodgy company line. Ministry wise, Baptists in Israel are a non factor in our lives here, we never see them. Every now and then, I or my wife may come across one and its always good to see them - they are good people.

Sure, some may get this information and say, "So what? I want my money to go there anyway." I'm all for that, 100%. As long as you know what is going on, you do what you want to do.

It's just that I wasted too many years being told that we need to say what people expect us to say and tell them the things they want to hear. Missionaries can always count on the ultra generosity of the sweetest and best people in our churches, and it's tempting because we know you practically never doubt anything we tell you.

I hate to say that on our last stateside with the IMB I did zero speaking engagements because, in all honesty, I had nothing to say. I couldn't repeat the party line because I knew it was exaggerations. I couldn't tell the truth because it would contradict what everyone was saying. Besides, the truth was embarrassing and I simply could not say anything. 

But no more.

GOOD PEOPLE WITH GOOD MOTIVES

Again, these are good people. Yet somewhere along the line, corruption crept in (as the embarrassing appeal perfectly demonstrates). Give missionaries large amounts of money, property, and resources to administer ... suddenly the focus is the gospel AND the "stuff". And just like that, the gospel is no longer the single focus.

HOW DOES THAT SAYING ABOUT 'GOOD INTENTIONS' GO?

The intentions are the best: if you acquire/develop/expand properties for ministry and, naturally, increase the missionary team size, you will increase your standing as an organization. It follows that this expansion increases your team budgets (and permanent need for its annual funding), which invariably increases your influence in the believing community because you are now much more useful here. And with all of these resources, influence, and status, we invariably deceive ourselves into believing that we are doing it ULTIMATELY to advance the cause of Christ better and more broadly.

That was the mantra all those years ago when I was a part of the Baptist machine. But it turns out it's all talk because Baptist personnel are bogged down with involvement in the Baptist "stuff" and the believing community, leaving the organization relying on taking credit wherever they can for the work of others as their own. Where is the urgency for the rest of the country and all those who have never heard the gospel at all? That was our desire as a couple, and in order to realize that calling we had to find another organization as a result.

The IMB personnel weren't doing it (with one exception), discouraged us from doing it, you even heard criticism about those who put themselves on the front line there to share. If a missions organization is not singularly focused on getting the gospel to the lost, it no longer deserves to be classified as "missions".

PLAYING GAMES

Deep down they know that the only way they can keep the cash flowing is to promote the "missions" aspect as being what they are all about. People are willing to give to true, gospel proclaiming missions. The other "stuff" which actually consumes the vast resources is what the machine chugging along and is the real priority, won't bring in the cash.

No one decided or set out to be this way, it's just what happens when you mix money with missions - the devil knows this and it works like a charm EVERY time. And good people are not immune.

A TEMPTATION COMMON TO MAN

What we see is not the advancement of the Kingdom of God, but instead building a mini Baptist empire that benefits the SBC and believing community, but has almost no impact reaching the lost (other than a natural residual effect of being a believer in an unreached country). And you can see clearly with that cluster of an appeal above that what I'm saying and have experienced is true.  You got a better explanation for it?

In the end I voiced my concerns and raised my objections to leaders who didn't want to hear, and no one followed up or in any way appeared they cared.  I moved on and have been praying that they will change their ways, assuming that they will one day.  Buy sadly I see that they are doubling down on what they know best.  Fine.  They are rid of me but I still stand for what is right, which puts me against them.  Only now they can't shut me up.

IT'S A SHAME THAT IT'S A SHAM

Did higher leadership know?  You have to assume that they do.  If they didn't know, they are fools who choose not to know. If they knew and did nothing, they are corrupt and unfit for the job. Either way, if they knew or not, they deserve nothing but your contempt and not a cent more of your money.

This game of smoke and mirrors, dazzling you with all of the bells and whistles, using deceptive pretenses for their grift, you are free to submit yourself to. You are free to contribute to it and keep it going. You don't have to take my word for it - do what you want.

But you do deserve to know the truth.

Lilah

A song for my niece Lilah, seemingly written especially for her.



(Lyrics translated:

Lilah
Come and run away from here
Let's leave the world
Behind to settle down

I'll take care of you
You can sleep the whole way
And think about all that was
And see how it goes

So you will be better
With me
Come with me


Lilah
Let's build a dream
Where everything is actually not true
And we'll have worried for no reason

Well, what do you care?
We will have a small home
With stone benches in the garden
And a window with another view

It will be more beautiful
With me
Come with me
With me
Come with me


Lilah
Don't tell me "later"
Don't tell me "maybe tomorrow"
And put it off forever

It's not worth it
You must understand me
If you won't agree to be with me
I'll have to be alone

So it will be less nice
Everyone will tell you -
Ask them!
La la la ...

Everyone!
La la la ...)