India: breaking the dependency cycle

The Letters page of the January issue of Evangelicals Now (p.23) included a call for help from a pastor in India.

Over the years in my work of running India Link Ministries (a UK registered charity), I have received dozens of letters pleading for help.

How should we respond in the face of such overwhelming need? And what are some of the pitfalls we should avoid?

Cultural issues

First, let us consider some of the cultural issues.

Poverty in India is exacerbated by population explosion, the discriminatory caste system, economic policies that have failed to bring transformation in rural communities, ignorance, superstition and systemic corruption at all levels of government and society.

India has made enormous progress in its economic and social development in the past 20 years; literacy rates and educational opportunities have improved dramatically. Yet the gap between rich and poor remains huge.

Out of an estimated 25 million ‘Christians’ in India, a majority are from a Dalit (formerly referred to as ‘Untouchable’) or tribal background. Operation World (2001 edition) states that ‘over 70% of all Christians are of Dalit and tribal communities, and the average Hindu associates the gospel with the underclasses of their society’.

Dr. K. Rajendran (General Secretary of the India Missions Association) points out that much of the focus of mission work among the Dalit communities is directed to transformation only at the economical level and not in terms of the social transformation of beliefs and values required by the gospel.

Sadly, socially disadvantaged Christians in India are all too often looked down upon by middle class Christians. The practice of favouritism which James 2 warns against may be observed at first hand. Besides, those who are better educated and in better paid jobs are generally struggling to maintain their higher standard of living in a country where even professionals are paid only a fraction of their counterparts in the West, and few are willing to devote the time or resources to improving the condition of their poorer fellow citizens.

Where Indian evangelical Christians are reaching out to the poor and needy, all too often the relationship is paternalistic and little is done to actually lift people out of perpetual poverty and enable them to become self-sufficient. Such communities are barely reached with the gospel. There are, however, some wonderful exceptions.

The dependency cycle

A key problem that we need to be aware of when responding to a plea for help is that of dependency. The long-term beneficiary of Western financial help can soon become wholly dependent on their Western benefactor. Yet biblically the primary responsibility for their long-term welfare does not rest upon the Western church.

Dr. Rajendran believes that dependency by and large exists because the church in India works among the poor without helping them to find a way out of their poverty. He explains that this is sometimes related to mistaken theological ideas, such as the belief which is widespread among Christians in India that asceticism, poverty and suffering are virtuous Christian ideals, and that business and enterprise are sinful. India has the resources, says Dr. Rajendran, but those who have the resources do not apply biblical principles in their approach to Christian mission. He believes that by focusing exclusively on poverty, Christians have overlooked the challenge of the gospel for the unreached peoples of India as a whole.

In the early 1990s, the Indo British Partnership Initiative (now the IBPN) was launched by the then British and Indian Prime Ministers. Its mandate is to foster trade relations by increasing bilateral trade, business and investment between the two countries. The contemporary emphasis upon partnership and mutual co-operation is indeed a far cry from the master-servant relationship of the days of British colonialism.

Similarly, international mission initiatives such as that of Operation Mobilisation from the early 1960s have recognised the importance of working alongside the nationals as equals, training and equipping them for indigenous leadership and encouraging self-sufficiency rather than adopting the more paternalistic approach of a bygone missionary era.

Old habits

But, sadly, old habits die hard: the dependency mindset, with its subservience tendency, lingers on in the more traditional Christian communities and missionary societies for whom the only solution to their poverty is to look to their Western benefactors; and this mindset is encouraged by the persistent flow of foreign funds. Other solutions must be found if biblical principles of equality are to be applied and a healthy, vibrant church developed (cf 2 Corinthians 8.14). Once again there are many beautiful exceptions: a friend recently visited a mission leader in the north of India who oversees the leadership of 300 churches which are all self-supporting and receive no foreign funds.

Dr. William J. Kornfield of SIM International argues that ‘increasing financial paternalism and accompanying Westernisation of the gospel are the two most critical issues facing us in world missions today.... The West must put these ways behind them and then search for better ways, ways that encourage indigenous stewardship’ (Mission Frontiers, January/February 1997).

Professor J.L. Williams (Impact of Hope International) has long studied the problem of what he calls the ‘dependency cycle’ and applied practical solutions. In an article entitled ‘How to get out of dependency and move toward self reliance in ministry’ (Mission Mandate, 1992, published by Mission India 2000), he uses the analogy of a parent-child relationship and observes that ‘whenever either a physical parent or a spiritual parent prolongs the dependency phase, it is ultimately unnatural and unhealthy for both the parent and the child’. The dependency cycle, he argues, is ‘stunting and retarding the growth of the church in India as well as in many parts of the world’, and he urges that Christian leaders should build on firm biblical principles in order to avoid the spiritual dangers and uncertainties of the dependency cycle.

Downside

Some of the associated adverse consequences of Western financial support are:

* The Western supporter can easily be misled. (Language cloaked in spiritual terminology is no guarantee of the integrity or spirituality of the writer.)
* There is often a lack of proper financial accountability.
* Guaranteed financial support can lead to apathy and even laziness.
* Western funding may provoke jealousy among other pastors and evangelists.
* There is in India a tendency toward ‘empire-building’ of Christian ministries around an individual with far too much independency. Western support can feed into these tendencies.
* Projects may be embarked upon for no other reason than that it is likely to attract Western support — sadly, an orphanage is a typical example of this.
* Foreign funding fuels the criticism of Hindu extremists who allege that Christianity is a Western religion funded by its Western ‘masters’.

In addition to the above, many pastors in India lack the educational foundation and biblical training required, even after two or three years at Bible college. There are comparatively few capable Bible teachers. Enthusiastic pastors often focus heavily on evangelism, but there is a serious lack of spiritual growth and maturity among ordinary Christians.

Biblical principles

What, then, are the biblical principles by which we should be guided?

On the face of it, it seems perfectly reasonable and appropriate to respond to a call for help with financial support, and this is certainly in keeping with many verses in Scripture which teach our responsibility toward the poor. The key question is not whether we should help, but, rather, how we may wisely use our resources in the best possible way to reap long-term benefits.

1 Thessalonians 4.11 exhorts the believers at Thessalonica: ‘...work with your hands ... that you will not be dependent on anybody’. The general principle here is that Christians in India and elsewhere should aim to provide for themselves and their families and not be dependent on anyone else.

Practical suggestions

An article by Bob Finley, Chairman of Christian Aid Mission, printed in Christianity Today (1999), advises:

‘(1) Never support individual missionaries directly. Instead, support missionaries who work under the oversight of a well-established mission board.
(2) Hold the mission board accountable.
(3) Require audited financial statements from each mission.
(4) Obtain reports from trustworthy Christians who have visited the ministry and can vouch for its integrity and effectiveness.
(5) On the other hand, don’t necessarily be deterred by negative criticism.
(6) Don’t send too much money too soon.
(The same principles may be adapted to the support of a pastor.)

In addition, Dr. K. Rajendran suggests that Christians in the West should consider the following:

* Fund any activity or project which will help generate funds (e.g. small business).
* Do not fund anything thing which will keep the beneficiary perpetually dependent.
* Promote the development of local expertise among people who understand the principles of developing self-sufficiency.
* Work through reputable organisations where there is proper accountability.
* Work in partnership with reputable Christian leaders.

Paul Barnes,
India Link Ministries
http://www.indialink.org.uk