While reading the book Marketing to the Mind by By Richard C. Maddock, Richard L. Fulton. (BTW: Excellent book, but out of print and still in demand…quite a pricey book.) I decided to compile a list of possible motives for going on an overseas mission trips.
The list below corresponds to the various needs people have. Some motives are at the surface and people are aware of them. Other motives people are not overtly aware of, or “subconscious” of them. They play a role none the less. Researchers say that 90% of decisions are made on the subconscious level, people say “Oh, I have heard of them, let’s call them.”revealing that though they know nothing of the people their name recognition alone is reason enough to contract with them. A very slim basis don’t you think? (This works in politics too, BTW)
A little harder to track are the deeper, unspoken prejudices that drive people to make a choice. For example people may think (but not verbalize) looking at a new piece of luggage, “Man, if I have this brief case, people will think I am wealthy.”
The authors give these nine categories of motives:
- Surface motives
- Survival motives
- Orientation as a person
- Orientation in reference to place
- Orientation in reference to time
- Orientation in reference to social adaptation
- Orientation in Personal Circumstance
- Orientation in regard to expectations
- Play motives
Church people are not immune to the subconscious influence of their thinking. We do things all the time that we can’t explain outright, but we still do them.
For example, I have a sneaking suspicion that the real reasons people attend church conferences, write books, plant churches, and try to get relevant in ministry are not even recognized by the people themselves. Observe the large number of aging Baby Boomers at “young” conferences and you start to wonder–“Okay, it’s great these people are into this..but what’s up with all the Grecian Formula...anyone here trying to hang on to his youth?…” I am just sayin’.
Good luck with All That Forbes!
Rather than point and ascribe motives to other people for why they are doing things, I should move on. I mean, how do I know why I am writing this…maybe I think it makes me look cool or something. Maybe, I am just trying to figure out my world. Probably, I need a blog post to put here because Technorati has been rude to me lately and I am about to go on a link baiting spree. Anything is possible. It could be all these reasons.
:-)
Anyway, why I ever wrote this, take a look at some possible motives. Here is my brainstorming based on the book about strong needs people have and some motivations for volunteering in overseas missions.
Beware the End is Near!
Some of my friends give me a hard time when they see this list because I mention eschatological motives so much. But having lived overseas and worked cross-culturally after being out of the states and back, I have come to the conclusion that in the United States, that eschatology is an almost omnipresent motive among evangelicals.
Dr Quentin Schultze talks about this too. Often our missions motives, our avid early adoption and use of technology, our need to be relevant–even who we do or don’t vote for President gets tied up in the beliefs we have about the end times. That will have to be another post.
A Handy List for the Missions Pastor and Missions Mobilizer
This list might help you if you are a Missions Pastor. Look at the list and see ways you can help people cultivate a passion for reaching other people. use it to keep your eyes open for teachable moments when you are on the field assignment. Watch out for people who have misguided motives, call them back to higher motives. (Comes in handy when those few volunteers come over for a vacation sight seeing trip who don’t want to do any work.)
Surface Motives: Motives people have that they are usually aware of. There are plenty of powerful passions that drive people to go overseas. The categories come from the authors. The motives are my extrapolations brainstorming potential motives people may have in the back of their minds.
- To Be On Mission with God
- To Preach to Lost People
- To Disciple People
- To Plant New Churches
- To Mobilize Support
Survival Motives: People also have a need to figure out who they are in the world. I served overseas as a missionary for most of the above reasons. But I also grew a lot as a person and a believer when living overseas. People may find one, or many of these things at play in the “back of their minds” as they head overseas. Everything from gaining an insight into the character of God, to “finding” oneself. Some even go out of guilt or internal pressure they put on themselves.
- To see God at work somewhere else
- To know how God is at work
- To answer a life calling
- To be relevant
- To belong to the greater whole body of Christ
- To legitimize the support given to missions
- To experience spiritual renewal or new power
- To express love toward mankind
- To overcome fears of witnessing
- To appreciate the blessings they have
- To be patriotic
- To be loyal to the denomination
- To sacrifice, go beyond one’s self
- To bargain with God for mercy (make a deal)
- To have made an impact before death
- To turn away from worries and responsibilities at home to find inner peace
- To be brave (manly)
- To be compassionate (womanly)
- To overcome guilt for wasting time, energy, or resources in the past
- To go back to a battlefield with a purpose that is life-giving
- To be able to relate better to world events as a believer
- To try to make use of a language learned in school
- To learn some new things and grow intellectually
- To be an expert on culture, history or the world
- To see historical things, places, people etc.
Orientation Motives: These motives come into play in ways that may be far below the surface. Like you won’t get a guy to admit he carries a Mont Blanc ink pen, that he wants to seem wealthier–he’ll tell you he’s into the quality. Or a person who adopts a more austere life might have trouble recognizing his potential “hidden” motive to be seen as spiritually superior to others.
As a Person
- To find one’s self
- To be somebody else
- To be true to what one stands for
- To cross-check one’s personal compass
- To see how their core values hold up
- To take a risk
In reference to place
- To appreciate one’s daily life back home more
- To break with routines
- To experience the thrill of being outside one’s culture
- To feel what it is like to be a missionary
- To find solutions to problems back home
- To have an experience to tell others about
In reference to time
- To take a break from everyday activities of home and work–a temporary escape
- To confirm one has made the right investments with one’s time
- To re-visit a place that one has seen before
- To somehow figure out where the world is in relation to end times
- To estimate how much time it might take to finish the task of world evangelism
- To see first hand something that might be historic
In relation to personal circumstances
- To see what the circumstances are in other places of the world that might give clues as to if these are the last days
- To gauge resources needed for missions
- To asses the status of Christianity
- To get “outside the box”
- To check to see there is no waste
In relation to social adaptation
- To join the crowd of people going on mission trips
- To gain status as a Christian
- To have a more interesting testimony
- To imitate others who have been models of behavior (biblical or others)
- To respond to the many calls and invitations to “surrender to missions” one has heard given in church over the years
In regard to expectations one has
- To figure out what one might expect if/how end-times will/might happen in one’s own lifetime
- To check the feasibility of being a missionary
- To see if missions really is possible
- To believe in the cause of evangelism more deeply
- To experience hope by seeing people converted
- To make one’s own unique contribution to missions
Play Motives
- To see the rest of the world
- To have a vacation with a purpose
- To relieve tensions (work, ministry, relationships, etc)
- To experience a “different world” (dreaming though awake)
- To have a controlled diversion of events, tastes, touch, etc
- To use one’s imagination
- To compare other places with one’s home country
- To compete with others (other believers, other religions, etc)
- To be passionate about something and feel good
- To be amused by strange people, places, and customs
- To have a good time with friends, family, church members, etc
- To take good pictures and videos
- To have great stories to tell back home
- To have souvenirs of other places
- To go to as many places as one can
- To go more places than others (compete)
- To shop in places, way and for things that are not possible back home
- To see beautiful things, places, people etc.
- To listen to languages
- To experience media and other entertainment in other countries (TV, Radio, theatre, etc)
2 Responses
November 26th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
That quite a lengthy list, Chris. I posted some thoughts about how missionaries and missions agencies can appeal to the different motives on my new blog, marketingmissions.blogspot.com.
I hope you blog about missions again soon!
November 26th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Thanks Michelle!
You might also like these posts on missions on the blog:
Five Reasons Why Your Mama is the Only One Who Reads Your Missionary Website
http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/blog/2008/03/08/five-reasons-why-your-mama-is-the-only-one-who-reads-your-missionary-website/
Only Your Mama Can Stand Sifting Through All the Clutter on Your Missionary Website
http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/blog/2008/03/11/only-your-mama-can-stand-sifting-through-all-the-clutter-on-your-missionary-website/
Your Mama Doesn’t Read Every Page On Your Missionary Website Either!
http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/blog/2008/03/17/your-mama-doesn%E2%80%99t-read-every-page-on-your-missionary-website-either/
You Should Surf Your Missionary Website With Your Mama!
http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/blog/2008/03/22/you-should-surf-your-missionary-website-with-your-mama/
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