Full Circle

October 4th, 2007 by Jaybrams

Originally submitted September 2, 2007 for ENGL 1310 @ Dallas Christian College. Emphasis added for website, copyright follows guidelines at bottom of the right sidebar.

“I liked the fact that I wasn’t born in the States… that I was different. It was almost as if I was a bit of a celebrity when we came back home. Everyone wanted to talk to the white kid from Africa.” Growing up as an MK – Missionary Kid – in Nigeria has given Jonathan Seabourn a unique perspective on American culture, especially as it relates to the sub-culture of Christianity and the Church. Even as a married 26-year-old he is still learning to adapt to the American way of church life. …

Born near Jos, Nigeria, Jonathan, along with his two older siblings, spent his developmental years in a culture much unlike the majority of his peers today. His parents were missionaries with Campus Crusade, playing vital roles in exposing native Africans to the evangelistic film known around the world as The Jesus Film. Not every part of the typical American lifestyle was foreign to the Seabourns. They were regulars at the local Evangelical church – granted it was African in style, but comparable to American substance – as well as and attended a private school that had a significant white population. Many of their play dates parallel my own memories; riding bikes, G I Joe, pick-up soccer games, and so forth. But the differences would soon become rather evident to Jon.

In the summer of 1992 Jonathan’s family returned to Dallas, Texas, USA, and began the reassimilation process. As a twelve-year-old, Jon’s perception of the American experience was accumulated from four separate six-month long stateside trips his family had taken during his twelve years in Nigeria. “America for me was just a place we went to see family. We did a lot of traveling during our visits. We went to Six Flags and to the movies. It was six months of ease and entertainment, but Nigeria was sill home.” The lack of exposure presented some challenges during his teenage years. Jonathan’s understanding of the pop culture was non-existent, and at times our sports seemed Greek. The cultural aberrations stretched beyond music and movies and into the realm of the American Christian sub-culture.

“church was just a place we went to be around other Christians; it was not the foundation of our faith”

“My Christian upbringing was based on family ministry. The church was just a place we went to be around other Christians; it was not the foundation of our faith.” One aspect Jon still struggles with today is our concept of grouping Christian community (church) with ministry. In high school he was able to find community in the faces of his peers who attended the youth group at Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church; however, the dynamic of combining church, community, and ministry remained a mystery as he ventured to west Texas to attend Texas Tech University. Jon focused his time and resources on Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a campus ministry, rather than church. “In my history I saw ministry happening outside of the church, not stemming from the church. I was attracted to church, but didn’t see the need to be involved on any ministry level. I found my community and place within the Campus Ministry.”

Texas Tech brought another significant change to Jon’s life: marriage. After graduation he and his wife returned to the Dallas area and began attending a small Baptist church. As ministry opportunities within the church began tugging on his heart strings, he came to the realization that it was time to answer the tough questions that had been following him for the past decade. What does community and ministry really mean? What does it look like in the context of the church?

He had finally decided to embrace and attempt to understand the merging of church and ministry but admits he still does not like everything he sees. Jon was particularly disappointed and concerned at what he described as a “lack of true Christian spirituality.” He adds “What blew me away was the politics. It wasn’t the happy-go-lucky ministry I saw; there was a lot of back stabbing and a real lack of love.” It was during his early exposure that Jon realized much of the divisiveness stemmed from the denominational lines that are drawn within the American church culture. Rather than turn and run, Jon and Meredith relentlessly pursued being part of the solution rather than the problem – a solution they believe can be birthed from lessons learned in Nigeria.

Campus Crusade was one of four major mission organizations in Jos. As a child he questioned the need for so many groups, but he also saw the ministries work together for a common goal. While his parents’ organization focused on evangelism, other organizations focused on discipleship or church planting. “I never knew of doctrinal or denominational differences in Nigeria. I really feel that is the beauty of the mission field. I understand why the divisions exist in the States, but am very saddened that there is so little inter-denominational ministry.” The frustrations, however, do not end with the politics.

“our long-term missionaries are having their base churches painted for the twelfth time”

“Americans spend millions on short-term missions every year, but I question whether those resources might be better spent on long-term missionaries and projects.” This skepticism stems from the idea that short-term mission trips often have little long-term spiritual effects on the missionaries themselves. Likewise, the effects on the evangelized communities are difficult to quantify. As one of Jon’s professors at Dallas Theological Seminary quips “our long-term missionaries are having their base churches painted for the twelfth time,” all by short-term student mission groups.

But not everything is wrong on the American mission front. “American missionaries and churches are recognizing the need for mobilizing the rest of the world” Jon states — Mobilization enables national disciples to take the gospel into their native environments where they will have a much stronger influence than most North American missionaries, long- or short-term, would have — “This is a fairly new focus within American mission work. We have focused on evangelism and discipleship for many years, but are now to the point of equipping others for their own ministry.”

For Jonathan this is a great first step, but he hopes to see continual improvement. “I like seeing that change does happen, but the resources are still disproportionate. There are too many Christians staying localized in the states.”
Jonathan’s atypical upbringing is now coming full circle. As he continues to grow and serve within his local church, he and his wife aspire to a lifestyle of mission work particularly in Latin America. While his acclimation into the sub-culture of Christian America has not always been comfortable, Jon recognizes the lessons he has learned will benefit his current and future ministry opportunities.

Now if he could only grasp the concept of good, home-grown American music… well, that may be asking a little much.

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