A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

against this standard? To what degree have the partnerships been realized? Hans Kasdorf reflects on the futuristic projections of the Mennonite Brethren Conference from the 1960s to the mid- 1980s as, "The Unfinished Agenda of Partnership;''20 The vi- sions and policies were in keeping with the broader frame- work of missionary objectives. They were genuine in their in- tent, but a gap remains between articulating and embodying the vision. Calling for consistency between adopted principles and policies and actual performance does not negate the good which has resulted from the ministry of the gospel. The grace of God and the intercession of the Spirit apply even to that which is proclaimed with human imperfections and weakness (Rom. 8:26), However, the degree of effectiveness in Menno- nite Brethren mission in the future will depend on openly evaluating and interpreting the past, examining the present and projecting the future in the context of rapid changes* "BANDWAGON" PUBLICITY No small amount of mission publicity is based on what Hesselgrave describes as "the bandwagon effect: mission is where the action is; millions are waiting for us to come; thou- sands are responding to the message; the church is growing as never before/21 Mennonite Brethren are no exception. Published reports speak of progress, open doors and the need for more missionaries. The appeals are justified. The needs are there; the harvest is ripe and the reapers are few. Mission, however is also the battleground of light and darkness, with problems and reverses. Seldom does the pub- lic hear of the setbacks and failures. To illustrate the trend in mission reporting, Hesselgrave reports the following episode: Some years ago a major evangelical magazine ran a car- toon in which two missionaries sat side by side in the 268 MISSIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF CHANGE front pew of a local church. As one prepared to ascend to the podium, he turned to the other and whispered, "Should we tell them the truth or should we keep them happy?" The cartoon is funny until one thinks about it. Then it is not funny at all. And that, of course, is just the effect that the cartoonist was after. He wanted us to laugh; but more than that he wanted us to think.22 Mission appeals contain a great deal of truth, but not the whole truth. They are one-sided. Yes, missions are experi- encing success and people are finding Christ. But there are also serious problems. Missionary prayer letters and head of- fice press releases do not answer questions as to why, for ex- ample, we have been i