Discussion Questions

Merle describes early conservative Mennonite missions as sending workers out with “very little preparation and very little direction” and basically saying, “go try and do good stuff”; what does that reveal about what they assumed God would do for them in the gaps, and how do you discern when that kind of “faith” is actually presumption? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does sending missionaries with little training or guidance say about what they expected God to do for them? How can you tell when that kind of “faith” is really just taking chances and calling it faith?

The speaker says missionaries often lacked “clear-cut objectives” and didn’t know “how to do what we’re doing”; what do you think God intends Christian mission to aim at (church planting, discipleship, relief, evangelism), and how does a lack of stated objectives subtly reshape what a team believes the gospel is? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do you think Christian mission should mainly aim to do (start churches, make disciples, help with needs, share the gospel)? If a team has no clear goals, how might that slowly change what they think the gospel is?

Merle notes that people are “often better at doing than we are at understanding why we do what we do”; where do you see that pattern in conservative Anabaptist life today, and what kinds of “why” questions (biblical/theological) do we avoid because the answers might unsettle our traditions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see people doing religious things without being clear on why they do them today? What “why” questions from the Bible do we avoid because the answers might challenge our traditions?

He describes the shock of moving from an “internal relationships” community where everyone nods along, into a context where people respond, “That’s the craziest thing I ever heard”; what does that dynamic expose about how a community can mistake social reinforcement for biblical truth? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What happens when a group thinks something is true just because everyone agrees with it? How can strong group support make people confuse tradition with what the Bible really teaches?

The speaker highlights practical skills like language learning and cross-cultural adjustment alongside theological clarity; what does that pairing suggest about God’s normal way of advancing the gospel through human weakness—through miracles, through competence, or through disciplined learning—and why might some Christians resist that idea? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it say that missionaries need both Bible clarity and skills like language learning and adjusting to a new culture? Do you think God usually spreads the gospel more through miracles, skill, or steady learning—and why might some Christians not like that?

Merle says missionaries can be “not prepared to explain even the basic elements of Christianity” when facing other religions; if you had to start from scratch with someone who knows nothing, where would you begin in “explaining the gospel,” and what does your starting point reveal about what you think is most important? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you had to explain the gospel to someone who knows nothing about Christianity, where would you start? What does your starting point show about what you think matters most?

He contrasts untrained Anabaptist workers with other missionaries who “have gone to seminary” and “can explain” their theology; what fears or suspicions do conservative churches have about theological training, and how might those fears actually contribute to the vulnerability Merle is describing? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why do some conservative churches mistrust seminary or theological training? How could those fears leave missionaries less able to explain what they believe?

Merle observes that some missionaries conclude conservative Anabaptists are “evangelical Protestant Christians with a few extra added on” and then feel we should “drop those extra things”; what are the “extra things” people tend to treat as optional add-ons, and how would you argue (from Scripture, not habit) whether they are central or peripheral? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What parts of conservative Anabaptist life do people treat like optional “extras”? How would you use Scripture (not just habit) to show whether those things are essential or not?

The speaker insists “our whole theology is so different and our approach to church is so different from evangelical Protestantism” and that this difference “has value” today; where do you see the sharpest contrast (assurance, obedience, church authority, discipleship, separation, evangelism), and which of those contrasts would be hardest for your group to defend publicly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where is the biggest difference between Anabaptist beliefs and evangelical Protestant beliefs (like obedience, church authority, discipleship, separation, evangelism)? Which difference would be hardest for your group to explain and defend in public?

Merle suggests a local-church pathway: outreach at home (“before you go to Nepal, maybe your next door neighbor”), then additional training, then mission-organization mentoring; what concrete changes would your church need to make so that “sharing your faith” and being coached in it becomes normal, and what might that require you to surrender (comfort, privacy, schedule, reputation)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What specific changes would your church need to make so sharing your faith and getting coached in it becomes normal? What comforts might you have to give up (time, privacy, reputation) for that to happen?