A Suggested Culturally Intelligent Approach to Addressing Remittances
Pastoring today will ultimately include ministering to immigrants. Most immigrants come from collective cultures that leave behind family members to whom they send remittances to assist their families back home. In my case, I pastored a Hispanic church whose members were mostly from Mexico. In reviewing our church giving I saw that while most of the members were faithful in returning tithe, local church giving was not as high due to the remittances the members sent to their families back home.
Officially recorded remittance flows to low and middle income countries are expected to increase by 4.2 percent this year to reach $630 billion. Remittances are an important part of the economy for many countries, with India receiving the most funds worth $111 billion, followed by Mexico at $61 billion, China at $51 billion, the Philippines at $38 billion, and Pakistan at $30 billion. According to a MoneyGram Survey done of 1,000 US consumers who sent money abroad, 95% of them said their reason for sending money was to provide support for family or friends.
There is no doubt that remittances have been largely seen by economists as contributing to national development and economic well being for family members. However, it has also been seen that remittances can serve as sources of conflict among immigrant households. A study of remittances in Nigeria show they have at times contributed to household conflicts. Another study of French hostel residents has also shown conflicts due to remittance dependency, especially following emigrants’ retirement. This can be a challenge for the pastor, because
while our individualist culture strongly supports independence and personal goals, most of the immigrants who come live within our borders are from collectivist cultures which value interdependence and group goals. So, the question is how can the pastor address in a culturally intelligent way the remittance issue where family/friend conflict is present?
One thing to keep in mind is that the stories and teachings in the Bible were written in a collective context. Therefore, it stands to reason that whatever answers we can find to the remittance challenges can be found in the pages of scripture. Here are some verses that you as a pastor or lay leader should keep in mind.
Haggai 2:8 says that gold and silver belong to God, not to us.
Since money belongs to God, Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 4:2 that we are called be trustworthy stewards.
We must remember before we give support to others that the tithe is to be first set apart for the work of the church – Malachi 3
Bible verse such as Proverbs 11:24, Matthew 6:1-4, Hebrews 13:16, 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and 1 John 3:17,18 encourage us to give freely, especially to those who are in need.
There are also examples in scripture of those who were opportunists, people who exploit circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans. In Joshua 7 we see the example of Achan keeping silver and gold in his tent and in Acts 5 we see the examples of Ananias and Sapphira who kept back a portion of the proceeds of their land. They are warnings for us not to hold back that God has blessed us with but rather be faithful in giving generously.
How can we as pastors or lay leaders provide conflict resolution over remittances in a way that limits others from taking advantage of them? Here is a suggested approach to address the conflict.
First claim the promise of James 1:5 and ask God for wisdom so the immigrant who is giving can recognize genuine need and discern if there is exploitation involved.
Every country and overseas context is different so it would be good for the immigrant to inquire in what ways the family/friends are currently supporting themselves.
In the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25, we are told that those who invested the means they received were blessed and commended by the man who gave them the talents. This parable teaches the importance of investing the talents and expect a certain amount of accountability. In practical terms using the remittances appropriately could include education, establishing their own business, assisting with food and clothing, etc. However, it will be up to the giver of the remittances to decide in what ways they could be misused.
Ultimately, we must recognize that collective cultures tend to be generous and empathetic so it is important that we approach the situation with sensitivity, emphasizing that remittances that are given should be done with prayer, seeking of good counsel (Proverbs 11:14) and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Carmelo Mercado serves as General Vice President for the Lake Union Conference of SDA.