MK forum

George Washington Goethals, who headed up the construction of the Panama Canal after others had failed, might teach us a few things. . .

"To give employees opportunity to air their grievances, Goethals next established his own court of appeal. Every Sunday morning, from about 7:30 until noon, he was at his desk to receive any and all who had what they believed to be a serious complaint or problem. He saw them personally, individually. . . By 1910, there would be nearly forty thousand [people on the payroll]. Yet once a week, beginning in the fall of 1907, any of these people - employees or dependents - could 'see the Colonel' and speak their minds.

....

Some of the remaining officials from the [previous] regime had expressed vehement disapproval when these Sunday sessions were first announced. Jackson Smith, of the Labor Department, had been especially exercised, since his own policy in past years had been to tell anyone who had a complaint to feel fee to leave on the next ship. And. . . this had been considered a perfectly appropriate policy. .... The new approach was in fact wholly unorthodox by the standards of his time, and nothing that he did had so discernible an effect on the morale of the workers or their regard for him: 'they were treated like human beings, not like brutes,' Bishop recalled, 'and they responded by giving the best service within their power.'"

From The Path Between the Seas, by David McCulough

Just want you to know I've read all the posts in this thread and will read them again. FYI I'm stepping out of the Director's role here at the Missionary Training Center... and I didn't commit adultery, murder anyone or embezzle any money. It is just a good, healthy change for the MTC and me. I'll be working next on setting up HR processes here and so much of what you guys are talking about goes to the heart of how we should treat others. Respect, honesty, courtesy.

I have taken ideas from this blog & passed them on to other NTM leaders. The MK scholarship for example. I also really like the idea of a neutral party who can help sort out problems between leaders in the org and church planters/members.

Thanks!

Andy, is there a formal email at the mission where these ideas can be compiled and put into formal form and sent to? I know the mission is refraining from the blog and it was supposed to originally be an informal way for the 'hurt' to get together and talk about feelings, but on this particular thread, the ideas have been amazing and it would be nice to know who at NTM would be a good person to send the ideas to who could appropriately present them to the board.
Would it be the reasearch and planning department? Or is there a committee assigned to this 'case' so to speak? I will be happy to take on the task of compiling these thoughts and ideas to present if this is even an option. Perhaps we could get a more politically appropriate suggestion from you on how we can BE HEARD on these things.

Thoughts? If the mission doesn't have an avenue of accessability, I'll be happy to walk through the building putting reports on every desk I can find, but I don't think that would incur a good feedback. In fact I'll be happy to stand in front of the board and present them myself, but I'm sure they would never be open to that.

Has the mission ever thought about a democracy? Allowing the missionaries to vote on things like the suggestions on this thread? I'm thinking not. How wonderful would it be to have a bi-yearly vote on polies and proceedures for the mission as a whole and everyone gets a ballot. ???

I think we have given everybody else a pass on their humor and/or attempts at humor. I'm not sure Andy should be an exception.

To me it seems that many on this blog are after healing and do want help. But there are some who appear to only want to keep the wounds open and bleeding, only after their own cause, only stirring things up.

I should clarify that almost everything that I read on here is either expressing genuine suffering, pain, and understandable anger, or is seeking help and healing, or is seeking to identify with the wounded and help others heal. But there seems to be a voice that isn't after the healing to happen and seems to want to wounded to stay wounded. Seems to want to chase away what help is available. ....Jonah - God was actually working in Nineveh, but Jonah couldn't believe it and was waiting for judgment to fall.