OBSERVATION - "YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT.":
You bet I'm right!!!

Well, let us look at the facts!

Your observer recently read an article published by a US based mission organization that sends resources to a certain mission area. The article emphasized the need to support (i.e. to fund) the  "tremendous growth"  of the mission. The article claimed over 25,000 baptized members for the 45 year old former mission, now called a "partner church." 

You observer happened to have been in that part of the country for almost a year. During that time he directed a post-graduate research project with 18 seminary students. The project was a census of the church membership. These men intimately knew the country-side, knew the people to ask, and were motivated to present fresh and accurate data.

After three months of field work, the numbers were added up. Turned out to be not 25,000+, but less than 3,000 baptized.

When this discrepancy was pointed out to the mission exec who was quoted in the mission article, we received the reply "You might be right." And then he went on to say that the US based mission organization will continue it's current funding relationship, no changes.

Due to the fact that funds come to that partner church from many and various sources in the USA, we find it impossible to determine a total amount. The outside resource amounts to many thousands of dollars a year and comes from many donors.

Our concern was that this particular mission area is heavily dependent on US funding. If there were 25,000+ baptized, certainly that church could fend for itself, using the resources God gives to His people in that place. According to information gathered by your observer the continued funding is a contributing factor towards apathy and antagonism in the "partner church." The gap between claimed numbers and actual numbers will probably continue to widen.

 "We might be right?" Look at the facts.