The following post is by Mary Van Rheenen, one of CBF’s field personnel serving on the Romany Team. You can learn more about the work of the Romany Team at the CBF Romany Ministries blog.

By Mary Van Rheenen

In the course of following Jesus, I’ve seen a lot of different Christian “boats.”

I have Reformed/Presbyterian roots, served with a Mennonite organization, and been a regular member of Methodist, Catholic, and Catholic/charismatic groups. So when Keith and I were going through CBF’s candidate process, Harlan Spurgeon asked me how I felt about the Baptist boat I was in. I’ve encountered a lot of different mission teams in a lot of different organizations since, and, Harlan, I’m very glad I’m still sailing with CBF’s Romany Team.

Here’s why.

The Romany Team is made up of redeemed sinners. We admit our weaknesses and find our strength in Jesus Christ (and each other). For instance, I’m an introvert with a low energy level. No one has ever faulted me for doing less stuff than our cheerleader teammate. It’s okay if I retire to rest. I don’t have to pretend to be some perfect person that I’m not. 

That’s possible in part because we respect each other. Some of us have been pioneering evangelists and boldly gone wherever the Spirit led (Bulgaria, India, the Middle East). Some of us have been coaches (literally) with the less glitzy gift of  mentoring church plants and local leadership (Hungary, Romania, Slovakia).

We affirm our different gifts and expertise. We assume, for example, that our teammate in the Czech Republic knows her field and her calling better than we do. I may have questions and suggestions, and she might ask me to examine the wisdom of my own latest proposal (a bus that makes weekly runs to Roma villages to sell pizza and hold Bible clubs—why not?). We can do this because we respect each other.

This is part of CBF culture. People in offices rely on rather than dictate to people in the field. We are not told where to go to the doctor or what language to preach in. Since we are treated like mature adults, we (usually) act like mature adults and do not wait around to be told, either.

Teammates who were still in the language-learning phase had an opportunity to tutor in a local Roma school. They asked the team’s advice, consulted the CBF guidebook, then made a decision that worked best for them at that time and has proven to be a good investment for future ministry.

Investing in the future is yet another intrinsic part of this “boat.” The process of building respect, local leadership, and mature churches is more important than tallying short-term results. How many Romany have made a decision for Christ or requested baptism because of the media materials Keith has produced or the vacation Bible school teams I’ve coordinated with? 

Our local partners will eventually reap these kinds of results. While we have to be accountable, we do not have to give a head-count.

This fosters creativity and flexibility. We’ve tried a lot of different things. Team members secunded from another sending agency. Teammates who are active members of teams from other sending agencies. Expanding to a cluster operating on three continents; splitting back down to a more geographically-centered team. Multiple economic development projects ranging from a meat market to an internet café (to date, no one’s tried a pizza-bus, though). Evangelizing through community health, cake decorating workshops, and YouTube.

Some of them worked. Some of them didn’t. That was okay. We learned from it and moved on.

The Romany Team, like many Romany these days, is on the move. The Holy Spirit is on the move. CBF is on the move. For all these reasons—and many more–I have no intention of moving on. After 17 years of sailing with this Captain and crew, there is no other place I’d rather be than in this particular boat.