Welcome

Welcome to the Paulos Group online!

We are delighted you’re here and hope you have some time to look around. The Paulos Group has been in the planning stages since last year, but expedited on the heels of a number of organizations working together in Haiti after the earthquake.

As you browse the site you may notice…

We are not a conventional mission organization. According to Operation World there are over ten thousand indigenous congregations in Haiti today. From a biblical “missions” perspective, a missionary to a country saturated with churches is a contradiction in terms—even appearing arrogant in light of the sheer volume of churches here. Our ministry is living out the mission of the church as we come alongside our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Unfamiliar terms like “patronization” and “incarnational ministry”. Since we interact with these concepts everyday and you may not, let me define them:

Patronization is when a person believes that someone considered less fortunate is not capable of doing something on his or her own—leading to a pattern of special or preferential treatment, only to leave the less fortunate person worse off when the special treatment is no longer available.

Incarnational ministry is following the example of Jesus. Jesus didn’t attend to our depravity from afar. He didn’t make short-term trips to intervene in crises or even commute in and out on a daily basis. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) He came to live with us! This is the incarnation: God became one of us. He made himself vulnerable so he could relate to us—the foundation for the Gospel.

We use the word invest a lot. Although missions in traditional forms may not be appropriate in Haiti, the church does have a responsibility here. We believe that living among the people is the first step in bridging the gap that isolates the problem. This work requires much more than donations and relief work, it requires investment. It is only when we are truly invested that we can identify with the struggle and work toward real solutions.

Haiti is at a crossroads and the philosophies that prevail amidst the reconstruction will determine the future for generations to come. Would you consider joining with us?

Warmly,

Matt McCormick
Partner