I ran across this video recently from the Catalyst Conference and had some conflicting emotions as I watched it. As a communicator of God’s Word, I am intensely aware of the power of emotion and the importance of using it effectively (though I often make mistakes). Take a moment to watch this video (especially starting from 3:45) and get an impression and then rejoin me for thoughts after:
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I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made mistakes as a communicator so when I watch a video like this and comment on it I do so for my own learning experience (and perhaps my readers can learn from this as well). Let me also say that I have full confidence in the integrity of Compassion International and for everyone on the stage during this video. However, I think some steps could’ve been taken to avoid an awkward situation. This post is sort of like a case study for communicator’s.
Jimmy and Mark’s story was very powerful. I can’t imagine a more compelling story and I know the Holy Spirit was at work in this moment. Compassion International is a reputable organization and I have lots of friends who have attended Catalyst conferences. But after Jimmy meets Mark, I thought the way the MC handled this situation was distracting and misguided. Again, coming purely from a communicator’s perspective, I think we need to learn from this moment and be aware of the power of emotion. This was a powerful moment but at the end it felt like a commercial (even though he said it wasn’t. I’m always extremely sensitive especially to the way we ask for money even for a worthy cause).
Now, I know that hundreds of children got sponsored through this event, but my concern with this video doesn’t have anything to do with poverty. In fact, it doesn’t have anything to do with motives. I’m sure the people who coordinated this moment were hoping to persuade as many people as possible to sponsor a child and that they were doing so for the right reasons.
I don’t want to attack anyone’s motives, but I do want to caution about methods. To me the moment after Jimmy and Mark met I was longing for someone to whisk them off stage and then lead the crowd in a time of praise for the One who made all this possible. Of course, no one doubted that it was the Spirit who was working in that room at that moment, but it seemed to go way, way too quickly to a plea for money.
So, viewing this as a case study, I invite your insights. Should this moment have been planned differently? Maybe with videos or with more tact? Should someone have prepped the MC to feel free to go off script if the moment was too powerful to proceed? What lessons do we learn as church leaders about the power of emotion and our need to carefully consider what may or may not happen in a moment such as this?
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My name is Ben Rough and I am the employee of Compassion that arranged the moment at Catalyst. It has been very interesting to see so many different perspectives and opinions on this topic. I’d like to offer a response that could help broaden everyone’s understanding of the introduction between Jimmy and his sponsor.
I believe the question raised on this blog is valid. It is important for Compassion to understand how unpredictable these moments can be as well as how others can perceive them. It is a responsibility that we cannot take lightly. Personally, I don’t think the sponsorship ask was presented in a manipulative way. There are many ways this could have been manipulative but the emcee, at my request, simply asked the audience to raise their hand if they were willing to consider sponsoring a child. The fact that more than 1200 people asked for a packet speaks to how God moved through that moment. After watching it on video, I actually feel like you needed to be at Catalyst to truly experience that moment for what it was. It was genuine, sincere, and heartfelt. It is fairly easy to remove one’s self from the emotion and break it down on video. This wasn’t meant to be a video, it was a live unpredictable moment that I believe God orchestrated.
I’d like to clarify that Catalyst and the emcee had the absolute best intentions for that moment. There seemed to be quite a few uninformed comments criticizing Catalyst – I can assure you they simply wanted to be a voice for children in need. The emcee as well as the producers of Catalyst personally sponsor children through Compassion and have a huge heart for children around the world. After one of them met his sponsored child in Rwanda and experienced personally the bond between a child and a sponsor, I suggested the idea of arranging a sponsor introduction at Catalyst. The goal was to show the power of child sponsorship and provide honest answers to frequent questions like “does the money really go where they say it goes”, “do you actually have a relationship with the child”, “does monthly sponsorship really make a difference”. When I originally contacted Mark, (Jimmy’s sponsor) he was thrilled at the opportunity to meet Jimmy and was also quick to share his excitement that their story might inspire others to sponsor. Compassion, Catalyst, and Mark all shared that same goal.
The moment was much more emotional than any of us expected and it is important for us to consider that in the future. Being there in that moment, I was overwhelmed emotionally and can certainly understand the range of strong feelings people have after watching the video. Sure, there are things that the emcee and I may have done differently with our knowledge now, but the reality is God worked powerfully through the circumstances and was glorified through their testimony. No one knew exactly what to expect and that was certainly the danger of that moment unfolding on stage. I have spoken to Jimmy several times since Catalyst and he has nothing but positive things to say about it. He is excited about how God is using his story to inspire many others to invest in the lives of children.
I hope everyone in the audience saw the beauty and power of investing in a life and were better for it – whether they chose to sponsor a child or not. I know I went home and immediately wrote a letter to each of my sponsored children. I know others were more open to adoption which was the focus following the interview with Jimmy. My prayer is that God will continue to move through this story and inspire people to action. I sincerely hope that those reading this blog and commenting on it can appreciate the intent of the moment and recognize that many lives where changed – from those in the audience to the lives of hundreds of children living in extreme poverty who now have sponsors.
Thank you Ben for orchestrating that beautiful moment. It’s hard for those of us who have experienced this relationship with our own sponsored children and Compassion’s commitment to Christ, children, and integrity to comprehend and process the cynic’s viewpoint here. You explained it so eloquently and gracefully. Thanks again.
Nathan,
Thanks for showing me this video. It certainly is a poweful use of pathos (persuasive appeal based on emotion). You can imagine how much more powerful it was being there live?
Was it right or wrong? Wise or misguided? Well . . . hard to say, huh? It looks like most of the people who responded on this blog say that it was justified. My own feeling is that the MC should not have made such a strong and immediate appeal for money. It would have been better to turn the emotion into thanks and worship of the Lord Jesus who gave ALL for us and places in our hearts the desire to share a bit of our money for the needy. An appeal for money could also have been made, but it should have been made simply and briefly. Maybe it should have been made an hour or a day after the reunion took place on stage.
HOWEVER, all of this arm chair coaching isn’t really fair. I have no doubts that the MC, and Compassion, and Catalyst had pure motives and that the Lord used the event for great good. When a speaker or MC is in the middle of an event, emotionally moved himself, we can cut him a wide swath of mercy for any small mistakes he might have made. I’m not even fully convinced that he made a mistake!
I like your blog.
Paige,
Labeling people who are honestly discussing issues “cynics” is really not helpful to a discussion like this. It’s like name-calling. I am a Compassion sponsor, I am an adoptive father, I am a pastor involved in multiple outreaches to children, and I think this discussion is WELL worth having. Anytime we cannot discuss and examine something and openly look at it from various angles to try to improve, we are not acting maturely. The greatness of the cause, the purity of our motives, and great results – none of those automatically sanctify the methods nor do they mean something cannot be crtiqued and improved.
It takes hard work, mental effort, and lots of thought and discussion and God’s help to improve. It’s easy to blow off criticism. It takes maturity to listen and evaluate. I hope Ben will read through this discussion carefully and pray over it and make some adjustments that will make Compassion even better!
Ben,
Thank you for offering an insider’s view and perspective on the happenings at Catalyst. I think most of us (I know I do) believe that the motives of the moment for Compassion, Catalyst, the emcee, and Mark were absolutely pure. I also strongly agree with you that this was probably one of those “had to be there moments”. An outsiders point of view is not always an accurate perception of the events taking place. I think that is kind of the point here. I think that an outsiders view is also somewhat valid though. We can always learn from how others interpret our communication. I think it is very important for us to understand how others perceive us, especially the lost. Our messege must be accurate (according to God’s Word), but our methods are also just as important. Hindsight is always 20/20. We can always see ways to improve on the way things were handled. I believe wholeheartedly that the Spirit of God was there and moved among the people in that room. However, I am not sure that the response of the people is a clear indication of the Spirit moving. People can be moved emotionally to action without the Spirit of God moving in their lives. Also, God can use a combination of the Spirit plus emotion to move someone to action as well. It is kind of a sticky situation. I think the whole point here was that we need to be careful how we communicate because a lost world is watching. It was a beautiful moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. I hope one day to meet Samuel, the little boy my wife and I sponser (maybe not so publicly). I love Compassion and the work they do. I just hope all of us will keep in mind that although our conversations and actions may not always be directed toward a lost world, they are still watching. Thank you for your service to the Kingdom and your obediance to James 1:27.
Paige,
I too am a Compassion sponser. I love my little boy Samuel. I pray for him, send him things, and think about him often. I have experienced this relationship with a sponsered child, but I guess under you qualifications, I would be a cynic. Please do not understand people striving to honor God with every area of their lives (in this case communication) as being cynical. I think it is pursuing holiness (a task we are all called to). Just as much as the child in India, Bolivia, Honduras, and any other country needs sponsership for food, education, and the Gospel so do our neighbors have the need for a relationship with Christ. Our conduct, online and in person, has a huge effect on individuals responses to the Gospel. As Christians, we must be intentional, precise, and careful in all we do. It is not easy but it is our calling. Every word we speak and action we take should draw someone one step closer to a relationship with Christ. Will we always succeed? Absolutely not. Christians are not sinless, but should strive to sin less. This only comes from careful examination (like the above blog) and submission to the Holy Spirit. I definitely see your point. I hope you see mine as well.
The blog was definitely fantastic! Lots of nice information and inspiration, both of which we all need!
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Nathan, thank you for raising these questions. I am a “latecomer” to this video, via a blog whose writer was just on a Compassion trip to Kenya. I did not watch the video to the point of the appeal for sponsors, so I cannot speak to that. My concern was how the situation was thrust upon Jimmy in such a public venue, without his knowledge or consent. It is good to see discussion that acknowledges that we can often learn from situations in hindsight. Although I was very uncomfortable with the situation that Jimmy was thrust into, I never questioned that his sponsor and Compassion have given Jimmy chances in life that are immeasurable.