One of Baptist Mission Australia’s core values is that we foster innovation – taking appropriate risks and encouraging creativity.

One of Baptist Mission Australia’s core values is that we foster innovation – taking appropriate risks and encouraging creativity. These words sound great on a page, but what does that mean when the people we are walking alongside are from completely different cultural, education and socioeconomic backgrounds?

For our context here, what is an appropriate risk for someone in rural Mozambique compared to me, a young (ok…middle-aged) Australian bloke? It’s not an easy question to answer but one worth grappling with if we are to engage in the important issues of life together, as anything worth tackling is probably going to involve some risk, and therefore innovation!

For a few years our team has identified an issue with rapid deforestation in our local area. This is a problem on two fronts: economic and environment.

It hurts the local economy because in the near future, firewood and building materials will be more distant and therefore more expensive in either money or effort to get those same commodities. Additionally, the environment suffers in multiple ways through biodiversity loss, increased erosion, increased wind damage and the list goes on.

We could have launched any numbers of projects, but we waited until the time was right. In relationship with a local village, we have started a collaborative agroforestry project.

It is usually the case that fostering innovation is best done in relationship, when we can each bring what God has gifted us with to find a solution together. In this case we got to bring training and connection, and the village bought land ready for agroforestry and a community committed to the vision of achieving a goal together.

As we worked together, we also got to talk with our Muslim friends and discuss that God gave us this area as custodians to farm and care for, so that future generations can also benefit from the gifts God has given us.

Looking after our environment and farming it well is legitimate Kingdom work – doing it from common spiritual ground gives us opportunities for future conversations about the gift God has given us in Jesus.

In an intercultural context it is always important to slow down, be in community with our local friends and allow time and space for innovation to reveal itself in relationship. In many ways the end solution is only a small part of the process – discovering the innovation and journeying together is just as important. And we are all richer for it!