Using the Irish Republican Army as an Example for Missionary Support Groups

BUILDING SUPPORT GROUPS A paper presented to Cooper City Church of God Missions Conference, February 9^th 2007 

by Nick Park (National Overseer, Church of God in Ireland)Introduction

The Northern Irish peace process has been an unexpected solution to one of the Twentieth Century’s intractable problems.  The Irish ‘troubles’ appeared, like the Middle Eastern conflict or poverty in
Africa, to be an unsolvable crisis.  Instead, as with the dismantling of apartheid and the collapse of the Berlin Wall, it represents a rare example of international political progress.What is not commonly appreciated or understood is that the Northern Irish peace process occurred as a direct result of the failure by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to maintain its support groups. 1.  Historical Context

On the face of it, Northern Ireland in the early 1990s had enough bitterness and hatred to keep the centuries-old conflict running for another thousand years.  Ethnic cleansing, atrocities and separate Catholic and Protestant educational systems (each teaching a one-eyed view of Irish history) provided a wellspring of violence and mutual distrust.However, the IRA, even at its peak, never had more than a few hundred active members.  To operate effectively they needed three support groups: the Catholic community who would turn a blind-eye to their activities; Marxist governments that would provide weaponry; and the Irish-American community that gave the money to purchase that weaponry.In the 1990s the large Catholic communities in Belfast and Derry were war-weary.  The ongoing violence had degraded their quality of life to the point where the pain of continued conflict outweighed their legacy of hatred for the British.  Increasingly IRA safe-houses and arms dumps were being located by police on the basis of ‘information received’.  Simultaneously, many of the Marxist regimes that had previously supplied the IRA’s weaponry were collapsing and being replaced with democratic governments.Thirdly, US interests began to suffer terrorist attacks, quickly dispelling the romantic view of the IRA as freedom fighters.  The inherent contradiction of a movement using American money to purchase weapons from Marxist organizations became impossible for the Irish-American population to ignore.The breakdown of these three support groups meant that the IRA had to pursue a peace agreement or face eventual military defeat.  2.  Missionary Application

We may not welcome the comparison, but there are parallels between the role of missionaries and the IRA.  Missionaries are a very small group conducting a huge enterprise.  We need the concrete support of those who will provide finance and equipment.  We also cannot function effectively without the goodwill and tacit cooperation of the larger church community.  Building, and maintaining, support groups is vital to the success of our mission. 3.  Positive Lessons

The IRA, although violent and morally reprehensible, managed to cause severe disruption, both militarily and economically, to one of the most powerful nations in the world for many years.  How did a few hundred active volunteers manage this?Firstly, they tapped into the existing traditions and desires of their support groups.  For the Irish-American community and the Catholic communities of Ulster this meant that they could support the IRA, thereby vicariously fulfilling the anti-British strand of their national identity.  Similarly, missionaries fulfill the Great Commission, going on behalf of the wider Church to make disciples of all nations.  This is why presenting yourself as ‘Your missionary to xxxx-land’ is more than just a play on words.Secondly, the IRA helped further the goals of their support groups.  For example, Marxist regimes wanted to destabilize western regimes so as to spread their propaganda.  The Irish conflict created a variety of splinter terrorist groups that were much more extreme and open than the IRA in their Communist rhetoric.  Missionaries need to ensure that support groups are a two-way process.  Those who compose your groups must be more than just supporters, they need to be supported by you also.Thirdly, the IRA had a tremendous public relations department.  Newspapers and other publications, photographs and film documentaries, as well as creatively adapting a rich heritage of songs and storytelling combined to keep the support groups motivated.  Similarly, we as missionaries need to constantly communicate with our support groups using every technology at our disposal.  4. Negative Lessons

Ultimately the IRA’s support groups drifted away. Firstly there was the increasing perception in Catholic ghettos that the pain and inconvenience of the armed struggle outweighed the actual and potential benefits.  The cultural traditions and the vicarious participation in the fight for independence were simply not worth the tangible costs of continued violence with its accompanying social deprivation.  Missionaries need to give their support groups something that will outweigh the cost of being supportive.  This will mean ministering to them, rather than viewing them simply as a cash cow.The IRA also failed to adapt to changing circumstances.  The collapse of communism left them stripped of their sources for weaponry.  Searching for alternative sources in the Islamic world and in Colombia only served to further alienate their financial support group in the
USA.  Today’s missionaries are ministering in the most rapidly changing period ever in world history.  Traditional methodology alone will condemn them to defeat.Finally, the IRA’s network of support contained an inherent contradiction in that their communist affiliations were deeply offensive to their financial backers in the
US.  This lack of integrity was bound to be exposed eventually.  A support group needs to be built on mutual vision and goals.  It is my prayer that missionaries in the Church of God will lay the groundwork for successful support groups, and then display sufficient innovation and creativity to nurture those groups through changing conditions and circumstances.  We can learn from the ultimate failure of the IRA, but we do, of course, have a whole added dimension of help and guidance in the Person of the Holy Spirit.