Patronage governs many relationships in Majority World cultures. But regrettably, Western theologians and missionaries rarely notice this prominent cultural reality. Patronageâa reciprocal relationship between social unequalsâis a central part of global cultures and the biblical story of God's mission.Misunderstanding patronage creates problems not only for Westerners ministering in other cultures, but also for contemporary people reading the Bible. If we ignore the concepts of patronage in biblical cultures, we will misinterpret Yahweh's relationship with Israel and miss some of the meaning in Jesus' parables and Paul's letters. Understanding patronage will illuminate theological concepts such as faith, grace, and salvation.Jayson Georges, coauthor of Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures, now brings his ministry experience and biblical insights to bear on the topic of patronage. With sections on cultural issues, biblical models, theological concepts, and missional implications, this resource will serve not only ministry practitioners but also anyone who studies Scripture and worships God.
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PATRONAGE, SIMPLY PUT, is a reciprocal relationship between a patron and a client. Patrons are the superior party with resources and power to help other people. Their favors and benefits take many forms, such as covering the hospital expenses for a sick person, hosting a feast, procuring the documents for a friendâs business, allowing farmers to cultivate their fields, building a new road, etc. Patrons use their influence and wealth to ensure other peopleâs security and survival. Their generosity protects and provides for the people under their care.
Clients, on the other hand, are social inferiors who attach themselves to a patron in order to secure protection and resources. To maintain the patronage relationship, clients must reciprocate when they receive help from the patron. But the client is not as wealthy as the patron, so instead of repaying financially, they repay by honoring the patron. A client offers obedience, gratitude, allegiance, and solidarity to the patron. Clients demonstrate their loyalty in a variety of waysâthey vote for the patron running for public office, fight on the patronâs behalf, offer public praise at any opportunity, offer token gifts, and do symbolic acts of service. These actions honor the patron. The client seeks to enhance the patronâs reputation, often at great personal cost, hoping such loyalty will be rewarded by the generous patron. Figure 1.1 visualizes the reciprocal relationship between patrons and clients.
Patrons are the âhaves,â clients are the âhave-nots,â and patronage is when the âhavesâ solve the problems for the âhave-nots.â The patron provides for the clientâs material needs, and the client meets the patronâs desires for social status. Paul Hiebert explains,
The patron, like a parent, is totally responsible for the welfare of his clients. . . . Clients in fact can ask a patron for whatever they think he may grant, but this is not considered beggingâno more than Christians think they are begging when they ask God for help. Clients for their part, must be totally loyal to their patron. . . . The patron gains power and prestige within the society, and the client gains security.1
Patronage is generally defined as a âreciprocal, asymmetrical relationship.â2 Each word in this definition denotes a crucial aspect of patronage. First, patronage is a relationship, not some legal arrangement. Patronage involves an enduring parent and child type of commitment, not a one-time financial contribution or business deal. The exchange of resources creates and cultivates an ongoing relationship. But to their own peril, Westerners mistakenly âdescribe the relationships between a patron and a client as contractual, like a business, rather than as familial.â3
Also, the relationship of patronage is reciprocal. There is a mutual exchange of resources. Each side in the relationship gives something, whether material (e.g., money, protection) or social (e.g., loyalty, praise). There is an expectation, perhaps even a moral obligation, that the receiver will repay the debt. Each side benefits because the other side gives, and this creates an ongoing reciprocity that deepens the relationship.
Finally, these reciprocal relationships are asymmetrical, or unequal. The patron has a higher social status than the client. They are not peers. The difference in status is an inherit aspect of the patron-client relationship.4 Patronage allows unequals to interact and exchange resources in a mutually beneficial manner, but without jeopardizing their social distinction. In summary, the core features of patronage are relationship, reciprocity, and asymmetry.
KEY ASPECTS OF PATRONAGE
The system of patronage is not a simple mechanical procedure but the interaction of various social dynamics working together to enhance social bonds and facilitate exchanges. Here are common characteristics of relationships in patronage cultures: social pyramids, superiority/inferiority, relational imbalance, mediation, power brokers, social capital, clout, gifts, connections, reciprocity, obligations, âfriends,â loyalty, generosity, benevolence, favoritism, honor, and shame. From this list, three particular aspectsâsocial capital, brokers, and honorâpropel the cycle of patron-client exchanges. So we examine them in more depth.
Social capital. Western economies mostly use financial currency to exchange goods and resources. If you buy a jacket at Target, you pay twenty-five dollars in cash. If you rent a room through Hotels.com, you pay seventy-nine dollars with your credit card. An American can make dozens of transactions in a single day but exit each interaction without any relational obligation. Paying money absolves our (social) debt, and the receipt confirms our independence from the seller.
In contrast, Majority World cultures often use a different currency to exchange resources. People in reciprocal relationships barter âsocial capital.â For example, if you host a lunch, you accrue two credits of social capital. If you built a new stadium in town, then youâd get one hundred credits! Of course, there are no physical receipts or monthly statements in the system of patronage; people track account balances in their minds. The Turkish people have a proverb about hospitality: âThe memory of one tea lasts forty years.â People invest their resources (e.g., time, labor, gifts, marriageable children) to accrue a more positive social status. When relationships are essential for getting resources, a personâs reputation and social capital are immensely valuable assets.
According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, social capital is the ability to access resources through social networks and relationships. A personâs social capital âdepends on the size of the network of connections he can effectively mobilize and on the volume of the capital.â5 Relationships equal wealth. Compared to financial capital, social capital is an intangible currency, for it only exists within the context of specific relationships and communities.
The Chinese concept of guanxi is an example of social capital. The word guanxi refers to a personâs network of mutually beneficial relationships, particularly in the business world. People maintain the socioeconomic order by relating with others in a hierarchical fashion. Such guanxi networks are built upon mutual obligations, relational trust, and implicit reciprocity. Leveraging guanxi in business is not considered bribery but is actually expected. People feel obliged to trade favors and cooperate with others in their guanxi network of relationships. This is the nature of social capital.
Brokers. Ricardo grew up playing music in Ecuador. One day he was invited to play drums for a band that was organized by the sons of a police colonel. The band had a great show, and Ricardo became part of that family band. Over time his relationship with the family deepened, and he became one of them. In a country where danger abounds, having a police colonel as a friend was helpful. For Ricardo that meant they would help anytime he needed. So once Ricardoâs relatives learned about his relationship with the colonelâs family, they had a new level of respect for him. Ricardoâs family viewed him as a âbrokerâ who could connect them to the police colonel and thus help ensure their safety and security. Without some intermediary, Ricardoâs family could not gain access to the powerful police colonel.
The social gap between patrons and clients can be extreme, and thus insurmountable. Lowly clients cannot directly approach powerful patrons. Bridging the social gap requires a âbroker,â a trusted intermediary who links the two parties together. âBy possessing strategic contact with the wealthy, the broker bridges the social chasm between patron and client in a way that is profitable for both parties.â6 The term broker is not an official title, but a general description for people who use connections to facilitate access. Brokers know somebody who can help. By facilitating the exchange between patron and client, the broker accrues honor. In the end, brokerage creates a winning situation for all three partiesâpatron, broker, and client.
Recall the story of Elisha and the wealthy Shunammite woman who provided patronage for Elishaâs itinerant ministry (2 Kings 4). Whenever Elisha passed through town, she provided a meal, and she even built a furnished bedroom for Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-10). Though she never asked for any favors, Elisha offered to reciprocate. âSince you have taken all this trouble for us, what may be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?â (2 Kings 4:13). To repay her generosity, Elisha offered to mediate access to the ruling powers. Elisha presented himself as a broker in the system of patronage.
The nuances of brokerage create a web of relationships with fluid social roles. For example, a broker functions as both patron and client. To the superior person, the broker is a special yet subservient client. And for the inferior person, the broker is the functional patron who provides access to benefits and so deserves gratitude. As a result, society functions as an interlocking network of obligations and social bonds. Aspects of patronage, brokerage, and clientage become woven into all social relationships. The relational connectivity of these patronage networks stabilizes and defines the community.
Honor (and shame). Patronage is a system for acquiring honor. The sharing of resources converts financial assets into social status. The wealthy share money to gain honor. In ancient Greco-Roman society, patronage allowed people
to accrue honor, status and worth for oneself and before others. . . . For a personâs self-estimation as worthy (dignus) to become a social-estimation, it had to be confirmed by those whose opinion mattered. One way to achieve this honorific outcome, as least within elite circles, was by displaying oneâs social worth through acts of generosity.7
In fact, the Greek word philotimia (literally, âlove of honorâ) was a word for public benefaction.8 Patrons obtain social prominence by publicly displaying their fortune. This pursuit of honor and glory propelled the system of patronage.