Strategizing for Missions as a Redemptive Church: (Six strategies, wise use of money, short-term missions)

The final six items of our seminar and book outline strategies for redemptive churches to evangelize the world.  These strategy elements are based on the presupposition that evangelists from our churches must plant churches that plant churches...that plant churches.... God's message permeates the world only when there are incisive plans to create communities of faith where God's purposes can work

Beachhead.  Just as establishing beachheads was an important strategy in the Allies' reclaiming Europe from the Axis powers, so the church must create beachheads on enemy soil in order to invade the strongholds of Satan and bring freedom in Christ.  An invasion of Satan's strongholds--areas where Christ is either unknown or misunderstood--requires precise strategy, incisive preparation, and "until-we-die" motivation.  Thus a missions-mobilizing church opens new areas of the world to the Gospel through beachheading.  Existing missions movements must grow to maturity in Christ and become missions-mobilizing movements themselves. 

Harvest.  Effective beachheading is done in fields prepared by God for harvest.  Jesus told his disciples, "Do not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest.' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest" (John 4:35).  Before giving the Limited Commission in Matthew 10:5-42, Jesus looked with compassion upon the crowds "because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd"--a description of receptive people (Matt. 9:36).  He then spoke of harvest: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matt. 9:37-38).  God expects a harvest, and he expects it to be abundant!  Thus he seeks workers.  An effective missions-mobilizing church, therefore, seeks the receptive--to win the winnable while they are still winnable.  The chapter gives characteristics of receptive areas throughout the world.

Teams.  Beachheading in domestic and foreign arenas is difficult for one missionary or for one missionary family.  The Teacher writes, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up....A cord of three strands is not easily broken" (Eccles. 4:9-10, 12).  These facts led Jesus to send out his disciples two-by-two.  The early evangelist Paul consistently evangelized with co-workers (Acts 20:4, Col. 4:7-14).  Missions team is defined as "a structured group, led by the Spirit of God and commissioned by the church, to evangelize a specific people, who enjoy working together synergistically to develop and implement a strategy to plant and nurture reproducing churches."  Effective missions-mobilizing churches aim to beachhead in receptive areas of the world by supporting teams of prepared workers.

Multiple Plantings.  Teams in receptive areas should develop a full-city, multi-city, or full-tribe perspective.  Rather than micro-managing one congregation, they should model Paul, who planted and nurtured multiple churches but expected Apollos and others to water what had been planted (Rom. 15:17-20; 1 Cor. 3:6, 10).  Focusing on establishing only one church creates a missionary enclave of foreign "trained" leaders that smothers development of national lay leaders.  The result is frequently an anemic church, transplanted from the sending culture.  Erich Bridges of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, says that a church-planting movement should aim for "the rapid multiplication of churches among a people group that enables them to reach their entire people--then to reach out to other peoples" (1999, 7).  An effective missions-mobilizing church aims for its missionaries to plant growing, reproducing churches.

Wise Use of Money.  Use of money in missions is like a two-edged sword: It can empower missions on the one hand while hindering or destroying it on the other.  Money can empower missions by (1) supporting effective missionaries to open new areas of the world, (2) partnering with developing national churches to train and oversee effective national leaders, (3) developing media and materials to strengthen specific local ministries.  Money can hinder missions by (1) creating unhealthy dependence, (2) controlling churches which should be self-supporting, and (3) unknowingly attracting leeches and con-men who hope for benefits, support, or a chance to study abroad.  Four models are given to illustrate how money can empower or hinder missions: (1) the American Support Model, (2) the Partnership Model, (3) the Indigenous Model, and (4) the Indigenous-Partnership Model.  

Congregational Involvement.  Missions-mobilizing churches in this international age are actively involved in their missions works.  Not only do they support long-term missionaries who know the languages and cultures of the people among whom they minister, they also coordinate short-term campaigns to their mission points that develop horizons for missions and evangelism within the local church.  Congregational involvement, however, should vary depending on the maturity of developing movements.  In young movements the local church should serve as senders.  In Serving as Senders Neal Pirolo says that for every soldier on the frontline of battle, nine provide support for him.  Churches stand behind their missionaries by providing (1) moral, (2) logistic, (3) financial, (4) prayer, (5) communication, and (6) re-entry support (Pirolo 1991).  After the first churches are established, the sending church begins to serve as encouragers of a young movement.  They encourage missionaries and new Christians by e-mail, letters, and telephone calls.  They also encourage by field visits that provide hands-on expressions of compassion and solidarity.  For example, members of the sending church might help construct a church building or provide health and medical needs to those living in poverty.  As missions churches grow to maturity, the sending church should serve as resources for the developing movement.  Elders interact with elders about the nature of shepherding; evangelists reflect with evangelists about becoming a missions-mobilizing movement; youth from both cultures encourage one another in the Lord.  Active involvement by the missions-mobilizing church includes short-term workers laboring beside long-term workers, according to the gifts given to the body.

This is only a brief summary of an eight-hour, interactive seminar given to local churches who desire to transition beyond the caterpillar stage of church development.