MISSIOLOGY
VIII. Strategy of Missions
IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING MANY PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, A
MISSIONARY NEEDS A BIBLICAL STRATEGY.
Missions in many places have failed or grown slowly because the
wrong strategies were used. So multiplied centuries have passed with the church
not expanding in some places.David Garrison, in his booklet, Church Planting
Movements, identifies things that promote exponential growth and things that
inhibit growth of the church on mission fields.
Following is a summary of key points from Garrison’s booklet,
together with some additional information. The goal of a missionary should be
to promote church planting movements within people groups. Garrison defines a church
planting movement (CPM) as “a rapid and exponential increase of indigenous
churches planting churches within a given people group or population
segment.”22 The CPM is rapid—it may result in many new churches within a few
years. The CPM is exponential—two churches become four, four churches become
eight, eight churches become sixteen, and so on.
The CPM is comprised of indigenous churches—the people within a
culture initiate and sustain the churches. The CPM welcomes people from any
people group, but each church initially focuses on reaching people within a
particular people group or population segment. People respond best to people
that have similar language and cultural traits.
Church planting movements are occurring in North Africa, China,
Latin America, Western Europe, and Ethiopia. Techniques described in Garrison’s
booklet help promote such church planting movements in various cultures. Some
of these strategies are based on Biblical teaching. For example, Garrison promotes
church planting by indigenous churches. Paul the Apostle planted churches
around the Mediterranean, and then he encouraged the churches to do all of the
work of the church. Part of that work included witnessing so that indigenous
people planted other churches. Paul taught that each member of the church had
one or more gifts that were to be employed. Some had the gift of prophecy, and
one can infer that such prophets spoke not only to existing churches but also
to new churches (see Romans 12: 6). Some had the gift of evangelism, so that
new churches formed as the Gospel spread (see Ephesians 4:11).
Garrison says that indigenous churches should not have to adapt to
the culture of a missionary. Paul the Apostle encouraged indigenous churches
among the Greeks without requiring that they adopt all the Hebrew customs and
rituals,and Peter and James agreed with Paul (see Acts 15:1,2,6-21).
Garrison describes how churches today may meet as cell groups in
homes. The Apostle Luke described how the first Christians broke bread together
(celebrated the Lord’s Supper) in homes and how the church grew daily (see Acts
2:46,47).
The ultimate purpose of a church planting movement is not to
multiply churches, but it is to bring people of many churches to worship God.
The goal of missions is to glorify God, and we give glory to God as people are
brought to faith in him.
The strategy for church planting movements is not to teach an
indigenous missionary to plant churches for the churches. Rather, it is to get
the indigenous churches to reproduce themselves. One missionary is limited in how
many churches he can plant. But churches can reproduce themselves until they
spread throughout the whole world. However, it is important that each church
develops a mission group or cooperates with a mission organization with the
specific goal of planting new churches. History has shown that churches often
fail to conduct missions unless there is some mission group working toward such
outreach.
Garrison describes how a church planting movement occurred in a
Latin American people group from 1989 through 1998. Foreign missionaries had
laid the spiritual foundation for the churches by teaching members to rely on Scripture
and to see themselves as priests (the concept of the priesthood of the believer).
Then the government expelled the foreign missionaries. This forced the church
to become indigenous. The church members then focused on prayer. They sang
hymns in their heart language, not in the language of foreigners. Then an
economic crisis prevented members from traveling far to their church, so they
were forced to meet in small groups in homes (cell groups).
Missionaries who had returned to assist, but not control the
church, provided information on cell group models used in areas of the world.
Meeting in small groups accelerated the growth of the church. A lay missionary
school was developed and missionaries were sent throughout the country. In the
south, the number of churches increased from 129 in 1989 to 1,918 in 1998. In
the north, the number of churches increased from 95 in 1989 to 1,340 in 1998.
The indigenous church grew ten times as fast in a decade as it had in the
century before! What made the difference? Through prayer and stratagem, a
church planting movement had occurred.
Similar rapid-growth church planting movements have taken place in
other countries. Let us examine ten elements that were present in all of the church
planting movements described by Garrison.
1. Prayer. A missionary models prayer and teaches the churches the
power of prayer.
2. Abundant Gospel Sowing. Though mass media evangelism and personal
evangelism, the Gospel is presented to many people.
3. Intentional Church Planting. Even before a church planting movement
is in progress, someone deliberately plans one or more
churches.
4. Scriptural Authority. The church understands that the Bible is
their authority. It is important to have Scripture in the heart-language of the
people. People are taught the Bible orally and in written form.
5. Local Leadership. A missionary models the role of pastor and
the role of participative Bible study leader. The missionary does not
assume these roles for himself; rather he teaches indigenous
people to assume the roles.
6. Lay Leadership. Initially, leaders are from the laity, rather
than being Seminary trained.
7. Cell or House Churches. The church is organized into cell
groups or into house churches—having 10 to 30 participants in each group.
The concept of a cell group comes from the idea of cells in a human
body, which reproduce themselves as the body grows. One cell
becomes two cells, two cells become four cells, and so on. In the church,
cell groups are linked to each other under central leadership. This link has
the advantage of guiding the cell groups toward correct doctrine. House
churches are autonomous, so they are less vulnerable to detection and
suppression by hostile governments.
8. Churches Planting Churches. Indigenous churches plant more indigenous
churches. Church members understand that they can and should reproduce
churches.
9. Rapid Reproduction. Most church planters involved with CPMs say
that rapid growth encourages and sustains more growth.
10. Healthy Churches. Healthy churches pursue the five functions
of the church as given in Acts 2:41-47. These five functions are:
worship, proclamation, service, fellowship, and evangelism (See
the training module “Church Leadership”). Garrison lists five functions that
are similar to these.
In addition to the ten elements that are universal to every church
planting movement, Garrison lists ten elements that are frequently found in
church planting movements.
1. Worship in the Heart Language. Ultimately, people worship in their
heart language. Missionaries should learn the heart language,
not just the trade language.
2. Evangelism has Communal Implications. When appropriate, new believers
are encouraged to witness to their own families. There are some situations
where a believer would be persecuted if he witnesses to a family member, so
discretion must be used in witnessing. But this is often an effective method of
church growth (see Acts 16:31-32). Timing is important in witnessing. Believers
should prayerfully seek the Lord’s timing as to when to witness,
and seek the Lord’s guidance regarding how to witness.
3. Rapid Incorporation of New Converts into the Life and Ministry of
the Church. New believers are encouraged to witness immediately to others and
help start new churches.
4. Passion and Fearlessness. There is boldness and a sense of
urgency on the part of believers in CPMs.
5. A Price to Pay to Become a Christian. In areas where the Gospel
is discouraged by society or government, uncommitted church
members are screened out and the remnant is dedicated. Jesus
taught his disciples to witness under persecution, and when persecuted in one
place, to flee to another place to witness (see Matt. 10:16-23).
6. Perceived Leadership Crisis or Spiritual Vacuum in Society. When
a country or people group becomes insecure due to some crisis, people are more
willing to turn to God for answers.
7. On-the-Job Training for Church Leadership. Rather than slowing
CPMs by removing leaders from their churches, theological education can be
provided on site. Short-term training modules, such as those offered on our
website (www.missionstraining.org) are effective means of developing
missionaries and church leaders.
8. Leadership Authority is Decentralized. Each cell and each house
church needs the authority to minister and plant churches without getting
approval from a hierarchy.
9. Outsiders Keep a Low Profile. Missionaries mentor church
leaders behind the scenes.
10. Missionaries Suffer. Often missionaries involved with CPM’s suffer.
Some of this is due to their self-destructive behavior, and
some of this is due to adversaries. So missionaries need to pray. God
is responsible for saving people from condemnation and for drawing them into
his church. But he has commissioned members of the church to carry out his
work. Garrison lists ten practical ways in which missionaries can facilitate a
CPM. Some of these techniques are appropriate in some situations and not in
others.
1. Pursue a CPM Orientation from the Beginning. From the start, participants
in a cell group are taught to pursue the goals of a CPM.
2. Develop and Implement Comprehensive Strategies. A strategy should
include at least four things: prayer, Scripture, evangelism,
and church planting. Other elements will vary with the situation.
3. Evaluate Everything to Achieve the End-Vision. Leaders should eliminate
those things that do not lead to the desired results.
4. Employ Precision Harvesting. In areas where mass evangelism is conducted,
a church planter may be able to obtain the names and addresses of respondents
to such evangelism. It is important to partner with those involved in such
ministries. In some cases, a
broadcaster outside a country may conduct the evangelism. That broadcaster
may provide helpful information to the missionary
entering a particular country.
5. Prepare New Believers for Persecution . Believers should be prepared
for persecution, not surprised by persecution (see Mark
8:34).
6. Gather Them, Then Win Them. Sometimes, non-believers are brought
together to learn about God and simultaneously they are
given a vision for a CPM.
7. Plant POUCH churches. This acronym stands for: \
- Participative Bible Studies
- Obedience to the Bible as the sole measure of success
- Unpaid and non-hierarchical leadership
- Cell groups (one way to meet)
- House churches (another way to meet
8. Develop Multiple Leaders Within Each Cell Church. From the beginning,
prepare multiple leaders to handle the needs of a growing church.
9. Use On-the-Job Training. This is also addressed above under ten
elements that are common to many CPMs. Church leaders may be removed from their
job to receive theological training for a few weeks at a time, rather than for
long periods of time.
10. Model, Assist, Watch, and Leave. Missionaries should model a task,
assist leaders in doing the job, watch to see that the job is done correctly,
and leave when the leaders are trained. Modeling is accomplished by doing
things in the presence of others. This is
called the “222 principle,” based on 2 Timothy 2:2.
The missionary not only models, he teaches his disciples to model
for others.
Garrison addresses some frequently asked questions.
1. Are church buildings necessary? Initially, church buildings are
not needed generally, and may create a burden of maintenance that inhibits
church growth.
2. Do Church Planting Movements Foster Heresy? The best way to prevent
heresy is to teach disciples “to observe whatsoever things I have commanded
you” (Matt. 28:20). Notice that disciples are taught to observe—”to hold fast
to” the things that Christ commanded. Disciples are not taught merely to see
Scripture, they
are taught to obey Scripture.
3. What do you do with the kids when the cell groups meet? They may
be brought into the cell group meeting or put in a separate
group under rotating leaders from the cell group.
Garrison lists nine obstacles to CPM’s.
1. Imposing Extra-Biblical Requirements for Being a Church.Requiring
a group to have such things as a building or paid clergy
prior to becoming a church is counterproductive.
2. Loss of a Valued Cultural Identity. Churches that are required
to adapt to a foreign culture are unlikely to reproduce quickly.
3. Overcoming Bad Examples of Christianity. A church that has members
who fail to model Christian values may cause people in a
culture to be wary of other Christians.
4. Non-Reproducible Church Models. If the indigenous people cannot
reproduce the components of a church, the component should
not be introduced. For example, if cinder blocks or folding chairs
are not generally available to a culture, they should not be introduced in the
first church.
5. Subsidies Creating Dependency. Outside monies might be used for
outreach materials, but not for subsidizing salaries or buildings.
6. Extra-Biblical Leadership Requirements. In selecting disciples,the
Bible emphasizes selecting people of good moral character who are willing to
follow, rather than seeking people with a lot of theological training. See
Scripture describing Christ’s selection of
the twelve disciples (Matt. 4:18-22) and Paul’s criteria for
elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3).
7. Sequentialism. Rather than pursuing sequential steps to church planting
(first learning the language, then developing relationships, then witnessing,
then discipling, then forming a congregation, then training leaders, and then
starting another church.), it is better to immediately witness and share a
vision for CPMs.
8. Planting “frog” rather than “lizard” churches. “Frogs” sit fat
and complacent, waiting for non-believers to come to them. “Lizards”
seek out non-believers from cracks and crevices. Lizards may “change
colors” or adapt to their environment.
9. Prescriptive Strategies. Rather than following a set method for
church planting, it is necessary to follow the Holy Spirit. The
strategies suggested in this module are only suggestions. It is
vital that missionaries see how the Lord is working, and join him in that work
(see the training module—The Call to Missions).
In addition to the ideas presented by Garrison, consider the
following components that are important for successful missions.
1. Love. Missionaries must love the people. If there is no love,
all other things done are as nothing (see 1 Corinthians 13).
2. Go in Pairs and Seek a Man of Peace. As outlined above,missionaries
are encouraged to go in pairs. Jesus sent out evangelists
in pairs, and told them to seek out and stay with a “man of
peace.”
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two [a] others and sent
them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord
of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I
am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on
the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’
6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not,
it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they
give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to
house. (Luke 10:1-7 NIV)
a. Luke 10:1 Some manuscripts seventy; also in verse 17.See also
Luke 10:8-24.Missionaries entering a country may already know of someone with
whom they may live. They may simply stay in rented facilities while they seek
out a “man of peace.” That man (or
woman) of peace may then be a primary contact through which the
missionaries become acquainted with a culture.
3. Following the Holy Spirit, Identify and Learn About a Target People
Group. To help in this process, there is information available via the internet
that describes people groups:http://www.joshuaproject.net/index.php
Missionaries should know as much as possible about the people that
they are evangelizing.
4. Learn How to Evangelize and Disciple a Particular People Group
. It is helpful to have an understanding of various techniques of evangelism
and discipleship. Then it is necessary to adapt such techniques to the needs of
a particular culture. What works in one
culture may not work in another culture.
5. Acquire the Tools for the Job. Take the practical skills and resources
to spread the Gospel to a people group. Determine if Bibles are available in
the heart-language of the people. Obtain or prepare Bible Stories that summarize
key truths of the Bible. Many missionaries today use storytelling to hold the
interest of listeners and communicate the Gospel. Jesus set an example by
speaking in parables. People like to listen to stories, and they can remember stories.
The following website gives examples of stories, and instructions for preparing
other stories:http://chronologicalbiblestorying.com/
If the government will allow Christian materials to be brought to
the mission field, obtain appropriate video or audio resources. The
Jesus Film is available in many languages, and is effective in presenting
the Good News.
Take some basic books to help in teaching and in preparing sermons.
Take a Bible or Bibles that are faithful to the original Hebrew, Greek, and
Aramaic manuscripts. Good Bibles in the English language include The New
International Version, or the New American Standard Version. Many Bibles and
study guides are available online, if you can access such websites from the mission
field. One such website is: http://www.bibles.net/
Other books that you will need include a Topical Bible, an Exhaustive
Concordance, and perhaps a Commentary on the Bible.
6. Go Where God Wants You to Go. Pray for God’s guidance in leading
you to a mission field. Ask your church or mission-sending
agency to also pray for guidance. Seek God’s guidance in leading you
to a people group.
Follow the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Apostle Paul and his companions
to avoid certain places and to go to Macedonia for mission work (see Acts
16:6-10). The Holy Spirit warned Paul of danger, but compelled him to go as a
witness to Jerusalem (see Acts 20:22-24).
Go where the people are. Someone once asked a bank robber why he
robbed banks. He replied, “That’s where the money is.” If
someone asks, “Why do you start missions in cities?” We reply,“That’s
where the people are.” The Apostle Paul set an example by
going to the following places:
_ First, to cities. People in the country migrate to and from
cities. So the Gospel spreads from the cities to the country (see Acts
17:16-21).
_ Second, to places where people already have some knowledge of
God. Paul first went to synagogues—Jewish places of worship. The Jews had
knowledge of Jehovah God. They did not yet believe in Jesus. So Paul built upon
what the Jews knew, and presented the Good News of Christ. Paul was a Jew, and
he felt a calling to present the Gospel first to Jews.
_ Third, to God-Fearing Gentiles. When many of the Jews rejected
the Gospel, Paul witnessed to God-Fearing Gentiles. “God-Fearers” were converts
to Judaism.
_ Fourth, to places where other people would be likely to respond
to the Gospel. In Philippi, a city in Macedonia, Paul first went to a river
where he expected to find a place of prayer (see Acts 16:12,13). In Athens,
Paul went to the marketplace.He was then invited to speak at the Aeropagus, a place
for philosophical debates.
_ Fifth, to large numbers of people as opportunities arose. In
Tyrannus (Ephesus), Paul spoke daily in the lecture hall so all the Jews and
Greeks in the province of Asia heard the Gospel (see Acts 19:9,10).Paul made
his defense of the Gospel to a riotous crowd in Jerusalem (see Acts 21:30,40;
22:1-22).
_ Sixth, to governmental officials that questioned Paul. He did
not seek out such officials, but when he was placed on trial, he witnessed to
them. In some cases, it is better to remain silent. In other cases, it is
better to speak. In his situation, Paul saw no reason to remain silent, but
openly proclaimed the Gospel to Governor Felix (Acts 24:2), and to King Agrippa
and Governor Festus (Acts 26).Notice that Paul followed a pattern in seeking
out people who would be most likely to respond to the Gospel. He wanted to
reach as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
22 David Garrison, Church Planting Movements, 2000, (Office of
Overseas Operations, International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist
Convention, P. O. Box 6767, Richmond, VA 23230-0767, U.S.A.)
8.
Note: The material above was taken from a booklet. If you wish to
purchase a more extensive book on church planting, you may purchase Church
Planting Movements, How God is Redeeming a Lost World , by David Garrison,
WIGTake Resources, Arkadelphia, AR, United States, 360 pages, Paperback, for about
$18.95.
(For details and for free
course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)
