VISION OF THE POSSIBLE – CHAPTER 12

OVERVIEW

This chapter covers CPM’s in highly resistant cultures and give some anecdotal evidence of what is happening in resistant areas around the world.

COMMENTS

He spoke about some of the political and cultural changes we have seen in areas of the world that have created openings to more openly share.  I think, at least in our area, we have seen a cultural change with the immigration issue opening doors for the gospel.  I can only personally speak of our area but we know of many local believers who accepted Christ in the states and have come back and are now making inroads amongst their own people.  Also, because so many people in our villages have been to the states, we see an openness for them to approach us and befriend us which leads to sharing opportunities.  Let me know what some of you have seen in your areas.

I was glad to see he was very much against the model of church planters living in other areas(often at a good standard of living) and coming in and out of the villages to try to plant churches.  He preached incarnational living with the target people group which is definitely not easy but necessary. 

  

VISION OF THE POSSIBLE CHAPTER 11

OVERVIEW

This chapter covers the role of the church planter in church planting.  We know we are there to plant churches but how much do we get involved and when do we start backing out.

COMMENTS

After a long delay, we are now back into our review of the book and this chapter provides some good food for thought on our work, especially those totally starting from scratch.  I liked his analogy of scaffolding and this will stick with me.  Scaffolding is not the building but a temporary need for the building to be built well.  Then it is taken down and used for another new building.  I think this is a good way to look at our work and obviously our scaffolding will be needed for different time periods depending on the church plant. 

He mentioned variables that will affect our church planting and said that he has seen some church planters, in order to remain 100% indigenous, not meet or have any influence with a body of new believers in order not to taint their indigenous forms of body life.  I cannot see how this would work where we are and in most places.  I think new believers must have some guidance on a biblical church albeit with as little as our Western influence as possible.  He did not subscribe to this method but I found it interesting. He went on later to say that concerns over foreign influence are important but secondary, by comparison, to laying solid biblical and spiritual foundations.

One other point mentioned is that it is vital that we pour out our lives among the believers and nurture them with motherly love and care.   This requires a time investment as well as living around them and them being in our home and vice versa.  This is draining at times for us but I see the invaluable need to be with them in their villages.  We know of two other missionary families who live in a larger city and drive into the villages.  They are making friends and connecting but no where near to the extent that we are because we are right there.  We are woven into their lives and problems.  We are the ones they call for help when the husband is out drinking and they need help because we live with them and we have their trust.  Just a plug for our strategy of living amongst the people although I know it is not easy but I guess we were not called to do an easy job.

Vision of the Possible- Chapter 10

Overview

Team leadership.  The responsibility and role of leading a team.

Comments

Although this content of this chapter may not directly apply to many of us in regards to leading a team of American missionaries, I think we can apply some of the information if we are in a “leadership” role of nationals.  Obviously, we would not have a superior/subordinate role with a national but we can still motivate,support and encourage that national in our church planting objectives.

I agree with what he mentions regarding spiritual health.  When I have many tasks to do, it is easy to let quiet times slide but how can I expect God to use me if my spiritual health is not solid.  My spiritual health must be a priority if God is going to accomplish his goals.

The other point mentioned was that church planting is often unrewarding. It’s hard and not immediately satisfying.  For men, this can be hard because we are usually task oriented and we want to see results.  We have to be focused and hang in there even when discouragement comes which it will.

Vision of the Possible- Chapter 9

Overview

This chapter covers discipleship and how important it is if we desire to see church multiplication.  New christians need to be discipled and future leaders developed.

Comments

This discussion is so important as I think we often focus all of our attention on evangelism and new believers but we leave the topic of discipleship behind.  I am not saying we don’t discuss its importance but we often assume it will take care of itself.  We are currently in the discipleship phase with  new believers and it is not easy.  I find myself wanting to push hard and fast but I need to understand they have lived under a STRONG Catholic influence for 30-40 years and I can’t expect them to understand this new life quickly and leave behind all their past non-biblical customs at the drop of a hat.  It has been a learning experience for me and I see myself praying for patience and wisdom.  As Sinclair said, Jesus spent lots of time with the disciples and they still did not get it all right even after a few years with Jesus. 

As a discipler, we are stretched by the faith of our new believers.  One family has so little and are constantly scraping for money(the spouse left for the U.S. six years and provides no support) but they trust in God and know they will get by.  I would be a headcase if I were in their financial situation with my American mindset but in their culture they have ways to get by.

He pointed out that as new believers you may need to advise them to hang low for a little while and not run around telling everyone of their new faith until they have some discipleship growth.  We have not told the new believers in our area to stay silent but I do feel as though they need some good discipleship and growth so they can better explain the “new life in Christ” they now have.

Vision of the Possible- Chapter 8

Overview

This chapter covers the subject of evangelism.  How important it is and different strategies and ways we can use evangelism to get us to our ultimate goal of church planting.

Comments

There is so much in this chapter that could be commented on but I will narrow it down to a few things.  Most importatantly, evangelism is so key and at the same time we can easily get distracted by doing “other good things” and not focus on sharing the good news of Christ.

With the few people we have seen come to Christ, I consistenly try to share with them that it is all of our jobs to share the news of Christ, to share his love to allow people to see Christ in us or a difference in us that people will desire.  As Sinclair points out, sooner or later they are going to be more effective witnesses then us. 

I liked the idea of using broadcast evangelism with followup to reach a “wider net” of people.  I have not figured out how to do this yet but a local guy in our village has started a radio station here and we constantly hear people listening to it.  One of the people helping me with my one story translations mentioned we should talk to the owner to see if we could play a story a week on the station and have a discussion afterwards.  This person is an unbeliever and believes that this would be received well by the people here.  I still have a way to go on the project but who knows God may have plans for something like this.  We will see. 

How we need to support our fellow missionaries, as mentioned in the chapter, that labor for many years without seeing any fruit.  God is planting seeds and he sees this labor as important and what an act of obedience to the Lord’s call that we can all learn from.

Sinclair mentions 17 evangelism points and I am going to mention a few that stuck out to me:

1. Prayer- I need to be praying more consistently and specifically for people who God has placed in our paths.  It is the key to everything.

2.Be Bold- There have been times, because of where we are, that I have backed off from sharing Christ more boldly.  I have been timid to not raise alarms and I felt afterwards that I should have been more bold.

3. Don’t limit myself relationally-  Don’t be content with the 3-4 familes that we are good friends with but instead constantly be trying to meet new people.  Don’t put all my eggs in a few baskets.

4.Pray for the sick in Jesus’ name- We have lots of opportunities to do this here and we have not taken advantage of it much.  We often say we will pray for them and do but I need to take the opportunity to pray with them in person and see God work. 

VISION OF THE POSSIBLE, CHAPTER 7

Overview

This chapter covers our role and residency in our culture in which we work. How do we fit in in our culture and how does the public view us?

Comments

While we do not encounter major visa obstacles like many of our coworkers in Asia and the Middle East, I think this chapter is very relevant in discussing our role in the culture in which we live. We definately need to address how the people perceive us and what do they think we are doing in their villages when absolutely no one ever from the U.S. has expressed interest living in their village. Most, if not all of us, on our team have had the ability to enter our villages without a platform or “tentmaking” job. I think in some instances it may enhance or help our cause although the locals are always going to be skeptical as to why we left the U.S. to come to a dirty village and teach english or sell chickens. These platforms can also eat away at a lot of our time.

All of what he covers on p.110(middle of page-down) is very relevent and needs to be discussed thoroughly before we hit our locations. Having a good answer when people ask what you are doing there is vital. Even if it is not specific, you do not want to fumble through this answer and create more skepticism. I am not talking of being deceitful but having an answer that applies to what you are doing that you can say every time you are asked which will be often. This answer needs to be honest and thought out and we need to be comfortable with it.

He mentions the problem of the man basing his work out of his house. I have had a problem with this as I don’t leave my house to go to a work site. I leave my house to do language learning, record stories or do storying sessions but I don’t have a work location that the people see me going to. I have even been asked if we are on vacation here!!! As my storying project has evolved, I do tell some people now that I work out of my house on this project so they see me as having a worksite. As men living in the villages, I think we will always be fighting against this perception. It has helped me to have contacts in other villages that are helping us in our ministry or storying project. This way the people do see me and know that I am leaving to go somewhere to work.

VISION OF THE POSSIBLE -CHAPTER 6

Overview

Language learning.  Do I need to say much more?

Comments

Learning language and learning it well is vital.  As Sinclair points, Jesus is our model as he left heaven to become man.  He became man to reach man.  Also Paul wrote in Corinthians, “I have become all things to all people to save some.”  This takes a large investment of time to learn their language and learn it well and the problem is we often get impatient and want to see some things happen and happen fast.  As  noted, we need to look at our language learning as a ministry as we respect their language and culture but also that Christ sees our time and sacrifice as a service to Him. 

On a personal note, I have definately seen ups and downs in my language learning.  There have been times I felt like advancement was happening and others where I have been in a rut.  I think my main problem is that our fallback language of spanish is always there and it is very easy for me to fall into that habit of speaking spanish in order to communicate quickly.  Some of the villages  in our area actually have lost the indigenous language and speak only Spanish but on the other hand there are still so many that speak only the indigenous language.  I know this is Satan’s strategy to be comfortable only using Spanish and something I constantly fight against.  I liked the perspective on mindset: if we believe we are going to learn it then it will most likely happen.  If we are negative about language learning, we are not going to see results.  I was part of a study yesterday on Acts chapter 2 when the believers received the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages to reach the people.  Through that study and this chapter, I see God speaking to me to refocus my language learning. 

Vision of the Possible- Chapter 5

Overview

This chapter outlines the basic church planting phases that a church planting team will go through.  These are general guidelines and not a recipe book for how to plant a church.  They will guide you in an effort to leave behind an indigenous reproducing church.

Comments

I think the church planting phases listed in this chapter are especially useful for new teams which makes up practically everyone on our team.  A more experienced missionary who has planted several churches, for example, may have a better feel of how things can move and what can be done.  A new missionary hitting the field should find these steps useful as I do.  This task is not easy and often times we get stuck in thinking of the great things we want to do but we are not clear about the small steps, that often take lots of time(many years), before we can see the great thing happen.  I agree with Sinclair that this cannot be seen as a cookbook of mandatory “to do” steps on how to plant a church but rather a guideline to see where we are in the process of planting an indigenous church.  Using it as a tool or measuring stick to guage where we are and what is ahead is useful for me rather then just having a fuzzy,unclear idea of where I stand and where I am going next.

One other point that is noteworthy is his statement that it is common for works to go backward in the phase process due to persecution or problems amongst the believers and we may see the whole group fall apart.  We pray this won’t happen but we need to be prepared for it and maybe not be all that surprised and instead regroup and move forward again. 

He also points out on the FAQs (p.68) that evangelism is one phase we cannot leave behind.  We must model for the new believers/church that evangelism is key and must be part of our DNA.  How will they have a heart to start a new church in a nearby village if they do not see evangelism and reaching the lost as important.  It is everything!!  I see many of the churches in our area stuck in this phase.  They do not have a heart to reach others and are content with the group of 20-30 people they have.  If they do have a heart, they have no idea how to do it and in most cases(not all) do not see church leadership leading the way.  It is very sad to see how stuck most of the churches are and it has made an impression on me to do what I can to avoid the same in our ministry.

VISION OF THE POSSIBLE, CHAPTER 4

OVERVIEW

This chapter probes into more practical ways to build a team.  How do we select the right persons for a team?  What skills are essential and how are they best used to accomplish our church planting goals?  What to do when conflict arises?

COMMENTS

Some of the eight keys to team building applied more to our team then others.  Our team is unique and very different in comparison to the type of team he is discussing but I still consider us a team and many of his points are still applicable to what we are trying to accomplish.  Point #3 regarding recruiting is invaluable and, I believe, done well by IMB.  We all remember the burdensome process we all went through prior to appointment but I do see the intelligence behind it.  There should be little doubt in our call during our pre-MLC time.  Obviously, this does not mean we will not see missionaries head back to the states for various reasons(maybe a different call from God), but there is little doubt in our initial call and desire to serve God cross-culturally. 

Point #4 mentioned the need to be realistic with each other or showing grace to one another in love.  Everyone on our team has different personalities and ways of doing things.  I think we are all driven, independent people which is a characteristic of most missionaries but we are going to accomplish team goals differently and on different timetables.  With our team members working in totally different people groups, we should definitely not see a “my approach” will surely work in your people group mentality.  This does not mean we should not share ideas, which has been very valuable, but we need to remember that we will all see fruit at different times.  We need to pray and encourage one another and work under the leadership and vision God has given us.  As Sinclair mentioned, he noticed a strong correlation between teams that pray a lot and see a lot of fruit.  Some of us are doing this a little, but I would encourage all of us to begin sharing more in our team, via email, when we need prayer cover over a specific ministry situation, meeting or outreach event.  Afterwards, share what God did with this prayer need. 

VISION OF THE POSSIBLE- CHAPTER 3

Overview

Working in teams and team building are discussed.  The biblical aspect of team building and the inherent social need to share in such a difficult task is covered along with the stages of a team being built from the start.

Comments 

The concept of a team brings forth thoughts of warm images of togetherness and partners on the field as you watch the book of Acts unfold in your people group.  The reality is, as we all know, that statistics tell us one of the top reasons for leaving the field is problems with co-workers or teammates.  What a sad statistic this is and how Satan must love these problems he sees amongst fellow missionaries.  We REALLY, REALLY need to encourage one another on our team even though we may live 10-15 hours apart.  Phone calls and emails can mean a lot(something I need to be doing more of to my teammates). I understand and agree with his assertion that teams are biblical as there is ample evidence of this in the Bible but I also understand organizational limitations to not send 2 or more families to small population people groups.  Workers are few and the job is large to reach all people groups.  Thus, our reliance must come with national partners.  This most likely will be more difficult and maybe not as “comfortable” as with a fellow missionary from the states but is necesary and we have a decent chance of seeing quicker success if we can achieve these valuable relationships with national partners.  I don’t have a lot of field experience but I do have a few national partners that are helping me in my ministry here and have proven to be successful.  

His notation on the gifting of Barnabas and Paul and how they used their different gifts to spread the gospel and complement each other was noteworthy.  In our ministry, (not counting national partners) our team consists of my spouse and I and we are different and have been gifted by God differently.  We have seen in the states and more so here how our gifts complement each other and can be used by the Lord.  As Sinclair points out, we need others to help us mentally and spiritually and our spouse can and should do this but I believe a man/man or woman/woman accountability program is important.  This can be achieved in a team setting where families live close by but not always depending on the personalities involved.  In a perfect team setting it is happening but in the real world where there are actually teams living in close proximity, I imagine it is still not happening a lot of the time.  Unless one can find a good, open and trusting relationship with a national, email and phone accountability partners with a team member from a distance probably is an answer although it is not easy to do.  On a personal note, I will say I am proud to serve with my fellow team members and cherish the relationships we have built over the last several years and continue to have even though we are scattered in various locations across Mexico.