Team Building 9

Can our team strategy work? Can we offer development initiatives in conjunction with church planting efforts without creating a welfare mentality or an unhealthy dependency? Will people “obey the Gospel” simply to receive the development help? Good questions! We ask each other the same each week in our team meetings. There is, however, a theological principle that is our guiding light in the application of this strategy to a productive end, and that is the principle of GRACE. “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” Romans 5:15 KJV

Church planting only works like it is designed to work within the environment of grace…

Should our “grace gift” be unfaithfully used, we simply remove it. After all, GRACE is not un-conditional or cheap. People falling into a welfare mentality with a “grace gift” would qualify as unfaithful. The “tough love” removal of the “grace gift” for the purpose of moving someone to repentance can actually bring someone back to a Godly “stewardship of grace”. So the only way that this strategy can produce dependency is if the missionaries fail to have the courage to offer GRACE on the Biblical condition of FAITH.

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:2 KJV

Strategy Diagram (Team Strategy 9)

 

As we work our primary task of church planting, we coordinate with our short term volunteers who work both in evangelism and holistic development ministry. Thus the missionaries assist the short term participants in productive and responsible cross-cultural outreach. This provides for many skills and hands to minister to holistic needs while allowing the missionary to focus on the primary task.

At present, we have four major areas where short term volunteers participate annually:

1. Evangelism

2. Agriculture & Well Drilling

3. Education

4. Medical.

All of these are coordinated together to address the whole of man as we seek his transformation into what God created him to be. In this way, each effort can complement the efforts and goals of the others.

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” Proverbs 3:27 KJV

 

Our team is aware of the inherent danger of this strategy in the possibility of getting the “development cart” before the “church planting horse”. And we have been to the school of hard knocks a few times as we have tried to apply this strategy. But the potential synergy of the Body of Christ working and coordinating together for the advancement of our Lord’s Kingdom makes the effort worthwhile.