Best Practices in Missions

A friend asked if I knew of some “good models” for missions/missionaries. Here are a few and the reasons why.

In Tanzania I met some folks who have been there over 10 years who have done some good work in planting churches and creating good solid training programs for national pastors. Tanzania is one of those countries that are not overrun with North Americans, a population that is significantly unreached with a high percentage of Muslims. Their roles have evolved over the years, less hands-on, more in facilitation. They still need to get away from the old church planting models and need think more about how to reach those who have no Gospel witness rather than the nominals, but they are making progress.

Some former students or mine are working with the youth in Mexico and Ukraine. Because they are focused on training national youth workers, it is a “niche” ministry that is important not only to local churches but also for the moral future of their countries they work in. I am assuming they have contextualized their training, as most youth work in the US is, for the most part, pretty superficial.

One dear brother in India is purely salt and light, working mostly with non-believers in business. He is not supported by any churches or individuals in the states and, does not ascribe to the “method” of BAM (Business As Missions). He and his wife live on the income of their business, pay taxes in the country, actively share Christ with their Hindu friends, attend church and even have Bible studies in their home.

The most successful models of missions are those who (a) understand their cultural context well, (b) have a well-defined purpose of why they are there, (c) understand their role, (d) generally are there to facilitate, (e) are relationship based rather than project based and (f) are committed to the task for more than a decade.