Engage in God’s specific plan for your church
1. Learn Existing Strategy –
Realize and support existing, effective field strategy.
Learn from those with greater cultural understanding.
When possible, work with—not in spite of—existing workers.
2. Go To The Unreached Peoples – to carry out what God has called the church to do –
Discovery trips, or Vision Journeys: Send groups to where the adopted teams peoples are located, whether locally or globally. Seek to:
➢ Learn culture
➢ Discover potential partners
➢ Identify needs
➢ Search for potential opportunities to engage
➢ Seek the person of peace
Short-term teams. In fulfillment of the end vision and mission strategy, send trained and prepared
teams regularly, consistently and often so trust can be earned and the adopted peoples may be disciple. Possible activities could include:
➢ Prayer Walking
➢ Evangelism
➢ Social ministry
➢ Local schools
➢ Skills training
➢ Leadership development
➢ Bridge building—sport camps, medical clinics, English classes, business training, etc.
Long-term
➢ Your church may, in many cases, be “the missionary.”
➢ Be prepared for the real possibility that a team member may feel called to a longer involvement, i.e., six months, a year, or more.
➢ Pray for and expect God to call some for life-time, cross- cultural missions.
Do what it takes
➢ Pray for God to identify ways to facilitate genuine life and community transformation.
➢ Be willing to take risks.
➢ Commit time and resources until the adopted peoples are reached and discipled.
➢ Serve with passion, persistence, and tenacity.
➢ Sacrifice comfort and desires.
➢ Seek to involve other churches, individuals and/or organizations
3. Evaluate The Progress –
➢ Compare progress as it relates to the end vision.
➢ Commit to function, not form.
➢ Be fluid, ready to respond to needed changes.
➢ Be flexible when on the mission field.
➢ Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
➢ Seek to strengthen or modify relationships for the sake of greater effectiveness.
➢ Develop an ongoing evaluation process to compare current activity to the overall end vision.
by Dogwood