Establishing Indigenous Ministries (Part 1)

I attended an excellent workshop during the week by Dr. Mark Batory entitled "Establishing Indigenous Ministries". I would like to take several posts to give you the highlights from this workshop and some personal comments.
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The important role that church planting has in the fulfillment of the Great Commission is undisputed, yet observers can easily note that many new churches ultimately fail while others flourish and continue to reproduce themselves. Many spiritual and divine factors can be identified as to the cause of failure and success; however, from a philosophical standpoint, there is one factor that stands above the rest.

This single factor affects how well the national church itself will survive and ultimately be able to take an active role in fulfilling the Great Commission also. This factor is a church's ability to become truly an autonomous, indigenous church whose members have learned to trust and follow the Lord of the church as its sustainer and guide.

Do we truly know what an indigenous church is?

Why is it important?

How do we develop a church in a foreign culture that is itself active in the Great Commission?

What are the long-term consequences of not implementing indigenous principles in our church planting efforts?

Definition of an indigenous (nationalized) ministry:

1. Self-supporting - Able to provide all material needs essential for the function and advancement of the ministry without dependence on outside sponsorship.

2. Self-governing - Able to administrate affairs of the ministry under divine direction and authority free from outside control or obligation.

3. Self-propagating - Able to extend the Gospel ministry to all peoples through their own efforts, people, and resources without outside stimulus.

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Self-support is the key element on which the other two function and exist and, therefore, ought to be the first primary objective on the road to establishing an indigenous ministry. Using the picture of a hinge, self-support is the hinge pin that hold together self-governing and self-propagation aspects of the ministry.

Come back tomorrow for part two of this series as we discuss three reasons for lack of growth in ministries that are subsidized with foreign funds.

Pray for our family as we desire to focus on the self-support hinge pin in the ministry God gives us in Chile.