Saturday, March 17, 2012

Being a Model

I believe that my role as a Western missionary in a non-Western, creative-access location is NOT to be the evangelist who wins all the people to Christ, or the pastor who counsels and comforts all the believers.  My role is not to be the preacher in the church or to be the leader of the Christian community. 

I firmly believe that it is my role to train and equip national believers to do those ministries.  I can disciple, train and teach leaders, but I must be doing it in a way that is equipping them to go out and do it with more people.  I can help mobilize them to do it one way or another that doesn't cause dependency. 

But what I've also found is that I have to model what I want them to do.  If I don't, I have a hard time training them to do it.  I can teach them an evangelistic message to share, but they don't really get trained in evangelism until I take them with me and show them how to do it "live."  If they don't see it in action, chances are they won't really put it into practice.

So, I've been setting aside time lately just to go visit non-believers in a way that I would like to see our disciples do so.  I have a short gospel message and my own testimony ready to go each time, no matter who I visit.  And I also try to take my disciples with me.  Not only can they help, but they get to see it modeled.  I am finding that this makes all the difference. 

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