Pioneering Movements: 2. The role of outsiders

When at least four generations of new disciples and new churches becomes the norm, you are in the middle of a church planting movement (CPM). What do the best practitioners observe about the role of outsiders, or cross-cultural workers, in a CPM? This is what the best outsiders do:

• Encourage. Meet with you people regularly and face to face tell them they are doing a good job.
• Pray. write your disciple and tell them how you are praying for them and solicit their requests
• Empower. Don't do the work for locals, model it and let them do it. (MAWL: model, assist, watch, and leave).
• Minimize outside involvement. The more we do for them, the less they see their role.
• Provided a process. Train to show them what multiplication looks like.
• Cast vision. Show them that God is able to repeat what Paul did in twenty years (Romans 15:19-23).
• Leave your phone on. Make yourself available day and night.
• Help find the person of peace. In some settings an outsider can help attract people and find a person of peace.
• Confidence building. Don't do things so well that they are afraid of trying.
• Neutralize competition. Keep unity among locals by emphasizing common goal.

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