Looking Again at Church Planting Strategy

As a church planting strategist -- a term that makes me more than a little uneasy, but which I am beginning to carefully embrace -- my heart's desire is to prayerfully identify the peoples in a region or city which are least-reached by the gospel of the Lord Jesus.  Normally I understand the concept of "peoples" ethno-linguistically and see my calling as being about planting Kingdom-bearing churches among all people groups, but today, I want to throw a wrench into the mix.  

The following isn't an idea which competes with my distinctly ethno-linguistic calling nor is it something that should been seen as a threat to those of you with a more specifically geographic calling.  Rather, I want to call your attention to a parable from the Lord of the Harvest himself which can help us to take our respective mission fields in hand and tilt them ever so slightly -- allowing us to look again and to see from a different vantage point. 
     

 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 

(Luk 14:12-23 ESV)

Here is an important question for you church planters and mission strategists out there.  What if we literally did this?  What if we had specific church plants that were focused entirely on bringing in the disabled?  What if some of our dying and gasping churches – with more empty pews than people – shifted their focus on reaching the poor, crippled, blind, and lame?  What if new and limping church planters set aside their dreams of reaching the suburban comfortable or the urban hipsters and just went out to the highways and hedges, the overpasses and street corners?  

What if?  The Lord Jesus actually answers the "what if" for us.  Saying that at least two things would result:

1. You will be blessed, being repaid at the resurrection (Lk. 14:14)
2. His house will be filled (Lk. 14:23)

How do we try this in our various contexts?  What would it look like in your church or church plant? Is anyone out there already doing something like this?  How are you seeing God fulfill his promises?

I am testing a theory.  I'm suggesting that church planting and mission strategies can be entirely founded upon the promises of God.  It isn't that God hasn't given us education and wisdom and a variety of insights into culture, sociology, marketing, and whatever.  He has and he wants us to use whatever he has given us.  But, upon what is our strategy founded?  That's the key?  What promises does God have to keep in order for your efforts to succeed?

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Photo by Panshipanshi

On the Road: "Simple Superstars of East Africa"

I am thrilled to publicly announce one of the biggest trips thus far in the history of Trinity International -- "Simple Superstars of East Africa"!

Coming in November, a handful of Trinity teammates will be traveling to Ethiopia and Uganda with our dear friend, Wilbur Sargunaraj for what is sure to be an busy and fruitful several days of work.

The highlights and goals of our trip are as follows:

• To host 3-4 "Simple Superstar" community concerts feat. Wilbur Sargunaraj to bless children and families impacted by poverty, HIV/AIDS in both Ethiopia and Uganda.  Local leaders from our ministries Goh Bright Future and Endiro will help us facilitate this.  In most cases, these concerts will include free meals for members of the community.

• To investigate opportunities for potential international or local workers to "MoveIn" to needy communities as well as to secure part or full-time employment.  The need for more laborers in this mission field is critical and we hope this trip will enable us to develop concrete plans for mobilization.

• To record multiple short films and music videos which will highlight our East African children's work, raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges presented by global migration, and to honor some cool aspects of East African life and culture.  Films will be used specifically by our East African ministries (Goh Bright Future and Endiro) to raise awareness and to mobilize prayer and laborers.  The diaspora short film will be premiered at Manila 2015: Lausanne Global Forum on Diaspora Mission. 

• To study more carefully diaspora South Asian Hindu and Muslim populations especially in Uganda and opportunities to minister among them.

• To facilitate greater collaboration between our Ethiopian and Ugandan ministries in order to share best practices and resources.  We hope to see more church planting result in Uganda and more self-sustaining mission practices in Ethiopia.

Financial Needs for the Trip [GIVE NOW]:

We need to raise a large amount of money in a very short time in order to make this trip possible.  The team that is going will include myself along with teammates originally from India, Bhutan, Ethiopia and Uganda.  It will be a fantastic, multi-cultural team.  Here is a breakdown of the costs:

Air Travel (5 persons):      7300

Community Concerts:       2000

Lodging:                             500

Vehicle Rental:                   400

Sound mixing/recording:    Donated

Video recording/editings:   Donated

____________________________

Total:                                   $10,200

Raised thus far: 10.2% ($1050)

That is a large amount of money that we need to raise very quickly.  Please give your gift of support today.  We have well over a thousand people who follow our ministry, pray for us, and have been blessed by our work in the past.  If everyone gives even a very small amount, we will be well on our way.  Give now here!

[Note: Your gifts of support are made to Trinity International Baptist Mission a licensed 501c3 charity. Your donations are fully tax deductible and you will receive a giving record. Our online giving is secured by PayPal.]

Why Poverty [Finalist, India] - PovertyCure Film Festival

My dear friend, Wilbur Sargunaraj has just been honored by the PovertyCure film festival.  His short film "Why Poverty" has been nominated as a finalist for several awards.  You can help Wilbs by clicking the link below and then "LIKE" ing the video (top right corner of the page).  Of course, I strongly recommend the Why Poverty film.  It is a funny, heart-warming, and powerful look at poverty in India.

After you have "LIKE"d the page, be sure to share it with others. Here is the link:

Why Poverty [Finalist, India] - PovertyCure Film Festival - Library - PovertyCure:

Blessings to you! I'm on the way to east Africa.

Are Diaspora Remittances More Effective than Developmental Aid?

Photo by Daquella manera

According to diaspora expert and economist, David Phillips, the growing global trend of human migration may prove to be one of the most effective ways to bring development and aid to impoverished nations.  Phillips argues in a new book entitled Development Without Aid: The Decline of Development Aid and the Rise of the Diaspora, (you'll want to shop for the Kindle version) that remittances from diasporas tend to provide a more consistent source of public goods than direct humanitarian aid which is often diverted to "conspicuous consumption".  His arguments are nicely summarized in a recent post over at the People Move blog.

Phillip's brief article is a bit technical in places but very insightful.  We keep telling you all that diaspora phenomenon is revolutionizing the world.  The scattering of people is the key missiological issue of our time - the human tidal wave is upon us!

Here's a powerful paragraph from Phillips:

Relatively recently the World’s diasporas have emerged. Over 215 million first generation ‘permanent’ migrants now live in host countries. Remittances have risen significantly faster than migrant populations which have risen faster than the world population. By 2014 they will surpass half a trillion dollars, four times official development aid. In Sub Saharan Africa remittances have doubled since 2006 and on a realistic count significantly exceed aid. The average skill levels and incomes of migrants have also risen and their average educational levels exceed those of many rich countries including the US. Increasingly diaspora flows are being invested rather than consumed.

I hope you will check out David Phillips' article and take some extra time to explore the excellent "People Move" blog by the World Bank.

The High Cost of Poverty

Photo By Alex Barth

A great post over at Red Letter Christians highlighted the "high cost" of being poor in America.  For example, did you know that food, transportation, and insurance can all be more expensive for those living in poverty?  For example, lower income people often have to pay higher car insurance premiums and there are often many costs associated with accessing money if you are poor.  Consider:

Even using money itself is expensive. Checking accounts often charge monthly fees unless one maintains a minimum balance or direct deposit. Without a checking account, it can costsignificant fees to cash a paycheck. Without checks, one is also often charged a fee to pay utility bills. And sometimes the money’s just not there to pay for food and for the electricity, so you put off the electricity bill, even though you know you’ll incur a late fee. And saving money for the future?Worry instead about surviving today.

So without access to banking services, many must turn to predatory payday lenders. You can borrow $300 for a $47 fee. That’s only if you pay it back within a week (806% APR). But now at least your rent is covered. Credit card interest rates also vary by income. Making standard minimum payments, it will take 13 years to pay off a $4000 credit card balance carrying the typical 11.5% APR. Bear in mind that the majority of uninsured folks carry over $2000 in medical debt alone.

I encourage you to visit this post but also to check out this educational, interactive game:

Spent - This game simulates a situation of sudden poverty (like a job loss) and challenges you to make it through the month.  I found the choices presented to be about 50% similar to what may be faced by some of our refugee and poorer immigrant friends.  

I also appreciated this list "Being poor is . . ."

For a more global perspective, I would point you again to Wilbur Sargunaraj's video about poverty.

Meet Cultural Intelligence Ambassador, Wilbur Sargunaraj - @wilburworldwide

Today, I want to ensure that all of my readers have been properly introduced to my new friend, Mr. Wilbur Sargunaraj.  Wilbur is known around the world as "India's First YouTube Star" and has several million views on his YouTube channel to prove it.  He's gained his "Simple Superstar" status first through great comedy and music, but I am discovering that this is only the tip of the iceberg for Mr. Wilbur!

What I love most about Wilbur is his role as a global ambassador for "Cultural Intelligence" (CQ).  CQ is a concept that comes from David Livermore, who's book Serving with Eyes Wide Open is something I've recommended for years.  In his passion to bring equality and unity in the context of an increasingly globalized and diverse world, Wilbur is traveling the world on a mission to raise up "First Class" world citizens who know how to engage cross-culturally and treasure people from all backgrounds.

As I've been getting to know Mr. Wilbur recently, I have been delighted to find a man of deep humility who is passionately seeking to use his gifts to make the world a better place.  I find the Lord giving me a deep appreciation and respect for the work he is doing and know that you will also.

Here's a quick introduction "Wilburwood" --

Wilbur's most popular music video: Love Marriage:


A couple very popular CQ videos on how to use Indian, European and Japanese toilets (worlds apart):


The trailer for Wilbur's upcoming feature film, Simple Superstar:


And, most importantly, get a taste of Wilbur's heart for critical global issues by watching "Why Poverty":


I would also encourage you to check out Mr. Wilbur on Facebook and Twitter.

Migration: The future of mobility | The Economist

Fascinating look at diaspora from an economic perspective...

Migration: The future of mobility | The Economist: "If rich countries were to admit enough migrants from poor countries to expand their own labour forces by a mere 3%, the world would be richer, according to one estimate, by $356 billion a year. Completely opening borders would add an astonishing $39 trillion over 25 years to the global economy. That is more than 500 times the amount the rich world spends on foreign aid each year. Migration is the most effective tool yet devised for reducing global poverty."

The North American Bed Bug Summit

Hey everyone! I just heard that the North American Bed Bug Summit is going on right now here in the Chicago area.  I couldn't be happier to hear that such a thing exists.  Bed bugs are becoming a major problem in the U.S. today and I believe that we need to begin seeing this as an issue of social justice and compassion that the Church -- yes, the Church -- ought to take seriously.  The fact of the matter is that while the bed bugs resurgence likely didn't originate as a problem of the poor and immigrant, it is they who are most vulnerable.  Eradication is extremely expensive and this grows more difficult in older and more communal living spaces such as those often used by the poor, immigrants and refugees.  A middle class person who gets bed bugs can spend hundreds of dollars on an exterminator.  A refugee from Burma or Nepal cannot.
I for one hope that the legalization of DDT and other similar chemicals will be on the table.  I understand that there are environmental concerns with these kind of chemicals, but I am frankly much more concerned with people that I am with plants and animals.  Don't get me wrong.  I love God's creation and feel we have a critical mandate of stewardship of it.  But paramount in this must be our concern for those who are made in God's image.  The Church must muscle past our cringe factor and stand up for the poor on this issue through advocacy, education, and practical help.  In the process, we will undoubtedly get the bugs in our own homes.  That's okay.  It is called solidarity.
I want to point you to a website for more information.  It is Bed Bug Central.  Probably the best place to go for A-Z on bed bugs.