Several
years ago, a friend shared an interesting story with me about a community
development organization in his area, an area with a great deal of poverty and
unemployment, but also an area where many people of means choose as a place to
retire. The newcomers saw the needs in the
community and organized a program to meet them, but in setting up their board
they did not invite any long term local residents as directors. They feared that these indigenous people
really did not know what was needed to respond to local needs. Of course, my friend noted, who knew the
issues better than those who were forced to live with them each day of their
lives?
In
missions and ministry, Christians have often adopted a paternalistic mindset
characterized by a belief that those of us who are the “professionals” and have
been doing this longer know what the uninitiated or immature believers
need. Fortunately, many mission and ministry
strategists are starting to see the need to make those who are the “field” part
of the team. The insights and ownership of
those who are part of the culture are essential to advancing the cause—winning
converts, establishing churches, building houses, improving food production, or
providing basic needs.
In
the community development area, we see this approach in asset-based mapping or asset-based community development.
This methodology seeks to discover and
utilize the strengths within communities as a means for sustainable
development. As one writer outlines this, “The first step in the process of
community development is to assess the resources of a community through a capacity inventory or through another process of talking
to the residents to determine what types of skills
and experience are available. The next step is to support communities, to
discover what they care enough about to act. The final step is to determine how
citizens can act together to achieve those goals."
In
church development, this is the type approach championed by Neil Cole in
practice and in books like Organic Church
.
The basic idea is to start a new work from scratch, seeking out the “persons
of peace” or influence in an area, investing time in them, challenging them to
conversion and discipleship, thus winning over those who are part of the culture
and are already strategically placed to reach others.
.
The basic idea is to start a new work from scratch, seeking out the “persons
of peace” or influence in an area, investing time in them, challenging them to
conversion and discipleship, thus winning over those who are part of the culture
and are already strategically placed to reach others.
The
key concept in both cases is to realize that God is already at work among all people. God has created every person with certain
gifts and talents. If properly
encouraged, these individuals will take responsibility to improve their
circumstances, share the faith, or make a difference in their culture. This approach requires patience, discernment,
and love, but it provides the biggest pay-off in people’s lives.
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