Casting Vision, Scattering Pearls
Recently, my husband and I were asked to facilitate a CPM Exposure,
with DMM emphasis, to another missions organization**** **** International
Leadership.
The risk of facilitating a CPM Exposure, as they requested, could be
compared to obtaining enough controlled exposure to a disease which makes
one immune to its affect.
In some sense, we felt akin to the Rodney Dangerfields of the CPM
world, or perhaps better put…we saw ourselves as the “expendable crewmen” as in
a Star Trek episode. (You know, the ones who were beamed down to the unknown
alien territory but were not going to make it out alive!)
And yes, this particular missions agency international leaders were
on the whole, antagonistic. Their
comments were rude at times, as they communicated a level of stubbornness as
they clung to their “16 years to plant the average non-reproducing traditional
church” traditional approach. Thankfully, their International Director was
leading the way in trying to move the org to the biblical paradigm of CPM.
We had been prompted by him on a lengthy Skype call prior to our
coming to meet with their 80 or so field/regional leaders, mostly over the age
of 55 years with an average of 30 years field experience each. Most were male,
excepting about 20 or so women. (Most women present were in the capacity of
wives, some engaged, some not so much). I met two Team Leaders who were women
over women. We were given 80 minute sessions, first in the morning, over a 4
day time frame, to present CPM exposure. We had them do some of the key DBS
lessons. We also addressed their objections they carried: Is CPM heretical? What
about women in leadership? How can the lost lead? The CPM numbers are
exaggerated? We don’t like CPM people we have met? How could this be a healthy
church? What about teaching gifting? How could un-qualified (non-theologically
trained) people lead these movements? Doesn’t it take four years+ to train
a national to become worthy? Surely this is a fad?
I also met with their key international women's ministry director.(At
least they had this in place and that could be good). I spent time just to
listen to her passion and vision. She asked how she could lead the women under
her in order to become more effective. I walked her through a coaching pattern
of discovery style of where she sees the End Vision of what a women on the
field in their org will ideally be engaged in as a servant. I asked her about
the dreamed of 4th generation indigenous women/households in these UPG areas
and what they would look like as followers of Jesus? I then asked her plan of
how she would coach them to be that? In their present approach? I then shared
with her the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 leadership training of CPM for everyone, from expat
to the field indigenous women, to the potential multiplying women. I asked her what
approach she presently engaged in order to reproduce field women who are all-in,
all engaged, incorporating their various phases of life but intentional in
basic 101 of reproducing disciple-making ways that could help with the launch
of a CPM. She was riveted upon her present approach of member caring the women,
first at a regional level women, then, hoping that would trickle down. However,
when I asked her to consider equipping women in her org in the competence
(MEWL-MAWL) piece of what Jesus modeled, she was messed with. Hopefully, in good
ways.
Interesting side note, after we had facilitated the DBS First Steps
Lesson on What is Church?, the U.S. Director of their org gave an update
as a wrap up to the week. In his statements, he recounted that he and the Board
of Directors had spent the last year’s time studying the topic What is the
Church? He posted on the power point the essential biblical elements their
leadership board had found in their year’s
worth process of parsing Greek words. The same exact list, which we had
just “discovered” from the DBS on What
is Church, is what he posted up front. That required a high level of humility
for him to basically say, “Here, because of our present paradigm of how we
approach what we do, we took a year to hash this around, when, just now in a 1
hour DBS “discovery” of truths in Scripture, we all came up with the same list,
together.”
At the end of the week, after my husband and I tag teamed facilitating
the times together, we each gave a concluding challenge. Spencer gave the
challenge for all in the org and I gave the challenge for the org to make sure
that the “boat load” of funding from the “CPM/DMM” minded foundation, which is
funding them to set up 5 Regional DMM Trainings in the next year, also
prioritizes “vetted child care” so that women get firsthand equipping at these
trainings. We also challenged them to ALL come to the DMM trainings and wrestle
with Scripture firsthand rather than being an untrained naysayer. (Though we
communicated this aspect in softer words)
They gave us feedback recently and it will be part of their
trainings to set up child care, so as to make the norm for women to get the
training firsthand.
So, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!”, comes to
mind here. It is really that simple, at times, to shift paradigms with some
initial practical norms which have yet to be challenged largely in the global
missions community. “Times, they are a-changing!”. And still, the ethne Persons
of Peace and their households are waiting to be found!
May the Lord increase the fold of laborers who choose the hard
places. And may the Holy Spirit increase those who are willing to be willing to
choose to die to old patterns of doing what we want to do rather than what
needs to be done, as well as those who choose to trust the HS to reproduce the
simple patterns of Jesus.
