A different mindset
seeks out men he can place in charge of the ministry
A missionary should think very differently than the pastor of a local church. Different giftings are involved in the two ministries. We will notice several ways that a missionary should think and act.
The first thing to consider is that a missionary should work at being a leader trainer. Not just training leaders to lead in a local ministry but to lead churches and ministries. The missionary is a pastor trainer, and equipper. Every missionary should be training and preparing one pastor after another.
The second thing is that a missionary should be a multiple church planter. A missionary should not go to the field and start one church. He should be starting multiple churches.
If a missionary is worth their hire, they must do much more than the locals, the national pastors, and leaders. Why should a missionary be so highly supported compared to the national pastor if he will not accomplish something more significant? No missionary should be satisfied being one of the boys. In other words, go to train leaders and leaders of leaders. Do not just do the ministry but rather train to do the ministry.
I want to share one of the significant differences with you, and Lord willing will do more in the coming days.
The leader training, multiple church planting, missionary seeks out men he can place in charge of the ministry. When Jesus came, He came to train men and leave the ministry in their hands.
Mark 3:14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
He chose regular, normal, ordinary men. They were from Galilee. They didn't come from the learning centers of the country.
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
So the difference in the way a missionary thinks is that he is constantly on the outlook for men who will become the future pastors and leaders of the ministry. His goal is finding, training, and equipping pastors, and it influences everything that he does.
I challenge all of my missionary friends to live on the look out for new young men that go into the ministry. Find them, pray them in, train them, and send them out!
