Reasons a Church Becomes to Dependent on a Missionary

Pastor Austin Gardner and VBM Director Jeff Bush discuss the indigenous principle of church planting. In light of the indigenous principle, they discuss ways that a church becomes too dependent on a missionary as well as how to avoid situations like that. First, not teaching on giving Missionaries don’t have to worry about their salary […]

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Pastor Austin Gardner and VBM Director Jeff Bush discuss the indigenous principle of church planting. In light of the indigenous principle, they discuss ways that a church becomes too dependent on a missionary as well as how to avoid situations like that.

First, not teaching on givingMissionaries don’t have to worry about their salaryThey don’t teach the church to give and support the pastorIf you don’t you are setting the next guy up to fail or for successThe missionary makes a mistake when he constantly gives stuff to the peoplePastor Pastor knew a missionary who gave a kilo of rice one week and a kilo of beans the next. That creates a group of people who are only coming to get food The missionary should help the church in the beginning, but they need to be weaned offFirst, you need to teach the church to be giving. Second, you need to have a men’s meeting where the people can know the finances of the church.Third, you need to have a church budget.You need to make the national pastor a burden. He needs to be in place as soon as possible He can be an assistant pastorBut the church needs to pay him a salaryThey need to learn to carry the burden of paying their billsThe people need to know that you are leaving!Missionaries give too muchA missionary should give only as much as the wealthiest national at the church can giveThe people’s giving should not be awarded by your givingShould a missionary tithe to the church he is planting?No. Give according to the wealthiest national both tithe and faith promiseYou would tithe back to your home church or put it into the building if your home church lets youDon’t let someone talk you out of tithing! If you won’t to be an indigenous church-planter, you need to teach them to give! Have offering devotionals Constantly ask yourself, if I were gone, could the people continue without me?You shouldn’t do things or pay for things that the nationals couldn’t pay for without youYou should try to get your national pastor to a school teacher’s wageThe point is, we don’t want to set the national pastor up to failIf we don’t think it through, that is exactly what we are doing!Second, not allowing others to do ministryThe missionary does all of the work If you’re doing all the work, it will do alright as long as you are thereIf you want them to not be too dependent, then you need to teach someone else to handle responsibilitiesTeach them how to be deacons Teach them to take care of the buildingsTeach them how to lead musicTeach them how to teach Sunday schoolYou need to start several churches so that you’re gone a lotThey need to be used to doing church without you!It becomes their church, not your church Imagine teaching your kids to ride a backIf you never take the training wheels off the bike, they won’t learn to be independentIf you constantly say that the aren’t ready, they won’t be independent! Let them fall sometimes and help them learnDon’t just give them the menial jobs.You need to train them how to take care of adults by starting multiple adult Sunday school classesYou need a planYou need a process where you can take a brand new believer all the way to an adult Sunday school classEvery ministry you have, you should be training someone to take the leadership of that ministry.Delegating is so that you can do less work, but it’s so that you can focus and do more work! If they don’t know hw to do something, then you need to teach them how to do it! If you’ve delegated everything and don’t have anything to do, then start two churches!Start multiple churches to keep you busy so that you need people to handle the extra ministries that you don’t have time to doIf you don’t want them to be dependent, then you need to help them know like it’s their churchIf your wife can play the piano, that’s great, but she should be training others to playIf you buy instruments, you should buy instruments that they can keep and affordIf you treat the church like it’s only yours, then it won’t last Third, not buying their building.Raise the funds and help them buy the buildingIn more first-world countries, maybe you can’tThe money from the tithes and offering should go to the pastorThe church that you are starting, will not be a huge church most likelyHow do so many of the smaller churches survive in America?They own the building! They also own buildings that they can afford to take care ofYou need to do the same for the nationalsWhen you buy them all the nicest and greatest electronics, you’re making a church that the national can’t afford.It shouldn’t be enormousQuit trying to make it a church of 500 or a thousandIf the national can take it that high, you can help him later get more buildingsBut when you start, start small so that they can afford and maintain itRemember to consider whether they can afford it when you are goneYou might want a really nice building or really nice projector or something like that, but if the people couldn’t afford it, you should do it! Closing RemarksWorld Evangelism conference first week of November More info on visionmissions.com Summit is at the end of the year at Lake LanierIf you’re in the area, we would love to take you out to coffee and get to know you!

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