Eight Trends That Will Shape the Future of Global Missions
by Eric Swanson
The following article first appeared in Leadership Network Advance on 2/23/2010 – to subscribe to Advance, click here.
“The future is already here–it’s just not evenly distributed.”
– Author William Gibsoni
During 2009, I personally interviewed fifty leaders of large churches that were effectively engaged in global missions. All around us are examples of innovators and early adopters who have discovered new principles for doing mission–fresh, more effective ways of thinking, being and doing that are not yet dominant…but will be in only a matter of time. I’d like to introduce you to eight trends that I believe will shape the future of missions.
- Mutuality
The future of missions will be shaped by mutuality between East and West, North and South, sending and receiving nations. Because there are now vibrant believers and thriving churches in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eurasia, and even the Middle East, we in the West shouldn’t think of ourselves as the saving force in world missions. Churches worldwide are learning to come together. - Partnering
Partnering is different than mutuality. While mutuality describes the equality of those who come to the table, partnering pertains to projects that require the assistance of skilled co-laborers. Partnering is not about outside missionaries bringing prescribed programs into a country but rather it begins with what indigenous leaders in the country are trying to accomplish. - Investing in leaders
Leadership is everything. Wherever good things are happening, a capable and passionate man or woman will be leading the way. Churches that are effective overseas have learned to leverage the passion of local leaders. How do you recognize good leaders who will make great partners? The most obvious sign is they are already engaged in effective ministry without any outside help. - Combining good deeds and good news
Combining good deeds and good news is not novel in foreign missions. What is new is the level of problem solving in which externally focused, missional churches are engaged. Today, influential people are speaking out for global, holistic solutions. Jonathan Martin of Good Shepherd Church in Boring, OR (www.goodshepherdcc.org) says that even in the toughest of countries they don’t leave Jesus at the immigration booth. Jonathan told me, “When we are asked if we intend to proselytize people through our service we tell them, ‘We’re here to make Jesus known and Jesus gets known through his followers doing good’–as opposed to, ‘We are not here to get followers of Jesus.’ So far, that has worked for us.” - Greater financial accountability
Churches that effectively engage in global ministry are thinking differently about who, what and how they support missional engagement. The days of cutting a check and hoping for the best are rapidly disappearing. With all the needs and opportunities in the world, global missions leaders of the future are working to maximize every dollar expended on global outreach. Effective missional churches of the future support mission-critical projects that their global partners deem important. This type of giving can only come from a trusted relationship. Churches are learning never to start initiatives that will require western dollars to continue. - Business as mission
An emerging funding model ties business and mission together. This is more than missionaries posing as businesspeople but rather missional entrepreneurs who are starting businesses and creating jobs in the countries in which they serve. - Focus
There is a power in focus. On the flipside, the most frustrated pastors I interviewed were those whose churches supported scores of scattered legacy missionaries who were serving all over the map. Much of the time, these missionaries were not home-grown but rather nephews of former staff, or friends of friends, or a missionary tied to a designated gift. The often unstated missions goal was to place representatives from the church on every continent of the globe. Churches today are learning to do better by focusing on fewer places of engagement. - Technology
With every breakthrough in communication technology, there have been innovators who have exploited that technology to advance the gospel. The printing press, radio, TV, and the Internet have allowed the church to increasingly enter a world without boundaries. All around us are glimpses of churches that are discovering the power of today’s newest technology–to impact a country without ever physically visiting that country. Tech-savvy mission leaders are shrinking the world with technology.
Global Connections Leadership Community
Welcome to the new world of global missions. In March, 2010, Leadership Network will convene its first Global Connections Leadership Community under the direction of Eric Swanson. This community will be comprised of 10-12 high capacity churches that are already effective in global missions but who want to excel still more. This Leadership Community will meet four times in three-day increments, every six months to address issues that lead not just to incremental progress but exponential progress in what the churches are trying to accomplish globally. If you would like to consider being a candidate of this or a future Global Connection Leadership Community, please contact Bonnie Randle bonnie.randle@leadnet.org.
Prior to his current role as Leadership Community Director, Eric Swanson was part of Campus Crusade for Christ for 25 years. Most recently, he served as director of charitable investing for Tango, a private investment company. Eric holds a bachelors degree in social science from the University of California at Berkeley and DMin in Transformational Leadership for Ministry in the Global City. Eric is co-author of The Externally Focused Church (Group Publishing, 2004) and The ExternallyFocused Quest (Jossey-Bass, April 2010). He resides in Colorado with his wife Liz; they have three grown children.
(i. William Gibson, quoted in The Economist, December 4, 2003 Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gibson. Accessed June 20, 2009)
