Many global ministry initiatives are wondering why there is often not any more result with all the effort put into our work.  There are many issues involved, but I am addressing only one key issue that is often overlooked.  I believe that we have a great opportunity to become much more effective if we are willing to come along side and serve more as a catalyst, allowing God to use our strengths His way, instead of us continuing to lead and trying to make others buy into our ends/goals.  It would bring the primary role for us back to being a team player and not a leader.  If we can do that, we’ll have the potential of being catalysts through training, equipping, assisting, and consulting instead of trying to do the church planting, Bible translation, radio broadcasting, media productions, etc. for the people we serve.  Where there is a need for more traditional approaches, we can still consider a secondary role to serve in a more traditional way, but focus on allowing these projects to become locally lead and oriented to local needs under local leadership.

From my observations over the years, and even more so recently, we cannot reach the world with an overarching plan like many of us have been trying.  God is the only one that has the overarching plan and we’re all pieces of this puzzle.  The needs are too diverse and we’ll continually try to fit things in a box that reflects our way of thinking.  If we would just serve more in the primary role suggested (as catalysts), I believe that we could make a much greater impact. 

I do mean that we should keep our ends/goals in mind in what we do, but allow the communities to pursue their own ends/goals in what they do in the projects in which we collaborate with them, with them in a leadership position.  As our ends/goals tie into the ends/goals of those we serve, it should make us relevant to those we serve and they would want our services.  I believe that we should consider backing out primarily, if not only, if their ends/goals conflict with ours in principle or Biblically.  We don’t want to make their ends/goals (seen from their local cultural perspective) be a picture of ours (seen predominantly from our unique corporate perspective), otherwise we’re still the controller and will not be seen as an equal partner.

If we allow this change to happen, we’ll see a distinct improvement in how well we serve cross culturally, including orally preferenced learners, the deaf, the children, the women, the poor, the outcasts, those from other faiths, etc., because they become key players in the work of God.  He can and will just as mightily work through them as through any great world leader.  We’re all pieces of God’s puzzle through His overarching plan.