2019 Cindy Liu

His Plan

 

Mission Effectiveness

Mission effectiveness can be evaluated in two ways:
• Qualitatively – By understanding the success of the evangelists’ activities through relationships and testimonies.
• Quantitatively – By measuring the success of the mission project through the data of numbers and statistics.

Qualitative reporting is carried out by the evangelists and the indigenous church partners monthly. The evangelists must share their mission experiences’ effectiveness orally or in writing. Project coordinator must check these reports and confirm the report through
scheduled field trips.

An evangelist should be visited by a field coordinator at least three times a year. If possible, each visit should be by a different field coordinator to ensure a different perspective on the work undertaken and avoid any favoritism. Because these visits do not occur often, it is important that the right questions are asked regarding the mission effectiveness, especially concerning new believers and successors.

The mission project’s target is preset according to the local area’s spiritual condition and the effectiveness is displayed through a key performance indicator. The target is broken into two areas: one for the indigenous church partners and indigenous evangelists, the other
for the mission coordinator and field coordinators. These targets are transparent for mutual responsibility.

Evaluation of indigenous national church partners and indigenous evangelists’ mission effectiveness is based on four key performance areas in ten key performance indicators; for details, see Appendix 6.

Evaluation of project coordinator and field coordinator mission effectiveness is based on five key performance areas and ten key performance indicators, see details in Appendix 7.

Analysis of the key performance indicators from these two sources will provide a clear picture of mission effectiveness. It is expected that each evangelist, church partner, project coordinator, and field coordinator will be mutually responsible towards each other.

Stable Spiritual Principle, Flexible Field Practice Allowing indigenous evangelists flexibility in their working hours enables them to utilize their time best. Sometimes, an evangelist may wish to stay and pastor the church after it has been established, not to continue to evangelize a new area. If their supporting church agrees, then the evangelist is permitted to stay if they can be self-sustained. However, if the evangelist is willing to go to a new area with the supporting church’s approval, then they may start a new pioneering initiative.

Spiritual Oversight

Indigenous church partners can provide a spiritual service and oversee the indigenous evangelists and the churches they plant because the Mission Supporter are often a parachurch organization, not an indigenous church. Spiritual oversight via the indigenous church cultivates accountability and sustainability within the mission project.

 

Mission Report

Mission effectiveness reports by the indigenous evangelists and church partners are essential to ensure accountability and transparency for the information they have reported is correct. These reports are checked and signed off by the church partners overseeing their indigenous evangelists.

The mission coordinator then rechecks the report on a monthly basis. A field coordinator will visit the indigenous evangelists three times a year to audit and evaluate the work.

Collecting Testimonies

Each evangelist is required to share in writing and with photos, if possible, at least two testimonies a month from their mission fields. These testimonies form the basis of a monthly report. It is a project coordinator’s responsibility to compile, translate, and distribute the monthly report to their Mission Supporter.

Interview Questions to Ask New Believers

Documenting the testimonies of new believers when they are baptized or being discipled is so encouraging for everyone involved. It is an irrefutable evidence of a life touched. The three great questions to ask are:
• How did you come to Christ?
• What first drew you to Jesus?
• How do you live out your faith?

Question to Ask Evangelist’s Successors

It is a priority to identify evangelist’s successors. After hearing their personal testimony, three great questions to ask are:
• How were you called to evangelizing work?
• What is your vision for impacting your nation?
• What challenges and opportunities are you facing?

 

Question to Ask Church Partners and Advisors

It is essential to gather testimonies from the indigenous church partners and advisors. They are the ones
who faithfully pray for and support the indigenous
evangelists in practical ways. The main questions to
ask are:
• How do you partner with this mission project?
• How does this mission project benefit you?
• What challenges does this mission project pose for you?

Questions the Field Coordinator Asks the Indigenous Evangelists

The questions to ask during a field trip are:
• How much monthly financial support do you receive from the Mission Supporter?
• How much monthly financial support do you receive from other sources?
• How many people from the target people group have you evangelized?
• How many of those that you have evangelized were converted?

• How many people have you discipled were baptized?

  • In how many locations do you have meetings and outreach?

  • How many people attended your cell group fellowships or church services?

  • How many successors are you personally discipling?

  • Are there any pastoral replacements ready to become pastors?

  • How many of your cell group have become self-sustaining churches?

  • In how many locations do you evangelize?

  Problem Solving

  In all evangelism work, there will be unavoidable problems. The most important thing is to have correct procedures in place for dealing with situations.

  Indigenous evangelists must faithfully maintain a good relationship with both their management and spiritual overseers within the indigenous churches.

  If an indigenous evangelist faces spiritual issues, the project coordinator must submit to the Indigenous National Leader for their decision to pass relevant information on to the church partners. If any problem cannot be resolved after consulting the local authority,
  all issues must be passed on to the Mission Supporter. It is then up to their spiritual advisor to make the final decision.

Handing Over

The purpose of the mission is to promote the movement of evangelism within a nation. When the work is well established, the Mission Supporter must sacrificially pass on everything to the indigenous church partners without any reservation. For large-scale mission exit strategy, see Appendix 8.

Sacrificial succession is where the spiritual principles must apply in every area of the mission work. Multiplication comes when man takes his hand off and trust God to do the rest through others. Trust God and allow Holy Spirit to move through mission work from
one generation of indigenous evangelists to the next.

 

Conclusion

The Bible is the manuscript of an amazing adventure. As we read, we discover that we are not just spectators of the great drama, which is “God’s Great Salvation Plan for Mankind.” As this drama unfolds, we realize that we are, in fact, the participants.

Participating in a fight between the kingdoms of good and evil. To play our roles well in this drama, we must submit to God, the “Director,” allowing Him to lead us into the role He has for each of us to play.

God is at work throughout the ages around the world. We must follow Jesus’s commandment to each one of us to spread the Word of truth that He is the Savior of the world. We must participate in the end-time harvest season to bring souls to His kingdom.

Jesus said one day soon, He will conquer all who oppose Him and establish His kingdom on earth. As we wait for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we must ask ourselves what are we called to do today to see His kingdom come. One might say, “Who am I? What can I do? I haven’t been to Bible college.

I’m not a pastor. I’m just a businessman/a teacher/a mom.” However, the Bible taught us no matter your background, education, or skills, if you are willing to be used by God, He can always find a place in His plan for you.

God did not ask for a perfect man to carry out His plan. If He did, no one could fulfill His call. God opens the door for His obedient children with a heart to serve Him. All the tests and trials you endure along the way are part of His refining process to build greater faith,
love, endurance, and determination to equip you to enter your destiny.

Therefore, don’t wait until you are perfect to serve God—just do it. The Lord will refine you along the way. God’s plan is to prosper you. This path can be narrow and challenging, but the love and blessing you receive from God far outweigh anything the world could ever offer—that makes every hardship and tears worthwhile!

The Lord’s calling for the church and individuals will always be the same as the last words He spoke to His disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 ESV).

 

Training

Every spiritual principle and management flow mentioned in this book is designed for large-scale, high-efficiency, and low-cost evangelizing missionary work to impact a nation.

God has freely entrusted these spiritual principles to me, and I am also willing to train and equip other indigenous evangelists for this mission work freely.

For training, please feel free to contact me anytime at: xingxing@hisplan.info.

I pray, through sacrificial serving, you will experience the abundant life God promised to you, thus give glory to our God most high.

 

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Then said I, Here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8 KJV)

 

Appendix 1

Mission Timeline and Activities and Question

• Year 1. Phases – Complete Spiritual, Survery, Question:

Activies: Confirm opportunities for a spiritual harvest and the churches’ commitment to impacting their nation.

Question: Yes, No, or Not Yet?

Phases: Run a Pilot Project – Gauge the commitment of church partners and pioneers to
impact their nation and work together. Yes, No, or Not Yet?

• Year 2.  Phases: Start Mission Project

Activities: Scale project up to agreed national pioneer numbers along with supporting frameworks.

Question: Who and what is needed to support this mission project?

Year 3. Phases: Review Mission Project

Activies: Evaluate the mission’s effectiveness. Agree with the church partners to make improvements.

Question: How can this mission be more effective?

Years 4–5.  Phases: Begin Succession

Activies: Apply a succession plan for national pioneers and a transition plan for the mission project.

Question: When would leadership be handed over and to whom?

Year 6. Phases: Handover Mission Project

Activies: Pass on management to national leadership and decide on any ongoing mission organization involvement.

Question: How to help with indigenous churches’ sustainability?

Year 7 Phases: End Mission Project

Activies: Implement an exit strategy that encourages sustainability and benefits successors.

Question: What support structures should be wound up?

 

Appendix 2

Interview Questions for Indigenous Evangelists
• How do you know you were called to impact a nation? (Romans 15:20)
• How do you sense an opportunity for a spiritual harvest? (John 4:35–38)
• Why are your gifts more suitable than a pastor to do evangelizing work? (1 Corinthians 3:6-10)
• Are you commissioned and monitored by a church? (Ephesians 3:10)
• How do you cooperate and work with the church? (Joshua 1:6,14)
• Why do you believe you can disciple new believers and train successors? (2 Timothy 2:2)
• Are you willing to be succeeded by the new leader? How? (Matthew 20:26–28)
• How do you walk with the Lord? (Galatians 5:16, 25)

 

Appendix 3

Three Roles the Evangelist Plays and Focuses On

Recommended Three Roles and Focus

• SERVE (Years 1–3) By Placing the Last First

  Focus on church planting amongst target nations. Disciple target people as successors.

• SACRIFICE (Year 4) By Handing Over Leadership

  Hand over leadership to a pastoral replacement. Go with pioneer successors to impact new areas.

• SUSTAIN (Years 5–7) By Serving Successors

  Hand over leadership to pioneer successors. Continue helping pastoral and pioneer successors.

 

Appendix 4

Mission Project Functions and Responsibilities

Managerial Oversight And Spiritual Oversight

FUNCTIONAL
• Field Coordinator – Visits the field to confirm that the financial and spiritual effectiveness being reported by the evangelist is correct and collect personal testimonies.

• Indigenous Church Overseer – Ensures each evangelist and any of fellowships that have been established are being overseen and are supported spiritually, so they can grow into
viable indigenous churches.

OPERATIONAL
• Project Coordinator – Confirms that both spiritual and financial administration of the
project is correct and identifies any potential evangelist issues.

• National Advisors – Verify that both spiritual and financial administration of the project is correct and communicate any concerns about project coordinators and field coordinator.

STRATEGIC
• Mission Organization Management – Analyzes and communicates mission effectiveness and work on strategic solutions to national challenges faced by the mission project in that country.

• Regional Advisors – Recommend strategies for the mission project based on mission effectiveness reports and spiritual insights to the indigenous evangelists and church partners to impact their nation.

Appendix 5

Ten KPIs for Church Partners and Indigenous Evangelists

Ten Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Indigenous Church Partners and
Indigenous Evangelists

1. Personal Financial Stewardship and Sustainability

Mission Support Party: Decrease funds received from Mission Support Party.

Other Support – Increasing financial support from other supporting sources.

 

2. Evangelism Focused on Targeting People Group

People Evangelized Number of target people reached/touched with the gospel.

Believing Followers: Number of new converts from target people group and locality.

 

3. Discipleship of New Believers from the Target People Group

Baptized Believers: Numbers of baptized converts from the target group.

Fellowship Locations: Number of cell group established by an evangelist.

Fellowship Attendees: Number of people regularly attending the fellowship meeting or newly established churches.

4. Multiplication of the Work through Sacrificial Succession

Evangelist’s Successors:
Number of successors from the target people group who were discipled by the evangelist.

Pastoral Replacements Number of people ordained by church partner as indigenous pastors.

Self-Sustaining Churches:
Number of new churches supporting a pastor and sending out indigenous evangelists.

 

Appendix 6

Ten KPI for Project Coordinator and Field Coordinators

Ten Key Mission Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Project Coordinator and Field Coordinators

1. Personal Financial Stewardship and Accountability

Mission Support: Amount received as a wage or salary from the Mission Supporter.
Other Support: Amounts received from other sources such as gifts or donations.

2. Evaluation of Spiritual Mission Effectiveness Reports

Spiritual Reports: Collecting, collating, and reporting the KPIs for indigenous evangelists and church partners.

Personal Testimonies:  Storing, translating, and sending personal testimonies especially from field trips.

3. Comparison of Evangelist Financial and Spiritual Reports

Financial Reports: Evaluate the accuracy of financial reports by comparing the indigenous evangelists’ and church partners’ reports.

Spiritual Reports:  Compare the mission effectiveness report from evangelist and church partners to identify interesting trends.

4. Confirmation of Mission Effectiveness through Field Trips

Field Trips Number of field trips taken to visit the indigenous evangelists.

Indigenous Evangelists Visited:
Number of indigenous evangelists visited on each trip, confirmed and gathered testimonies.

5. Evidence of Good Stewardship of Time and Time Management

Hours Worked: Report on the number of hours worked per week confirmed by indigenous church supervisors.

Work Hours: Confirm indigenous evangelists’ average start and finish working hours on a weekly basis with the indigenous church supervisors.

 

Appendix 7

For a Large-Scale Mission Project
For a mission organization to be involved in a mission project depends on the degree of financial and other support required. There are three ways for a mission organization to get involved:
• Mission organization initiates a mission project fully funded by the mission organization.
• Mission organization and church initiate a mission project together and share the costs.
• The church independently initiates a mission project. The mission organization is not directly involved but gives partial financial support.
The different involvement structures use different management monitoring systems. Details of this are explained during training. Individuals can also contribute financial or prayer support through the mission organization or church.

Exit Strategy

When the mission project is in large scale, it is the Mission Supporter’s responsibility to hand over the mission project successfully to the indigenous churches. The procedure is an important process, it involves the indigenous evangelists and church partners, national
leadership, legal structures, office infrastructure and equipment, etc.

The main principle is to be a blessing not a burden to the indigenous churches. To achieve this, good financial, spiritual, and administrative record keeping is required throughout the life of the project.

The timing of an exit strategy must incorporate three main factors:
• Spiritual viability of the indigenous church planted.
• Financial sustainability of the newly established churches.
• Divestment of the Mission Supporter’s legal obligations and assets.

Spiritual Viability and Financial Sustainability

This can be done through tracking and comparing:
Finances – Decreasing Mission Supporter finance to increasing local support.
Evangelism – The number of people introduced to Jesus.

Discipleship – The number of people genuinely following Christ.
Multiplication – The number of already trained pastoral replacements and evangelist successors.

Sustainability – The number of indigenous churches that are spiritually and financially sustainable.

Tracking mission effectiveness over the life of a project helps identify areas that need to be addressed.

Audit Reporting

Another way we strive towards good stewardship is by routinely auditing resources and assets to achieve mission effectiveness. An audit systematically examines and verifies a project’s financial records and other relevant administrative documents. It’s accompanied
by a physical inspection of inventory such as asset lists of equipment.

Audit assets include:

Facilities – Buildings and land, plus office furniture stored within them.

Equipment – Computers, phones, and other technology items or tools.

Transport – Vehicles owned or leased through the project.

Systems – Financial and administrative hardware and software.

Legal – Entities such as companies or churches that support the project.

Income – Money or other services received from local entities.

Personnel – Foreigner and /or national working with and for the project.

Legal and Financial Obligations

The mission organization will endeavor to ensure that what is left behind for the owners is a legacy that blesses and benefits the movement for Christ, rather than one that incurs costs or becomes a burden.

Therefore, during a project’s transition, mission organization management will endeavor to change the legal status including decommissioning, deregistering, shutting down, selling, or giving away any entities or assets that could become a burden rather than a blessing to the
indigenous church.

Managing Succession

The purpose of managing the succession is to ensure that it is beneficial to our partners. Therefore, a management succession plan is applied. This plan incorporates the timeframe and process for authority to be handed over to national leadership.

Managing succession involves replacing leadership positions within the project. The indigenous evangelists must prepare at least two successors in three years.

Likewise, each project manager must do the same. The “put last first” principle is applied to all leadership levels.

The succession planning process also helps identify and develop internal personnel with the potential to fill leadership positions within the project.

Succession Event
The succession event for a project is usually a formal handover ceremony. During this event, indigenous evangelists who have played vital roles in impacting a nation are recognized. In the spirit, it is like a pastors’ ordination. It is anointed and carried out to encourage and empower the indigenous evangelists and churches to continue their good works. Included are predecessors, successors, and special guests.

The purpose of a succession event is to promote communication between the church partners and indigenous evangelists. To show the beautiful fruit of cooperation before men.

To witness what God has done
through the church. To impact indigenous churches to evangelize. Finally, to display the manifold wisdom of God.

The event assists the indigenous evangelists and successors to receive a favorable spiritual inheritance which will benefit their indigenous mission works.

A succession ceremony is a formal event, an opportunity to honor those who have served, sacrificed, and sustained successors from an impacted nation. Invitees include:

• Church partners and pastors of indigenous church plants.
• Indigenous evangelists and their successors.
• Indigenous successors who have contributed to the success of the project.
• Potential indigenous church partners that, through invitation, might want to join the
project.
• Government or church officials who have or may support this project in the future.

Other than this group of invitees, mission organization senior management may also attend.
A detailed event management checklist can be provided for preparation and budgeting purposes.

The mission organization can provide teams to help with logistics as well as in documenting the succession event.

Be aware, because many attendees have busy schedules, it is important to plan this event well in advance, especially if there are cultural or government protocols that require visas and other special documents for entry into that country. Security is an important aspect, also, to factor in the standard of accommodation for foreign guests and national dignitaries.

The mission organization will cover most of the overseas travel expenses, but also anticipate that indigenous evangelists and church partners will sacrificially contribute to make the event ceremony.

Managing this event requires the project manager, church partners, and mission organization teams to work closely together.