Measuring Progress in the Mission of God 29 Measuring Progress in the Mission of God

Introduction How do you measure progress in fulfilling our part in God’s missions? This chapter samples the different approaches

Global Macro Picture

People Group Thinking McGavran was a pioneer in this approach Based on mission work in India Insisted people be allowed to come to Christ without crossing cultural barriers (homogeneous unit principle) Ralph Winter also a pioneer Greatest impact from address at 1974 Lausanne conference titled, “The Highest Priority: Cross-Cultural Evangelism”

The Evangelism Scale The E-Scale E1 – evangelizing your own people E2 – crossing barriers into a near but not identical language; cultural differences are significant, but not overwhelming. E3 – Evangelizing among people utterly different from the evangelist. Radically different language and life-ways

The People Group Scale Flip-side to E-Scale. Measures cultural distance of people from the nearest culturally relevant, gospel-witnessing church P1 – Such a church exists within the people group P2 – Such a church is culturally and linguistically near, but not identical. P3 – no such church among them, nor nearby

Unreached People Groups People group is significant in size and have a common affinity for one another due to language, religion, and life-ways. 1982 – UPGs defined. “a people group within which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians able to evangelize them” These definitions are the foundation of most strategic mission planning for the next quarter century.

UPG Research and Advocacy David Barrett, et al – research published in IBMR www.internationalbulletin.org Operation World www.operationworld.org Joshua Project www.joshuaproject.net

Agency and the Church Micro Picture

Transitional Influencers Wycliffe Bible Translators www.wycliffe.org Publish the Ethnologue – an encyclopedia of 6,900 living languages. The book covers: language maps, language names, and the language code by which it is referenced IMB of the SBC – www.imb.org Maintain the Global Research Department All kinds of research and tool development

Progress Assessment Measurement Eight phases of pioneer church planting See Dick Scoggins www.dickscoggins.com and look at the link for the Church Planting Manual Visioning, Landing, Evangelizing, Gathering, Covenanting, Leadership Development, Reproducing, Exiting. Combine two tools: A measure of where you are at and where you are going, and a guidebook of activities to perform under each phase

Progress Assessment Measurement Mission Agency Metrics Many mission agencies use internal measures Strategic planning and review Personnel review and in-service training

Conclusion In our quest to be good stewards and effective missionaries we don’t want to lose sight of the relational aspects of what we do, in all their glorious inefficiencies.