Year: 2007

Let’s dive in. By way of context, I’ve been doing field evaluation of local ministries/movements in cross-cultural settings for the past 11 years. I’m not saying I’ve seen everything, but I will say that common trends emerge very consistently from trip to trip and from campus to campus.

Scenarios 1 (The Place to Be) and 3 (Generations) most likely represent ministries rather than movements. Neither example gives us sufficient contextual information to be completely sure, but both smell like ministries. Why can we say this? The first scenario describes a ministry that contains two elemental barriers to genuine movements. One barrier is the reliance upon one (or a few) key personalities to sustain successful ministry. The giveaway clues were found in the reasons given for people coming to the weekly meeting. The second barrier is the possibility of false success due to program-centered values. 600 people coming regularly to anything gives the appearance of energy, vitality and motion. It’s easy to fall into the “bigger is better” trap. We like numbers. Numbers represent people, right? But the question remains: Where are these people going? Genuine movements move toward a common purpose that everyone understands. In the absence of crystal clear purpose for gathering, all this meeting is is a big party. If the great teaching and excellent band suddenly disappeared one week, would there be sufficient DNA to replicate, multiply and continue? Continue what?

Scenario 3 (Generations) demonstrates what I refer to as stacking generations. Technically, I suppose, you could line the bible study participants up by grade status, snap a digital pic, and call it four generations of multiplication. This meets the letter of the law, but the spirit has clearly been violated. The core question is: Who actually multiplied their life into someone else? Some of the students probably did multiply, but the scenario described a team of people assigning others to lead groups. Though not completely arbitrary, this type of management inadvertently undermines the frustratingly slow process of student ownership, which is the key to genuine student-led movements. Much more will be said about this issue later this month.

Scenario 2 (The Faithful Few) smells much more like a movement. The core essentials are in place: prayerful dependence, outreach, a purpose bigger than merely sustaining the existing group, and demonstrated fruit of changed lives. Let’s not be fooled by the smaller numbers. The DNA is what counts. Healthy DNA will reproduce life if given a good environment of light and heat. Now, if we came back one year later and the numbers were still the same, we’d probably classify this as a ministry too, since no movement or growth had occured.

Lesson: Honest evaluation is not fooled by numbers. Numbers do matter, but wise leaders look for the story between the numbers.

Here are a few scenarios to get us started in our thinking about movements. These may seem simple at first, but can we clearly articulate where we see ministry activity, and where we see genuine movement? Take the quiz…

1. The Place to Be. At one large university of 15,000 undergraduates, 600 students regularly attend a weekly Christian meeting. They come for three main reasons. Primarily, because their friends are there. Second, each week a very gifted 35-year old staff member delivers a fantastic biblical message. He blends passion and charisma with a great sense of humor. Third, the worship band is tight, fronted by a rockin’ junior gal and backed by humble, talented musicians. Most people think they sound “better than the CD.”

Is this a ministry or a movement? Why?

2. The Faithful Few. A short-term mission team just left another country after a 10-month effort to lauch something new. Prior to this team’s arrival, there were no known Christian groups or local churches engaging non-Christian students on this campus. A few weeks after his return, the short-term team leader Skypes one of the young disciples he left behind. He discovers that of the seven new believers in community, two have walked away. However, the remaining five have been meeting regularly for meals, prayer, and study. They’ve already seen three more friends come to faith since the mission team left. “We’re praying for revival on our campus,” Jorge reports, “and seeking God’s leading for a country to go next summer. Maybe God would allows us to send a few students.”

Is this a ministry or a movement? Why?

3. Generations. After a summer away from campus, the staff team and interns gather to pray and place returning students as leaders and participants into small-group Bible studies. Following 90 minutes of conversation, discussion, and white-board drawings, the clouds part and a solution emerges. Three strong, faithful 4th year students will each lead 3-4 3rd year students, who in turn will divide up the remaining 35 second-year students who signed up for Bible studies. “Once we sort through the first-year students,” an intern announces, “we can put them in groups led by 2nd year students. That will give us four generations, just like 2 Timothy 2:2.”

Is this a ministry or a movement? Why?

4. My current scenario. Is it ministry or movement? Why?

Answers tomorrow.