Comparison of Missions Strategies

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I have previously looked at missions donations and our stewardship accountability for channeling funds effectively by calculating an investment return on those donations ( See Open Letter to Christian Business People). Another method to analyze our missions donation stewardship is to evaluate alternative missions strategies based on cost and effectiveness

Alternative Strategies

In the chart below I have placed seven mission strategies in quadrants, measuring each strategy based on low cost to high cost and low effectiveness to high effectiveness. These are general observations. Of course there will be exceptions. As well, some organizations have multiple or combined strategies. I comment below on each strategy and its placement.

Conclusion

The Church has limited resources to accomplish the great commission (not in absolute terms, but in terms of what members are willing to give). Barna's demographic's research tells us that donation prospects will be worse in the future because younger generations are giving less. Scripture tells us to redeem the time as well. This teaches us that the effectiveness of our methodology to accomplish the great commission is paramount.

The chart above illustrates that the Church should be shifting major resources to quadrant one where low cost and high effectiveness is the hallmark. Resources invested in this quadrant will go further and accomplish more than methodologies in any other quadrant. A combination of methodologies is needed, but with a shift in mix toward quadrant one.

Comments on Strategies

Trained Indigenous Workers - A mission such as Partners International supports indigenous evangelists and church planters. Historically, each of 5,000 supported workers harvests on average 33 new believers each year. These workers reach people groups in the world's greatest need areas where western missionaries cannot penetrate. They have language and cultural prowess and live a lower standard of living. They are not subject to long and unproductive furloughs nor do they require international transportation or private schooling for children. Average support level for a worker and family is US$ 125/month or $1,500/year.
- in cost terms, Partners can field 25 indigenous workers for the cost of one cross-cultural western missionary (average total funding $40,000 per year).
- in effectiveness terms, the indigenous evangelist or church planter is three to seven times more effective (language, culture, acceptance by target audience, no furlough interruption in work, much lower turnover, frontline worker)
- the extraordinary conclusion is that on average, indigenous workers are 75 to 175 times more effective (25 x 3 to 25 x 7) compared to the cost of one western cross cultural worker and their resultant effort. Please use your estimates and rework the numbers. The conclusion is inescapable.
Indigenous Missions Training Schools - these are higher cost organizations as physical buildings and paid teaching staff are needed, but at local salary costs. Most of these schools employ unique training methods. For example
- train students for one month, then field test their training for two months. Repeat this three month cycle over two or three years. This method provides field-trained workers at the end of the training period, but also allows the physical structure to accommodate three times as many students, thus increasing the effectiveness of the physical building by 300%.
- require students to form a new church with thirty new baptized believers before qualifying to graduate.
Western Missions Training Schools - these are high cost organizations with more elaborate and costly physical structures and highly qualified teaching staff at western salary levels. Traditionally these schools serve as human resource developers for western mission organizations as well as home church leadership.
Compassion Ministries - compassion or aid ministries require high capital funds for development projects along with high coordination costs e.g. medical facilities with staffing, orphanages, construction projects. Salvation is usually not the primary focus (may be restricted by government grant funding) or the numbers of people reachable are less significant.
Western Cross Cultural Missionaries - these are our highest-cost workers - western salaries, western housing, field transportation, language training, private schooling for children. With these costs, we might reasonably expect extraordinary performance from these workers or perhaps sacrifices to serve in the most needy world areas. Is this the case?
- western missionaries are concentrated in the least needy areas because they cannot get into the most needy areas due in part to visa restrictions for missionaries and in part because it is rare for a westerner to volunteer to a very poor region of the world
- westerners are considered outsiders in many cultures due to language, cultural and ideological differences.
- language training may consume many years of effort with associated costs and deferred effectiveness
- extended furloughs increase costs and lower effectiveness significantly, making the worker less than a full time field worker.
- estimates of western missionaries engaged "full time" in evangelizing or church planting or church pastoring vary from only 3% to 10%. All others appear to be engaged in some support role i.e. not a frontline role. One might argue that this ratio should be reversed and that the historical role of the missionary to harvest souls be championed once again.
- western missionary dropout rates are statistically very high - 40% in two years and 80% within five years.
- recruitment of western missionaries is falling. This has given rise to the "short-termer" and student summer missions trips. High transportation costs and inexperience make these methods the least effective in the long-term. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this "exposure" to missions will kindle a life-long interest and commitment to the great commission.
Western Tentmakers - true tentmakers have skills that allow them to support themselves without requiring Church support (cf. the Apostle Paul).
- this uncommon method of self-supporting tentmakers is truly a low cost method for the Church. If funded by the Church, this method becomes very high cost because of the lower effectiveness of tentmakers
- the effectiveness of a true tentmaker (fully employed in an occupation) is no greater than any serious believer anywhere in the world who is reaching out to fellow workers, their own community or through their church outreach programs.
- by definition then, a tentmaker is less effective than a fulltime western missionary. Using the preceding arguments, it would be difficult to justify Church support for tentmakers.
Indigenous Churches - this is the lighthouse for the Gospel in communities around the world. The indigenous church in non-western countries continues to accelerate in growth and harbors more than 75% of the world's believers in Christ. Church buildings can cost from as little as $1,200 and become visible, recognizable and accepted structures of witness in the community. The dynamism of a local congregation empowered by the Spirit and reaching out to their community is very powerful and a leading reason for the growth of the indigenous church.

Your comments are welcomed.

Paul G Uptigrove CA, MBA

President, Dalgrove Inc

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Dalgrove Inc.
3023 Westdel Bourne London ON Canada N6P 1N2