Fostering Sustainability

• In world evangelism, fostering a culture of sustainability means striving to ensure that local churches and ministries can be viably supported long-term without relying on subsidies from external sources.
• Beyond just financial resources, sustainability encompasses inclusion, empowerment, and resiliency issues.
• Leaders must foster a culture of sustainability and avoid postmodern colonialism if they wish to achieve long-term viability in church-planting movements.
• While outside resources may sometimes be helpful and even necessary, keeping a clear focus on the goal of sustainability will increase the likelihood of healthy, disciple-making churches that fulfill the mission of making Christlike disciples in the nations.

What does "sustainability" mean in terms of world evangelism?

Mission Briefing: Ideas that shape world mission outreach today

Sustainability is discussed in fields like agriculture, business, fishing, and forestry, as well as Christian missionary activity. To be sure, what sustainability involves will vary somewhat from field to field. However, at the core of sustainability is the idea of productivity and long-term viability.

Regarding world evangelism, a key indicator of sustainability is that churches and ministries are supported locally without expecting subsidies from faraway places to stream in.

In conversations about sustainability, "resources" means more than finances. There's no doubt that looking at funding is important in assessing sustainability. However, sustainability involves more than who pays the bills. It also involves things like:

• Where personnel and resources come from
• An atmosphere of inclusion
• Home-grown vision and initiative
• An environment in which local people feel empowered
• Built-in resiliency to make it through troubles and trials
• A we-can-do-this-with-God's-help attitude

Clearly, the topic of sustainability fits in perfectly with discussions of topics like contextualization and the "three selfs."

In some cases, churches and ministries initially embrace a sustainability pattern. In other situations where reliance on external subsidies has been part of the equation, moving away from that model may not be an immediate destination. Rather, it may be more of a journey with ups and downs and hiccups.

Today, one missionary responsibility is fostering a culture of sustainability. That has not been true in all world evangelism efforts. For instance, in earlier decades, home-based supporters back home frequently assumed that foreign missionaries would start churches for which missionaries would serve as pastors. Because those foreign pastors were not supported locally and, furthermore, brought in outside resources to subsidize various initiatives, it is not a model that can be infinitely duplicated or sustained long term.

Leaders must insist churches and ministries look to God and to their communities for resources and solutions rather than assuming they should be perpetual recipients of what outsiders can do for them. For sustainability to be achieved, what has been called postmodern colonialism must be avoided. In a postmodern colonialist context, outsiders are celebrated as superheroes whose help has "saved the day." Outsiders are lauded as "experts" whose opinions override everyone else's. That is not a positive thing.

Does aiming at sustainability mean that all outside resources will be shunned? No. However, they must be used sparingly and judiciously.

Does sustainability mean believers need not give sacrificially to world evangelism? No. Outside help is often necessary if we are to foster church-planting movements in those places "where the church is not yet." Outside resources can also be helpful in developing and expanding capacity (as opposed to being a subsidy for basic expenses).

Embracing sustainability increases the likelihood of having healthy, disciple-making churches and ministries where believers give birth to new churches and ministries, take responsibility for them, resource them, and lead them. Following patterns of sustainability will do much to move the global church toward fulfilling its mission of "making Christlike disciples in the nations."

Discussion questions

1. What are some challenges and potential benefits of moving away from models of external subsidy and towards self-sufficiency in churches and ministries? How can leaders manage this transition effectively?
2. How can world missions leaders avoid falling into the trap of postmodern colonialism? What are the potential negative consequences of relying too heavily on external resources and expertise?
3. Why might fostering a culture of sustainability in world evangelism lead to healthier and more effective disciple-making churches and ministries in the long run?
4. In what ways does sustainability in world evangelism imply more than financial resources? What other factors should leaders consider to achieve the goal of sustainability?
5. In what situations might reliance on external subsidies be necessary for church-planting movements in places where the church is not yet established? How can outside resources be best used to judiciously support sustainability?

This mini-essay on a key issue in world missions outreach is an article in the "Mission briefing" series published in Engage magazine.

Does the way we do short-term mission trips actually create obstacles on the road to sustainability? Check out these thoughts about negative "unintended consequences" from Glenn Schwartz.

Afterword

Sustainability in world evangelism is essential for long-term viability and effectiveness in church-planting movements. It involves moving away from external subsidies, embracing inclusion, empowerment, and resiliency in local communities. Avoiding postmodern colonialism, leaders should encourage a self-reliant approach while using outside resources judiciously to develop capacity. Fostering a culture of sustainability leads to healthier and more effective disciple-making churches and ministries, fulfilling the mission of making Christlike disciples worldwide.

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