Ten Powerful Questions to Debrief Your COVID-19 Experience

COVID-19 impacts everyone

It is safe to say that COVID-19 has impacted nearly everyone on the planet. What are you learning from the experience?Here are ten debriefing questions to unpack and learn from your experience.

1. How have you personally been impacted by COVID-19?
2. How has you work been impacted by COVID-19?
3. What feelings have you been experiencing?
4. What tools and/or strategies help you process your feelings?
5. How have you seen God at work during this COVID-19 season?
6. How are you encouraging and supporting others?
7. What should we start, stop, improve or continue doing in light of the disruption caused by COVID-19?
8. Though the future seems uncertain, what relevant goals can you and your work group/team set for the future?
9. What is your next, most faithful step?
10. What other questions have you found useful in debriefing your COVID-19 experience?

Bless others by sharing those great questions in the comment section.

Update: Friends share this debriefing question: “What have we learned about ourselves during this time of pandemic?” 

Equipping Healthy and Effective Cross-Cultural Workers

I’ve recently begun serving as the Director of Training for One Challenge. When I share this piece of news with friends, the typical follow up question is, “Well (long pause), what does that involve?”

The short answer is “I shall not fail to ensure that we equip our people to be healthy and effective throughout their ministry careers.” Of course, the detailed response of what this positively involves is much longer.

As our Training Task Force has begun to envision the developmental needs of a healthy and effective worker over his or her ministry career, ten broad areas have emerged.  Each area is represented by a spoke on the wheel of life shown below. The numbers on the spokes convey the idea is that certain milestones need to be achieved in each area along one’s developmental journey. Ideally each worker will be at milestone 6 or 7 in each area before deployment and continue to develop mastery each area in the new ministry context.

Let’s briefly look at the ten areas of a cross cultural worker’s development.

1. Spiritual Vitality – Before sending out workers, we ensure that they are strong in their faith, that the Word of God dwells in them, and they have overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14). We also intend that they will continue to grow as faithful disciples (2 Peter 1:3ff), increasing in intimacy with God (Colossians 1:10).
2. OC Culture and Systems – One Challenge has shared goals and guiding principles for how we work together. Our systems for sharing information and collaboration depend on technology. So, as technology changes, our workers need to become competent using the new tools.
3. Financial Acuity – All of our workers need to be good stewards of personal and ministry finances (Titus 1:7), in addition to developing an adequate support base.
4. Personal Wellness — Our workers need to practice healthy habits to stay fit spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. Also living cross-culturally involves managing additional stress and sometimes dealing with limited medical care. 
5. Loving Relationships — We want workers to have the skills to develop great marriages and strong relationships with family members, co-workers, neighbors, ministry partners and within the church. Working cross-culturally can place additional strain on relationships.  A “peacemaker” mindset (Matt. 5:9), along with good listening, communication, and conflict resolution skills are key.
6. Healthy and Effective Teams – Teamwork and collaboration is at the core of our strategy.  Healthy and effective teams don’t just happen. Skilled leaders take deliberate action to develop high performing teams.
7. Cross-Cultural Competency — An effective cross-cultural worker will become fluent in the local language(s), know the history, geography, literature and religion of the country –its heroes and villains, have gained deep insight into the culture, and exhibit Cultural Intelligence in relating to people.  Generally, it takes a few years to get one’s feet on the ground in a new culture, though mastery takes a lifetime.
8. Safety — We want our workers to be safe. This begins by applying best practices for cross cultural living. Also, digital security is now a significant issue. We develop Crisis Response Action Plans to deal with health emergencies, natural disasters, social unrest, crime, and public health issues, like COVID-19. Be prepared!
9. Ministry Development – Ministry development is based upon the uniqueness of the worker and the ministry context. In One Challenge, we believe in developing local solutions, based upon the most pressing needs in each context. Discovering the unique needs and how to address them requires research. To this unique context, a worker brings a unique mix of spiritual gifting, passion, abilities, and experiences, which blend together will skills in motivation, training and mobilizing the church for effective ministry.
10. Leadership Development — We expect all of our workers to manifest the character and skills of an elder (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). Typically, workers serve in leadership roles in local churches, networks, partnerships and within the organization. Because One Challenge values in coming alongside local church leaders to make them more effective, our workers much first be good –even great – servant leaders themselves (Matthew 20:25ff).

Well, these ten points further define my role as Director of Training. Many of the developmental challenges described above are common to all people, while some are unique to cross cultural workers. Perhaps this overview has sparked reflection on your own personal growth.

Consider creating your own wheel of life to evaluate your own developmental in areas that are important to you. Googling “wheel of life template” will provide you with simple tools to get started. Consider how to use your strengths to build up limiting factors. After all, who doesn’t want to be a healthy and effective person?

Is it Time to Put the Term “Missionary” to Rest?

Recently I read Amy Peterson’s book “dangerous territory,” which chronicles her two-year adventure as a Christian English Teacher in Asia, which she self-critically subtitles “my misguided quest to save the world.” Early on I was struck by Peterson’s aversion to the term missionary. She shares:

“Despite my sincere and passionate desire to change the world for God, I hated that term –missionary—for all the connotations and baggage trailing behind it. I dreaded being aligned with the long history of abuse that educated westerners commonly associated with “missions” – destruction of indigenous cultures in the name of Christ, introduction of foreign diseases, wars in the name of evangelism. …I was terrified that I might accidentally live into this horrific, ethnocentric, imperialistic tradition.” (pages 18-19)

Peterson’s remarks reminded me of research findings of the Student Volunteer Movement 2 (renamed Global Mission Mobilization Initiative in 2019). Through interviews with young people around the world they too discovered an aversion to the term “missionary” for many of the same reasons Peterson lists. In addition, young people either viewed missionaries as “super saints”  – a measure they could never attain – or as cultural misfits, something they never wanted to become. Sensing that the term “missionary” was a hindrance to mobilizing students for service, SMV2 championed “message bearer” as a replacement for “missionary.”

I have also noticed that sending organizations avoid the use of “missionary” for practical reasons.  As many work in limited access countries where local governments do welcome foreign Christians, the term “workers” is preferred. Here are two personal examples. Earlier this year my wife and I led a group of students to Central Asia. Our local hosts warned us to never use the M word in any of our communications. Otherwise the security of the entire work could be jeopardized. Also a few years ago, when reviewing our sending organization’s website, I was shocked to discover that the term “missionary” was not to be found anywhere on our public website! Upon inquiry, I learned that this was intentional.

So, I wonder, it is time to put the term “missionary” to rest? And if so, what shall replace it?

I was nurtured in a theological tradition that championed calling biblical things by biblical terms. How does missionary” fare? First, nowhere in the scriptures does the term “missionary” occur. So, it is not a biblical term. “Missionary” comes from the Latin verb, missio, to send. This is a semantically equivalent to biblical term, “apostle”, which literally means “sent out one.” Theological considerations, however, commonly restrict the use of “apostle” to leaders in the first century church. It is prudent to not go down that path.

Is there biblical alternative to “apostle” or “missionary?”

I believe there is, and it is a term that already is finding broad usage: worker.

Jesus tells his followers in Luke 10:2 (NIV), “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Consider too the parallel passage in Matthew 9:38.)  Here we see an early instance of people being sent out into the harvest field and the term used is worker.

Paul in his letters refers to numerous people as “fellow workers” or “co-workers” among whom are Urbanus (Romans 16:9), Timothy (Romans 16:21), Titus (2 Corinthians 8:13), Philemon (Phm. 1) and Stephanus (1 Corinthians 16:16). In the case of Stephanas, we see an even broader use of the term: “Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer” (1 Corinthians 16:16 ESV). Also, when writing Timothy Paul also uses “worker” in a general sense. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV).

The term “worker” also eschews “super saint status.”  A saying of Jesus reminds us, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10). “Workers,” then, are not super saints. They have only been obedient. They have done their duty.

What, then, are the advantages of the term “worker”?

• It is a biblical term.
• It has the connotation of being sent out by God.
• It implies that one can rightly handle the “word of truth”
• It shows that one is devoted to serving God’s people and is a trustworthy leader.
• It already is used by sending organizations and churches with activity in limited access countries.
• It is a humble term, that avoids the “super saint syndrome.”
• It has none of the baggage associated with the term “missionary” that hinders mobilization

So, it seems prudent to lay the term “missionary” to rest and use the biblical term “worker” in its place. What do you think? Are there any other advantages or disadvantages to using the term “worker”?

Ministry From Home: The New Normal?

With the CORONA-19 situation, multitudes find themselves Working From Home (WFH) around the world. For some, this will be the new normal, at least as long as social distancing remains in effect.

CORONA-19 shelter in place orders have impacted faith communities as well. Face-to-face religious meetings have been curtailed, funerals and weddings postponed. In their place, worship services are live-streamed. People connect with ZOOM, Skype or Teams to carry out church business and to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thes. 5:11 ESV).

Cross cultural workers that I am in contact are sheltering in place. Their public ministries are on hold. Or are they?

Worker-friends of mine in Europe report that they went ahead with a planned training event, but in webinar fashion. This enabled people from multiple nations to participate. Moreover, another agency learned of the training videos, saw their value, and have translated them into more than a dozen languages, further multiplying the impact. They are seeing unexpected impact through Ministry From Home.

Locally I heard from a couple who works with Junior High and High Schools students. COVID-19 shut down their before-and-after school programming and ability to connect with students face to face. So they moved to where the students hang out – Online! Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter. Though never having made a video before COVID-19, now they share a short daily Bible based thought on several video platforms. Students are text messaging their appreciation for the encouragement.

Ministry From Home (MFH) may be the new normal, at least in the short term.  Technology provides multiple opportunity for ministry workers to connect. 

• Mentoring and Coaching can happen virtually.
• Training can take place in Webinars as well as online learning platforms.
• Counseling can be done virtually.
• Life Changing messages can be shared through social media, text, video, podcasts.
• People can use technology connect to “encourage and build one another up daily”.
• And, of course, there is email and classic paper and ink mail for communication.

Ministry From Home is really nothing new. Consider the Apostle Paul. In Acts 28:30-31 Luke reports, “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.  He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (NIV). Even though Paul was in lockdown in his own rented home, ministry continued. Later, when he was imprisoned in Rome for the final time, he wrote Timothy, that even though he was in chains, “The word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:9 ESV). 

What opportunities do you have to do Ministry From Home?

What is the Remaining Mission Task?

What is the remaining mission task? Rebecca Lewis, daughter of Ralph Winter, released an amazing video that describes the remaining mission task in just six minutes. Click here to see this amazing video.
One of my team mates worked for nearly a year to compile the data supporting the graphs in this video. An article in the International Journal of Foreign Mission, “Clarifying the Remaining Task,” explains the new pie chart in detail and provides all the data. Click here to read the IJFM article.
Lewis’ statement, “Out of 30 missionaries sent, roughly ONE goes to the unreached and frontier people groups,” challenges us to consider our deployment of mission workers and to pray fervently that “the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

How to Develop a National Challenge from Research Information

Like wind in the sails of a boat, I have seen how mission information has the power to move the Body of Christ to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission to disciple all nations. Leaders desperately need this kind of information, but often they are too busy to gather the data and analyze it. You can provide a vital service by placing this strategic mission information in their hands.  As Bob Waymire, a highly respected leader in mission research, says:

The right information the right hands at the right time has a powerful effect.

This “right information,” because of its powerful effect, has been likened to a “prophetic message.” Here I explain how to develop a “prophetic message” or national challenge  from research information. I also created a short video that outlines this process.

The Prophetic Message in Mission Research

As far as I can tell, the term “prophetic message” was first applied to mission research by Jim Montgomery, who began his missionary career in the Philippines. In 1989 Montgomery published a significant book entitled DAWN 2000, which includes an entire chapter on “the prophetic message.” Although Montgomery was likely the first to apply the term “prophetic message” to church planting, he was standing on the shoulders of biblical prophets, other mission pioneers, and Jesus himself.

Jesus shows the way

The best example I’ve found of how to use research information to develop a prophetic message is found in Matthew 9:35-38. This passage significantly shaped Montgomery’s understanding of how to use research information to develop a prophetic message. Let’s familiarize ourselves with this passage.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In this passage we see Jesus taking three distinct “actions” regarding mission information:

First, we see Jesus gathering data about his ministry area. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages…. He saw the crowds.” Following Jesus’ example, while doing ministry, you can gather data that will be used to mobilize others in the Body of Christ. Gathering data is sometimes called Field Research.

Second, we see Jesus analyzing the data and drawing conclusions. I will say much more about this.

And third, we see Jesus communicating the “prophetic message” to his disciples, calling them to action.

Analyzing Mission Information

We will mainly focus on analyzing mission information as this helps us hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches (Rev. 2:7). Montgomery identified two categories of mission information, drawn from this very passage, that are building blocks for the prophetic message.

The Harvest Field: The Community or Country

We will call the first building block of information the Harvest Field. Note that is this comes from the last two words of the passage.

The Harvest Field represents the context for making disciples. I like to think of Harvest Field as a Community or Country – although I have some colleagues who have multi-national regions or entire Continents as their “Harvest Field.”

This Matthew 9 passage guides us in analyzing the Harvest Field. First, Jesus noted that the harvest was plentiful. How did he know this?  Well the previous verse mentions that “he saw the crowds”– multitudes of people were coming to Jesus. This indicates that they were receptive. It is important to determine how receptive people are to the Gospel. Realize that “receptiveness” can change over time and should be reassessed.

Jesus also identified the needs of the people in his “Harvest Field.” A colleague pointed out to me that Jesus met the people’s spiritual needs, as he taught in their synagogues and preached to them the gospel of the kingdom. He also addressed their physical needs (healing every sickness and disease), he was moved with compassion by their psychological needs (as they were harassed and helpless), and he saw their need for servant leaders (for they were like sheep without a shepherd).

So then, a second part of our analysis seeks to identify needs in the community we are seeking to impact with the Gospel. This reminds me of what Paul wrote to Titus: “Our people must learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14 NASB). Fruitful ministry meets people’s needs in a wholistic way – the same way that Jesus did.

In further analyzing the Harvest Field, we want to find out the population of a region, identify people groups that live there and their religious affiliation. We will also want to know about the cities, towns and villages in an area and their respective populations. This requires us to have up to date demographic information. Fortunately, this kind of information is widely available today.

The Harvest Force: The Church or Institutional Research

Jesus points to a second building block that we need to develop a prophetic message when he says, “The workers are few….” Montgomery also refers to “the workers” as the Harvest Force. We can also think of the Harvest Force as the Church – with a Big “C”. Our research about the Harvest Force begins with gathering information about local churches but goes deeper to include missionaries, Christian organizations, theological training institutions – all the human, material and organizational resources that potentially can be mobilized to make disciples.

When I assisted with the nationwide church census in Romania, we gathered information about the number of believers, average attendance, the church’s location, its denomination, the year the church started and contact information for the church’s leader. From this information we determined growth rates.  And we identified communities without a single church – over 10,000 in the whole nation. Alongside this information we also compiled a Directory of Christian Organizations and Christian workers. This information was very helpful in determining what resources were available in various parts of the county to make disciples.

Facts, Factors and Future Trends

Once we have the FACTS for the Harvest Force and the Harvest Field, we can compare information for different regions or denominations and begin to see where there is greater fruitfulness. Sometimes as I’m doing analysis, I exclaim, “Wow! I wonder what is happening here to produce so much fruit?”

Unfortunately, the FACTS alone are not sufficient to answer these deeper questions. We need to discover the FACTORS that help or hinder growth. To discover these GROWTH FACTORS, it is necessary to talk to the people closest to the situation and find out what they are doing – or better put, what God is doing. How exciting this is to hear their stories and discover how God is at work!  We also discover what fruitful practices or methods workers are using.  What we are doing here is known as a case study.

Sometimes people have effectively used FUTURE TRENDS to clarify what to do. For example, in the Philippines, church leaders projected that there would be 50,000 barangays in the country by the year 2000. (A barangay is the smallest administrative area in the Philippines).  Establishing a church in every barangay became their national challenge.

What Does God Want?

Once we have identified facts and factors for the Harvest Field and the Harvest Force, we want to seek God’s Perspective. Lay the information for the Harvest Force and the Harvest Field side by side with the Bible and ask: what does God want? Meditate on the data. Pray over it. Call out for insight. The goal is to see the Harvest Field and the Harvest Force the way God sees them. This is powerful. Doing so brings new insights. Needs emerge. Compassion is stirred. People are motivated to act. Which leads to…

The Call to Action

Note that Matthew 9 concludes with a specific call to action. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his Harvest Field.” In this context, strategic prayer represents the next step Jesus’ disciples needed to take. Prayer is always a good place to start. But it is not the only thing we must do.

The “call to action” has also been called the “prophetic message” or the “national challenge.”

The Call to Action emerges as leaders of the Body of Christ wrestle with “what is it going to take” to accomplish what God wants. Oftentimes the call to action involves setting goals for a specific number of churches planted – or better yet, the number of localities or people groups to impact – training workers or sending out cross-cultural workers.  If you have not done so already, bring together leaders of the body of Christ, to learn what insights the research uncovered, then to pray and to wrestle with what it is going to take to do what God wants.

As leaders come to a consensus of what to do, it is time to share this call to action with the Body of Christ. Many have found it that articles, reports, booklets, prayer guides or short videos have a big impact. Publishing lists of locations without any church or maps are powerful ways to share needs with the Body of Christ and her leaders.

A Deeply Spiritual Process

Discovering the “national challenge” or “prophetic message” is a deeply spiritual process which drives you to God. Recently I was impressed by this verse in 1 Kings: “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” (1 Kings 4:29 NIV)

When you know the facts, you have understanding.

When you identify factors, then you have insight.

When you know what to do, then you have wisdom.

In Solomon’s case, God gave all this to him because he asked. And God can give all of this to us if we ask. As James 1:5 reminds us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (NIV)

So, ask God to show you the great things he wants to do in the Harvest Field (Jer. 33:3). “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7).

Helpful Resources

I have briefly shared how to use research information to develop a prophetic message or national challenge. As you start to implement what you have learned, I believe you will find it helpful to have other resources to guide you.

First, the Global Research Team of One Challenge, on which I serve, is available to help you understand the times and know what to do. It is our dream that God would raise up a team of mission information workers in every nation of the world to provide the Body of Christ with accurate, up-to-date information to guide Kingdom Impact on a permanent basis. Perhaps you will be a part of one of these teams. Toward this end, we offer training, consulting, coaching and mentoring. Write us at research@oci.org to explore how we can work together.

Second, our website, www.OCresearch.info provides additional tips and tools to gather and analyze information to develop effective ministry strategies. This article links to resources that I have found most helpful in using research information to develop a prophetic message.

May God give you wisdom, insight and vast understanding as you provide Body of Christ and her leaders with the strategic information needed to make disciples in His harvest field.

Key Insights from the 2017 National Church Planting Process Survey

Not all saturation church planting or disciple making processes produce equal fruit. What makes the difference? If we have limited resources, which emphases are most fruitful?

These are some of the questions posed at the beginning of the 2017 National Church Planting Processes Survey. This first-of-its-kind study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of whole-nation disciple making process, sometimes referred to as Saturation Church Planting (SCP) or DAWN Initiatives.

The results of this research exceeded expectations, yielding more significant findings than anticipated.

Here are seven key Insights found to advance nationwide disciple making processes:

1. The “ideal” DAWN strategy is effective. 
2. National Church Leadership is the most significant factor for developing a whole nation church planting process.
3. “Seminars and Consultations” is the second most significant factor contributing to an effective national-wide disciple making process.
4. Relationships are foundational to a fruitful national process.
5. Refine the process.
6. Think critically about it is going to take to disciple the whole nation.
7. Success requires a long obedience in the same direction.

These insights, which when acted upon, can guide the development of effective nationwide disciple making processes.

A more thorough explanation of these seven insights is available here, including practical applications of how this research guides the development whole-nation disciple making processes as we move toward AD 2050.

See my earlier posts for other perspectives on this study.

 

The Vital Role of National Leadership in Advancing National Church Planting Processes

Earlier this month I was in Nairobi Kenya for the 8th Lausanne International Researchers’ Conference. It certainly was highlight for me to arrive in Nairobi on my birthday — my first time in Africa — and to present a paper on “The Vital Role of National Leadership in Advancing National Church Planting Processes.“ You can view the paper here.

This paper is based on the 2017 National Church Planting Process survey that I conducted. I was very surprised to discover that “National Leadership” was the most significant variable related to an effective National Church Planting Process and that leadership was the most frequently mentioned  theme in response to the question,“What would you consider to be one or two of the most significant lessons (positive or negative) that you have discovered about facilitating a national church planting process?”

My research provides an empirical basis for what evangelical leaders have been saying for some time. For example Bill Hybles asserts, “The local church is the hope of the world, and its future rests primarily in the hands of its leaders.” And John Maxwell points out, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” So when it comes to advancing a national church planting process, indeed “everything rises and falls on leadership.”

What we are learning about effective National Church Planting Processes

Not all national saturation church planting  processes produce equal fruit. What makes the difference? If we have limited resources, which emphases are most fruitful?

For the last nine months I have been studying questions like these by surveying over 100 high level church leaders from every continent.  Several of our presuppositions were confirmed, but there were also significant surprises! This first-of-its-kind report is available here.

If you have been significantly involved in a national church planting process would like to share your insights, you can participate in the 2018 survey through this link.”

Earlier I provided an overview of the research project here.

Exciting Study on National Church Planting Processes Forthcoming

In 2017, a key ministry partner requested my help to evaluate the effectiveness of National Church Planting Processes on a global scale.  With the help of my co-workers on the Global Research Team, I created an online survey, and over 110 workers with significant experience participated.  In February I will travel to Berlin to interact with a group of global church planting catalysis to share the major findings of this study and new insights pertinent to advancing national church planting processes around the world.  In addition, I’ve planning a series of additional reports focused on related topics. Reports and updates will be posted at www.OCresearch.info.

I consider this the most significant research project I’ve been involved with to date. It has been a super opportunity to collaborate with experts in the field of mission research as well as those with significant experience in advancing national church planting processes. If each person who completed the survey has just of ten years experience (highly likely), this totals over a millennium of experience!

A National Church Planting Process is based on the DAWN vision, which became a major strategy for world evangelization in the 1990s. DAWN, an acronym that stands for “Disciple A Whole Nation,” has biblical roots in Matthew 28:19-20.  The DAWN vision, akin to “Saturation Church Planting”, grew out of Jim Montgomery’s experience in the Philippines as an OC missionary.  In the 1970s Montgomery, along with Donald McGavran, played a key role in motivating and mobilizing Philippine church leaders to set a goal of establishing an evangelizing congregation in every small community of the country by the year 2000.  Projections estimated that this would require 50,000 churches, quite an audacious goal when there were roughly 5,000 evangelical churches in the country! But by 2000, the Philippines had more than 50,000 evangelical churches – though not every small community had an evangelizing church.

DAWN became a highly significant world evangelism strategy during the final decade of the 20^st century. In 1985 Montgomery founded Dawn Ministries to promote national church planting processes in other nations. Montgomery’s book, DAWN 2000: 7 Million Churches to Go, published in 1989, was key in spreading the vision globally. In the 1990s the DAWN strategy was championed by the Lausanne Movement, the World Evangelical Alliance as well as the AD 2000 and Beyond Movement.  DAWN Report #21, a special AD 2000/GCOWE edition, lists 68 countries with active projects and mentions 68 additional nations seriously considering a DAWN-type project. A 1998 report disseminated by the World Evangelical Alliance for the Ibero American DAWN Congress ’98 provided information about DAWN projects for more than 60 countries.  In 2002, Dr. Steve Steele, then Dawn Ministry’s CEO, presented a paper at The Billy Graham Center Evangelism Roundtable. Steele mentions “150 or so DAWN national Projects.” Roughly a million new churches were planted in the 1990s as a result of these projects. Thus DAWN had a significant impact on world evangelization in the 1990s, which continues into the third millennium, even though Dawn Ministries has essentially ceased to function.

Although numerous studies of particular DAWN country projects have been undertaken, we were not familiar with meta-evaluation of DAWN initiatives. Thus we undertook the challenge of a multi-national evaluation of DAWN initiatives.

In 2018 we continue to gather insights from those involved in national church planting processes.  If you have been or are currently involved in advancing a national church planting process, you are invited to participate in this online survey.  We value your input. The survey should take 10 to 20 minutes to complete and your responses are confidential. Click here to participate in the 2018 National Church Planting Process survey.