How to Work at the Edge of the Church
Engaging on the Edge
Over the last several years Ethnos360 has embraced a paradigm shift in how it begins ministering in a new location. It’s called “engaging on the edge with the Church.” Instead of jumping into a village, refugee camp or “closed” country without connecting to a church or fellowship of believers, we first take time to build solid relationships with the church in order to work alongside the church in order to make disciples who will, in turn, make more disciples.
Practical Working on the Edge
A good example of this is what Tony and Maria Verlaan have been involved in from South Africa. The Tawara people in central Mozambique need to hear the gospel. There is a church among the Kore Kore in Zimbabwe who desire to reach into Mozambique to the Tawaras. But there was a problem. The Kore Kore believers recognized that they lacked the understanding and training for cross-cultural evangelism. The Kore Kore asked Integral Vision (Ethnos360’s global partner in Southeast Africa) for help.
Results of Working on the Edge
“God, in this situation, has graciously opened our eyes to the Kore Kore church …, so that together we can reach the Tawaras with the gospel and see a church established by the Kore Kore church with Integral Vision in the background, consulting and encouraging,” Tony added.
Summing up his views on the “new” way of reaching the unreached, Tony said, “[There is] an African proverb that we are trying to live out in ministry: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.’ Moving ahead of the African church is 'going fast', 'going together' is with the African church.”