No Turning Back

By Jim Lytle

Mentoring is a Great Commission activity, in which believers who are more mature share their life skills and ministry passions in order to shape someone else's life and ministry. As the younger believer matures and begins to mentor others, the initial mentoring relationship changes. True mentoring produces a colleague who stands as an equal, ministering side-by-side with his former mentor.

In the mission setting, that new relationship challenges the existing ministry structure. The early days of a church planting movement are guided by a Field Council of missionaries who gather in prayer, set strategy, plan ministries, and make the necessary decisions to implement those plans–plans that involve the development of national believers. At some point, though, national believers become mature coworkers. Where do they fit in the structure?

Until a few years ago, our Field Council in Durban, South Africa, met regularly for the purposes above. The South African colleagues whom we had mentored were not present in those meetings, of course–they were not missionaries. We thought of them as ministry colleagues, but they did not fit into the Field Council structure. That removed them from the formal decision-making process; in reality, it diminished their standing as colleagues. Since we wanted to build a church planting movement of strong, indigenous churches, something had to change.

Eight years ago, our Field Council and the South African pastors and their wives all met together to dream about future ministries in Durban. That meeting birthed the KwaZulu-Natal Ministry Team. Now all those who are involved in vocational ministry (whether missionaries or South Africans) in The Fellowship of Baptist Churches in South Africa are part of the Team. At our monthly meetings, we share all of the responsibilities that were once the domain of only the Field Council.

After the first two years, the group has been led by South African men. As equal contributors to discussions, missionaries and national leaders let “iron sharpen iron.” The sparks from those contacts generate effective plans and ministries. We would not dream of going back.

For more information about South Africa, visit ABWE's South Africa page.

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