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TL;DR:
Jesus modeled strategic team building by intentionally selecting and mentoring twelve disciples through in-service, on-the-job training. Missionaries are called to follow this same model. By empowering local leaders rather than maintaining control, cross-cultural missionaries foster sustainability, contextualization, and lasting ministry impact.
Following His baptism in the Jordan River, Jesus began calling the men who would become His twelve disciples. They were not called merely to accompany Him as passive followers. Choosing them was an intentional, strategic move on Jesus' part.
Those men were Jesus' ministry team for His three years of earthly ministry. While they traveled around together, He taught and mentored them. In between ministering to large crowds, Jesus devoted significant time to teaching and mentoring these twelve men. He had a long-term mission for them that would continue after He ascended into Heaven.
Those disciples observed Jesus up close as He modeled teaching, preaching, and holistic ministry. He regularly participated in synagogue worship, and His disciples observed His ministry in those settings. He encouraged them. He corrected them when necessary. He taught them about relationships with God and with others. He prayed for them. He posed questions to help them process His teachings. He answered their questions.
Those twelve received in-service, on-the-job training from Jesus. He gave them responsibilities. He sent them out two by two and then debriefed them when they returned. He cast a vision for the future when He would no longer be physically or visibly present with them.
A degree of organization also emerged within the group. Three disciples—Peter, James, and John—formed an especially close inner circle. The group had a "treasurer." After three event-filled years, the risen Jesus commissioned His disciples, saying, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21, 2011 NIV). And so they went, taking the gospel beyond the borders of Israel and toward increasingly distant regions.
Global missionaries need to follow Jesus' example of strategic team building. Indeed, Jesus' example guided the strategy that the Apostle Paul used in his church-planting work across the northern rim of the Mediterranean Sea.
Missionaries rightly feel a burden to proclaim the gospel to as many lost people as possible. They also want to call believers to a life of holiness. However, if they want to follow Jesus' example, shouldn't they become strategic team builders? Shouldn't missionaries follow Jesus' pattern and put together discipleship and church-planting teams to carry forward the work long after cross-cultural missionaries have moved to other assignments?
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
This blog post on Christlike attitudes and actions that need to be present in cross-cultural missionary service was one of a dozen articles in the "Missionary Ministry that Reflects Christ" series published in Engage, a monthly online magazine produced by the Church of the Nazarene.
Jesus selected twelve disciples as His ministry team members. He provided them with in-service, on-the-job training during His earthly ministry. He personally mentored them as they engaged in holistic ministry. The group even had some structure. Three disciples formed an especially close inner circle, and another served as the group's "treasurer." Jesus' commissioning of these disciples before His Ascension points to the importance of strategic team building for long-term impact. Missionaries should emulate Jesus' practice of in-service development of ministry leaders for both present and future ministry.
A missionary who builds teams equips local believers and leaders to make decisions and guide ministries. Their active leadership encourages local ownership and helps sustain the work over time. In contrast, a missionary who retains decision-making authority and is seen as the one "in charge" risks causing unhealthy dependence on outside personnel and funding. By adopting the mindset of "team builders," missionaries can create a collaborative and sustainable ministry that respects and integrates the local culture and community. This approach can foster deep relationships and lasting ministry impact even after missionaries have moved to other assignments.