# Proper Missions Methodology



## ReformedChapin (Jan 4, 2009)

I have been studying Reformed Theology for 2 years but I haven't seen anything written in proper witnessing methdology. Can you guys give me some good resources and also feel free to share what works in your experience? The few times I have gone witnessing with my current (non-reformed) church it's basically been winging it. " Let the holy spirit guide you" bull-plop.

Thanks!


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## Guido's Brother (Jan 4, 2009)

In my experience as a missionary and as a pastor, the most important thing is to build relationships with people and allow your witness to develop naturally. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."


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## Christusregnat (Jan 4, 2009)

Wes has a great point! As far as content and method, Richard L. Pratt has a book called Every Thought Captive:

Every Thought Captive: A Study ... - Google Book Search

You may enjoy it, and find it helpful. There is also a book called Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen.

Cheers,

Adam


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## ReformedChapin (Jan 4, 2009)

I'm not necessary looking for books on a defense for Christianity. I am more looking for good techniques which one can use or methods one can use to discuss with non-believers. I am sick and tired of the subjective notions I see around my church. The whole "God did this for me." I know as a former atheist I thought "good for you and your psychological affect." What's the point of contact with non-believers?


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## Pergamum (Jan 5, 2009)

Get the book, "Stop witnessing and start loving" I think by Paul Borthwick opr something.

We should be intentional and we should work through our already existing networks of friends, family. 

Modern Fundy witnessing is cold contact high-pressure salesmanship.....

... "5-minutes-on-a-street-corner-for-Jesus Evangelism" is not enough....it is as annoying as spam-mail and usually is confrontational with no evidence of love.


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## Christusregnat (Jan 5, 2009)

ReformedChapin said:


> I'm not necessary looking for books on a defense for Christianity. I am more looking for *good techniques which one can use or methods one can use to discuss with non-believers*. I am sick and tired of the subjective notions I see around my church. The whole "God did this for me." I know as a former atheist I thought "good for you and your psychological affect." What's the point of contact with non-believers?



I think this is what Pratt does.

Cheers,

Adam


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## wookie (Jan 5, 2009)

I have recently finished reading Christopher Wright's book _Salvation Belongs to Our God: Celebrating the Bible's Central Story_. I think the following quote by Wright is quite insightful (i.e. to teach the entire outline of the Bible: creation, fall, redemption, new creation):



> A vigorous, village-level church-planting movement in North India, with whose leaders I have had some limited involvement, stresses very strongly the need to teach even the simplest new believers the whole Bible story, including the core narrative of the Old Testament. So those who plan the training of new church-planters and the young-in-faith new pastors of small groups of believers give a lot of time to inculcating "the story of redemption". It is not enough for them merely to know some key Bible verses, unrelated to anything. Rather, the leaders drill them in the whole outline story of the Bible, with its four great movements of creation, fall, redemption in history and new creation. One leader said to me, "We are about the business of 'myth-replacement'. Hindus derive their worldview from their great myths and stories of Ram and Krishna, etc. We need to make new believers so familiar with the great story of the Bible as a whole, that it replaces that old Hindu worldview, because they are now living and working out of the biblical narrative. So we teach them the whole Bible framework, as well as the deeper content of particular books." It seems to me that such an approach will lead to Christian communities that are growing, not merely in numbers, but also in-depth and strength. They will have a biblically rooted and informed understanding of what their salvation actually is and means. And it seems to me that such an approach clearly reflects the missionary practice of Paul himself.
> 
> - Christopher J. H. Wright, _Salvation Belongs to Our God: Celebrating the Bible's Central Story_, The Global Christian Library, ed. David Smith (Nottingham: IVP, 2008), 120.


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## Pergamum (Jan 5, 2009)

Oral storying is very important, especially among tribals and animists. 

Abstract doctrinal points seem to not impact them, but a narrative story rivets them and gets memorized and spread through whole villages, especially is put to song or poetry.


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## wookie (Jan 5, 2009)

Pergamum said:


> Oral storying is very important, especially among tribals and animists.
> 
> Abstract doctrinal points seem to not impact them, but a narrative story rivets them and gets memorized and spread through whole villages, especially is put to song or poetry.



I agree. The biblical story of redemption, I believe, is crucial in missions and evangelism. Abstract doctrines would not make much sense outside of the biblical metanarrative. There was a New Tribes Mission (NTM) missionary who came to my seminary some time back and showed my class a video featuring the Mouk tribe of Papua New Guinea. In the video (a reenactment of the Mouk testimony), the NTM missionaries went through the biblical story of redemption starting with Genesis and culminates with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would contend that this method of evangelism is not only applicable to tribal societies, but applicable in civilized contexts as well. Here is a condensed version of the video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqqbKIPauEs]YouTube - The Mouk Tribe[/ame]


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## Pergamum (Jan 5, 2009)

Yes, some of the emergent crowd say that since the West is becoming Post-modern and post-literate we must "return to the narrative" and adopt a methodology such as this also for the West whereby we focus on the story of Scripture. I think, due to all the bad stuff the emergents also say, that this fine point will probably get lost to us and that is a shame.

What NTM does is what we all due with some variation here, they did not originate it, but they certainly have done the best to popularize it.


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## Christusregnat (Jan 5, 2009)

Pergamum said:


> Oral storying is very important, especially among tribals and animists.
> 
> Abstract doctrinal points seem to not impact them, but a narrative story rivets them and gets memorized and spread through whole villages, especially is put to song or poetry.



Pergs,

Do you know what methods were employed by John G. Paton in the New Heberdes, and John Elliot among the American Indians?

Cheers,

Adam


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## Pergamum (Jan 5, 2009)

The same method, more or less, has impacted most tribal and animistic societies;telling the story of Scripture and translation into the indigenous language with a later emphasis on literacy. The missionaries also gain credibility through helping heal the sick and improve day-to-day life with the result that the locals believe the messenger when the Message is given.

Among "advanced" civilizations where literate and strong cultures have already existed such as Carey's India and Judson's Burma, translation and interaction with the current belief structures as windows into understanding (some would call this contextualization, such as when Judson took on the dress of local religious teachers and sat in his Zayat) was key, Carey became an expert in Indian culture.

Among all groups, interaction with current beliefs, explaining the Scripture in an understandable way (story form in tribal environments) and a strong emphasis on getting the Bible into local dialects has been key.


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## Christusregnat (Jan 5, 2009)

Pergamum said:


> The same method, more or less, has impacted most tribal and animistic societies;telling the story of Scripture and translation into the indigenous language with a later emphasis on literacy. The missionaries also gain credibility through helping heal the sick and improve day-to-day life with the result that the locals believe the messenger when the Message is given.
> 
> Among "advanced" civilizations where literate and strong cultures have already existed such as Carey's India and Judson's Burma, translation and interaction with the current belief structures as windows into understanding (some would call this contextualization, such as when Judson took on the dress of local religious teachers and sat in his Zayat) was key, Carey became an expert in Indian culture.
> 
> Among all groups, interaction with current beliefs, explaining the Scripture in an understandable way (story form in tribal environments) and a strong emphasis on getting the Bible into local dialects has been key.



Do you know about the specifics that I asked about, however? Paton and Elliott?

Also, if I am not mislead, didn't Carey create a system of written, unified language (for the differing dialects), and put their oral traditions into writing? In other words, wasn't one of his main goals the literalization of the various Indian cultures, with a subsequent emphasis on evangelism? Right or wrong, I seem to recall that this was the case, and he believed he had very few converts immediately.

Cheers,

Adam


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## Pergamum (Jan 5, 2009)

Yes, Carey waited a long time for his first convert. He did put many oral traditions into writing, for which he was criticised because it preserved pagan traditions. Many of his translation were very substandard, but some were quite good.I am not sure about the unifying the language.



in 1899 Paton's Aniwa NT was printed. I forget when Paton first arrived, but I think at least 15-20 years was spent on this. He also waited a long time for converts.


Elliot's focus was also on translation. However, some criticize him for walling off believers into "holy towns"or "praying towns" I think they were called. Elliot's bible was the very first ever printed in America if I remember correctly (from studies, not from the actual events).

The theme here is long term engagement, waiting a long time for converts, and getting the Gospel into a people's heart language. These seem to be some keys in "successful" missions methodology.


Another common theme is that in all 3 cases; Carey, Paton and Elliot the civil state impeded missions, tried to bar or stop the progress and did great damage tothe Gospel. Traders and merchants or those in power saw them as threats to their interests. 

Though I don't know much about John Elliot, King Phillip's war seemed to stymy Elliot's earlier efforts at evangelizing the Indians and some say Elliot's praying towns confined the influence of the"praying Indians" and kept it from spreading; and later the "praying indians" (converts) were used in the war which, understandably, limited their impact on their Indian brethren after hostilities began. 



Ironically and of interest possibly to you is that Elliot called for the institution of theocracy in North America and wrote a book on it (The Christian Commonwealth): [email protected] of Nebraska - Lincoln - John Eliot and Paul Royster (editor & depositor): The Christian Commonwealth: or,The Civil Policy Of The Rising Kingdom of Jesus Christ. An Online Electronic Text Edition.



p.s. maybe I should start another thread on King Philip's War and John Elliot to research more.


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## Christusregnat (Jan 5, 2009)

Pergamum said:


> Though I don't know much about John Elliot, King Phillip's war seemed to devastate all Elliot's earlier efforts at evangelizing the Indians and some say Elliot's praying towns confined the influence of the"praying Indians" and kept it from spreading; and later the "praying indians" (converts) were used in the war which, understandably, limited their impact on their Indian brethren after hostilities began.
> 
> 
> 
> Ironically and of interest possibly to you is that Elliot called for the institution of theocracy in North America and wrote a book on it (The Christian Commonwealth): [email protected] of Nebraska - Lincoln - John Eliot and Paul Royster (editor & depositor): The Christian Commonwealth: or,The Civil Policy Of The Rising Kingdom of Jesus Christ. An Online Electronic Text Edition.



Pergatory,

Thanks for the information! Very valuable. 

Have you ever read "The Greatest Century of Missions" by Peter Hammond?

Frontline Fellowship - Working for Reformation & Praying for Revival

Thanks for the link to Elliot's book!

Cheers,

Adam


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