PASSING THE BATON: Handing Off The Ministry To Local Leadership
STATEMENT
Jesus commands us to make disciples in the context of local churches until he returns. Missionaries should always prayerfully consider the future and who the Lord might raise as leaders. In the course of discipling local believers, missionaries should look for those who demonstrate both biblical character and competency for ministry. Missionaries should work alongside and train prospective leaders with the aim of entrusting the ongoing work to them; after all, the Lord might providentially redirect their steps. The timing of this process is different in every case and should be carried out with prayer and godly counsel. After handing off the ministry to local leaders, the missionary may or may not stay to serve in other roles. The biblical precedent is maintaining a relationship of encouragement, counsel, and prayer. Ultimately, a missionary should entrust the work to the Lord with confidence that the Lord builds His Church.
Article Written by Clyde DavidsonI remember my Uncle Doug teaching me to drive a stick shift in his old, beat-up 1957 Jeep CJ3. No power steering, no power brakes, no working gauges, just feel. As we pulled along their small lane outside Olympia, Washington, and onto Yelm Highway, I was all over the road, overcorrecting every mistake. My uncle told me, “If you look right in front of you, you’ll be all over the road. Look ahead and think about where you want to go, and you will naturally be able to keep that line better.”
The challenges of ministry, especially in frontier contexts, can have us chasing every little thing. Still, when we keep in mind our long-term goal of raising leaders and handing off responsibility to them, we can engage the work more wisely.
The risen Lord Jesus gave his people the task of making disciples of all nations. Throughout the New Testament, we see clearly that this task is not merely given to individual disciples to carry out on their own but that the primary means of fulfilling this Great Commission is the church. Missionaries do not have the sole claim to the Great Commission, but they do serve a unique role in crossing significant cultural, linguistic, and geographical barriers to fulfill this task of making disciples. As missionaries carry out this task in the context of local churches (or in planting local churches), they ought to do so, conscious that they are making disciples not of themselves but of Christ. These disciples then receive the same commission the missionary has, namely making disciples of those around them as they proclaim the good news.
The Aim of Mature Disciples
The goal of all missions is church planting[1] by which we do not merely mean the establishment of new churches but of robust, biblical, healthy churches brimming with winsome evangelism and deep, biblical discipleship. Crucial to faithful discipleship is seeing those discipled grow up into maturity.
In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul describes his conduct toward the young congregation both as a nursing mother and as a father with his children. As a parent, I hope that if I change diapers in 20 years, they belong to my grandchildren, not my children! Similarly, spiritual children ought to be cared for with love and patience, but our goal is their maturity (Col. 1:28). 2 Timothy 2:2 expresses this goal: “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” As missionaries cross cultures and make disciples in the context of local churches, they do so intending to see these disciples make disciples of their own one day as they take up leadership, whether in existing churches or new congregations.
Begin with the Goal of Mature Leaders
In the work of missions, it’s crucial to remember from the beginning the goal of leaving behind mature churches and mature disciples who will be able to carry on the work. Although this seems self-evident, it’s painstaking and often tedious work. Additionally, there are hindrances in our own hearts to this kind of perspective and handoff, which we should be wary of.
For many of us, once we have spent some time in positions of leadership and authority, it is hard not to see that position as one we own. We can begin to think that others should show us this honor and deference; they should value our opinion. We can be tempted to attach people to ourselves rather than to the church and Christ. Not only is that dishonoring to Christ, but it will have disastrous results when we do eventually leave.
Missionaries would do well to guard themselves against these temptations. From the outset of ministry in a new context, they should build people up for their spiritual good rather than their own recognition. Missionaries should labor with the end in mind; they won’t be in the field forever. As they go about the work of evangelism and discipleship, they should be nurturing believers who demonstrate interest and competency for ministry. This will involve bearing with them and giving them opportunities, knowing they will fail and make mistakes. A friend once said, “If you want your kids to learn how to load the dishwasher, you need to be prepared for them to break your favorite mug.” Young Christians will make mistakes and disappoint, but we need to take those opportunities to continue walking with them and training them for the work of ministry.
Many missionaries have labored hard to share the gospel, only for the church to collapse after their departure—often because they never gave enough attention to raising up leaders. As we raise up leaders, we prepare the next generation to take up the work of ministry, even if the Lord providentially removes us through sickness, death, family issues, visa challenges, or some other unforeseen circumstance.
Should the Lord bless our labors and allow us to stay longer, we may see churches raised up over time, and many come to faith. It will be all the more crucial to continue developing the leaders the Lord provides by bringing them into the work, partnering with them, and making connections to wider networks of believers.
Often, missionaries will have more Christian experience and training than local believers can ever hope to gain. This can foster an environment where the missionary is never questioned and treated as a higher authority than any ordinary Christian leader. In such cases, missionaries must be conscientious to partner with indigenous believers even as they continue discipling. They must use their authority and influence to raise up and platform leaders who can carry the work on after they are gone.
Remember, you will be gone one day, but unless Christ has returned, the work will continue. Number your days and humbly prepare young believers for that time. After all, the work belongs to the Lord. We should hope and pray that it will continue without us, even if the memory of our labor fades among those with whom we labored.
Prepare for When You’re Gone
Here are some practical considerations to lead well in preparation for your departure: as soon as possible, lead alongside rather than from above. If you are serving as a pastor in a church plant, as soon as the Lord gives men who are qualified and able to serve as elders, work with them; don’t make them work for you. Ask questions, invite criticism, confess sin, and submit to the majority. Use your ability and authority to build up and encourage new leaders coming up.
Where the rubber really meets the road is in considering when the time is right to leave. Any number of issues might arise that cause a missionary to move from their field of service. Sickness, political strife, family needs, issues with sending organization, difficult team dynamics, visa issues, persecution, and more... Take to heart the wisdom of James:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him, it is sin. James 4:13-17
God’s timing is perfect, even when we think our time isn’t up yet. We should bear in mind, from the first day to the last, that we aim to raise up mature disciples of Christ who can lead under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus, even if we don’t get to see the final product in this life.
Sometimes, the missionary can decide when to leave. These decisions should be undertaken over an extended period with multiple wise counselors. The most important voices to listen to when deciding to leave are those of the elders of the sending church and the elders of the field church.[2] In some cases, the missionary may hand off leadership to local leaders while staying and serving in other roles; in other cases, they may leave for other work or to attend to other needs in their own life.
It’s ideal for the hand-off to happen over time. This may include leading through difficult situations proactively to allow others to inherit a more peaceful situation. It may also mean supporting ideas that are not your own or that you prefer not to do if you were continuing on there. As you walk through practical decisions along with the field church, you must exercise humility and flexibility. We are serving Christ and his kingdom, not seeking to establish our own.
Finally, it is worth considering what relationship will exist between you and the field church after you leave. There is no biblical command here, but the example of Paul is to continue in fervent prayer and loving friendship. Paul was constantly praying for the churches and leaders he had raised up. He also took care to stay informed on the situation in each place and wrote detailed letters, often addressed to the leaders, concerning what was going on in the churches. Obviously, Paul wrote to them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which is something we won’t do. But we can serve the church by speaking God’s Word with confidence and staying in touch. God may grant the opportunity to maintain relationships so that we can continue to support and resource the leaders we have raised up.
My first job in ministry was working with youth at a large church. The pastor was one of the most gifted evangelists I have ever known; he was passionate about the gospel. The church had a fruitful outreach ministry and, in a decade, had grown from a plant with a few families to having over a thousand regularly gathering each Sunday.
Shortly after I moved away to go to seminary, the senior pastor left to pursue other opportunities. Since then, the church has languished and shrunk quite significantly. While the pastor was gifted in a few ways, his lack of attention to discipling men for leadership left the church unable to continue as they had been going.
This same story is echoed in churches all over the world. That particular church is in a city with other churches with a strong gospel witness. But when this plays out in an area with little to no other gospel witness, the long-term impact on the gospel work can be devastating.
Conclusion
My family served 9 years in a town of little note in South Asia. By the mercy of the Lord, we saw an indigenous church planted and come to order. I served as the only pastor and elder for a significant time. But over time, local men were raised up to serve alongside me. The most difficult trials in my life came during ministry there, as did many of my greatest joys.
Last year, with much counsel from our sending church and in concert with our local church, we moved to another country to engage in a different work. It’s been an incredible joy and blessing from the Lord to hand off primary leadership to godly local brothers. I am happy to support them even when I would do things differently.
Since we left, the work has flourished, and the brother pastoring alongside me has stepped into leadership with grace and confidence. Many other men we discipled are now shouldering the ministry load, and the church has grown. I’ve been able to visit and encourage them, and we are still in contact weekly.
We didn’t do everything perfectly, but one of the greatest joys of ministry has been seeing the work flourishing—without us. May the Lord use weak servants like you and me to establish healthy, biblical, indigenous churches all over the globe to the praise of his glory!
footnotes
[1] See GCC article “Missions and Missionaries: Do We All Mean the Same Thing?”
[2] See GCC articles “Field Churches: The Missing Link in Missions” and “Who Decides? Issues of Authority on the Field”
