Principles and Methods for Finding National Partners

This blog post consists of teaching notes for a seminar I recently taught on how to find and develop national partners. Therefore, it reads less like an article and more a collection of thoughts on that subject.

1. Five methods to find national partners with strengths and weaknesses
   • Evangelism. In this method, we win cousins to Christ and develop them through the levels of leadership. A strength of this method is that we can sometimes create pure leaders who follow our ministry methods because they came to Christ through them. The weakness of this approach is that it takes a long time to develop leaders in this way. We also do not know if new believers will grow into leaders.
   • Filter through Training. In this method, we train as many believers as possible and create feedback loops to find those who are faithful. Then, we focus on the faithful and develop them through the levels of leadership. A strength of this method is that we can develop many partners quickly in this manner. We can also find young men and women and develop next-generation leaders. A weakness is that we often lack enough MBBs to filter through training. Therefore, this method seems to most often result in near-culture partners.
   • Networking. In this method, we meet with leaders, share our vision, and network to find national leaders who share our vision. A strength of this method is that we often discover leaders with extraordinary talents, gifts, and vision for our tasks. One weakness of this method is that those leaders usually start with strong financial expectations. Many leaders will also already have different theological and missiological beliefs. Some leaders will have learned how to play “the ministry game” and have become experts at showing us what we want to see. Great rewards are possible in working with network leaders like these, but there are also significant challenges.
   • Hand-offs. Hand-offs happen when one field worker seeks to transfer a partner to a new field worker. Hand-offs have great potential since we usually only hand off quality leaders to others. But there are several issues. For example, it is common for the first field worker to have been generous financially with the partner, but the receiver of the hand-off is skeptical about the amount of money involved. Also, the national partner has often become highly skilled under the first field worker and is running hard in work. However, the new field worker now controls the finances necessary to do that work and has new ideas. The new field worker and the national partner often struggle with these issues. 
   • Cascading movements. In this method, a field worker comes alongside a movement where significant numbers of people are coming to Christ. They cast a vision for helping the network cascade a movement of the main movement into a new area or people group. They then serve the new movement that is cascading off the first. A common tactic is that a significant leader or two within a network are designated for the new work. For example, a movement is occurring where substantial numbers of non-cousins are coming to Christ. A movement may then cascade off that first movement that focuses on cousins. A benefit of this approach is that national workers in a movement often know how to do the missionary task well and are adaptable to engaging new populations. This method shows significant potential in many areas. Some weaknesses are that sometimes there can be a conflict between the national movement and the field worker. This type of work also begins with significant financial expectations.
2. Strengths and weakness of working with near culture versus MBB partners.
   • MBB partners. Whenever possible, we should begin with MBB partners. The primary reason is that MBBs are our focus. MBBs will always do better at engaging cousin populations since they share the same culture and background. Getting to depth in work with cousins requires MBBs. If we begin with near-culture partners, then a primary task is to develop those MBB partners together. If we work directly with MBBs, then we skip that interim step.
   • Near-culture partners. In many places, we lack MBBs that we can develop as leaders. An interim step in those situations is to develop near-culture partners. Then, alongside those partners, we can develop MBB partners. Often, MBBs and near-culture partners can develop solid long-term work together. 
3. There is no such thing as a perfect partner. Some new field workers struggle because they want an ideal partner with great character, theology, and ministry practice. If you find a partner like that, they probably do not need you. If you find a perfect partner, they should develop you as a field worker rather than vice versa. When we commit to national partners, we commit to developing workers to do the work apart from us. There is a time to help be a support structure for network leaders and significant leaders who are already doing great ministry. However, we also need to develop new leaders. 
4. Our partners should become like family to us. Our primary national partners should go beyond ministry projects. We should build relationships with their wives and children. We should be in their homes, and they should be in our homes. We should develop deep and abiding relationships. We should learn through our relationships with them what is happening in their lives. Developing these kinds of partnerships and relationships is a significant amount of work. However, these relationships will often be the most rewarding aspect of your work in the field.
5. We should learn from our partners. If you only teach your partners and never learn from them, you are probably doing it wrong. They have amazing insights and knowledge. They almost always understand the culture and context better than we do (although we often teach them about these things as well!). As you build relationships with nationals, keep your hearts open to learning from them.
6. The Role of Money. The role of money in developing national partners is one of the most complex issues in missions.
   • Buying time. One aspect of money is that nationals must be willing and able to commit time to us so that we can commit time to them. The ideal is for them to find ways to manage their personal needs and time with us. However, as we develop partnerships, we will see that some national partners need us to provide some money at times so that they can spend the 60-90 days per year with them that they desire. 
   • Two ditches: committing too quickly and never committing. When developing national partners, there are two ditches when making financial commitments. Some people commit too quickly. Once we commit finances to a relationship, especially anything like a stipend or paying for children’s education, the relationship is often ruined if we cease that support. It is good to move forward toward financial commitments with partners slowly. On the other hand, some never commit any finances to partners. The result is that some national partners cannot commit time to us because they cannot sustain their lives.
   • A few paid partners. The Nevius Principle is often quoted as a principle that we, outside workers, should not pay national pastors. Some have applied the same principle to national partners. However, even John Nevius, the founder of that principle, had paid national partners. In his book The Planting and Development of Missionary Churches, Nevius described his principles in not paying local pastors and described paying two national partners who worked with him. As Nevius paid just two, we usually do best when giving financial support to very few.
   • Be Accountable. Whenever we enter into financial commitments with national partners, we should be accountable to others in those decisions. It is very easy to make bad decisions regarding paying nationals. Allowing others, especially those in supervision over us or who have significant field experience, to speak into financial commitments before we make them will save us from many difficulties.
   • Long-term sustainability. Whenever we begin including finances with national partners, we must acknowledge that we will not pay that partner one day. Even from the beginning, we should be making plans for when we will no longer pay that partner.
7. Key areas of development for national partners. We desire to leave the task in the hands of national partners for many years after we have left the field. Therefore, national partners need to be developed in every area in which we need development. For example: Character transformation, Walking with Jesus, Knowledge of the Word and theology, Practical ministry skills, How to manage their household, including marriage and parenting, Financial planning, Time management, Leadership skills
8. How to get to 60-90 days. Getting to 60-90 days looks different if you follow a 6-10 or 1-3-9 model. 60-90 days per year means about 5-8 days per month with each partner.
   • 6-10 model. In this model, you are developing a new crop of 6-10 L1 or L2 leaders and seeking to help them progress. They might be near-culture or MBB partners. In a 6-10 model, the only way to get to 5-8 days/month with each partner is to have group events. For example, you might meet with your whole group for three days per month of accountability, Bible study, and strategic planning. Then, you might meet with 2-3 at a time doing fieldwork or leading training. In this way, you can develop these partners significantly.
   • 1-3-9 model. In this model, you are developing about three partners who are each developing other leaders under them. This model is more like developing three L3 leaders. Again, you will benefit from having group meetings with all three partners and potentially even some of their second-generation leaders. You will probably do less in your field work when working with these leaders because you will work with a leader and their second-generation leaders. Because of this dynamic, you cannot focus on as many leaders in the 1-3-9 model, but those leaders you work with are more developed. 
9. The five levels of leadership and finding/developing MBB partners. In cousin ministry, the five levels of leadership are most appropriate for developing MBB partners, while the M-scale is most appropriate for developing near-culture partners. One key aspect of developing national partners is to help them take their next step up this scale. Click here for more on the five levels of leadership and the M-scale.
   • Level 1 Seed Sower. The first level of leadership is for MBB partners to obey the commands of Christ, including studying the Word, praying, and sharing the gospel. Ideally, they are members of a church. 
   • Level 2 Church Planter. L2 MBB leaders meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and have gone beyond sharing the gospel to making disciples and planting at least one church. L2 leaders should have growing character, a growing knowledge of Scripture, and a growing teaching ability.
   • Level 3 Multiplier. L3 MBB leaders lead churches and are developing a growing network of other L1, L2, and L3 MBB leaders. A primary goal should be the development of L3 MBB leaders.
   • As more and more L3 MBB leaders emerge, we need to begin discussing L4 and L5 MBB development.
10. The M-Scale and developing near-culture partners. The M-scale is an adaptation of the five levels of leadership to help guide near-culture partners to develop L3 MBB leaders. We have seen that each step of progress on this scale requires the near-culture partner to adapt the culture of his or her people group more and more.
    • M1 Cross-cultural seed sowers. The first step to helping near-culture partners is to learn how to communicate the gospel among cousins competently.
    • M2 Follow-up machines. M2 leaders consistently follow up with seekers/yellow lights. They grow in aptitude for language, culture, and answering objections. 
    • M3 Cross-cultural disciple-makers. M3 leaders have worked with seekers until God has moved in their hearts, and some have been baptized. They then disciple the new believers, hopefully developing some L1 MBB leaders.
    • M4 Shadow pastors. As some MBBs come to Christ, the cross-cultural leader identifies potential leaders and works with them in gathering and leading new churches. As these churches form, ideally through natural and pre-existing relationships, the cross-cultural worker helps lead new churches but progressively develops MBB leaders. At this point, L2 MBB leaders begin to emerge.
    • M5 Shadow leaders. The cross-cultural worker develops their L1 and L2 MBB leaders as the churches grow. He or she gives them a vision for developing other L1 and L2 MBB leaders. In this way, a network of churches begins to form. At this point, L3 MBB leaders start to emerge.
11. The benefit of non-English-speaking partners. Newer field workers often prefer to work with English-speaking national partners because of the ease of communication. However, two primary issues can occur. First, if we depend on English-speaking partners, we might need to learn the local language better to go deeper into discipleship with others. There are many adverse effects of this. For example, a field worker can only go into a developing network and see what is happening in new disciples with it going through the filter/translation of partners. As a result, they often lack understanding of what is happening in the work. A second issue is that English-speaking partners usually have access to a broader group of foreigners. The result is that they have worked with different foreign groups. In contrast, non-English speaking partners are often more focused. They also help drive field workers to learn the local language more deeply.
12. The benefits of developing younger partners. In the same way, younger partners are usually more desirous of learning and have fewer opportunities. As a result, we can often make a more significant impact by focusing our efforts on developing national partners by focusing on those under 30.