28th Festa Pomerana – A Glimpse of German Descendants in Brazil

I drove up to Pomerode, Santa Catarina on Saturday, January 15th, 2011. Located in the Valley of Itajaí (a.k.a. the European Valley), the city has a population of about 25,000. Pomerode boasts being “the most German city in Southern Brazil”. It was settled in 1861 by Germanic immigrants. I use the term Germanic, rather than German, because this was 10 years before the inception of the German Empire in 1871. These immigrants came from an area that is divided between modern Germany and Poland.

I had a nice conversation with these three ladies from Pomerode about the language and origin of the original settlers of Pomerode. Most everyone who lives in Pomerode speaks Portuguese, but the majority also speak German. In the city itself there are many who speak High German, but in the interior most speak Pomerisch. Some people see Pomerisch as a form of Platt Deutsch, or Low German. It is, in fact, not a dialect of German, but a Germanic Language. In efforts to preserve their language, there is a Pomeranian-Portuguese dictionary. The Pomerisch – Portugíísisch Wöirbauk contains around 15,000 entries. It is estimated that there are between 250,000 and 600,000 Pomerisch speakers in Brazil today.

The 28^th Festa Pomerana took place on the 14^th through the 23^rd of January as part of the celebration of the founding of Pomerode. They are expecting 50,000 visitors during the 10 days of the festival. The festival itself is about all things German – music, dance, food, arts and crafts, cultural presentations, target shooting and other traditional competitions, and, of course, beer.

I chose to visit the festival on Saturday because that is the day of the Gathering of Folklore Groups. Twenty-five groups came from about 18 cities. One group came from Maringá, Paraná (about 800 kilometers away). Another group came from the oldest German settlement in Santa Catarina, São Pedro de Alcântara, which was founded in 1829, just 5 years after the first Germanic immigrants settled in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul (both of these cities were founded by Hunsrik speakers). All of these folklore groups are preserving traditional clothing, traditional music and traditional dance for future generations. It was quite a joy to see the kids dance groups right alongside the adults.

Here are some more pictures from the Festa Pomerana of 2011.

The parade of folk dance groups:

Traditional Attire from the Black Forest region

Traditional Attire

The Brass for Traditional German Music

Fathers and Daughters - Family ranks high on the priority scale

A Children's Dance Group

After the parade – a time to dance:

All the Dance Groups waiting to dance in the pavilion

Dancers in Traditional Dresses

Dancer in Traditional Attire

Spectator

Between dances she danced

And they danced

The boys dancing the woodsman dance

The group from Maringá came 800 kilometers to dance

And they danced

A group from Joinville

Dancer in Traditional Attire

Dancers in Traditional Attire

An Italian Folk Dance Group also participated:

Italian Dance Group

 

Traditional Italian Attire

Italian Dancers in Traditional Attire

The Italian girls danced while their parents danced

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of German and Italian descendants in Brazil.

All images copyright 2011 and may not be used without written permission.

Prayer Update for October 2010

Dear Prayer Partners,

Blessings to you from rainy Joinville.  Instead of staying in the 50’s and 60’s, we have now begun seeing temps in the 60’s and 70’s and once in awhile we even see temps in the 80’s but alas the rain never seems to stop.

We are doing well as a family.  Ariana is zooming through third grade work and has reached the second level in Kung Fu.  She is super excited and dearly loves learning Kung Fu.  For those of you who missed our news, Ariana accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior recently.  It was such a precious moment and has been a joy to watch her understanding grow and transformation take place.  She has requested to be baptized in the states when we return for our next STAS.  We have a little over one year left before our next stateside assignment and then we will have to make a decision about what our next job assignment will be.  Please pray that God will show us clearly what His desire for our lives will be.  In the meantime we stay super busy just living life and ministering in Santa Catarina.

I apologize for this update being so long but realized that much time has passed since our last update.  The following information will give you a picture of what God is doing in Northern Santa Catarina.  Please continue to lift us up in prayer.  Our desire is to remain obedient to whatever God has in store for us in the coming year.  At the moment we are just trying to keep up.

City Focus Work

Joinville-God has brought together an incredible team of leaders who are focusing on sharing the Gospel through Evangelistic Bible studies/house church plants.    We currently have 9 homes opened and in various stages of development.  Two of these homes have finished the first study set and are beginning the second study set.  We are reluctant to call them house churches at the moment because most of those attending are still nonbelievers but they are well on their way.  We also continue to provide our Houses of Prayer ministry here in Joinville.  Two or three of the current homes began through our Houses of Prayer ministry.  Anyone in Joinville can contact our team and request that a team member come to their home to pray for them.  There are so many people living in dire situations and circumstances either of their own making or the making of others.  Lelia, a team member and Valter’s wife, has begun a counseling ministry to help those who need more in depth care.  Stan has also begun training William and Marileia in how to develop the study sets for discipleship and leadership training.

Leadership Team

Valter and Lelia
Stan and Wendy
Ismael and Adrianne
Marcos and Aritusa
Marileia
William

Stories-In last month’s leadership team meeting, Ismael shared that the house he is leading finished the first study set (8 week series that presents the Gospel).  Ismael then asked those present if they understood what they had learned.  One man, who has been in several evangelical churches and even baptized, said he had never seen God’s Plan of Redemption presented before and finally understood what he needed to do to become a believer.  He believed in Jesus and repented of his sins that very evening.  Ismael said the group couldn’t wait to begin the next series.
Marileia opened up a new home recently with a couple and their family that literally have nothing.  The man of the house is also illiterate; his wife can read, but does not comprehend what she reads.  Stan has begun working with Marileia to change the study set to an oral method.  She storied the first study three times and then asked the family to tell the story back to her.  They were able to tell her the story almost entirely.  She then asked them the accompanying questions and they were able to answer all the questions.  She said they were on the edge of their seats and so excited that someone was sharing Bible stories in a way they could grasp and understand.
Stan finished the first study set in a home recently.  “G” is already a believer and Stan shared with him that we have 2 or 3 homes waiting to open but we don’t have anyone available to go and teach them God’s Word.  “G” shared with Stan that he isn’t ready to be the lead teacher yet but is ready to begin helping Stan in another home so that he can learn how to lead the Evangelistic Bible studies with others.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for our new brother in Christ as he learns what it means to truly follow Christ.
• Pray for Marileia as she stories the Gospel over the next few months.  Pray that we will get the stories in oral format promptly. Pray that the couple and their family will truly understand what they must do to be followers of Christ.
• Pray for our entire church planting team and for those God is calling to help in this work.  We have 2 or 3 houses waiting to open whenever a leader is available. We never lack homes willing to open – as Jesus said, the fields are white unto harvest, but the workers are few. Pray!

Imituba-There is only one Baptist Church in Imituba and the pastor has a vision to plant more.  Several months ago Pastor Zico invited Stan to come and teach them how to lead the Evangelistic Bible Studies and plant churches.  Last month, Stan finished the training for the first study set.  Pastor Zico has formed a team and they have already begun 3 Evangelistic Bible studies in other barrios (communities) in Imituba.  Two ladies on the team have also begun Bible studies with individuals using the story set Stan taught them.  Plans are already underway to begin training of the second study set after “beach season.”  Imituba is a beach town and during the summer months is flooded with tourist.  A three hour drive becomes a 6+ hour drive during these months.

Prayer Requests:

Pray for Pastor Zico and his church planting team.  Pray that they will remain focused and they will win many to Christ.

Porto União-God is still at work in this city in the mountains even though the pastor we were working with recently moved to another city.  Stan finished the training for the first study set but because the people are now without a senior pastor, they are struggling to actually begin.  Stan shared with them that they didn’t need a senior pastor to begin the work, but that their other pastor will suffice.  He has equipped them to begin leading the Evangelistic Bible studies themselves.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray that this group will find the courage to begin sharing the Gospel in their city.  They have a burden to reach their city but lack a leader to move them forward.  Pray that they will understand that it isn’t just the pastor‘s job but theirs as well.   Pray that God will rise up a leader from among them.

Barra do Sul and Navegantes-Stan has finished training of the first study set in Barra do Sul and was not allowed to complete the training in Navegantes.  However, those who were trained have no desire at the moment to put in to practice what they have learned.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray with us that God will burden them in such a way that they cannot have a moment’s peace until they surrender to God and His will for their cities.  We don’t want to communicate that our way is the only way to do things, but they seem to prefer doing nothing. We pray that God will give someone the desire to reach these cities for Christ.

People Group Focus Work

Santa Catarina is home to a myriad of descendants of immigrants.  As a team we realize that reaching our region for Christ means understanding the various cultures of our region and changing our methods to be culturally applicable.  We have begun researching many of the European descent people groups in our area which include:  Germans, Italians, Polish, Ukranians, Azorians, and Latvians.  Most of these groups continue to maintain various aspects of their cultures and language while adopting aspects from Brazilian culture as well.  We choose to refer to these groups as third culture peoples (This is not a term the IMB uses to refer to these peoples).  The Ukrainians living here are no longer completely Ukrainian yet they are not completely Brazilian either.  This holds true for all the immigrant descendants we have encountered thus far.  This means that the Polish descendants probably can’t be reached by using identical methods that are being used to reach people living in Poland and they probably can’t be reached by using methods that are being used to reach Brazilians either.   What this means is that we need to develop a unique and culturally applicable approach to each group.

Prayer Request:

Pray that God will send leaders to begin working with these various people groups.  Pray for us as we gather information needed to formulate strategies to reach all the peoples of Santa Catarina.

Professional Focus Work

Working in businesses was not part of our initial strategy in reaching Joniville but God always has a perfect plan.  Two businesses approached Valter about beginning studies during lunch time.  Stan and Valter are leading Evangelistic Bible studies at these local businesses weekly.  We currently have one home Evangelistic Bible study that has opened as a direct result of this ministry and have one home waiting to begin.  We also have another business that has expressed interest in lunchtime studies but we lack enough leaders to begin.

Prayer Requests:

Pray for the individuals involved in these business based-studies.  Some are believers and some are not.  We pray that whatever their situation, they will encounter Jesus.

School Focus Work

Working in schools was also not a part of our initial strategy but again God knew we needed many different avenues in order to reach the city as a whole.  Our team is currently leading devotional times in two local schools and is available to work with anyone in need associated with these schools.  One of our house Evangelistic Bible studies began from this work.  Through these two schools we have the potential to become involved in the lives of several hundred families.

Prayer Requests:

Pray that we will be able to reach into many homes through our contacts with the schools and that many will come to know Christ.

You are a blessing to us and we thank God for each of you and what you mean to us.  Your prayers continue to sustain us and open many doors to the Gospel.  The Lottie Moon Christmas offering is just around the corner.  Thank you in advance for your gifts that help spread the Gospel around the world.

Blessings,

Stan, Wendy and Ariana Meador

Summer Is Almost Here!

The other day we saw a jacaré (alligator) taking a sun bath in the middle of town. It was pretty cool! It’s the first time I’d seen an alligator outside of a zoo. I think this is a sign that Winter is on the way out and Spring is beginning. That’s a welcome change!

Our work in Joinville is coming along well. We have several houses open for Bible studies which we hope will become house churches. We have more houses opening than we have people to go and teach the Bible. This past Sunday we met with several people to begin forming a leadership team for Joinville. I’m following 2 Timothy 2.2 – And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will also be qualified to teach others.

I recently completed the training in Porto União. Shortly after that, a young man I had met a few years ago contacted me. He’s now living in Porto União. He’s also got three house churches started there. He wanted to know if I could mentor him. That was a delightful surprise. Things are going well in Porto União.

The training in Imbituba will require one more visit to complete. They have already begun one group in a house and it looks like they will have four houses open soon. It is so good to see people putting into practice the things they are learning!

Well, that’s the latest.

Blessings – Stan

Great Week with a Team

I just wanted to post a quick update. We had a great time with a team from San Antonio, Texas last week. I’m writing up a summary of the week that I will confirm with Pastor Valter soon. We’ll post that summary here for you all to enjoy.

Blessings!

Forgive the Silence

Please forgive my blog silence. I’ve been traveling a lot lately and training folks in several parts of Brazil in everything from evangelistic Bible studies to cross-cultural missions. I’m back for a while and hope to be back in the swing of things shortly.

Blessings – Stan

Interlude about Vision

I cannot recall any text in the New Testament that indicates that every “local church” is to have its own vision. The idea that every church should have a vision statement came from the business world, as every business needs to know what it is about. The church is not a business, at least God never intended for it to be a business. So, why do churches have visions statements?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29.18a KJV)

This half of a verse of Scripture taken out of its context is pretty much the source of the idea that every church should have a vision statement. After all, we don’t want our churches to perish. Let’s look at this verse so we can understand why using it as a proof-text for having church vision statements is completely wrong.

Here is the verse, in its entirety, in three other translations. Seeing the different ways this verse has been translated will help us ask the questions necessary to understand the verse.

Proverbs 29.18

“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.”(NASB)

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.” (NKJV)

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (NIV)

The first phrase of this verse is translated “Where there is no vision” and also “Where there is no revelation”. Why is this so? Duane Garrett, in his commentary on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, explains, “The word of “revelation” is commonly associated with the visions of the prophets and stands for the importance of prophetic exhortation to the community here.” The word means “vision”, but refers to prophetic visions that are revelations from God. This is why some translations use the word “vision” while others use the word “revelation”.

We see this type of vision in the New Testament when Peter was on the roof top of Simon the Tanner in Joppa (Acts 10.9-23). This vision was God’s revelation to Peter which came to him in a state of ecstasy. In Peter’s case, the revelation from God was that the idea that a non-Jew was “unclean” was no more, but that all men could have communion together in Christ.

Where Old Testament prophets are concerned, the visions they received from God were often revelations from God to call His people to repentance. We see time and again in the Old Testament that God’s people would go astray. The prophets called the people back when they had wandered away from God and His plan. The ministry of the prophets was largely to call the wayward people of God back to faithfulness.

Revelation or prophetic vision is placed alongside the Law of God in Proverbs 28.18. To more easily understand the whole verse in English we need to switch the order of the two halves. The one who abides by God’s Law will be happy or blessed. When one goes astray it is the vision, God’s revelation to the prophet, which God uses to call the wayward back. So, where there is no vision, no prophetic utterance, the wayward one lives a life of unrestraint, he perishes. Duane Garrett summarizes the idea in this way, “Social harmony and restraint cannot be achieved without the exhortations of the prophets and the teaching of the law.”

The word “vision” in this text has nothing to do with visionary leadership or vision statements in “local churches.” Rather, it has everything to do with the ministries of the teachers and the prophets. We have already read in Ephesians 4.11 that God gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers to the church in order to have a complete and healthy church. So, when understood correctly, Proverbs 29.18 can very well apply to the ministries of the prophets and teachers in the church today.

Let me restate that Proverbs 29.18 has nothing to do with “visionary leadership” in the church. It has everything to do with the combined ministries of the prophets and teachers – two of the five gifts of God to the church.

I cannot recall any text in the New Testament that indicates that every “local church” is to have its own vision. This idea, to me, is akin to “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14.12 NIV). When each local church has its own vision the result is what we see in many places today – “churches” looking inwardly rather than outwardly; churches that are more like social clubs than rescue centers. What is the result? Little to no harvest of lost souls. Where is the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, dies and then results in an increase of 30, 60 or 100? Where is the Christian who reproduces himself 30 times in his lifetime? He should be the least productive person in the church!

To the contrary, we have buildings that we erroneously call churches where people can come and sit on comfortable benches or in comfortable chairs and listen and then do nothing. Sinfully, the “church” finds this to be acceptable behavior for “little Christs”. The vision statement of your church may permit such taking of the Lord’s name in vain, however, the God-given vision of the apostle permits no such thing. The vision of the apostle is a vision to reach a people or a place and his function, along with the other four, is to equip the saints to do the reaching.

Robert Banks, in his book, Paul’s Idea of Community, described the church in this way:

The community at Corinth is not said to be part of a wider body of Christ or to be a ‘body of Christ’ alongside numerous others. It is ‘the body of Christ’ in that place. This suggests that wherever Christians are in relationship there is the body of Christ in its entirety, for Christ is truly and wholly present there through his Spirit (12.13). This is a momentous truth.

God’s design for the church in a place is not to have factions, or denominations, but to have unity. In the same way, God’s design is not for each “church” to have a vision which seems right in its own eyes, but to have an interdependent relationship with the apostle God has called to that place and to whom God has given a vision, burden, strategy and stewardship of the gospel for that place or people.

Apostles Today Part 7

There has been much emphasis on “vision”, “vision statements” and “visionary leadership” in the past several decades. Numerous authors wrote books about these subjects as they relate to the church (well, the institutional church anyway). Today, many churches, if not most churches, have a vision statement (though this does not necessarily mean that they have a vision).

When I was in seminary I had a class or two that placed an extreme amount of emphasis on having a vision and being a visionary leader. After all, “Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29.18)”. So, I set about developing a vision for the work God had set before me. My first ministry position was as a Minister of Education and Administration. I taught the Sunday School teachers my vision for the Sunday School ministry. They understood it, but they didn’t really buy into it. I didn’t know what else to do. Today, I understand much better what the problem was. I could develop a vision and I could teach a vision, but I could not cast the vision in such a way that the teachers would buy into it.

The pastor of that same church was anything but a visionary leader. He would be the first to tell you that. Sadly, because of what I had been taught about the importance of vision and the necessity of the church having a visionary leader I thought he was not a very good pastor. Now that I understand what the Bible teaches rather than what seminary taught me, I realize this man of God is one of the few true pastors I have ever known. He is a pastor in the Ephesians 4.11-13 sense of the word. And, the truth of that matter is that “vision” is not the realm of the true pastor.

There are some “pastors” within the structures of the institutional church who are very good orators and who can cast a vision. How this vision is developed and the scope of the vision have a great deal to do with determining whether or not it is an apostolic vision. Most churches have a vision of how their church should be growing, of the ministries (often programs) that it should be developing and sometimes how the church should be involved in missions endeavors. This type of vision is most often about the church. This type of vision often will not view the church in relationship to other churches in the same city or among the same people. This type of vision may be expressed as an outward-looking approach to ministry, but will most often be applied as an inward-looking ministry.

Admittedly I am writing in very general terms. Nonetheless, if your church has a vision or a vision statement it probably does not fall far from this description.

So, what’s the difference between the vision of a church and the vision of an apostle?

Not all visionary leaders are apostles, but every apostle is a visionary leader. I have met visionary leaders who are great orators, but who lack passion for the work; who lack a burden for the people or place about which they greatly proclaim a vision. Many such visionary leaders move on to the next best offer.

The apostle is not simply a good orator who can sell people on a vision for the church he pastors. The apostle’s calling will be to a people or place. The apostle’s vision will relate to that place or people. The apostle’s vision will be larger than any one “church”. Denominationalism does a great deal to complicate the work of the true apostle today. Many churches follow party lines, denominational leadership, and have no ears to hear the voice and vision of the true apostle. Centuries ago we lost the truth of the interdependence that exists between apostles and local churches.

The apostle’s vision will be a living vision. He will see how the gospel will spread through the people or the place. God will give him the ability to see what will be required for Jesus Christ to be lifted up to draw all men to Himself. The vision of the apostle will carry with it the anointing of God to reach the people or the place.

Houses of Prayer Update 2

Last month I wrote about our first house of prayer. Before we could schedule our first visit to her home for prayer she tried to commit suicide again. She was at the beach with her son and took a bottle of pills (I don’t know the number) and drank a bottle of vodka to wash them down. She was lying on the floor nearly incoherent when she heard her five-year old son say, “Don’t go to sleep yet mommy. I’m asking Jesus not to let you go to sleep.”

Jesus answered her son’s prayer! We’re thankful to God for that.

She invited several people to her son’s birthday party, including one of our team members and his family. It was a very good time for the team member to get to know her family. There was a pastor there from some kind of church too. After everyone else left he spoke to her. He heaped guilt and condemnation upon her for all that she had ever done wrong. He will answer to God for that one day! This woman needs restoration, not condemnation. She needs mercy and grace!

She has kept the door open for us to enter her home and pray with her. Please pray for Lady V.

A second house has opened for prayer. This woman has a similar story, but we’re very glad that she hasn’t tried to commit suicide. She is finding hope and encouragement in prayer. She has also come to one of our home based Bible studies – it is a safe environment! Sadly, many institutional churches are not safe environments for people who have destroyed lives.

Our Houses of Prayer Ministry has two more members. One of them, a young lady who grew up in an institutional church, visited with these ladies and prayed with them recently. It was her first time to go. She visited with Lady V and prayed with her. When she left the home she was physically shaken. After visiting with in the second home and praying this young lady was physically sick. She is not yet accustomed to entering the world of those who do not know Jesus Christ.

We would appreciate your prayers for both of these homes – that God would bring salvation and restoration to these families.

Also, please pray for our team. A few more families have expressed an interest in having us come and pray with them. We are entering into homes in which only God knows what we will encounter. Also, we may be adding some new team members in another part of the city. So, please pray that God will direct us as these team relationships develop.

Something About Mary

In Brazil, there is something about Mary, and the saints, that holds incredible sway over Catholics. I was talking with a young lady at house church about this very subject. We were expressing praise to the Lord that another family has realized that they can no longer follow Mary and the saints. This young lady told me that it took three years from the time she first heard the idea that praying to Mary and the saints is idolatry to the time she realized that was true. The family has been studying the Bible with us for about six months. We praise the Lord that He has opened their eyes to see this truth.

We have not discovered any specific amount of time that is necessary for people to realize this truth. Since we discovered this barrier to proclaiming the gospel among our people, we have become more intentional about addressing idolatry in our teaching. With a belief that is so much a part of who Catholics in Brazil are, we must take the time necessary to present the truth in love. We must also give them time to count the cost of following Jesus.

If you approach a post-modern person and proclaim that an absolute truth exists for all people, you probably will have only one opportunity to speak to that person, and you probably will not convince them. If you approach a Buddhist and proclaim that there is only one path to God, you will probably only have one opportunity to speak to that person, and you probably will not convince them. The same holds true with Catholics in Brazil. If you approach a Catholic in Brazil and proclaim that it is necessary to abandon Mary and the saints in order to follow Jesus, you will probably only have one opportunity to speak to that person, and you probably will not convince them.

We have learned that this particular barrier to the gospel among our people will usually only be overcome by investing time and love in teaching the Bible to them.

This is just one insight we have gleaned from our time working here in Brazil. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Please pray that God will ever keep our eyes open to see barriers to the gospel and that He will give us ways to overcome these barriers.

If you would like to know more about our approach to making disciples, you can read my article entitled “The Challenge of Evangelism in Latin and South America”.

Apostles Today Part 6

The institutional church in North and South America and Europe generally does not have a place for the Ephesians 4 apostle. Cities may have numerous “local” churches, but only in very rare instances does one find the concept of the church of the city or the church of the region as it existed in the New Testament (I expand this idea in my article The New Testament Concepts of the Church). Within the individual churches there is usually an internal focus rather than an outward focus. The pastor, or pastors, of the church are expected to minister to the members of the church and maybe grow the church in the process. It is extremely rare to find a local church that considers itself to be the church of the city and truly pursues reaching all of the lost in the city (or region).

Imagine that the apostle to the city, the man that God has hard-wired to reach all the lost in that city, is hired by an institutional church in that city. He has a God-given burden for the whole city to be discipled. But, the institutional church that has called him as “pastor” has long since turned its focus inward. This church puts 90% of its time, money and focus into ministry to the members of the church and maybe 10% to outreach (and that only half-heartedly). And their “pastor” who has an apostolic call and burden is in anguish over the lost souls of the city, but is relegated to putting spiritual bandages on self-inflicted conflicts within the church membership and spoon-feeding spiritual babes who should already be feasting on the Word of God. Do you think he might be frustrated?

If this man of God does not actually know that he’s an apostle (and not all apostles know they are apostles) he probably doesn’t know what else to do or even why the situation seems so wrong. The fact is that the apostle is not a “pastor” and institutional churches which look beyond themselves to an entire city or region are few and far between. Actually, I’m not sure I know of any. So, many apostles in North and South America and Europe just don’t have a place in the structure of the institutional church.

In some of these areas there are denominations that have missionary sending agencies and parachurch organizations which have ministries that do not quite fit within the organizational structure of the local churches. These denominations, organizations and agencies have hierarchical leadership structures and there are times that apostles can enter into these and actually serve as God has designed them to serve.

One apostle that I know works within one such mission sending agency. God has hard-wired him to reach a specific people group. I can remember talking with him about the future. What if, upon reaching enough of this people, the agency asked him to take on a different role overseeing the work among several people groups in the part of the world where he worked? I remember the difficulty this question posed, even when asked hypothetically. Would he be able to continue to be effective in discipling the people God hard-wired him to reach if he took on responsibilities that divided his attention and focus? While the thought of being able to direct the work among several peoples sounded like a good use of his God-given abilities, he concluded that he would probably not be able to continue reaching the people God had called him to reach if his attention was divided and his focus applied to several peoples. I found great wisdom in this conclusion. A true apostle should always stay within the scope of his call, whether it is to a people or a place, for this is the ministry that God has given him an unction/power/authority to fulfill. From the point of view of hierarchical structures, it is wise to find workers who have proven themselves effective and promote them to positions of greater responsibility. If offered such a position of “greater responsibility” the apostle should not take on such a role without a clear word from God that it is God expanding the responsibility and not man. Such a word from God might come through a prophet, or from someone with the spiritual gift of a word of knowledge or word of wisdom.

What if…?

Imagine with me if you will, that an apostle to a specific region was placed in leadership of an agency with a global scope for making disciples. This man of God was quite effective in directing the work to reach the people of said region. For this, he was asked to take leadership of the work on a global level. If this man were as John Wesley, with a call from God which gave him a clear understanding that “the world is my parish” then all would be good. If this man were as John Knox, with a call from God which gave him a clear understanding that “give me Scotland or I die” then all would not be good. Knox was God-wired to reach Scotland and he pretty much focused himself to reach Scotland. Wesley was God-wired to reach more than a region or a people and his work spread across the globe. This is generally speaking, of course, but I think it helps to understand my hypothetical example. If an apostle to a region of the world took on the leadership of an agency with global scope, would he be as effective in reaching the world as he was reaching in reaching the region that he was God-wired to reach? Would he be able to divorce himself from the vision, the burden, and the strategies that God had given him to reach the region in order to lead others who had been God-wired with a burden and a vision to develop effective strategies to reach the people and places to which they had been called? Or, would he focus the efforts of the agency on the region God had wired him to reach? Would he apply the strategies God gave him for reaching his region to the entire world? If Knox had taken what worked in Scotland and applied it to China, would he have reached China? If Wesley had stayed in England, would he have been effective to reach the global parish God wired him to reach?

The apostle today must understand how God has wired him and work accordingly. We live in a day and age where promotion is the reward of success. That is not how God measures success for the apostle. God may open more responsibility for the apostle in the region God has placed him, or among the people to which God has called him to make disciples. However, the apostle must pray long and hard before taking on responsibilities that will divert his focus away from the place or people to which God has sent him.