Do We Have Leadership Development in CPM-Style Work?
(By Clint Bowman, Global Gates Africa Affinity Leader)
The answer to the question in the title is a very loud “Yes!” However, it seems that some do not believe this to be true. As a result, many criticize the rapid planting of churches because they are not aware of how this very important part of church life is handled in such a setting.
In the course of my work and travels in Africa, I have witnessed well-intentioned pastors from the US who are on “leadership training” mission trips attempting to instill in house church pastors somewhat elaborate and very Western ways of leading churches. These pastors from the US do not live or minister in the environments in which these men live and work. They are not aware of the various limitations and cultural issues these men face. Often, after they leave, the local pastors continue doing, for the most part, what they have done in the past because it is what works.
However, the pastors greatly appreciate the visitors for coming and holding these types of conferences. The meetings are wonderful social occasions for these pastors to rest, share, and pray with one another. They enjoy being led in Bible studies and learning biblical truths they may not have known before. Many of them are lay people called by the Lord to serve the house church. Most have rarely attended a formal pastor training school, so they value these times of study. Most are literate in the local official or trade language, but this cannot be assumed to be true for everyone attending a training.
On more than one occasion, I have met pastors from the US who arrived in Africa to do leadership training and discovered they had lessons on tithing and regular giving in the church. What they did not understand is that house churches usually do not have bank accounts in which to hold money. Secondly, many of these believers do not receive regular salaries. Most are farmers, and large amounts of cash are very rare unless they have sold a cow or goat to help pay for a wedding ceremony or something similar.
In a house church that does not have a bank account, someone must be designated to hold the money collected when offerings are regularly taken. That is where problems often arise. Many times, that money is “borrowed” by the financial secretary or another group leader to deal with a personal situation they consider serious. It is always considered borrowing, and there is always an intention to repay it, but rarely do they have that much cash on hand to return the money to the church.
This is just one example of how imposing a Western way of “doing church,” in this case collecting tithes and offerings, can create issues. In the New Testament, we see Paul encouraging churches to raise funds for the actual meeting of needs. That approach has proven to be the most effective way to address this issue in our UPG work across much of Africa. Most of that work takes place in rural areas, which further complicates matters. I believe we should teach biblical principles but allow local leaders to decide how those principles are worked out in their own context, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
I have no desire to go through a long list of differences between pastors serving in the US and those serving on the front lines of Christianity. Instead, I want to explain how we approach leadership training in our work, since this is one of the major criticisms aimed at CPM-type work.
Our Approach
While everyone involved in CPM-style church planting among unreached people groups (and those beginning work with unengaged unreached people groups) can structure their work according to what they believe is best, most of us follow a simple approach geared toward allowing the natural spread and growth of the Gospel.
We begin by remembering that even as we enter a UPG, we are modeling how we want future believers to do evangelism. Therefore, we use only methods and strategies that new believers can imitate using their own available resources. As we find seekers and new believers, we form DBS and/or discipleship groups and use simple methods (T4T and SPECKA are two examples, though there are others) for organizing the group and working through lessons.
Our approach is similar to what was practiced in Southern Baptist church training (now called discipleship) courses a few decades ago. Everyone in the group is encouraged to take an active role. Each week, someone leads in prayer, someone opens the meeting with a short accountability discussion, someone reads Scripture or tells a Bible story, someone leads the discussion, and someone closes the meeting with a challenge to apply what has been learned. These roles often rotate among the members.
At this stage, we do not know whom the Lord will call to pastor the group. Everyone is being trained. Over time, natural leaders emerge, and it becomes clear whom the people have unofficially—or sometimes officially—recognized as their pastoral leader. Ideally, this process unfolds under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As time passes and multiple groups form, they begin relating to one another. If persecution does not force them underground, they naturally organize themselves to support one another. This progression has occurred throughout church history. During this stage, missionaries meet with senior leaders and work through them to pass teachings down through the movement.
This type of work often leads to missionaries organizing discreet conferences where senior leaders—and others they select—are gathered to address challenges within the movement and receive deeper training. While we avoid using large amounts of money so as not to cripple the movement, these meetings are an area where financial investment is necessary. Theological Education by Extension courses (and other similar programs) can be taught in condensed formats to further equip pastoral leaders.
These meetings can be profoundly impactful and greatly benefit the work. This is also a stage where US pastors, when willing to follow the leadership of missionaries and local leaders, can provide strong biblical teaching and do much good. We always ask local leaders which topics or problem areas they would like addressed. In my experience, these meetings consistently produce positive results.
As the movement deepens and spreads across a tribe or region, the number of churches grows, and a need for deeper pastoral training emerges. This is often when some leaders leave their networks to attend pastor training schools or Bible schools in safer, more Christianized areas. Ideally, upon graduating, they return to their networks and help establish further training for pastors and others who desire deeper study.
All of this represents a natural progression that does not put “the cart before the horse.” As the number of churches reaches a critical tipping point and the Gospel rapidly spreads throughout a region, persecution often decreases. In this more open environment, schools offering deeper pastoral training can develop. At this stage, the number of churches may allow some pastors to receive limited financial support to aid them in ministry.
At this point, the work may begin to resemble a denominational structure, and larger organizational systems often emerge. Ideally, missionaries have stepped far into the background, and the work rests in the hands of the local body of believers in whom God has been powerfully at work. Many missionaries should now be praying and asking the Lord to reveal the next people group or city to engage with the Gospel.
Conclusion
So, do we have leadership development in CPM-related work? Yes. This is one of our chief aims: to see churches planted and led by God-called pastors operating under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is what we plan for, pray for, and work toward from the very beginning of engaging a people group. It is what we teach in well-led strategy coordinator training events, and it is the ultimate vision for the work the Lord has graciously allowed us to be part of.
