Title

Developing Teams of Leaders Who Establish and Sustain Missions Communities for Gospel-Needy Contexts

Author

Guy Pilkinton

Publication Date

11-1-2016

Abstract

Northpoint Baptist Church (hereafter, NBC) draws four hundred members from a fifty-kilometer-wide area in New Zealand’s North Taranaki region. The cultural, socio-economic, age, and geographic spread of NBC members means that NBC has the potential to develop teams of leaders who establish and sustain missions communities. The purpose of this project is for NBC to understand the where, why, and how of developing teams of leaders who initiate new missions communities. This project defines missions leaders as those who, as part of a team, have the spirituality, lifestyle, character, and the skills required to initiate and sustain a community that witnesses to the gospel in life, deed, and word in a particular gospel-needy context.

Part One examines context. It considers North Taranaki, NBC, and the social context where NBC wants to develop teams of missions leaders. Modern adult education theories are evaluated, and a case study looks at missions team mentors and trainee team members from the 1980s Wellington Youth for Christ context.

Part Two engages with theological and biblical sources relevant to developing missions leadership teams. Foundational mission texts help establish impetus for missions. Literature from mission writers and practitioners introduce missions communities as structures distinct from established churches, and various processes for developing the missions leaders who make up teams are reviewed. Next, a biblical chapter focuses on structural and training issues. The roles and relationships of missions communities and larger more established church structures are considered. The mission team training processes of Jesus and the Apostle Paul are studied, and key curricula for missions teams training are distilled.

Part Three discusses goals and strategy. Lessons regarding mission, missions communities, and missions team development are applied to the NBC context. Finally, goals, strategies, resources, support systems, assessment, and reporting issues are all outlined.

Content Reader: Kevin Ward

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

First Advisor

Ward, Kevin

Document Type

Project

Language

English

Keywords

Northpoint Baptist Church (North Taranaki, N.Z.); Christian communities; Religious leaders; Missions; Evangelistic work

Disciplines

Missions and World Christianity

Comments

This was uploaded by the David Allan Hubbard Library from the Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN). If there are any mistakes in this record, please contact archives@fuller.edu.

Upload File

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Date Uploaded

April 2018

Collection Number

DMin125

File Name

DMin125-0260

Rights

Material is subject to copyright.

Recommended Citation

Pilkinton, Guy, "Developing Teams of Leaders Who Establish and Sustain Missions Communities for Gospel-Needy Contexts" (2016). Doctor of Ministry Projects. 254.
https://digitalcommons.fuller.edu/dmin/254

Embargo Period

11-15-2018