04-05 RDW Editorial

editorial comment In a “missiological breakthrough” breakthrough, people movement to Christ, or insider movement. If the an- patterns emerge that both conform swer is “no,” the new church movement faithfully to the Bible and swim effectively will not likely grow rapidly. within the new believers’ own culture. What About “Insider Movements”? Ralph D. Winter Gary Corwin, an outstanding missiologist of our time, has very helpfully (within the conversation on pages 16-23) Dear Reader, etc. However, that option may appeal raised some reasonable questions about I need to connect for you the tie that only to a few brave (or perhaps odd) this whole mysterious matter. Take a binds the two major themes of this issue souls or to individuals enamored of look at what Gary and others have to say. – the mystery of “insider movements” the Western world. Can a new believer within an “Unreached and the nitty-gritty of prioritizing some 2. Eventually, hopefully (but not al- People” follow Christ without leaving people groups above others. Let me ap- ways), a “missiological breakthrough” his culture? That is the pattern in the proach it this way: will occur. In that case both intel- New Testament with Greeks. Wow, were lectual and behavioral patterns will Greeks different from Jews! The Jews The “Reached Peoples” emerge which will both conform allowed plural marriage and abominated Suppose we track a person who comes to faithfully to the Bible and at the homosexuality, while the Greeks hated Christ within a so-called “reached group.” same time swim effectively within plural marriage but accepted homosexu- In that case several things are true: the new believers’ own culture. Once ality and revered celibacy. As masses of Greeks and Latin-speaking Romans 1. In that group there are already other that happens the Christian faith can gain ground very rapidly. became followers of Christ, “Christianity” believers who have both a spiritual resulted. Almost predictably, for certain union with Christ and yet are still at No matter how small an authentic leaders celibacy began to appear and plural home in their native culture. missiological breakthrough (meaning a marriage correspondingly disappeared. 2. The new believer will be different people movement to Christ), no mis- in some ways. He will still speak the sionary will need to start from scratch Changes of Clothing language, eat the food, and dress the again. The group is now defined as a Pretty soon the faith got completely out same way. That is, in this “reached “reached” people. From now on it is an of the control of biculturals like Paul group” the Gospel itself has become “insider movement.” It’s like the Greek and Barnabas. Eventually the Roman at home in the culture of that group. believers in the New Testament who Catholic and the Greek Orthodox tradi- did not need to embrace Jewish cul- tions were hammered out and the Jewish (Oops, doesn’t the Gospel change that ture. Once Paul made it clear to them, beginnings were forgotten, ignored or culture? Yes, as more and more of that thousands embraced the faith almost despised. As the Roman tradition be- group become believers, the culture will overnight. Paul explained that they could came belligerently “Christian”, the entire no doubt gradually change.) accept the Jewish faith without accept- Semitic sphere predictably developed its The “Unreached Peoples” ing the Jewish culture. own form of the biblical impetus, despite How very different it is when a person Note, once a group is “reached”, to start scant access to the Bible. This was Islam, comes to Christ within an “Unreached from scratch would be unnecessary and which had no difficulty sweeping up People!”: inefficient. Even a tiny earlier break- many other societies that were enemies through can become a “Bridge of God,” of the Roman empire. 1. In that case there is not yet any estab- the phrase coined by the most influential A few centuries later Protestants took lished pattern for the one who wants missiologist of the 20th century, Donald to follow Christ. That’s why the first the ball (the faith) and ran within their McGavran. He is the one who first culture, and for them the Catholic believers in the unreached people defined what today we call insider move- group may be desperately confused. tradition was now forgotten, ignored ments. In his terms he spoke of “people or despised. Today multiplied millions They may feel it is desirable or safest movements to Christ.” to adopt the missionary’s culture even of Africans, Indians, and Chinese are though it may clash with their own McGavran is also the one who came taking on our faith – but not necessarily culture – in food, dress, family life, up with this classical criterion (neces- the culture of our Western Christianity sary but not sufficient) of a true “people – within their own cultural traditions. movement to Christ” or a “Christward Today, however, unlike much of the past, Ralph D. Winter is movement”: ask someone within the the Bible itself is so much more available the Editor of Mission same culture who is not part of the that new forms of the faith are arising Frontiers and the Christward movement if those in the all over the place. The Bible is “out of General Director of movement are still part of his group. control”! the Frontier Mission Only if he says “yes” can the new move- Fellowship. ment truly represent a missiological 4 January-February 2006 Mission Frontiers USCWM•1605 E. Elizabeth St.•Pasadena, CA 91104•626-797-1111 www.missionfrontiers.org editorial cont’. Getting Practical Today groups. Eight hundred peoples in In recent years the International Mis- Africa live on both sides of some sion Board (IMB) of the Southern political border. Sometimes they Baptist Convention has given more become two (or more) groups and and more emphasis to unreached sometimes not, but are usually peoples. That kind of outreach requires counted at least twice. the achievement of the missiological 2. It may be that not all those on the breakthroughs I’ve just been recount- IMB’s list of “Unengaged Unreached ing. Scott Holste’s and Jim Haney’s de- Peoples” of 100,000 or larger are scription of the IMB’s tangible moves truly “Unreached” since the handy, forward, and of the ripple effects on “less than 2% Evangelical” criterion, others (see pages 8-15), is both fasci- while relatively easy to verify, could nating and encouraging, although their mean these groups contain anywhere definitions on page 9 fall short of the from 2,000 to 800,000 Evangelicals precision of the definitions hammered (since the groups range in size from out in 1982 in a two-day meeting of 100,000 to over 40 million). What 35 mission leaders, sponsored by the may be “handy” may have very severe EFMA and the Lausanne Committee. weaknesses. Those semi-official 1982 definitions 3. On a very positive note, while the (to which we adhere) make no use of article estimates there to be 2,700 percentages, and in addition they take groups smaller than 100,000 in prejudice barriers into account. the “less than 2% Evangelical” Note that for practical reasons it sim- category, it also indicates that only ply isn’t convenient to adhere strictly 141 groups have no Evangelicals to the theory behind the IMB’s analy- and that the combined population sis. Several departures must be taken of these groups is only one-fifth into account: the population of California! This 1. Country boundaries often divide would seem to be spectacular news. �� www.missionfrontiers.org Mission Frontiers January-February 2006 5 letters to the editor In response to November-December 2005: “Do Some Agencies Mislead Donors?” Dear Friends: several regions in South Asia for Dear Dr. I just read through your Novem- 33 years, and we fully support your Winter, ber-December issue. All I can position regarding missions. We I want to thank say is Amen! I have had personal retired in 1993, and we’ve observed you for address- contact with “native evangelists”, the shoddy and dishonest tactics ing the ques- and my experience has not been of some national leaders [primarily tion “Do Some a good one. Our family served from South Asia] who are ‘collectors Agencies Mislead Donors?” in as missionaries

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