Nomads: the Challenge of Reaching People on the Move

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Nomads: the Challenge of Reaching People on the Move A MAGAZINE OF FRONTIER VENTURES FRONTIER OF MAGAZINE A ISSUE 39:1 ISSUEI JAN-FEB 39:1 2017 NOMADS: THE CHALLENGE OF REACHING PEOPLE ON THE MOVE MISSIONFRONTIERS.ORG Re-subscribe today and get 2 years of Mission Frontiers for only $29.99 Name/Address/Email Order Information Name________________________________________ Company________________________________ c U.S. ---------------------------------- (2 year $29.99) Address_____________________________________________________________________________ c U.S. ---------------------------------- (1 year $24.99) City______________________________ State_____Zip ______ Phone____________________________ c Canada/Mexico------------------------ (1 year $29.00 Email_______________________________________________________________________________ Donate to Mission Frontiers-----------------$_________ Credit Card Information c MC c Visa c Disc. c AmEx. Exp.Date______ Card#_____________________________________ Signature of Cardholder: _________________________________________ To subscribe online, please visit: missionfrontiers.org/promo You may pay by check (made payable to Frontier Ventures) or by credit card. MF can also be read online for free at: www.missionfrontiers.org To subscribe mail this form to: Frontier Ventures-Subscriptions, 1605 E. Elizabeth St. # 1048, Pasadena, CA 91104 SCRI B U B E S TODAY ✓ Get a 1-year subscription to Mission Frontiers with a donation of only $24. Since 1979, Mission Frontiers has been providing its readers with innovative insights from some of the most creative minds and well-known thought leaders in missiology. When you subscribe to Mission Frontiers you’ll not only be supporting the movement to reach the world’s 7000 unreached people groups, you’ll also be better equipped to influence the hearts and minds of the next generation’s mission-minded servant leaders. To Subscribe Visit: www.missionfrontiers.org/subscribe/sub/newsub Dollar amount listed is a recommended donation amount. Mission Frontiers subscriptions can be obtained for a lesser donation at the discretion of Mission Frontiers. Donations made via credit and debit card must be a minimum of $10 US. If you would like to subscribe to the magazine but are unable to afford it you may apply for a financial hardship waiver at www.missionfrontiers.org/subscribe/sub/fhr. MISSION FRONTIERS 2017 JAN/FEB ISSUE WHY FOCUS ON NOMADS TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE Nomads: Helping From the Editor Them to Face the 06 Growing Challenge 04 30 Contextualizing the What is a Nomad? 12 34 True Shepherd Here, There, or 15 Far Away 38 Boundless Breaching an The Intangibles of 19 Invisible Boundary 40 Urgency and Grit The Nomad Challenge Unknowns Create 23 46 Opportunities EXTRA When They Don't 26 Show Up Mission Frontiers is published six times a year. Rick Wood, Editor Call (866) 406-9487 for address changes, Kristine Wood, Editorial Assistant subscriptions. Garrett Inouye, Graphic Design Editorial Office: [email protected] Contents © 2016 by Frontier Ventures Advertising: [email protected] Frontier Ventures is a member of Website: www.missionfrontiers.org MissioNexus and EPA Address: 1605 E. Elizabeth St. • Pasadena, CA 91104 (Evangelical Press Association). VOL.39, NO.1 | JAN/FEB 2017 ISSN 0889-9436 MISSION FRONTIERS 2017 JAN/FEB ISSUE NT RO IER F S N O I S S I M 9 7 9 REDISCOVERING THE BIBLICAL EST. 1 CHURCH THAT CAN REACH EVERY PEOPLE do the same, not only in nomadic peoples? It will vary from one people peoples, but in people groups all over to another based on individual BY RICK WOOD the world, who likewise have unique needs and circumstances, but one EDITOR OF MF challenges to establishing movements thing is certain; it will not look like of discipleship among them. the church you go to, nor should The harsh reality of the difficulty of it. As Ralph Winter said, “Most of those yet to follow Christ will not fit HOW DO YOU GO about making reaching nomadic peoples forces us EDITORIAL to face the key challenge that the readily into the kinds of churches we disciples among a people who are now have.” regularly on the move and do not way we do church and mission must show up for meetings at regular change in order to have any hope So What Should a Biblical of reaching all people groups and times? What does a church look like Church-Planting Movement in making the gospel available to every and act like when a people is never Every People Look Like? in one place for very long? Nomadic person. The simple reality is that Every Church-Planting Movement peoples present the worldwide our typical Western way of doing that is established within each missionary enterprise with one of church will not work in reaching people should practice these biblical its greatest challenges as we seek to nomads and the many other types principles. The methods that are foster movements of discipleship and of unreached peoples. It is also clear developed in order to fulfill these church planting among them. These that the model of doing church that principles will vary depending on nomadic peoples live in some of the is so familiar to us in the West is not the people group that someone harshest areas of the world—from even effective in reaching our own is trying to reach and the specific baking deserts to frozen tundras. Western culture. In general, we are cultural context within which you Those who would seek to reach not equipping disciples to make more are working. But the foundational them have a daunting task ahead disciples generation after generation. biblical principles should not change. of them. Yet, we know the promise Our churches are not reproducing of Scripture says that there will be themselves either. We have inherited 1. Churches with healthy disciples people present before the throne of many traditional church practices, will spring up in all sorts God from every tribe, tongue, people started centuries ago, which are of places—homes, workplaces, and nation. This promise was made unbiblical and ineffective in making parks, perhaps even on the to Abraham, who was a nomad. God disciples who go on to make more backs of camels in the case of loves nomads like Abraham, Isaac, disciples and plant new churches. Nomads. You do not need a Jacob, Moses, Joshua, etc. Somehow This must change in order to reach specifically dedicated building. God managed to establish biblical the unreached peoples. Church planting is not about faith and worship within these So what would a biblical church how many people we can get nomadic people. We must learn to look like in the various unreached into a building for an event on 4 MISSIONFRONTIERS.ORG NT RO IER F S N O I S Sunday. It is about how many 6. Pastors should not be largely It was a scary thing for the church S I disciple makers we can equip M “preachers of sermons” but and political leaders of Luther’s day and send out to make more equippers of willing believers. to think of putting the Holy Bible 9 7 disciples and start new churches. Pastors should not just teach and its interpretation into the hands . 19 EST 2. Disciple making must come people what to believe but to of average people. It meant a loss first as our highest priority. facilitate the discovery of truth of control over the people in the Healthy disciples will go on by each member. church. Yet, doing so has literally to form healthy churches. 7. As quickly as possible each changed the world and the lives of But if we go out to first start faithful and willing church millions of lost souls. a church or preaching point member should be given Today, we are faced with a similarly then healthy disciples will not responsibility to actively biblical but “scary” opportunity of necessarily develop. participate in the training of putting the ministry of the church 3. Every professed Jesus follower new disciples. into the hands of average believers. who is willing should be equipped, 8. Obedience to revealed truth It again means a loss of control for trained and apprenticed for the from the Bible must be the church leaders, but the potential work of ministry as a disciple foundation of all training. We blessings for the growth of the church maker and church planter. This is must be doers of the Word and in every tribe and tongue is wondrous based on the methods that Jesus not just hearers. Maturity comes to imagine. This kind of “reformation” modeled and the Apostle Paul by way of obedience to the truth. in the way we do church is already under way in around 150 peoples followed. This training should Is there a principle that you would add? include being able to share or places around the world. We call their testimony of faith and the If every church were to practice these them Church-Planting Movements gospel in an effective way for the basic principles in their ministry efforts or Disciple-Making Movements and context in which they are living. then we would likely see thousands of they really aren’t “scary.” They are a This is a deliberate, intentional Church-Planting Movements develop return to the model of ministry that and well-thought-out process of all over the world until every people Jesus gave us and Paul employed to equipping and training. group is reached. great effect until there was “no place left” for him to work. Churches and 4. Every church member should It’s the 500th Anniversary mission agencies around the world be able to train others in like of the Reformation. Is God are embracing this biblical means of manner to be disciple makers Birthing Another One? growing God’s kingdom. Movements who are capable of leading are becoming the new “yardstick” by others to discover truth from the Welcome to the new year of 2017.
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