Give Them Responsibility from the Start

Western Christ followers often return from overseas having seen the disparity in wealth between the West and the developing world.  Due to this disparity in financial resources, often overseas projects are funded by Western churches.  But, if the local church overseas is not involved from the beginning, often the project lasts only as long as the Western team is there.

By giving the local church the responsibility to participate in the planning, transportation, and other logistics, they have ownership from the beginning. When the local church is willing to invest the time to learn and the money to rent a venue sufficient for the training, it is evidence that they are truly wanting to learn and grow. Long-term impact requires more time and money, but when the local church has responsibility from the start, the likelihood of having a long-term impact increases drastically.

Francis Bukachi is the founder of Hope Alive Initiatives, a ministry in Africa focused on raising up and empowering local believers to bring wholistic transformation in poor communities.

Are you a mission-minded individual interested in learning more?