(Advice for new missionary strategy coordinators)

1. JUST DO IT. (See one, do one, teach one).

You can’t facilitate or teach church planting unless you have done it yourself.

Take time and go start a church with your target group: Win someone to the Lord, start a Bible study in their home, and teach new believers to worship and witness. From the day one talk about this being a church.

(The Palmers traveled 2 ½ hours one way every Sunday for 6 months to start a church in a typical Miskito village. Only then did they begin to teach others how to plant a church.)



2. INVEST FOR THE LONG HAUL.

If it were easy everybody would be doing it.

It takes time to learn language, worldviews, establish networks, and train leaders. Live as if you will be there until you die.

(After 4 years the Palmers have just now redone their preliminary worldview and include a wealth of information and knowledge that they did not have when they began. They have readjusted their Master Plan based on these 4 years of experience.)



3. TRY IT… YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.

CPM principles, factors and elements are an attempt to describe CPMs and are not exact formulas for “how to do it”.

Field work always tempers theory with reality.

Focus on the principles and not the examples or specific methods.

(Exactly the way the Palmers do it will not work where you are. Only you can find out what will work by applying different principles.)


4. YES, THERE IS A RIGHT WAY.


Anything less than Biblical doctrine and Baptist principles will result in syncretism and division.

Don’t plant churches that are not distinctively Biblical in doctrine and Baptist in practice.

Worship and fellowship should be influenced not dictated by culture.

Don’t apologize for being Baptist.

(While the Palmers respect and work with other Great Commission Christians (GCC), the churches started and leaders trained are Baptist and not a mixture of anything or everything. They have resisted the temptation to simply add numbers by including the GCC church statistics with which they work.)



5. EXPECT PHENOMENAL RESULTS

Every new Jesus Film presentation or ministry project = new believers.

Every new believer = a new church.

Every new church = a new leader.

Every new leader = a new church planter.

(The Palmers began calling their ministry a CPM as they began 5 years ago. This is what they expected and it is what they are seeing God do.)



6. NOTHING BEATS TRAINING.

Nothing takes the place of training.

Knowledge based vs. Competence based.

Train leaders to train others.

(Nothing the Palmers do has a greater priority than leadership training. 100% of their Strategic Team Resources (STR) are designated for the Bible Institutes.)



7. PLAN BUT LET GOD LEAD

“If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your long range plans”.

Don’t wait for God to do something. Do what you know He wants you to do right now.

(The Palmers plan the entire year in October of the preceding year. Yet, nothing can’t be changed to follow God’s direction.)



8. A PASSION FOR LOST PEOPLE IS CONTAGIOUS

If you don’t desire to see people saved then your leaders won’t either.

If your leaders see no sacrifice on your part they will not be willing to make a sacrifice

either.

(Sacrifice is more than money and time. It is an issue of the heart!)

Order thattheir all talking about