Gleanings From A UPG Consultation

A. On CPM . . .

Essentially it is all about having grand-children. Planting churches that will plant churches that will plant churches.

Based on LUKE 10 . . . sending out teams 2x2 to towns that "Jesus planned to go" i.e. where the Holy Spirit is at work. Outsiders are to be the spark but insiders (people within the people group) are to be the flames that spread outward. Therefore, pray for more workers from the people group you are working with who may not necessarily Christian yet but are the lost people who would join you. Don't take all your resources with you when crossing culturally. Look for resources within the people group. Look for the household of peace that will receive God's peace and stay with them. Fit into their culture. Go live with them, spend time in the field with them and be part of the community. AND MEET THEIR NEEDS! Build the DNA of reproduction right from the beginning.

The discipling process starts even before they become a believer. Start bible story telling chronologically from creation. Use questions to begin discipleship like: Did anything good happen to you this week? Did you have any need, any problem or does any member of your family or neighbours have any need etc? Is there anything that we can do to help with those needs or problems? What stories did we learn last week? Ask them to retell the stories. Then start with the next story. Focus on what did the bible tell us about God? What did the bible teach us about human beings? and If this story is true, what would you do. Ask them, Who would you tell this story to this week?

The idea is to lead the lost people to discover God's truth themselves through the bible. Not that we teach but we facilitate and guide.

B. On Partnership Development for Missions . . .

No partnerships are alike. Every partnership has unique features. Not person focused, nor organisation focused but vision focused. It is based on trust.

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Start with building relationship one on one. Ask about their heart, experience etc. Develop a close relationship with each leader. This will take at least 2 years!

C. On Community-based Holistic Mission Endeavour . . .

1. Reaching out strategically to communities in restricted areas, regions or countries.

2. Focusing on unreached and least reached people groups.

3. Utilizing community development/livelihood approach, method and tools.

4. Mobilizing and investing the expertise, resources and endeavours of Kingdom professional and cross-cultural workers.

5. Resulting in holistic community development at economic, socio-cultural adn spiritual levels.

6. Demonstrating the transforming power of the glorious Gospel of Christ.

That's all, folks.

I will be attending the Facilitators Training Course for Partnership Development conducted by Inter-Dev in Bali from June 15 to 19, 2009. This will be strategic for my involvement in the LPN partnership development and etc.

Reaching the Unreached!

This blog will contain my occasional writings on the subject of completing the Great Commission. As with all my writings, it will be infrequent and dependant on the prevailing mood! :) However, it should serve well as a record of my thinking on this issue. It should also chart the growth of my understanding on this matter as the Great Commission has not been on the radar screen of my ministry for the first three quarters of my full time ministry life which was mostly spent in a pastoral role.

As of 1 Jan 2008, I resigned from being Senior Pastor for FGA Centre, Penang and launched a new ministry vehicle called the PsALM to focus on local church consultancy work and leadership training with the intent of preparing local churches to adopt unreached people groups in partnership with missions agencies. The PsALM is an acronym for Ps AL (that's me!) and Meng (that is my wife, Meng Eng)! 

In the missions networking role, I am presently the Executive Officer for the Malaysian Center for Global Missions (www.mcgm.net.my) with specific responsibility for its Missions Mobilizing Track and the Malaysian Tent-Making Track. A full plate indeed alongside with the many Train the Trainers courses conducted as Associate Trainer for the John Maxwell's Million Leaders Mandate, a three year leadership curriculum for raising leaders for church planting. In that capacity, I am the Patron for Penang MLM and East Malaysia MLM.

After introducing myself in the various roles I play today, let me end by saying that it has been a steep learning curve but, boy, am I enjoying myself today! Life has been hectic no doubt with frequent traveling but God has been good. My wife, Meng Eng, and I have never felt more alive today than ever before. We feel that we have finally found a life purpose that we can give our lives totally to.

Blessings,

Ps AL