Fresh From twitter.com/Collaborators

Read the July Partnership eNewsletter http://conta.cc/bNEUcv How vision and mission can happen natually, locally, and collaboratively

Fresh From twitter.com/visionsynergy

Read the July Partnership eNewsletter http://conta.cc/bNEUcv How vision and mission can happen natually, locally, and collaboratively

Orality and the Global Church

The International Orality Network (ION) assisted ministries in India and Africa this year by conducting multiple Orality consultations. visionSynergy Associate Bill Sunderland says, “The local leaders are taking ownership of this movement and are moving ahead with or without us.”

This is a welcomed development as this new but centuries-old method of sharing Christ’s message is gaining recognition by the Global Church. On the North American front, ION has taken a huge step forward in its development as more task forces have been formed to take on critical projects.

The research task force will be looking at the impact of Orality on Church Growth. A new task force, Music and Arts, will explore the impact of all culturally-appropriate arts in Oral-based cultures.

Network growth in Muslim regions

Efforts to use the Internet for evangelism among followers of one of the world’s largest unreached religions have been rising almost unnoticed in recent years across a huge swath of ministries.

Initially, very little collaboration among these ministries was taking place until an enterprising group of internet evangelism ministries formed an alliance to bring together in a neutral atmosphere many of these practitioners.

This Muslim Internet Evangelism Alliance (which goes by a different name we won’t list here for security reasons), now in its fifth year with continuous visionSynergy counsel, is a glowing success. It has practical work groups moving forward strategic but commonly-shared concerns, such as media-to-ground follow-up and security.

Many partnerships have flowed out of the alliance-advancing the gospel in powerful ways.

Some Networks are Itching to be Born

Efforts to use the Internet for evangelism among followers of one of the world’s largest unreached religions have been rising almost unnoticed in recent years across a huge swath of ministries. Very little collaboration was taking place. An enterprising group of internet evangelism ministries convened an alliance to bring together these practitioners in a neutral atmosphere with good facilitation. That alliance, now in its fifth year, is a glowing success with practical work groups formed to move forward strategic, but commonly shared, concerns. Many partnerships have resulted – and the gospel is advanced in powerful ways.

Regional Efforts Aided by a Network “Tune-Up”

Even regional evangelism partnerships that have been running for many years can discover that, in fact, participation by regional partner organizations has slipped, connections with funders are fractured, and the need for a large overhaul is necessary. One regional strategic evangelism partnership among an unreached people group is experiencing new life as it rebuilds its network aspects: attaining new levels of openness, jettisoning over control in some areas, and broadening its leadership structure.

Embrace and Extend: Far Better than Duplication

The creative team of a media outreach ministry spent considerable funds and time developing a mobile downloadable Bible in an unreached language – that is, a complete Bible that can be read on a cell phone. A strong effort… except that basic research would have shown them that working models of this had already been done by several other ministries. The gap has prompted a concerted effort for mobile evangelism ministries and agencies to be in touch with each other. A network has been formed – with a large email list group – focused on connecting practitioners in this rapidly expanding field of international digital evangelism.

Conference becomes Network and Multiplies

For years the “Reaching Japanese for Christ” National Conference was an unparalleled gathering of those interested in evangelism among Japanese nationals in the US. But the focus on this “event” did little to connect members to one another other than through informal conversations.

RJC leaders made a commitment to transform RJC into a network, empowering linkages between its members. The practical result? RJC members spawned regional networks in several other locations and more are being formed, more than tripling the reach of the RJC and generating new levels of training and linkages of people in ministry among Japanese nationals.

Why I’m Captured By The Vision

By Phill Butler

With a business degree I actually started professional life as a journalist – almost 100% of it international. In travelling around the world I met many wonderful people doing great Kingdom projects. Time after time, though, I saw that, busily focused on their own efforts, these folks were not talking with others either in their geographical area or even those also working in their kind of ministry. The result, of course, was frequent lack of coordination, duplication of effort, waste, and lack of potential effectiveness. Seeing a world full of incredible spiritual need and remarkable opportunity, as a layman, I kept wondering, “What about the practical implications of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for unity among His followers?”

So, over twenty years ago, along with a small group of colleagues, we began to see if we could find ways to help with this problem. It was slow going in the beginning – lots of resistance to the idea and our own steep learning curve!

Now, after hundreds of opportunities to help people form effective, lasting partnerships, networks, and other forms of Kingdom collaboration, I’m more convinced than ever; God’s people actually working together can produce dramatically more effective outcomes. Networks and partnerships by the dozens are now operating effectively around the world. Thousands of people from hundreds of ministries have formed an amazing range of Kingdom collaborative efforts. Whether its ministry to refugees, sports-based outreach, Kingdom use of the internet, strategies to touch great cities, large unreached people groups, or neighborhood initiatives – God’s people working together are making a huge difference.

“Easy” work? No. But I’m so glad I got involved and have to be able to see the remarkable results around the world. But, what’s happened so far is really just the beginning. That’s why I hope you’ll seriously think and pray about the opportunities listed on this NextGen initiative web site.

Partnership Stories

Jesus’ Love To Professionals & The Young

Sports is music’s twin universal language. In 1996 the International Sports Coalition was coordinating key outreach at Olympics, World Cup Soccer, and other high profile international events. After a commitment to and intensive international training in partnership, the ISC now has work in over 100 countries, through more than ten youth and family strategies, has seen over 300,000 decisions for Christ, engages more than 20,000 volunteers annually, and relates Jesus every day of the year to otherwise inaccessible professionals in baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, formula one, and football.

A Missionary & The Fundamentalists

1990—2000 saw over 100,000 Algerians die as the Islamic Fundamentalists waged war against the central government. Nearly fifty years before a British missionary had, with his family, given his life to share Christ with the Kabyle Berbers of Western Algeria. When he died there were possibly 100 believers. The second year of the Islamic war, 1992, a partnership of eight ministries was born to reach the Kablyles – building on the 50 years of missionary witness. Today there are well over 100,000 believers, all churches led by nationals, radio, TV, internet evangelism – all carried out by the growing national Kabyle leadership and all in one generation! A recent national Islamic Algerian daily warned, “We Muslims must be careful. It’s said that to be Muslim is death. To be a Christian is life.”

Hope Turns Bad Then Turns Really Good

A major language group in West Africa had no church – and no Scripture. In the early stages of partnership development for the group, three widely separated groups we found to be working on New Testament translation – completely unaware of each other. Despite great odds, as part of the partnership, the three were brought together and a coordinated strategy was developed. Result: the NT five years sooner – available for evangelism, literature, radio, and all other forms of witness. Plus, over $1.8 million dollar saved for other Kingdom work!

Genghis Khan’s Dream Finally Realized

Having seen Christianity when his hoards invaded the Middle East in the 12^th Century, Genghis Khan asked the pope to send missionaries to Mongolia. The pope didn’t respond. For another 800 years Mongolia languished in darkness. In 1991 when the Mongolia partnership was born there were four known believers in the country. Today? Nearly 100,000 believers in a church led completely by nationals, a national Bible Society, Christian broadcasting, and growing influence in this formally dark world. Genghis Khan’s dream (and that of prayer warriors worldwide) come true – in one generation!

Eight Become One Become Thousands

There were eight different radio broadcasters trying to reach the 60 million Muslims of North Africa. Their programs were on different stations at different times making it virtually impossible for ‘seekers’ to listen to the Good News with any continuity. Partnership brought the broadcasters together with on-the-ground nationals leaders and missionaries for a coordinated effort. An integrated on-air schedule & coordinated personal follow-up revolutionized outcomes. Today, thousands of believers and a growing church.