Global Missions

The Global Missions Challenge

The challenge facing the global mission context is the undesirable condition of dysfunctional Christianity. Dysfunctional Christianity is dependency on outside funding and imported culture among local people groups. The formation of dependency leads to learned hopelessness, resentment, self defeat, weak credibility among others in the community, lack of incentive, entitlement, and being perpetual recipients.
Unfortunately, those involved in missions, often times, unknowingly, sow a welfare mentality in conjunction with sharing the gospel. As the welfare mentality takes root, it becomes a stumbling block to fulfilling the great commission and producing empowered Christ followers who become and make disciples.

The Global Missions Problem – Unhealthy Dependency

One of the most detrimental problems facing global missions today is the problem of unhealthy dependency. Unhealthy dependency, in a global missions context, is a syndrome that results in local believers in Christ around the world feeling that they are incapable of functioning, maturing, and multiplying the kingdom of God in their indigenous context without outsiders' expertise and financial support.
Although churches, leaders, and missionaries are eager to provide aid as a development strategy to reduce poverty and share the gospel, this methodology often results in recipients becoming dependent on foreign aid rather than God's provision and local-local sharing.
Regarding unhealthy dependency, Karmin Sahyoun states it well in Footsteps: Planning For Sustainability,

The Global Missions Solution – Local Sustainability and Multiplication

The solution to unhealthy dependency is promoting local sustainability and spontaneous multiplication in global missions. Sustainability, in a global mission context, is the process of local people mobilizing, using, and creating local resources for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission in their communities. Sustainability is a key ingredient to spontaneous multiplication
We believe local sustainability empowers people to birth, grow, and sustain their own efforts through local dignity, local vision, local resources, local creativity, and local leadership.
We believe multiplication is the result of sustainability. Disciples, churches, ministries, and leaders are capable of multiplying themselves, their efforts, and their results because they begin from a place of health and sustainability.

Our Global Mission Calling

We believe Five Stones Global’s calling is to encourage local sustainability and spontaneous multiplication by equipping missionaries and disciple-makers to build a culture of local sustainability and spontaneous multiplication in their Great Commission efforts. A global mission’s approach that fosters healthy self-reliance is imperative for current and future expansion of the gospel.
We encourage a transformational impact in global missions through the following four aspects of transformation.

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Four Transformation Restoration Aspects

[/su_panel] By Metrix Research Group, as cited in Greer and Horst (2014), Mission Drift, p.134.
Arguello, V. (2012). Exploring The Relationship Between Learner Autonomy and Sustainability in Global Missions: A Case Study of Kenyan Leaders. ProQuest, UMI: 3532751.