“Wherever I go, one ongoing issue for me is that everybody is siloed. There are so many Christian organizations that work as if they're the only ones in the world doing what they do. This creates many problems because somebody next to you has had incredible success in something, and you have yet to learn. We should be changing and learning from them,” explains Jay Eastman and Jay Pinney from EFCA ReachGlobal, a new GACX member.
ReachGlobal hopes to see the end of organizational “silos” within the world of church planting. Jay Pinney, a ReachGlobal missionary, was recently in Nepal, where he witnessed the remarkable growth of a DMM (discipleship-making movement) that is spreading nationwide. By bringing together multiple indigenous church planters, he sought to foster a spirit of collaboration and encourage the momentum of church multiplication.
At one point during the trip, the ReachGlobal team found themselves in a room full of leaders from church planting networks across the country. This provided a fantastic opportunity to connect, share resources, and avoid duplication. EFCA Reach Global's mission statement is “multiplying transformational churches among all people,” and it was exciting to see this lived out in Nepal.
In addition to the church planting catalyst team, of which Pinney is a part, ReachGlobal invests in national leaders through training. All around the world, team members who are specialists in church planting catalyzation provide contextualized training in preaching, orality, public health, community outreach, children’s ministry, crisis response, and community development.
In addition to contextualizing to the local context, the training is personalized to meet the needs of the trainees, who each have unique talents and abilities. ReachGlobal is committed to meeting individual needs, rather than generalizing for a group.
According to Eastman and Pinney, collaboration is at the heart of ReachGlobal’s efforts: “Our shared vision is to see collaboration and church-planting movements flourishing in every country. We understand that this is a journey that requires time and the building of relationships - often over cups of tea! But we believe that as we remain open to where God leads, significant opportunities for transformation and multiplication will continue to emerge.”
ReachGlobal’s church planting catalysts are eager to work alongside GACX members and provide development, training, and coaching resources on the local and national levels. Their staff, who are “boots on the ground,” hope to walk with GACX members in both initiating projects and providing consistent support to ensure that their catalyzation efforts are successful.
Are you interested in collaborating with EFCA ReachGlobal? Please visit reachglobal.ministries.efca.org to learn more.