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Christianity Today, March, 2009 |

Making the Local Church a Hero

The untold success story of Willow Creek in Africa.

Mark Galli | posted 3/25/2009 02:02PM

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"Our hope is that the local church will be seen as the hero, not Willow or any other NGO," says Beach at Willow. "It's the local church."

Indeed. The people I met and the churches I visited in South Africa are the heroes. That's partly because they (not North Americans) are also "the experts," the people on the ground who know directly what the problems are. They are also part of believing communities that have people in them who sacrificially rise to the challenges God places before them. Willow, like many other North American churches doing church-to-church mission, knows all this. It's the reason Willow tries to support the local work, and then just gets out of the way.

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today. His latest book, A Great and Terrible Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Attributes of God, is due out in March.

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March 2009, Vol. 53, No. 3

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Doug	Posted: April 08, 2009 10:51 AM


Small churches can do the same thing -- come alongside, encourage, help, pray. Here: http://www.swazilandrelief.org

David Lim

Posted: April 04, 2009 10:44 AM

Wow, this is wonderful to see local Christians being made the heroes! Now, let's see American churches move towards helping them to become self-sustaining through economic development projects. And better still, to help local Christians enabled to do community-based programs, so that their local community leaders may be transformed (no longer corrupt) and empowered (able to develop appropriate projects), as well as to generate local resources to support their strategic activities (even giving cups of refreshing water) in the name of Jesus Christ!

Matt	Posted: March 31, 2009 8:50 PM


Bazil. I understand there is a balance between preaching, and giving to the poor. However, we must remember the correct tension. First preaching, then giving to the poor. Giving to the poor is a secondary aim -- but none the less important. All I'm saying, is we must never lose focus of the primary aim of evangelizing -- preaching repentance and good news. Good discussion. Matt

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