Raising up Christ-like leaders to stand
for truth and justice
The
best way to reach the Indian people is through their own people. The reason
this works so well is five-fold:
Identification
People identify best with others from their own cultural and social background.
Each state in India, and sometimes even each district, is essentially its own
country with its own language and culture. This is why we train men and women
from each state to go back to their own people. This leads into the second point.
Contextualization
Since the men and women from each state are familiar with the society background
and beliefs, they can tailor the Gospel message to address the specific beliefs
and concerns of the local people. While the Gospel is always relevant and does
not need to be changed to meet the needs of the people, it must
still be presented
in a way that aligns with the particular needs of each people group. Some cultures
might not have the background or experience with certain concepts and principals
that are taken for granted in other cultures. The nationals having coming from
these backgrounds will know exactly what it is that people need to hear based
on their own experience. The leads to point three.
Access and Receptivity
The nationals are from the same background therefore they will have access to
the people and the people will be much more receptive to them. People will more
willing to talk with and listen to those that they recognize as being part of
their own culture. The nationals will know the right way to introduce and present
themselves. Also, since they will be able to tailor their presentation based on
the experiences of the people, they will know which concepts to emphasize and
which to present in a low-key way. That way they don't scare people off or say
something that will offend them and prevent them from listening to the whole Gospel
message.
Economics
One final point is that it is more economical to support a national than to send
someone overseas to present the Gospel. A typical foreign missionary will require
$3,000 or more a month plus the costs of transporting them back and forth to India.
A typical indigenous missionary family can be fully supported for $120 per month.
Also, a foreign missionary, if they can even get a VISA allowing them to officially
preach in India, can only stay for a maximum of six months at a time. They must
then leave the country for a period of time before returning. If a foreigner is
caught preaching in India and they are there on a non-missionary VISA, they will
be immediately removed from the country and very likely banned for life. Since
a national is an Indian citizen, they have all the rights to stay and preach for
as long as they like.
Manual
