Derek and Shea in SA

build deep to build wide

What a pointless structure...sure it's something to admire as a great work of art, but it's mostly useless.  Scaffolding is meant to help build something-to leave something that is much sturdier and far more secure behind. The point isn't the scaffolding but the structure.

"The mission society is like scaffolding that is used to build a building, and the scaffolding is designed to be moved elsewhere eventually.  As long as it is there, one cannot really see what the building looks like.  Sadly, the kind of scaffolding that some mission societies erect and maintain is the kind that actually holds the building up.  Removing it could jeopardize the structure!

Have you ever seen a building or bridge made with poured concrete?  The builders put wooden or metal trusses under the bridge, and then pour concrete over the top to form the road over the bridge.  Suppose for a moment that the engineers and the construction people built such a structure with concrete so weak that they couldn't take out the framework used to hold it up.  That is sometimes why mission societies hold on the way they do, because the structure they built is tied to the mission.  And if one were to "take down" the mission scaffolding, the fear is that the entire structure would collapse. It may take a heap of Christian grace to acknowledge when this is the case and to do something about it."

We had an incredible week with Mr. Derrick and his wonderful family. He has built beautiful 'buildings' all over eSikhaleni.  But he's in the business for a little renovating.  We have committed to working alongside him and each of his teams and church body to plant the gospel through eSikhaleni and Zululand.  Mr. Derrick has this inspiring drive and passion to see the church BE the church within their communities.  To reach those in his neighborhood, places of business and surrounding communities that are so far from living out of their relationship with their creator.

Each night we were there we joined him and the church he leads at their "Easter week tent revival".  Each night Mr. Derrick shared a bit of his vision for what their community could look like if the gospel was at the heart of life in Esikhaleni.  He motivated his church body to "be" the church in stead of "doing" church.  He even gave a brief training for how they are going to get there.

Mr. Derrick has a dream of planting 35 million simple churches over the next 7 years throughout South Africa.  You may be laughing, and you wouldn't be the first.  Each time he shares his dream and vision the room erupts into laughter.  But Mr. Derrick doesn't mind because he has a plan.  This year he is heavily investing in 12 people.  The next year he's going to help each of them invest in 12 people and the year after that he'll help those 12  invest in 12 more... Mr. Derrick understands the principals of multiplication and understands even more that he could never build a building big enough to hold, let alone attract 35 million people to himself--beautiful isn't it?

Scaffolding was made to support a structure so it could be moved to help build the next building.  It was never meant to be the building.  There is no way for it to function the way a building ought to.  Plotting, planning and praying as we support Mr. Derrick and his enthusiastic endeavors to bring a bit of heaven to earth throughout South Africa.