Part 4: Equip People to Be Self-Sustaining
After we've developed multiplying leaders, we need to equip people to be self-sustaining.
Winning others to Christ, building them in their faith and equipping them to multiply their lives in the lives of others. It's been the heart of Cru's ministry since its inception in 1951.
Yet to change the world, we need to build a movement, and building movements requires more than just putting ministry into action. A movement comes to life when it's able to generate its own leaders, ideas, strategies and funds, not depending on others for sustained growth.
Ministries come and go. But movements don't stop. They live.
As a result of summer mission trips in 2007, the Campus Ministry reports that 63 movements were launched. Each movement was equipped with the necessary training to keep things going.
Internationally, our preparation for someone else's independence is foundational to making a lasting change in our world. Local men and women know best the needs of their culture, community and language, which is why we aim to equip nationals to reach their countrymen, peer to peer, rather than leaving the task to a foreigner.
Missionaries to other countries work hard to develop strong Christian leaders from within that country to take over, so that the visiting missionary can leave and build a movement somewhere else.
In the region of Eastern Europe and Russia, for example, 7 positions of leadership this year were transferred from an outsider to a local.
To equip people to be self-sustaining, they also need financial freedom. Although Moldova is considered one of the poorest countries in Europe, God has 62 Moldovans working with Cru, and all 62 raise their personal financial support. Although they receive a subsidy from the organization-a percentage of every dollar given to Cru that is designated for international expansion-they have been asked to raise just 15 percent more than they did the previous year, every year.
Ed Murray directs the ministry in Moldova and explains, "At the end of 7 years they are at full support. We have had several people even go off of subsidy because they reached 100 percent early."
The task of equipping people to be self-sustaining -- financially, spiritually, emotionally and strategically -- really defines ministry success. And yet, we can't just measure that short-term. We must analyze the big picture.
So in 2007, Cru leaders began to build a new initiative called "100% Sent." The ambitious vision is to see that people who have been mentored with Cru and leave (graduate, transfer or move) will be equipped for a lifetime of service, no matter where God sends them.
Specifically for college graduates, the initiative focuses on building a community for them to connect with in the city of their new job - fellow trained men and women who share the mission of reaching people for Jesus Christ.
