Let’s face it. Not everyone is a gifted language learner. It’s frustrating when your peers seem to race ahead toward fluency. They leave you behind, battling to get a normal sentence out without stuttering.

Many very real factors affect our language learning abilities. Things like age, other ministry responsibilities, and family demands increase difficulty. Then there is natural ability as well. Some people have a gift for language learning. Others do not.

The great news is this. While language learning is important, you can see good fruit without becoming fluent. That is not to say we shouldn’t persevere and keep pushing forward to gain greater skill in language. Communicating well in the heart language is definitely needed for deep level discipleship. But you don’t have to wait the five or more years till that happens to begin to be effective.

You can have a great impact, even if your language abilities are not yet what you’d like. The key is developing strong partnerships with indigenous people. Value, support and push them to the forefront and you will rapidly see effectiveness. Our role as cross-cultural missionaries is not to lead. It is to develop, raise and release indigenous leaders.

Leading From Behind

Some years ago in Nepal, I began experimenting with Discovery Bible Study groups. I wanted to start a group among women at the Nepali church I attended. The ladies were faithful to come to church each Sunday. But many were not understanding the sermons well.

I knew the women had much potential to be disciple-makers in their community. How could I equip them?

A major hindrance to the spread of the gospel in Nepal, is that people perceive Christianity as a foreign religion. Though my Nepali language skills were decent, I was still a foreigner, no matter what I did.

“It would be so much better if this Bible study was led by a Nepali person”, I thought. But none of the women in the church seemed confident or ready to lead.

I decided to approach the pastor’s wife. She was a wonderful, godly woman, and a good friend. Though she had never led anything before, she was willing to try if I would help her. She was hungry to learn.

This is what we decided to do. On Saturdays I would meet with her alone at her home. We would study the scriptures together. I’d answer questions and we’d pray together. Then on Sunday afternoons, when the ladies’ Bible study met, she would lead it.

I would be present, but she would be the leader, right from the beginning. I would mostly observe, and be there for support. Then the next Saturday when we met, if there was anything she’d done that needed adjustment, we would talk about it together.

The Bible study was a wonderful success. Women were trained, learned and grew rapidly. They were able to participate in the study and discuss scripture together. The pastor’s wife quickly developed into a capable leader and disciple-maker.

After some time, I no longer needed to attend the study. She was doing great. It was able to grow much more quickly because she was an insider to the culture and language. Had I chosen instead to lead it, the progress would have been much slower. It would have been hindered by my lack of language and cultural skills.

The first New Testament missionary team quickly appointed local elders in each new outreach location where they started churches. They knew that by appointing indigenous people to leadership, the church would grow rapidly.

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”

Acts 14:23 NIV

Why Empowering Indigenous Partners Is A Better Approach

1. It helps the local community embrace the gospel as their own.

Local perception is very important. In most communities where the gospel is not yet known, the local people believe Christianity is a foreign religion. This is even true in the Middle East, though Jesus was from that area, not from America or Europe!

We must work to overcome this. We start by contextualizing the gospel (using appropriate spiritual terms, dressing like local people, etc.). But the most important thing we can do to overcome this perception is to get into the shadows. Push local people into the forefront.

I use the word push, because often out of respect, indigenous people will defer to you as the foreigner. They will want you to speak, lead, baptize people, counsel, pray for the sick, etc.

Make it a rule of thumb, to avoid doing anything an indigenous insider can do. If you are working in simple ways, that should be most things! Elevate the local people, and encourage from behind.

2. Indigenous partners have insights and wisdom you desperately need.

Even if you are from the same culture, it is still critical that you learn from those from that particular place. They have an understanding of their own context.

We as missionaries can tend to be arrogant, seeing ourselves as knowing more than the people we have come to serve. This is not godly. Nor is it helpful! Honor and respect those who are insiders to the community and culture. For a whole lifetime, they have been intuitively learning what you have only studied for a few years.

3. Incarnational witness through outsiders can only go so far.

The gospel is most fully incarnational when it is expressed through indigenous people. As a missionary, you can become like them in many ways. But you will never incarnate the gospel in the same way they will. Jesus’ life demonstrated through local people is the very best contextual representation of the gospel.

Fulfilled Missionaries Empower Indigenous Partners

Doing ministry from the shadows isn’t easy on our egos. Most people enjoy the praise and affirmation of being up on stage and in the front. That doesn’t mean it is good for us, or for our missionary vision.

As you press forward to learn language and culture, find local partners and push them to the front. You will experience a fruitful missionary life. In the end, this brings far greater satisfaction then the crowds knowing your name.

What can you do today, to make space for a local partner to be heard? To lead? How can you support them from behind? With training, mentoring, encouragement and friendship?

Let me know your action step on this in the comments below.