Moving Forward - Ideas Presented

This conference has been very colaborative. There have been some great efforts to collect ideas, bring together input and create consensus. One of the things I am most impressed about is the effort to create concrete steps for how to build powerful Global North (GN)/ Global South (GS) relationships.

Here are some of the ideas that people have shared (by no means all of them) about building stronger relationships:

NOTE: These were some of the initial brainstorming ideas. There will be more consolidated ideas/action steps coming out of the final discussions. Hopefully the conference will release those in some way to benefit others who could not attend.

1. Create Listening and Learning Opportunities

• Exchange visits for listening, prayer, learning and family time, not just tasks.
• Schedule days of listening, repentance and forgiveness for GN /GS failures
• Select couples with relational skills to dedicate to long term relationship building
• Share perspectives on N/S topics with internet video in many languages
• Add peer review process by local voices for GN publications about GS issues

2. Require Cultural Training on the Field with Local Partners

• Use varied national church contexts for orientation and training of staff and visitors
• Teach culturally appropriate ways to listen, dialog and partner to new missionaries
• Invite GS leaders to help design pre-field and on field training for short-term and long-term teams.
• Invite leaders from GS nations to visit and train organizations in the GN

3. Support Majority World Missions Movements

• Ask global partners for 1-2 ways to assist them in their own missions mobilization
• Create business as mission jobs for GS workers in restricted access contents

4. Demonstrate Partnership Vision and Competency at all Levels

• Set up partnership training for all levels from board to field personnel to partners
• Establish partnership criteria/expectations for key levels of organizational operation
• Work on clear, mutually sensitive agreements, policies, MOU’s, and contracts

5. Internationalize Leadership

• Populate teams and networks with GS/GN people who are reaching the world together.
• Expect GS/GN people to participate in decision making councils and advisory boards.
• Place GS individual as co-leader of the organization – regionally or internationally
• Involve GS people in the recruiting process for their regions by GN organizations

6. Engage Boards in GN/GS Issues

• Boards should meet internationally
• Set objective of 50/50 balance for boards between GN/GS
• Require board members to travel overseas at least once a year to see ministry in context

7. Create Culturally Sensitive Funding Patterns

• Encourage GS leaders to nominate priority initiatives and projects for funding
• Clarify benefits and culturally wise methods of funding GS missions movements
• Redesign funding structures to work flexibly with GS partners in accountable ways.