Pilgrimage in North Asia
World Partners Director of International Development Rick Dugan just returned from Mongolia where he met with the World Partners North Asia regional team to discuss discipleship and discipleship movements, attended a meeting of local missions agencies, met with leaders representing four unreached people groups the North Asia regional team has been working with, and led in discipleship training.
During the days of meetings, Rick and the North Asia regional team discussed discipleship and disciple-making with the twelve Mongolian and eighteen Russian attendees. The Russian attendees represented four unreached people groups and some of them traveled 3,700 miles by land to attend the gathering.
Rick states, “I learned a lot about the Mongolian church and disciple making with World Partners’ affiliate members and during a presentation by a Mongolian woman who extensively researched the Mongolian church. Here are some of the current challenges our national partners shared with me:
The churches are young; roots are not deep. (Nearly 100% of the evangelical churches have been planted in the past 30 years.) Leadership development has focused primarily on preaching, leading Sunday worship services and organizational development. Character growth and discipleship have not been emphasized. Many church leaders are spiritually immature.
Most leaders have never experienced a discipleship culture, and they don’t know how to cultivate such a culture within their churches.
Over the past 10 years, the number of missionaries has steadily gone down, which means that many church leaders lost their mentors, fellowship, and friends.
As disciples multiply among Mongolians, many gather around meals. I mentioned to one of the leaders that we’ve been calling these Table Churches, and he said, “Yes! They’re Table Churches!”
Every time I travel to a new place, I’m sure I learn more than I teach. I learn about culture and cross-cultural relationships. I improve the content of my teaching and my ability to ask helpful questions. But most importantly I learn to see Jesus through different eyes. I learn to respond to what Jesus is already doing and to appreciate the leaders he’s already using. And I learn to let go and trust him more. He humbles me and increases my faith.
Disciple-making is a spiritual discipline that God uses to make us more like Jesus. And somehow that helps others see him more clearly. We’re on a pilgrimage more than a mission.”