I've been involved in church planting in the Global South, and the temptation is always to send a pastor from the West to lead the new church. It seems efficient. But Paul's insisting that churches need local elders - people who know the culture, who are already rooted, who can lead their own people.
It requires patience. Local leaders develop slower. They make different decisions than I would make. But the result is stronger. The church belongs to the community instead of being dependent on outside leadership.
I've had to learn to step back and trust. To raise up leaders instead of being the leader. It's humbler and it's smarter - the kingdom spreads faster when it's in local hands.
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