I was reading some information recently about some evangelistic engagements happening in various parts of the world, and lots of these are being started with the mindset of using the Gospel as the leg to stand on that will improve the social conditions of various areas. Many times, missional or evangelical engagements start with this idea, but end up succeeding or failing because of the immediate next domino – how does the group being evangelized then stand on its own?

For example, you (or your organization) starts an effort to educate a social group because it has been identified that the location is well trafficked and that there are several people in that area who have shown a hunger for learning. Your methods involve establishing a school, and you account for the people, the building, and even much of the startup expenses related to at least getting 6 months to a full year to see it through. What’s left to do but to go there right?

Well, not exactly. You are developing a school, so what is the curriculum that you will be using? What will be your measures of success? Because you are effectively building a well in an oasis, how you you going to navigate the other areas of society that will be effected by the introduction of a place of education? You’ll need laborers to help with cleaning, and you might need to have a backup plan towards how you’ll acquire and support teachers? What kinds of other activities will that building employ? And how does the establishment of an educated class of people prepare for life after that education if there are no jobs befitting what they’ve just learned in that region yet?

The last question tends to be the one that should make us all pause a bit when it comes to our engagement of others with the Gospel by computer-based methods. We’ll gladly educate them on the things of the Word. Equipping them to skillfully speak and handle the Word of God to address moral and psychological wounds that might be present. But, what’s next? How did we help them to also create opportunities for those infrastructure or technical needs that might be present?

I wonder, if when establishing our technology-driven evangelistic methods, if we could also have a focus on the other skills (lately, that’s been sounding a lot like Exodus 25-27 like skills)? Which not only will allow those groups to demonstrate the Gospel, but to also provide a means of supporting themselves beyond the initial generations taught.