Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

The Goal is Not Pins on a Map!

But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Romans 15:23-24 NIV

How could Paul possibly say that there was no more work for him to do in the eastern Roman Empire?  The answer is found in his calling and ministry strategy. 

Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles – the non-Jews.  Jesus told him this when He appeared to Paul on the day of his salvation (Acts 9).  Thus, his calling was one of pioneering, planting the gospel in places that had not heard the Good News of Jesus dying for their sins.  He says that he has been faithful to that calling for the past 25 years, intentionally avoiding places where someone else had already planted the gospel.

But how could he say there was no more work for him to do?  The final part of this answer lies in Paul’s ministry strategy.  Paul targeted locations that were transportation and communication hubs, knowing that the gospel would spread from those hub cities to the surrounding areas.  He knew others would come after him and build on his foundation (1 Corinthians 3). 

But we are not called to a vision of geographical expansion.  Rather, we are called to contribute to fulfilling the Great Commission of discipling the nations by raising up spiritual generations of disciplemakers.  We are not seeking to add more ministry locations to our ministry map. 

Our ministry locations are a means to an end – more trained disciplemakers.  As we raise up these spiritual multipliers, we will see geographical expansion.  But it is not our goal, nor is it a measure of our success to add more brightly colored pins to our ministry map.  Ministry locations will come and go.  We are trusting God to raise up those with vision and skill to reproduce their spiritual lives in others.  These fruitful disciplemakers are the measure of our ministry success.