LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP PROJECT
“THE SHEPHERDS OF LESOTHO”
A PAPER
SUBMITTED TO DR. STEPHEN PARKS
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE
GLOBAL STUDIES SURVEY
GLST500_D15
BY
JONATHAN ST.CLAIR #25323561
MOKHOTLONG, LESOTHO
JANUARY 18, 2014
1
CONTENTS
GLOSSARY ……………………………………………………………………………… 2
INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………… 3
Chapter 1 – AN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP?……………………………………… 4
Discussion of πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ……………………………………………………… 4
Definitions of “Unreached” and “People Group” ………………………………… 6
Discernment of Barriers…………………………………………………………… 9
Summary…………………………………………………………………………… 14
Chapter 2 – A HISTORY OF MISSIONS…………………………………………………. 15
Literacy Work……………………………………………………………………… 15
Health Care………………………………………………………………………… 16
Oral Bible Projects ………………………………………………………………… 17
A Case Study ……………………………………………………………………… 19
Chapter 3 – A STRATEGY OF MISSIONS ……………………………………………… 21
Initiate Ministry Contact…………………………………………………………… 21
Contextualize Christian Community ……………………………………………… 25
Encourage Basotho Outreach……………………………………………………… 35
Summary…………………………………………………………………………… 37
CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………………………… 38
APPENDICES .…………………………………………………………………………… 39
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………………… 43
2
GLOSSARY
AIM – Africa Inland Mission
Butha-Buthe – the capital of Butha-Buthe district, northern region, a town connecting the
mountain highlands to the lowlands.
CBSS – Chronological Bible Story-Set
GSEC – Global Status of Evangelical Christianity
IMB – International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
LCWE – Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
LEC – Lesotho Evangelical Church
Maseru – the capital of Lesotho, western region, lowlands.
Molisana/Balisana (n.) [moh-dee-SAH-nah]– s./pl. Lesotho’s shepherds, approx. ages 5-60.
Mokhotlong – the capital of Mokhotlong district, eastern region, mountain highlands.
Mosotho/Basotho (n./adj.) [muh-SOO-too] – s./pl. natives of Lesotho
Rondavel – a round, thatched-roof hut commonly found in Southern Africa.
Sesotho (n.) [seh-SOO-too] – Southern Sotho, the native language spoken in Lesotho.
SWG – Strategic Working Group (Lausanne 1982)
Thaba Tseka – the capital of Thaba Tseka district, central-eastern region, mountain highlands.
TIMO – Training in Ministry Outreach, AIM’s two-year missionary training program.
3
INTRODUCTION
Since the year 1833, the kingdom of Lesotho has had a missionary presence.1 These first
missionaries were a trio from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society and their pioneering
work in Lesotho is responsible for today’s seminary in Morija, its corresponding printing house,
and the establishment of the Lesotho Evangelical Church, the country’s second largest Christian
denomination.2 Somewhat atypically, these missionaries were (arguably) quite sensitive to and
appreciative of the Basotho culture and genuinely sought to see Christianity develop in a
contextualized form. Being invited at the request of Lesotho’s great founding chief, Moshoeshoe
I, the Frenchmen were handed a platform for significant impact and they used it well (though
Moshoeshoe himself never really converted to Christianity).3 Despite the widespread acceptance
of Christianity, however, one group remains distant and ostracized, among whom few known
believers exist. This paper is a strategy proposal for beginning a church planting movement
among the balisana (shepherds) of Lesotho through the combined efforts of foreign missionaries
and the national Basotho believers by sending a team of young men to live among the shepherds,
become incarnational Christians, and share contextualized chronological Bible storying. This
study will be laid out in three chapters. Chapter 1 will seek to answer the question of whether
the balisana are really an unreached people group. Chapter 2 will examine the history of mission
work done among them. Chapter 3 will lay out the above strategy as a practical action plan.
1
D. Fred Ellenberger, History of the Basuto: Ancient and Modern (Morija, LS: Morija Printing Works, 1912), 236.
Jason Mandryk, Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide To Every Nation, 7th ed. (Colorado Springs, CO:
GMI, 2010), 531.
3
Ntsu Mokhehle, Moshoeshoe I Profile: Se-Moshoeshoe (Morija, LS: Mmoho Publications, 1976), xiii-xviii.
2
4
Chapter 1
AN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP?
Prior to looking at any past or potential mission work among the shepherds, a crucial
question must be answered: “Are the shepherds of Lesotho to be considered an unreached people
group?” This is a question currently under discussion by Africa Inland Mission as they prepare
to directly engage the balisana. Much has been made (rightfully so) of the focus on “unreached
people groups” since Ralph Winter’s momentous address to the 1974 Lausanne Congress on
World Evangelization.4 Yet there remain significant differences in how mission leaders define
the terms “unreached” and “people group.” The answer to whether or not the shepherds of
Lesotho are an unreached people group will have a tremendous effect on AIM’s mission strategy
and on the spiritual condition and potentially the eternal destiny of the balisana.
Discussion of πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
The first task in determining this answer is to define the mandate of missions as revealed
in the Bible. Each of the four gospels and Acts record a version of Christ’s “Great Commission”
and there is something to be learned from each of these (Mt 28:18–20, Mk 16:15–16, Lk 24:46–
49, Jn 20:21, Ac 1:8.).5 Central to these passages is the command to make disciples of the whole
world. Within two of these passages, Matthew and Luke, the phrase used is πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
(panta ta ethnē), translated in most English versions as “all nations.” This phrase is the key to
understanding the scope of the mandate. If this phrase can be shown to include the shepherds of
Lesotho, the corresponding commands would extend equally to any mission effort among them.
4
Donald R. Dunavant, “Unevangelized,” in Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, Baker Reference Library,
ed. A. Scott Moreau, Harold Netland, and Charles van Engen (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 981.
5
David J. Hesselgrave, “The Great Commission,” in Moreau, Netland, and van Engen, 412.
5
The most thorough study of this phrase has been presented in John Piper’s Let the
Nations Be Glad. The English interpretation of ἔθνη can be misleading in our modern
terminology and, according to Winter, it misdirected mission strategies for decades (more
below). Piper studies the use of ἔθνη both in the New Testament and in the Old Testament
Septuagint, seeking to answer if the mandate of missons is to reach as many individuals as
possible, to reach all “fields,” or to reach all “people groups.”6 To begin with, the singular use of
ἔθνος always refers to a people group or nation, never an individual.7 However, the plural use of
ἔθνη often refers to people groups, but occasionally indicates Gentile individuals.8 Because of
this textual ambiguity, Piper examines every New Testament use of Matthew’s exact phrase
πάντα τὰ ἔθνη and sums them up in this conclusion:
The phrase panta ta ethnē must refer to Gentile individuals only once but must refer to
people groups nine times. The remaining eight uses may refer to people groups. The
combination of these results suggests that the meaning of panta ta ethnē leans heavily in
the direction of “all the nations (people groups).” It cannot be said with certainty that this
phrase always carries this meaning wherever it is used, but it is far more likely that it
does in view of what we have seen so far.9
Furthermore, throughout the LXX’s nearly 100 uses of πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, it virtually never means
Gentile individuals but always speaks of people groups outside of Israel.10 The study of this
phrase, then, indicates that the Great Commission is best understood as a mandate to reach all
people groups in the world – not all geopolitical nation-states – though there is a remote
possibility that the commission also means to reach individuals throughout the world. One must
now consider: 1) what defines a people group and 2) when they have been reached.
6
John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010), 181.
Ibid., 183.
8
Ibid., 184.
9
Ibid., 189.
10
Ibid.
7
6
Definitions of “Unreached” and “People Group”
Missiologists have grappled with various methods of determining “unreached” status for
the past few decades. Rather than arbitrarily categorizing groups in such black-and-white,
either-or terms as “reached” and “unreached,” most experts today place people groups on a scale
from “least reached” to “most reached.”11
Unreached / Least-Reached
The Joshua Project, widely considered the leading authority on unreached people, defines
an “unreached or least-reached” (interchangeable terms) people group as one “among which
there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources
to evangelize this people group.” For the sake of global empirical research, the editorial
committee has selected the criteria “less than 2% Evangelical Christian and less than 5%
Christian Adherents.”12 Though the figures are admittedly arbitrary, the 2% evangelical
measurement has become generally accepted among the missiological community. It is
considered evidence of a root from which the indigenous church can flourish.
People Group
Similarly, many definitions have been debated about what denotes a “people group.”
Perhaps the most general consensus has been worked together by the Lausanne Committee for
World Evangelization’s Strategic Working Group (1982), which defines a people group as “a
significantly large sociological grouping of people who perceive themselves to have a common
affinity for one another . . . From the viewpoint of evangelization, this is the largest possible
group within which the Gospel can spread without encountering barriers to understanding or
11
12
Roberston McQuilkin, “Reached and Unreached Mission Fields,” in Moreau, Netland, and van Engen, 809.
The Joshua Project website, http://www.joshuaproject.net/definitions.php (accessed December 4, 2013).
7
acceptance.”13 Accepting this definition provides a solid basis for determining if the Lesotho
shepherds qualify as a people group.
Categories of People Groups
A critical distinction in people group considerations has been supplied by Winter and
Koch in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th edition.14 They identify four distinct
approaches to people group thinking – Major Cultural Blocs, Ethnolinguistic Peoples,
Sociopeoples, and Unimax Peoples (see Appendix 1). In brief, major cultural blocs divide
people by the predominant religion of their culture (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, et al.).
Ethnolinguistic peoples are self-identified with traditions of common descent, history, customs
and language. A sociopeople “is a relatively small association of peers who have an affinity for
one another based upon a shared interest, activity, or occupation.”15 A unimax people “is the
maximum sized group sufficiently unified to be the target of a single people movement to Christ .
. . there are no significant barriers of either understanding or acceptance to stop the spread of
the gospel.”16 These four groups are all seen as beneficial for different purposes. The first
provides a global level perspective and helps develop global strategies. The second helps to
mobilize and prepare people to reach certain people groups. The third provides a platform for
preliminary evangelism. The fourth facilitates genuine people movements to Christ. Groups one
and two are identifiable by available published data, while groups three and four are only
discovered through on-field realities and experience.
13
Samuel Wilson, “Peoples, People Groups,” in Moreau, Netland, and van Engen, 745.
Ralph D. Winter and Bruce A. Koch, “Finishing the Task,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A
Reader, 4th ed., ed. Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2009), 534-536.
15
Winter and Koch, 535.
16
Ibid.
14
8
While each of these understandings has its place, Winter argues that “Only one allows us
to speak of closure of the essential mission task . . . .”17 The first three groups, he says, point
toward beginnings. They provide ideas on how to begin a mission work among a people. The
fourth group (unimax) is the only one that brings an ending to the missionary task by
accomplishing the first essential step for the gospel to flourish within that people group. The
unimax approach is that which best identifies barriers to the gospel and seeks to plant the seeds
of the gospel within that group. Therefore, until each unimax group has a significant Christian
presence (2% or more), that group must be considered an unreached people group.
Categorizing Shepherds
Where, then, do the shepherds of Lesotho fit? They are not a major cultural bloc or an
ethnolinguistic people (groups 1 and 2) for both of these imply a language barrier. The balisana
speak Sesotho and have the ability to communicate with the Christianized Basotho. These
groups also are identifiable by available data yet little exists for the balisana (est. 120,000).18
Neither the Joshua Project nor GSEC lists classify the shepherds of Lesotho as an unreached
people group.19 Winter and Koch explain the absence by stating that this information “is
primarily gathered at the ethnolinguistic level and does not always reflect unimax realities.”20
The shepherds fit best into the sociopeople group for their strong affinity for one another based
upon their shared occupation. Such a group is only discovered on-site and the number of them is
generally unknown. However, upon closer examination, one might argue that the shepherds also
form their own unique unimax group.
17
Winter and Koch, 534.
John Barry, “The Shepherd Evangelists.” Africa Inland Mission website.
http://www.aimint.org/eu/explore/articles/74-the-shepherd-evangelists (accessed December 4, 2013).
19
The Joshua Project website, http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php; also Global Status of Evangelical
Christianity (IMB) website, http://public.imb.org/globalresearch/Pages/ResearchData.aspx (accessed December 4,
2013).
20
Winter and Koch, 539.
18
9
There is little question whether or not the shepherds are unreached. John Barry, AIM’s
Southern Region Executive Officer, lived in Lesotho for eight years connecting in various ways
to the shepherd outreach. He considers the shepherds unreached as a subculture with little
Christian witness, access to Scripture, or worshipping communities, but not as a distinct people
group because of their connections to families “that transcend their identity and role as
shepherds.”21 This familial connection is verified by a recent CNN article that claims “their
income is often the only means of support for their families.”22 Merrill Short, another AIM
member, has worked with the shepherds for 18 of her 23 years living in Lesotho. She also
believes the shepherds to be unreached “because they do not have a viable church, or access to
one.”23 Thus, the balisana are certainly unreached by the LCWE standards (<2% evangelical).
From everybody interviewed for this study, no more than five known balisana are believers. The
crucial question, from a missional standpoint, is whether or not the shepherds constitute a
unimax people group.
Discerning Barriers
The key element in identifying unimax groups is to identify barriers. In this case, one is
not identifying barriers to the gospel in general, but barriers between the balisana and their
nearest cultural neighbors, the Basotho. The rest of the Basotho have a viable evangelical
presence and even a majority Christian adherence. They are a “reached” or “most reached”
people group. But are the barriers between the Basotho and the balisana significant enough to
hinder the flow of the gospel? If so, then the balisana must be considered a separate unimax
21
John Barry, email interview by author, November 23, 2013.
Keisha Porter and Jenny Soffel, “Prince to the rescue of child shepherds in the ‘Sky Kingdom,’” CNN, September
26, 2013, under “Inside Africa,” http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/africa/prince-rescue-child-shepherdslesotho/ (accessed December 4, 2013).
23
Merrill Short, email interview by author, December 2, 2013.
22
10
group from the Basotho and, therefore, an unreached people group. In his 1974 address to the
LCWE (mentioned above), Ralph Winter argued for the significance of “cultural distance” as
much as linguistic distance. He observed, “for the purpose of defining evangelistic strategy, any
kind of obstacle, any kind of communication barrier affecting evangelism is significant.”24 His
argument is based on the Acts 1:8 version of the Great Commission, stating that the progression
Jerusalem > Judea > Samaria > the ends of the earth speaks not of geography, nor language, nor
prejudice, but of cultural distance.25
This argument led to Winter’s classification of three levels of evangelism – a scale from
E-1 to E-3.26 E-1 evangelism involves taking the gospel to people of one’s own culture and
language; E-2 evangelism takes the gospel to people of a “near neighbor” culture or language; E3 evangelism takes the gospel to people of a totally foreign culture and language. These levels
are arranged according to their difficulty and effectiveness. E-3 is the most difficult and
ultimately the least effective; E-2 is less difficult and more effective; E-1 is the least difficult and
most effective form of evangelism. Winter summarizes:
The master pattern of the expansion of the Christian movement is first for special E-2 and
E-3 efforts to cross cultural barriers into new communities and to establish strong, ongoing, vigorously evangelizing denominations, and then for that national church to carry
the work forward on the really high-powered E-1 level. We are thus forced to believe that
until every tribe and tongue has a strong, powerfully evangelizing church in it, and thus
an E-1 witness within it, E-2 and E-3 efforts coming from outside are still essential and
highly urgent.27
This evangelism scale will be revisited and specifically applied to the Lesotho shepherd
community at the end of this study.
24
Ralph D. Winter, “The New Macedonia,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 349.
Ibid., 351.
26
Ibid., 349-353.
27
Ibid., 353.
25
11
Here the question must be answered whether the barriers between the Basotho and the
balisana are significant enough to hinder the free flow of the gospel. Another way to ask the
question is to ask if the typical Basotho church is one in which the herd boys would self-identify
and understand and accept the gospel. It is nearly impossible to answer this question in the
affirmative.
Religious Barriers
According to Operation World, 89.3% of the Basotho population claim to be Christian,
though “most were never fully converted.”28 The three largest denominations – Catholic (56%),
LEC (15%), Anglican (6%) – are very traditional and largely nominal. They have been
described as “maintaining the religious status quo with marginal redemptive impact on
society.”29 If this description is accurate, 77% of the Basotho Christians are unlikely to actively
evangelize the shepherds and 77% of the Basotho churches are unlikely to welcome any
shepherds who sought them out. This leaves only 12.3 % of Basotho Christians to potentially
breach the barriers to the shepherds.
Educational Barriers
Barry has also pointed out some significant barriers between the shepherds and the
churches: “The church in Lesotho is very literacy-based . . . This does leave many shepherds
beyond the reach of the mainstream church.”30 Thus a shepherd who entered a Basotho church
would not be able to participate in the worship, because they cannot read the Lifela Tsa Sione
hymn book, nor to follow the liturgy written in the Tsebeletso, nor to study the sermon text in the
28
Mandryk, 531.
Ibid., 532.
30
John Barry, “Set Apart: Shepherd Boys of Lesotho,” Africa Inland Mission website, Vimeo video file, 2:30,
http://www.aimint.org/usa/explore/videos/143-lesothos-shepherds (accessed December 9, 2013).
29
12
Bibele ea Halalelang. This illiteracy of the balisana has been a target of both mission and
government efforts (see Chapter 2), but still the shepherds are oral learners and prefer concrete
modes of learning (stories and symbols) to abstract, theoretical concepts (outlined sermons and
written literature).31 Therefore, the shepherds to not have adequate education to understand the
gospel as presented in the Basotho church.
Geographic Barriers
Geographic barriers often separate the balisana from the churches.32 This is not the case
with all of the shepherds. Cattle, goats, sheep, and their shepherds can be found in all parts of
the kingdom of Lesotho. Some, therefore, dwell close to the Basotho and their churches and
others live far away from any Basotho and any church. The practical consideration for
evangelism is that even if the Basotho are moved to reach out to the shepherds, they are likely to
reach those closest to them geographically. Those who are isolated from the Basotho
communities are less likely to even have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
Cultural Barriers
In addition to these, cultural barriers have been identified between the Basotho and the
balisana. Jo Fernandez, 20-year AIM missionary to Lesotho, spoke of ancestor worship,
initiation rites, witchcraft, marijuana, and sexual practices that cause the Basotho to shun contact
with the shepherds.33 Barry notes that the Church’s official “rejection of circumcision and those
who have attended circumcision school” pushes the shepherds even further away, for they hold
31
Tom Steffen, “Why Communicate the Gospel through Stories?,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 440-441.
Barry, “Shepherd Evangelists”; also Short, email interview; also Jo Fernandez, interview by author, Maseru, LS,
December 7, 2013.
33
Fernandez, Interview.
32
13
tightly to these ancient ancestral traditions.34 Some of these cultural practices were also
practiced by the Basotho prior to their becoming Christians or “Christianized,” so they are not
entirely misunderstood, though they are now rejected. The sad fact also is that many nominal
Basotho Christians still practice some of the demonic traditions, only underground because of
their formal rejection by the Church. As the LCWE’s “Willowbank Report” states, “Sometimes
people resist the gospel not because they think it false but because they perceive it as a threat to
their culture.”35
Social Barriers
Even social barriers divide the shepherds from society, as some of them will spend 10 to
15 years apart, visiting home only once or twice a year for a weekend. The shepherds are often
shunned for their poor hygiene.36 While the Basotho generally admire the shepherds for their
survival skills, shepherds are still marginalized and stereotyped as thieves, “inspiring an
awkward respect and fear in villagers.”37 Eugene Nida has recognized the importance of
communicating the gospel within and across existing social structures:
If a missionary is to be successful in communicating, he must recognize the distinctions
that exist between various classes of people and make his message applicable to their
circumstances and transmittable by means of their traditional networks of
communication. Each class or sub-culture must be reached within the contexts of its own
life.38
Overcoming Barriers
These factors create significant barriers to the gospel for the shepherds. Though not
insurmountable (see “A Case Study” below), these barriers make it unlikely that the shepherds
34
Barry, Interview.
The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, “The Willowbank Report,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 512.
36
Short, Interview.
37
Barry, Interview; also Barry, “Shepherd Evangelists”; also Short, Interview.
38
Eugene A. Nida, “Communication and Social Stucture,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 464.
35
14
would ever accept the message of the gospel as presented to them by the Basotho believers. The
question is not even whether the Basotho will reach out to the shepherds, but whether the
shepherds as a group will “understand and accept” the gospel from the Basotho. Though the
question may not be answered dogmatically, the significance of these barriers must not be
glossed over. It is nearly impossible for an expatriate to fully grasp the depth of ingrained
prejudices and equally difficult to objectively assess one’s own. The balisana are unlikely to
experience a people movement to Christ until the gospel penetrates and takes root within their
own unimax subculture.39 Thus, it is better to err on the side of overplaying barriers and
targeting each group individually than to allow “hidden people” to slip by while missiologists
proclaim the task of missions complete.
Summary
To conclude the argument, the Great Commission gives the mandate to reach all people
groups, but could also mean the evangelization of individuals. The balisana should be
considered a people group in that the barriers which exist between them and the rest of the
Basotho create significant hindrances to the gospel – making the balisana a separate unimax
group. The task of missions will not be completed until the gospel has taken root within every
unimax people group. Therefore, the Great Commission gives, at the least, a provision for
mission among the shepherds, by reaching them individually, and, at the most, a specific charge
to reach the shepherds as a separate and unique people group. Upon this conclusion, AIM is
fully justified in every effort to plant the church among the unreached shepherds of Lesotho.
39
Gary R. Corwin, Gary B. McGee, and A. Scott Moreau, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and
Practical Survey, ed. A. Scott Moreau, Encountering Mission (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 295.
15
Chapter 2
A HISTORY OF MISSIONS
The work done thus far in the effort to reach shepherds for Christ has been varied, if not
extensive. The mission strategies already used could be summarized as literacy work, health
care, and oral Bible projects. Each of these ministries will be surveyed here, along with a brief
assessment of its effectiveness.
Literacy Work
Literacy seems to have been the most widespread work done among the shepherds thus
far, by both Christian and secular ministries. Over 15 years ago, AIM missionaries began a
number of literacy schools among the shepherds in the Mokhotlong district, teaching the
shepherds to read and write, eventually seeing around 26 schools operating and over 450 in
attendance.40 Sentebale, the charity organized by England’s Prince Harry and Lesotho’s Prince
Seeiso, is also currently in the process of establishing night schools to meet the educational needs
of the herd boys.41 The Catholic Church also runs a vocational school in Thaba Tseka. These
schools also seek to provide a social environment for interaction among the balisana that they
often miss in the isolation of their work, further evidence of their cultural distance from Basotho.
These methods are well intentioned and could prove to make a difference after many
years of hard work. They follow the largely secular model of education for education’s sake,
with the assumption that a better-educated person will inevitably have a better life thereafter.
They are also logically sound, for teaching the shepherds to read and write would open up to
them the Bibele ea Halalelang (Sesotho Bible) and give them the potential to more clearly
40
41
Barry, “Set Apart”; also Barry, Interview.
Porter and Soffel, “Inside Africa.”
16
understand the gospel presented in the Basotho churches. However, they are not (arguably) the
most effective. They overlook the fact that oral learners remain oral learners even after they
have become “literate” and prefer oral communication to written.42 In Short’s assessment, these
methods have been “minimally effective” and Barry says they are “of varying quality and
effectiveness in terms of educational progress and witness.”43 Some more powerful, culturally
relevant methods will be discussed below.
Health Care
A second general category of mission to the shepherds could be classified as health care.
This is not meant to imply setting up hospitals and clinics. It is more of a health awareness and
education program, though it seemed distinct enough to separate it from literacy education
efforts. Jayne Wilkins is a medical professional (R.N.) with AIM who works with HIV/AIDS
victims, establishing support groups and giving health awareness services. Her work in the
mountain communities has also included the shepherds, encouraging them to be tested for HIV
and learn to protect themselves against infection. Wilkins also works with a coalition of pastors
and is seeking to encourage them to reach out to the shepherds and find ways to incorporate them
into their churches (more below). WorldVision has also done a health-related outreach to the
shepherds. This program’s primary purpose is child protection, but it is accomplished through
educating the shepherds (too often the perpetrators of rape and child molestation) on HIV/AIDS
and human dignity and respect.
These health-related programs are currently underway, so it is difficult to assess their
effectiveness by proven results thus far. In addition, because their primary focus is on physical
42
43
Intentional Orality Network, “Making Disciples of Oral Learners,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 439.
Short, Interview.
17
needs more than spiritual needs, these ministries will serve best as a complement to a churchplanting movement rather than a means to it.
Oral Bible Projects
In recent years, mission strategies to the balisana have taken a dramatic step forward.
While older methods have sought to introduce the shepherds to new skills and practices, the most
recent mission work has sought to use their natural skills and practices to introduce them to the
gospel – namely, through oral Bible projects and storytelling. The shepherds have a highly oral
culture, transmitting beliefs, heritage, and values by “stories, proverbs, poetry, chants, music,
dances, ceremonies, and rites of passage.” As oral learners, the shepherds are “those people who
learn best and whose lives are most likely to be transformed when instruction comes in oral
forms.”44 Modern mission projects have come to respect this difference and use it to advantage.
MegaVoice
One such project is called MegaVoice, a company creating solar-powered audio players
with Bible content translated into indigenous languages.45 This project began in 1988 and hopes
to distribute its one-millionth MegaVoice player in 2013. MegaVoice loads the MP3 players
with “The Story of Jesus” (audio version of the Jesus Film), the New Testament, gospel
messages called “Good News” and “Words for Life,” and any personal audio content mission
organizations wish to include in their ministries. In Lesotho, the MegaVoice project has
specifically targeted the shepherds in Lesotho’s mountain district of Thaba Tseka.46 Jakob Jan
Heemstra, a missionary from the Netherlands, has been leading outreaches to the shepherds for
44
Intentional Orality Network, 437.
MegaVoice website, http://megavoice.com/ (accessed December 10, 2013).
46
Jakob Jan Heemstra, MegaVoice website, YouTube video file, 2:01, http://bit.ly/MegaVoice_video (accessed
December 10, 2013).
45
18
the past four years. “Shepherds here, they see God in everything around them; they are very
close to nature.”47 As a result of the MegaVoice project the shepherd boys are beginning to ask
questions about who Jesus is, saying they are not familiar with these things. The MegaVoice
strategy is to use mass distribution of the audio players, seeking to follow up the content with
personal contact from local pastors and missionaries.
Chronological Bible Story-Set
A second oral Bible project has taken the contextualization of the gospel even further.
For the past two years, AIM missionaries Merrill Short and Bekah Larson have been working
together with a Mosotho believer, Khothalo Mohapeloa, and IMB storying consultant Tom
Ferguson to develop a chronological Bible story-set made for shepherds by shepherds. The
project is a collection of 31 stories considered “necessary to understand the Gospel and make a
decision to follow Jesus.”48 These stories were “pre-crafted” by the missionary team and then
told to the shepherds. Each of the shepherds was then asked to repeat the story in his own words.
These recorded stories were assessed for theological accuracy, measured against a biblical
worldview, and tested for memorability. Lastly, the final approved stories were professionally
recorded and transcribed to maintain consistency as they are passed on to future storytellers.
These stories have also been stored on solar-powered MP3 players for the storytellers’ reference.
In contrast to the MegaVoice approach of mass distribution, the Chronological Bible Story-Set
requires personal, ongoing interaction with the same group of shepherds over a significant period
of time.49 This allows for relationships to develop between the storyteller and the shepherds and
47
Heemstra, 2:01.
Merrill Short, Khothalo Mohapeloa, and Bekah Larson, Chronological Bible Story-Set for Shepherds (Maseru,
LS: AIM, 2013), 1.
49
Ibid.
48
19
opportunity for true discipleship as the shepherds systematically assess their own worldview in
light of hearing the Scriptures explained in their own language and context.
This oral approach carries the most potential for the gospel to take root in an indigenous
people movement to Christ among the balisana. In essence, the gospel has now been spoken in
their language, not only their dialect – in their own words, not only in Sesotho. The Bible story
recordings have become a virtual Christian molisana, enabling the missionary storyteller to speak
as would a shepherd who has given his life to Christ. This story-set is an indispensable tool to
future mission outreach among the shepherds and will be incorporated into the proposed strategy.
A Case Study
In the research for this study, one very recent instance was found that may serve as a case
study for mission among the shepherds. Glenn Gault, who has worked in Lesotho for 13 years
with Hope International Mission, knows of one shepherd who was reached with the gospel by the
pastor of an evangelical church near Maseru.50 In this instance, a Mosotho pastor sought out a
shepherd in a nearby grazing field and shared the gospel with him as he tended his flocks. This
shepherd’s family belonged to the pastor’s church, so the shepherd attended the following
Sunday as well. Upon hearing the gospel and giving his life to Christ, he continued on with his
work and began to create songs about the message he has just received. Through his example
and his songs, three more shepherds came to know Christ. These wanted to pray with a pastor to
receive Christ, so they showed up at the church at the end of November 2013 wearing their
shepherd’s gumboots and ski masks, but had replaced their traditional blankets with suit jackets.
Of these four balisana believers, two are now school students and two are still shepherds.
50
Glenn Gault, interview by author, Ha Penapena, LS, December 8, 2013.
20
This encouraging story supports several significant points. One, the barriers between the
balisana and the Basotho can be bridged. As Barry suggested, it was the molisana’s connection
to his family that connected him to the church. Two, cultural barriers were evident in the fact
that the shepherds did not feel welcome in the church in their traditional clothing; they felt the
need to dress in certain “church attire.” Gault even suggested that the reason the church received
them at all was that the pastor had been preaching specifically on how to reach out to the
shepherds, so the congregation was somewhat prepared. Note also that this occurred at an
evangelical church outside the mainline denominations (part of the 12.3%, not the 77%). Three,
the barriers that may have hindered the shepherd’s understanding or acceptance of the gospel
were breached. Four, the first shepherd was only reached by someone going to him; he did not
enter the church on his own initiative. Five, the rapid spread of the gospel from one to four
believers was accomplished through oral transmission of the gospel by songs and by someone
within their group taking the first step. Thus, the shepherds constitute a unique unimax people
group because the barriers that exist could hinder the gospel’s understanding or acceptance.
However, there is still hope that the balisana’s “nearest neighbors,” the Basotho, could play a key
role in reaching them through E-2 evangelism.
21
Chapter 3
A STRATEGY OF MISSIONS
The development of a mission strategy must begin with a clearly defined goal. For this
study the goal is to begin a church-planting movement among the balisana. Perhaps a disciplemaking movement is a clearer way to define this, as it more accurately describes the principles
employed with the shepherds.51 The Greek word for “church” (ἐκκλησία) means “an assembly
of Christians” or a gathering of disciples; thus, the terms “church planting” and “disciple
making” will be used interchangeably here.52 This strategy will be pursued by initiating ministry
contact, contextualizing Christian community, and encouraging Basotho outreach.
Initiate Ministry Contact
To begin a disciple-making movement among the shepherds it will be necessary to go to
them. AIM is currently in the process of raising a team of young men for this task (labeled a
TIMO team – Training in Ministry Outreach). While a single storyteller could be enough to
begin this task, from a missional standpoint, a team of several is more likely to be successful. In
this context, the team members must be men and most likely single, for they will live among the
shepherds for long periods of time. Between four and eight men should be sought.
Preparation
In preparation for the work, each of the team members should be trained in orality and
storying, begin memorizing the Chronological Bible Story-Set for Shepherds, practice Sesotho,
and receive a solar-powered MP3 player. Perhaps AIM should even seek a partnership with
51
Jerry Trousdale, Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 16.
52
James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
22
MegaVoice to purchase the team members MP3 players including the CBSS with their preloaded
content. This would open up access to the entire New Testament and “Story of Jesus” as well.
Without attempting to give a full explanation of what should be included in the TIMO team’s
preparation, the team should be well informed with all available information about the shepherd
life in Lesotho and what type of living situation they may expect. Though all cross-cultural
ministry will require some degree of living adjustments, this ministry team should be especially
prepared to expect an extremely rural life.
Duration
The length of time that should be planned for the team’s ministry is difficult to determine
objectively. No one is ever able to predict how quickly the gospel may find fertile soil and take
root. AIM’s TIMO program is designed to last for two years and this time seems sufficient to
plan for the balisana team. Where further missionary work is deemed necessary after the
completion of two years, further teams can be sent to build upon the work already done (these
are labeled Curriculum-Based Teams).
Location
The target location for the mission must also be chosen. Since the balisana may be found
in all regions of the country, the location must be planned strategically, based on three main
factors – infiltration, concentration, isolation. On a large scale, the balisana form a relatively
equal community of peers; no particular location wields influence over another and there is little
hierarchy to speak of, though the aged and experienced shepherds tend to carry more respect and
authority.53 No geographic location, therefore, provides a more significant platform for
infiltrating the shepherd culture than do others. The concentration of shepherds in particular
53
Barry, Interview.
23
regions may vary depending on the time of year, the weather conditions, and temperatures.
During the winter months, the nomadic shepherds may seek the warmer temperatures of lower
altitudes, vice versa over the summer. During a rainy season, the grazing for flocks is probably
equally good across the country, but in a drought like this year’s, the only water and greenest
fields will be found in the lowlands. Perhaps the congestion of families and herds in the lowland
towns would also drive many shepherds to keep their flocks spread across the mountains where
fewer animals graze. Obviously, the team would like to choose a location where there is a higher
concentration of shepherds to impact, but because this may vary in many ways, it is not the most
important factor to consider. The best consideration, then, is the degree to which shepherds are
separated from contact with the Basotho, particularly the churches. As seen in the case study
above, the Basotho church could potentially carry the gospel to the balisana, so the mission team
ought to target the regions most isolated from churches.
Considering all of these factors, the proposed location for this outreach team to begin is
in the Drakensberg mountain range between Butha-Buthe and Mokhotlong. This stretch of
mountains is sparsely populated.54 Over the 170-kilometer drive between these two district
capitals, one will pass the village of Moteng at the base of the mountains, the tiny mountain
retreat of Oxbow, the AfriSki tourist resort, the workers’ housing by Letseng diamond mine, and
the village of Mapholaneng. Few, if any, churches can be found along this route, though
shepherds and flocks may be spotted around every curve. Here the shepherds are entirely
without contact – unless someone seeks them out.
54
Barry, “Set Apart.”
24
Investigation
The final key point in initiating ministry contact is to seek out the “person of peace” in
this region.55 This could possibly be done by a preliminary survey team or by the TIMO team as
they move into the mountains. The concept of the “person (or people) of peace” is based on
Jesus’ instructions when He sent out the twelve and the seventy-two disciples in Matthew 10 and
Luke 10. The person of peace is the one whose heart God has already prepared to receive the
gospel. Practically speaking, this will be a person who receives and welcomes the messenger
into his house and opens his circle of influence to hear the message. According to Jesus’
instructions, the messenger is to “remain in the same house . . . Do not go house to house” (Lk
10:7, ESV). This order is not meant to limit the circle of influence or ministry, but to ensure the
depth of discipleship by ongoing relationship and teaching with those who are prepared to listen.
This step involves looking around, communicating with people, investigating where God has
already been at work, and seeking to build upon that work.
An excellent example of this “person of peace” was recently shared by John Barry at a
regional AIM conference.56 In an exploratory trip for the future TIMO team’s ministry, AIM
Lesotho leaders hiked through the mountains dressed like the balisana, praying for God’s
direction as they walked. Coming upon a rondavel located on top of a mountain near Oxbow,
the men greeted the house and were welcomed inside. The owner of the hut told the men that he
was the chief of that region. He had seen them walking through the valley and had put food on
the fire, hoping they would come to him. The men then shared their purpose for exploring the
valley and told the chief one of the first stories of the CBSS, which he listened to with eagerness.
55
Trousdale, 90-97.
John Barry, “Expressing Priority” (lecture, Africa Inland Mission, Johannesburg, South Africa, November 13,
2013).
56
25
Upon hearing the story and the plans to send a team, the chief’s comment was, “I never thought
you would come to us all the way up here in the mountains.”
Such is the person of peace. He or she is one whom God has prepared ahead of time, by
what seem to be circumstantial coincidences, to hear the gospel message and be willing to
receive it. He is one who will open his home and his circle of influence to hearing the gospel
message. So whether the TIMO team returns to this exact valley near Oxbow or feel led of God
to a different area, this is the type of person whom they must seek to begin their ministry.
Contextualize Christian Community
What, then, is the primary method of ministry for this disciple-making team? It is to
contextualize a Christian community with and for the shepherds. To merely speak the gospel
message is not enough; the shepherds must be shown how the gospel applies to their lives and
speaks to their needs. In the same way, God the Father “did not just send a message; he sent his
Son. It will never be adequate to simply deliver a message in an isolated or disengaged manner,
disregarding the needs of the hearers.”57
Goals
As mentioned above, the goal of this mission work is to begin a church-planting/disciplemaking movement among the balisana. “The task of missions is the creation and expansion of
kingdom communities among all the peoples of the earth.”58 The primary task of this team of
young men is to live among the shepherds, modeling what the kingdom life looks like and
inviting the shepherds to join it.
57
Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy C. Tennent, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations,
Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues, ed. A. Scott Moreau, Encountering Mission (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 99.
58
Ott, Strauss, and Tennent, 156.
26
To be specific, what is sought after is a genuine “people movement” to Christ among the
balisana. This term, coined by Donald McGavran in The Bridges of God in 1955, describes how
whole peoples become Christian.59 In a genuine people movement, the gospel typically spreads
through family connections, collective decision-making, and “spontaneous expansion.”60 When
a people group is truly converted to Christ, “the new Christians will seldom see a missionary.”61
This is the end goal of this mission effort – that the balisana will be converted to Christ and reach
other balisana by their example and their testimony.
Strategy
The model followed in this strategy is known as the “incarnational model.” This concept
is based on John 17:18 and 20:21, where Jesus prayed concerning His disciples, “As you sent me
into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” Though some commentators believe that this
model is a misrepresentation or misapplication of the text (“theologically and exegetically
inappropriate”),62 the incarnation of Christ does, in some respects, provide an example of a
missionary’s task and it has become widely accepted in the mission community as a model for
Christian witness. The LCWE’s Willowbank Report speaks of the nature of incarnational
ministry, reflecting on Philippians 2 and Jesus’ renunciation of privileges and identification with
the people.63 When Jesus called His disciples, His simple command was, “Follow me.”
Likewise, the TIMO men should be able to say, “Follow me,” or perhaps more appropriately,
like Paul said to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1
59
Donald A. McGavran, “The Bridges of God,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 335-346.
Roland Allen, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962), 15-16.
61
McGavran, 345.
62
Ott, Strauss, and Tennent, 103.
63
LCWE, 517-518.
60
27
Cor.11:1, NIV). The incarnational model is a way for the TIMO missionaries to show the
shepherds what a Christian shepherd’s life should look like.
This will be done in three steps – learn the shepherd life, share the gospel message, and
demonstrate a Christian shepherd life. These steps are not entirely sequential and will even
overlap, to a degree, but will follow this general pattern.
Step One: Learn the Shepherd Life
The first step is for the TIMO team to learn the shepherd life. This step may be thought
of as “Eyes and Ears.” During this time, the men watch, observe, and begin to assess the
shepherds’ worldview. Anything the TIMO men see that they don’t understand is a significant
clue into the shepherds’ minds. These observations should be logged into memory, or perhaps
even in a journal, for follow-up later. The missionaries are looking for two things here – a
positive and a negative. Negatively, they are to watch and listen for elements of the shepherds’
worldview that will hinder their acceptance of the gospel. Positively, they are to look and listen
for elements of the shepherds’ worldview that may serve as “cultural bridges” in communicating
the gospel.
“A large part of a culture in every society is usable as people within that culture begin to
follow Jesus.”64 Again, the Willowbank Report argues:
…there are features of every culture which are not incompatible with the lordship of
Christ, and which therefore need not be threatened or discarded, but rather preserved and
transformed. Messengers of the gospel need to develop a deep understanding of the local
culture, and a genuine appreciation of it. Only then will they be able to perceive whether
the resistance is to some unavoidable challenge of Jesus Christ or to some threat to the
culture which, whether imaginary or real, is not necessary.
64
Darrell L. Whiteman, “The Gospel in Human Contexts: Changing Perceptions of Contextualization,” in
MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium, ed. David J. Hesselgrave and Ed Stetzer (Nashville,
TN: B&H, 2010), 534-536.
28
The TIMO team should diligently search for these cultural bridges and seek to utilize them in
their communication of the gospel to the balisana.
A word of caution is needed here. In watching for negative elements that could hinder
the spread of the gospel, the team is to try to avoid a purely superficial analysis of the shepherds’
behavior. For example, the fact that most shepherds smoke marijuana should be noted, but not
be made a major point of emphasis in coming to Christ. This type of surface behavior is built on
an underlying worldview and when Jesus changes that worldview, we can trust that the Holy
Spirit will deal with the external behaviors as well.
Thus the goal of step one is to learn language, culture, worldview, and shepherding while
developing relationships with the shepherds and seeking to imagine what benefits or hindrances
these things may present to the shepherds’ understanding of the gospel.65
Step Two: Share the Gospel Message
The second step is for the TIMO team to share the gospel message. This step can be
thought of as “Mouth,” “Tongue,” or “Voice.” By this stage, the team has built up a level of
rapport with the balisana, who may be more open to hearing their stories. As the CBSS is being
shared, TIMO should seek to employ the Discovery Bible Study method.66 In this case, the
Bible story is shared (memorized from recording), then the shepherds are asked to repeat the
story in their own words. Next the question is asked, “If this story is true, how should we obey
its teachings?” Then the study ends by asking, “With whom will I share this story before our
next meeting?” This process is known as “obedience-based discipleship.” Its emphasis is on
65
David J. Hesselgrave, Planting Churches Cross-Culturally: North America and Beyond (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker, 2000), 164.
66
Trousdale, 192-196.
29
immediate, costly, radical obedience to God’s Word. It is also reproductive and evangelistic,
creating instant evangelists by passing on the stories that the shepherds are learning.67
As mentioned above, these steps are not entirely sequential. In other words, TIMO does
not have to wait until they perceive themselves to be at Step Two before sharing any of the
CBSS stories. At the least, a brief introduction to Jesus will probably be necessary right from the
start, for the balisana will want to know why these men are coming to live with them. Their
motivation to obey Jesus and spread His message of salvation should be made clear at the outset.
Otherwise, when TIMO begins to be share the gospel, the shepherds could actually feel betrayed
or deceived by what they perceive to be a false interest in them and a sneaky, covert attempt to
proselytize them.
Step Three: Demonstrate a Christian Shepherd’s Life
The third step of the TIMO strategy is to demonstrate a Christian shepherd’s life. This
step may be thought of as “Hands and Feet.” By this point, the TIMO men have learned how to
shepherd like the balisana. They understand why they do what they do. They have come to
appreciate the positive elements of shepherd culture and have identified any negative elements
(as much as possible; see “Critical Contextualization” below). The team members, then, live out
what a Christian molisana would look like. This is the incarnational model in action. The
shepherds will be able to see the TIMO guys living as balisana, but doing some things
differently. By this time, the desire is that the shepherds understand why the Christians are
different. Their commitment of obedience to Jesus and His teachings in the Bible direct what
they will and will not do. This is the missionary version of “Show and Tell.” The team will
67
AB (name withheld for security), “Church Planting Movements” (lecture, Africa Inland Mission, Johannesburg,
South Africa, November 11, 2013).
30
show the shepherds how to live as a Christian molisana and tell them why, whenever questions
still arise.
Roles
These three strategy steps also roughly coincide with a pattern Donald Larson has
suggested for missionary roles in a new ministry – learner, trader, storyteller.68 These roles
provide a helpful starting point for the TIMO team. Their initial role among the shepherds must
be the learner role. This role of learner will never fully end, but it cannot remain primary, for a
learner will eventually be expected to have learned. Soon the primary role transitions to a trader,
as the learner begins to exchange ideas and information with the shepherds based on their
differing cultures, worldviews, and religious beliefs. It is here that the gospel begins to be
introduced, using the CBSS. Even as TIMO is still learning the shepherd life, they should
introduce the gospel message. This step must not be assumed or overlooked. As TIMO comes
in seeking to relate to the shepherds, the shepherds should inevitably observe spiritual and
behavioral differences between themselves and the TIMO men. They must be given the
information to make the connections; they will not just know on their own accord. Nothing in
the balisana worldview would make them understand the difference that Jesus makes in the life
of a believer. As the balisana “trade” their stories and thoughts, the TIMO guys will “trade”
their testimonies and stories of God and His Word.
After this period of “trading,” the trader becomes primarily a storyteller. Having learned
the shepherds’ worldview, understanding, and patterns of thinking and feeling, the TIMO team
member is now in a position to communicate biblical truth through stories and songs in a way
that the shepherd’s can identify with (though the CBSS has already done this work, it will be
68
Donald N. Larson, “The Viable Missionary: Learner, Trader, Story Teller,” Missiology 6 (April 1978): 158-161,
quoted in Paul Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1985), 99-101.
31
doubly effective once TIMO can personally identify). It is primarily during this third role that
the TIMO team will see the CBSS most effective. Step one puts the shepherds into a position to
see men who are different; step two explains to them why the men are different; step three shows
the shepherds how they can live differently if they choose to follow Jesus. The goal of this third
role is to provide a living example of how the shepherds may live their own lives within their
own culture as followers of Christ. It seeks to answer the question, “What would a Christian
molisana look like?” By this stage, TIMO will be able to live out that sample Christian
shepherd’s life. This pattern of communication has the most potential for helping to reshape the
balisana worldview.
Worldview Transformation
Much has been said thus far about worldview, so a brief explanation is needed here. No
brief summary could fully do justice to the concept of worldview, but the following definition by
Paul Hiebert should suffice for this study: “We will, however, define the concept as . . .
‘fundamental cognitive, affective, and evaluative presuppositions a group of people make about
the nature of things, and which they use to order their lives.’”69 A worldview is basically a
people’s best attempt to define what is real, incorporating all the information gained in their life
experience, and upon this is based all that they do, feel, and think. All of the balisana practices
are based upon what they have seen, heard, and experienced in life. Their traditional practices
have been passed down through stories, songs, rituals, and rites. These practices are believed to
have worked for their ancestors, so they are carried on to this day.
Thus the shepherds must be exposed to a biblical worldview – one which sees the world
and all reality as how the Bible presents it. In this way, if the balisana will come to accept the
69
Paul Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 15.
32
Bible as truth from God, they will begin to implement its teachings, changing their practices as
their worldview changes. This is the point of the CBSS, for the Bible must be the standard of
authority. If the shepherds change their ways only because the missionaries say they should, the
gospel will be perceived as a threat to their culture and those shepherds who accept it will be
ostracized from their balisana community and seen as outsiders. But if the shepherds change
because of the Bible’s teaching – which they accept to be true – their change will be permanent
and will spread naturally through their social connections.
To use Hiebert’s highly technical explanation, the shepherds’ worldview is composed of
data points – represented as a series of dots arranged in a particular fashion on a page. From
these they perceive a particular pattern to include all of the dots. But as TIMO comes in, they
expose the balisana to new data points. The shepherds now accept facts from the Bible that must
be included in their understanding, even as some data points they previously included must be
deleted (see chapter 11 of Transforming Worldviews).70 Thus as more and more biblical
teaching is passed along, the shepherds’ worldview becomes more and more aligned with the
biblical worldview.
Critical Contextualization
Over the course of time, the prayer of the mission team is that God will use their efforts
to win converts to Christ among the balisana. No strategy may predict when or how this will
take place, but it will be a distinct moment of decision for the shepherds, perhaps individually or
more likely corporately. This is the point where the shepherds understand the gospel, their need
for a savior, the repentance of sins, and make the decision to follow Christ and obey His
commands. When a group decides to make this choice, they will become the first balisana
70
Hiebert, 307-335.
33
church. The team should rejoice with the new believers and immediately organize them into a
group, appointing leaders as appropriate through local standards, and baptizing all who come to
Christ in obedience. This group will then become the key to all future balisana outreach. They
will become the leading faces of the people movement to Christ and the senior group of disciples
among the shepherds.
Another concept made popular by Hiebert will also be of use to the TIMO team. Here
the missionary begins to operate in another role, as a change agent, and begins a process known
as critical contextualization, “whereby old beliefs and customs are neither rejected nor accepted
without examination.”71 This process is not dissimilar to what the TIMO team has been doing in
Step One of the strategy, only this time it involves the shepherd disciples. The process takes
each traditional practice, seeks full understanding of it, studies all relevant biblical passages,
evaluates the practice based on Scripture, and then decides as a congregation whether to accept
or reject or modify the practice.72 This critical contextualization can often make the missionaries
nervous, for not knowing what the outcome will be and what decisions will be made. But this is
a very necessary part of the development of the indigenous church. Occasionally, perhaps, the
missionaries will not agree with the decisions made by the new disciples, but as Hiebert
observes: “…it is important, as far as conscience allows, to accept the decisions of the local
Christians and to recognize that they, too, are led by the Spirit of God. Leaders must grant others
the greatest right they reserve for themselves, the right to make mistakes.”73
Charles Kraft points out that contextualizing Christianity always involves risk. The risk
of syncretism, “the mixing of Christians assumptions with those worldview assumptions that are
71
Paul Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1985), 186.
Ibid., 171-192.
73
Ibid., 190.
72
34
incompatible with Christianity so that the result is not biblical Christianity,” is always present.74
Yet it involves the same struggle that has faced missionaries since Paul began his travels in the
first century A.D. (Acts 15). Kraft concludes: “Though the risk of syncretism is always present
when Christians attempt to inculturate Christianity, it is a risk that needs to be taken in order that
people experience New Testament Christianity.”75
Cautions
As this study comes to a close, a few warnings need to be given. Particularly in the
beginning stages of ministry to the shepherds, the TIMO team should be careful not to overcontextualize, by participating in practices that would damage their testimony or blur the
distinction between them and the unsaved balisana. If, for example, the TIMO men should join
the balisana in drinking joala or smoking daga, the shepherds could later have difficulty doing
critical contextualization on such behavioral matters, for they remember the TIMO guys also
doing them. With some other practices, such as the initiation rites of circumcision school, TIMO
is unlikely to encounter this decision, for they are kept very secret. Even in the research for this
paper, little information was gathered on circumcision school, because the shepherds are sworn
to secrecy under threat of death. They will not likely invite the TIMO men to be part of these
rites, no matter how much they trust them. If they did, of course, the men should refuse to
participate. Another caution, related to language, is to be careful about equating terms that seem
to be related. For example, Molimo (“God”) and Balimo (“ancestral spirits, gods”) are very
different terms that must be clearly distinguished at every opportunity. This need for good
linguistic skills leads well into the final step of this strategy – to encourage Basotho involvement
in the balisana outreach.
74
75
Charles H. Kraft, “Culture, Worldview and Contextualization,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 405.
Ibid., 405.
35
Exit Plan
To conclude and make this strategy effective, an exit plan must be proposed. This task
should not be too difficult. The TIMO team should take leadership for as little a time as
possible. The goal is for the shepherds to receive the gospel, choose to follow Christ, and
continue in obedience to Him and evangelism of other shepherds. As soon as possible, TIMO
should seek to gather the balisana disciples into groups and appoint leaders among them. Both
TIMO and the shepherds should then divide and spread through the region to start more clusters
of disciples. By the end of the two-year period, the hope is that the Lord will have established
several balisana churches that will take the work forward as TIMO disbands and returns home.
This will be the evidence of a true church-planting, disciple-making movement.
Encourage Basotho Outreach
The final step in this strategy is to encourage Basotho outreach among the shepherds.
This is a work to be done by any other missionaries working with Basotho churches. Though it
has been argued that the balisana are a separate unimax group from the Basotho, it has also been
shown that the gap between them can be bridged. The Basotho are clearly the shepherds’
“nearest neighbors” and they would have much less of a cultural distance to cross than any
foreign missionary team. Because the initiative to reach the shepherds is apparently lacking in
most Basotho churches, that initiative must come from the TIMO team. The ideal, however, is to
seek to transfer that vision to the local believers by speaking out, working together and praying
for God’s Spirit to move.
AIM missionaries working with Basotho churches ought to keep missions at the forefront
of their interactions. The task of missions is to “reach the unreached” among all people groups
36
of the world and national missionaries will usually be the most effective in accomplishing this.76
Though hidden from westerners for over a decade, it is now well known that the Majority World
has become one of the major mission-sending forces in the world.77 Thus, from this point
forward, the Church of the West ought to consider itself equal partners in mission with the
Majority World Church. As one writer has commented, “The Majority World has not been given
a minor commission, but a Great Commission.”78 Whatever influence AIM missionaries have
gained in the local church should be used to speak on behalf of those who have no viable
witness. They should encourage the Basotho to reach the shepherds. “An increasing global
mission force and an ever-diminishing number of peoples requiring an initial breakthrough of the
gospel should continually encourage us to labor together toward the vision of an evangelized
world.”79
Second, everyone involved in the shepherd ministries should seek to involve Basotho
believers in that work. Hands-on experience is one of the most often stated reasons for a person
sensing God’s call to future service.80 This task would follow the four-step process of
discipleship. First, the discipler does the work alone. Second, the discipler does the work while
the disciple is with him. Third, the disciple does the work while the discipler is with him.
Fourth, the disciple does the work alone. Thus, the TIMO team, and every other shepherd
outreach ministry, begins the work on its own initiative. As soon as possible, they encourage
local believers to join them in the work. The need for translation at the outset will provide a
legitimate means of involving local believers. After the believers have witnessed the team’s
76
K. P. Yohannan, Revolution in World Missions (Carrollton, TX: GFA, 2004), 77-84.
Beram Kumar, “No Longer Emerging,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 369.
78
Yvonne Wood Honeycutt, “New Pioneers Leading the Way,” in Winter and Hawthorne, 380.
79
Ibid., 381.
80
Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and
Yourself (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2012), 162; also M. David Sills, The Missionary Call: Find Your Place in God’s
Plan for the World (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), 90-92.
77
37
work for a while, the team should encourage the locals to lead the work. Before long, the
Mosotho believer will be sufficiently trained and experienced to go out and continue the work on
his own.
Finally, the mission team must be in constant prayer before God, asking that He transfer
the vision to the hearts of His local church. This is a work that only God can do. Many
missionaries in the past have recruited local believers for a task that the missionaries thought was
important, only to receive a half-hearted effort from the locals. As soon as that missionary
leaves, the project ends, for the vision was never transferred from heart to heart. Furthermore,
the African culture is one of honor and shame.81 To honor a foreigner and to save face for the
local, the African will answer “yes” to many questions he would rather answer “no.” Every
effort must be made to communicate God’s heart for the nations, but only God can transfer that
heart into the heart of a believer.
Returning to Winter’s evangelism scale above, the TIMO team will begin the work
among the shepherds, using the most difficult E-3 level. Their desire is to include Basotho
believers in the balisana mission, for they would be able to evangelize at the E-2 level. Finally,
once a shepherd or a group of shepherds chooses to follow Christ, they will be encouraged and,
to a degree, depended upon to evangelize at the very high-powered and most effective E-1 level.
Until such an E-1 witness has been established, those to whom evangelism would be done at the
E-2 and E-3 levels must continue the initial work of evangelism among the balisana.82
Summary
To summarize this strategy of mission to the balisana, each of the three steps will involve
a different group of missionaries. Step One, that of preparation and initial contact, will be done
81
82
Corwin, McGee, and Moreau, 269–270.
Winter, 349-353.
38
by all AIM leadership, from the Southern Region executives in Johannesburg to the local
leadership established in Lesotho. Step Two, of contextualizing Christian community, will be
done specifically by the TIMO team when they arrive in Lesotho. Step Three, of encouraging
Basotho outreach, may be done by all other AIM missionaries in Lesotho. Thus the strategy
provides every missionary working in any variety of ministry within Lesotho the opportunity to
be involved in reaching the last people group still unreached in the kingdom.
CONCLUSION
To summarize and conclude this study, the shepherds of Lesotho are a group outside of
the mainstream Basotho life. Their lives are so distinct that they need to be targeted for a
specific mission effort. This effort will seek to use their own culture, practices, and lifestyle to
see them won to Christ. A team of young missionary men will be sent to live among them and
begin a disciple-making movement by sharing the gospel through chronological Bible storying
and modeling the Christian life in the context of relationships. This mission will seek to
incorporate local believers and mobilize the local churches to reach out to the shepherds as well.
Mission work in Lesotho is not finished. The Basotho church needs to be discipled. The
gospel needs to be separated from nominal Christianity and lived out in the people’s lives. The
shepherds need to experience a people movement to Christ, resulting in a viable Christian
witness capable of reaching the rest of the shepherds. Until this is accomplished, the ministry
must go on and all mission work should contribute to this task in one way or another.
39
APPENDIX 1 – Definitions and Categories of People Groups
Lausanne Strategic Working Group:
• People Group – “a significantly large sociological grouping of people who perceive
themselves to have a common affinity for one another . . . From the viewpoint of
evangelization, this is the largest possible group within which the Gospel can spread
without encountering barriers to understanding or acceptance.”83
Joshua Project:
• Unreached or Least-Reached People Group – “a people group among which there is no
indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to
evangelize this people group . . . less than 2% Evangelical Christian and less than 5%
Christian Adherents.”84
Four Approaches to People Group Thinking:85
•
Major Cultural Blocs – “Blocs of people are a limited number of summary categories into
which we can place peoples in order to analyze them.”
•
Ethnolinguistic Peoples – “An ethnolinguistic people is an ethnic group distinguished by
its self-identity with traditions of common descent, history, customs and language.”
•
Sociopeoples – “A sociopeople is a relatively small association of peers who have an
affinity for one another based upon a shared interest, activity or occupation.”
•
Unimax Peoples – “A unimax people is the maximum sized group sufficiently unified to
be the target of a single people movement to Christ, where ‘unified’ refers to the fact that
there are no significant barriers of either understanding or acceptance to stop the spread
of the gospel.”
Major Cultural
Blocs
Ethnolinguistic
Peoples
Sociopeoples
Unimax Peoples
How Identified
broad categories of
people groups
religious-cultural
spheres
available
published data
Global overview
Quantity
7 major
cultural blocs
an association
of peers
activities or
interests
discovered
on site
small group
evangelism
number
unknown
networks of families
w/ a shared identity
social or cultural
prejudices
discovered
on site
Strategic Significance
often a cluster of
unimax groups
linguistic, ethnic &
political boundaries
available
published data
mobilization
and strategy
approx. 4,500
“least reached”
Types of People
Composition
What Defines Group
83
church planting
est. 8,000
“unreached”
Samuel Wilson, “Peoples, People Groups,” in Moreau, Netland, and van Engen, 745.
The Joshua Project website, http://www.joshuaproject.net/definitions.php (accessed December 4, 2013).
85
Ralph D. Winter and Bruce A. Koch, “Finishing the Task,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A
Reader, 4th ed., ed. Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2009), 534-536.
84
40
APPENDIX 2 – Map of Lesotho
41
APPENDIX 3 – Shepherd Pictures
42
43
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