The Role Changes

Modern missionaries must face the possibility of sudden reentry into their original culture. In the past it was possible for a missionary to serve for a lifetime in one field. Today, with rapid changes in world politics, this is often not a reasonable expectation. Nor is it always advisable. One of the keys to successful church planting is to know how to change roles within a young church as it matures and when to leave so that it can learn to stand alone. This does not mean we must cut ties with these churches, but only that our relationships to them should serve their good, not ours.

Paul Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries