The mission strategy used by early protestant missionaries had four basic forms.

Adaptation: The gospel message was adapted to fit the local culture.
Civilizing: Trying to change the local culture into the missionary’s culture.
Conquest: Missionaries followed colonial or imperial powers.
Development: Missionaries introduced significant ways of meeting basic human needs.

There are two basic structures used to further God’s redemptive mission. Modality structures such as congregations or secular towns are inclusive, structured fellowships. Within this structure, the gospel is spread among people of the same language and culture. The gospel spreads rapidly because the work is being done by local people who have a connection with the group. Sodality structures such as a mission society are second-decision, task-oriented fellowships. These structures bring missionaries from outside the group to come and minister to the local people group. The gospel spreads slowly at first because of unfamiliarity. As the missionaries gain the trust of the local people group, local leaders can be put in place to spread the gospel and start churches.

During the first 200 years of the Protestant Movement, the gospel was not being spread to the nations. Many missionaries followed the example of their Catholic brothers and spent more time caring and nurturing new converts than spreading the gospel. There were four basic stages:

Pioneer Stage: First contact with a people group.
Paternal Stage: Missionaries train national leadership.
Partnership Stage: Missionaries and national leaders work as equals.
Participation Stage: Missionaries are no longer partners and only participate by invitation.

Western Individualism has hindered the way many in the world have became Christians. In a global mission setting, we need to reach out to people groups as a whole. Many groups value their identity as a group. These groups usually make a move to Christ as an entire entity. We need to honor their social and ethnic construct, and help them grow in Christ as a group of believers. As youth pastors, we need to realize the students we minister to are really a people group. They have a unique social and generational construct that for many cause barriers against effective ministry. We must be willing to study what makes this people group unique and communicate the truth of the gospel in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them.

Most of the rapid expansion of Christianity and spread of the gospel message has occurred in the past 200 years. Many people groups have come to know the saving power of Christ. Now, we must disciple them so they can plant local, reproducing, gospel-spreading churches. Today’s missionary force is global. Unlike any other time in mission’s history, the majority of missionaries are not coming from the United States or Europe. Most are in developing countries, and they are taking the gospel to their own people and neighboring people groups. We finally are seeing the great commission emerge on the world scene. All nations now are sharing the gospel and baptizing believers.

Throughout mission’s history, students have been a driving force in the development of missionary strategy and source of motivation for sharing the gospel message. From the Haystack Prayer meeting to the InterVarsity Student Foreign Mission Fellowship students have made their voices heard. We can learn from these movements. We as pastors and leaders need to educate our young people about the necessity of mission work. We need to instill in them the power they hold in fulfilling the great commission. They are our future. We are only one generation away from the gospel message becoming extinct. How will they go if they have not heard? It is up to us to tell them.