Digital Logos Edition
This publication addresses one of the most challenging phases in church-planting missions, the handover stage—when the torch is passed from pioneering missionaries to indigenous leaders. Throughout missions history this stage has been fraught with suspicion and disagreement, leading to delays in continued work and progress, not to mention damaged relationships, communities and churches. Having observed a very different story in the relationship between Olive Doke and Paul Kasonga in their early years of establishing the Baptist work in Zambia, Conrad Mbewe argues that the key lies in deep-rooted mutual respect and admiration. Following a biblical interpretation of missions and referencing extensive sources regarding these two church-planters, the author identifies the key ingredients to successful handovers and consequently a model for successful church-planting missions.