Missionaries Must Nurture Relationships With A Platform Community

By Kevin E. Jesmer      5-8-16

Nurturing Relationships Is A “Must” For Any Missionary – A Series of Essays by Kevin E. Jesmer (2015-2016)

Link to Missionary and Mission Development main page. 

Part 1: Defining A Platform Community

As I write this paper, I ask myself, “Is there a need to differentiate a platform community from a receiving church? What is the difference anyway?” The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a platform community is different and needs to be addressed. And so, let’s investigate this difference and nail down the definition of a platform community.

What exactly is a platform community? A quick survey of some of the definitions of “platform” can give you an idea of the nature of such communities. Here are some definitions of “platform” from the internet:

-a flat surface that is raised higher than the floor or ground and that people stand on when performing or speaking.

-a flat area next to railroad tracks where people wait for a train or subway.

-a usually raised structure that has a flat surface where people or machines do work.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platform

– A place, means, or opportunity for public expression of opinion.

– a raised flooring or other horizontal surface for use as a stage.

– launch area, launch pad.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/platform

The last definition rings true. A platform is a foundation for something to launch. One stands on the platform in order to steady themselves, getting a solid footing in order to launch out. In our case the missionaries have a goal to launch out to isolated, remote communities, where Christ is little known. Let’s think some more about what a platform community is.

The characteristics of a platform community. A platform community…

1…has a receiving church within it.

2…a place where secular and non-secular meet together.

3…a place where missionaries are welcome to live.

4…is supportive of the mission, or at least is willing to accommodate it.

5…is always there for the missionaries.

6…is a place where the mission can be co-ordinated.

7…is a place where the needs of the missionaries can be assessed and met.

8…is a place where missionaries can co-ordinate visitors.

A platform community has a receiving church within it. People are confused as to the difference between a platform community and a receiving church. Let’s put is like this, a receiving church is not a platform community. But a platform community will almost always have a receiving church within it. However it is possible to have platform community without a receiving church. It just makes things a little harder for the missionary without a receiving church.

A platform community is a place where secular and non-secular meet together.  A receiving church is made up of Christians. A platform community is made up of Christians and Non-Christians.  A receiving church and a platform community may have both have Native and Non-Native people in it.  Both are agreeable to have missionaries live in the community and operate within it. The secular part of the community may not get involved, but they allow the mission. They give the mission a place within the borders of the community.

A platform community is a place where missionaries are welcome to live. This is not always the case in some remote communities. Missionaries cannot just move into a community. They need to be invited. And even if they are invited they will not have a place to live because of a huge housing shortage. But in a platform community missionaries have a place for their families and co-workers in mission to live.

A platform community is supportive of the mission, or at least is willing to accommodate it. It has resources for missionary endeavors like pilots, planes, everything a missionary needs to live and serve their mission. There is a supportive church with mentors and resources and support of all kinds.

A platform community is always there for the missionaries. The community is a safe, secure and open place. The missionaries may launch to a remote community, but they can always return to the platform community. It is always there for rest, strengthening, encouraging and equipping.

A platform community is a place where the mission can be co-ordinated. It is the home to networkers, church liaisons, and mission managers. There are also resources in the secular realm, like government agencies, such as nurses’ station managers and social workers, counselors etc. People all work together.

A platform community is a place where the needs of the missionaries can be assessed and met. I am not talking money. I am talking family support, counseling, educational needs for the kids, healthcare needs etc. In the receiving church, there are people, close by, who can assess the need and make efforts to meet that need. The community has resources, not just within the church, but within the whole community.

A platform community is a place where missionaries can co-ordinate visitors. There might be work crews, youth groups, VBS teams and summer camp workers, visitors from out of the region, missionary candidates on their spring trips. These various groups of people are free to come and go in a platform community as the missionaries co-ordinate their visit.

A platform community can be a gathering place for missionaries. Since friends of the mission can come and go freely, there are times that they might come together for mission conferences or missionary education.

Part 2: Nurturing Relationships With A Platform Community

Missionaries can be proactive in nurturing relationships within a platform community. Here are some ways:

Go out of the way to make friends in the community. There are myriad of ways to do this. This important thing is not to isolate one self. How easy it is to hold up in the house and never talk to a neighbor, especially in an environment that is harsh? We do it all the time in America when we drive into our garages after work and close the doors and not go out all night. People can spend their entire lives not really getting to know their neighbors. Making friends is a proactive thing to do.

Faithfully live as good citizens of the town, paying rent and socializing with other people in the town.  They might hire people as baby sitters and language coaches. They might invite visitors into to their home, and sometimes allow people to sleep over. They might help their neighbors when they are in need. They do not push the limits of the law for the sake of the mission.

Find ways to serve within the community. There was a church plant in a nearby Illinois farm town (2015). The church planters had weekly barbeques/Bible studies in their home. They served at the local homeless shelter. They hosted Christian praise concerts in the city park. They ran the street bonfire at a community fall festival. They put much effort into nurturing relationships with the community around them.

What about volunteering in community organizations? There is a secular organization that is called, “Camp Power.”  It is a two month summer camp where kids from a low income neighborhood are served with sports, food, field trips etc. The university (NIU), partners with them to provided coaching, mentoring, etc. The police and NIU sports teams and churches come along side. Different organizations and individuals, band together to serve a common goal, the betterment of the neighborhood.

Working a regular job is a way to nurture relationships in a platform community. Some missionaries may be called to be tent makers, like Apostle Paul. Working a job is not for everyone. Some missionaries are full time and receive funding. But those who feel called to live as tentmakers will have a special connection with the community. Workers in the market place can bring integrity into business relationships. Healthcare workers can care for the people living in the margins of society. There can be jobs in the academic world, bringing with them leadership in the development of thought.  I work as a nurse and have done so at the local hospital for 18 years. This has allowed me to meet at least six to seven people and family members everyday that I work. Working may nurture lasting fruitful relationships.

Churches resources may be offered up to secular organizations that serve the common good. Our church has a relationship with the American Cancer Society. They open their offices for their monthly meeting. They also host the yearly “Luminary Event” which is held in the office. A leader in the church has the privilege to deliver a message on the steps to the courthouse. They do this free of charge. It is a very symbiotic relationship.

Disaster relief is another road to co-operation. There are ample tornados and hurricanes to go around, allowing us to provide assistance. When a recent hurricane came through DeKalb County some of the people of our church organized themselves to serve in disaster cleanup (2015). They were a great witness to those who suffered loss. The community turned out in droves. Secular people and Christians were joyfully working side by side, clearing trees, cooking food, etc.  It was a beautiful example of what humanity is capable of when tested by disaster. Doing so is part of loving your neighbor. Disaster relief is a great opportunity for ministry.

Sending kids to the public school system may be a way for missionaries to nurture relationships in a platform community. What better way to meet kids and parents than to be immersed in the public school system? Being a parent of a student really opens doors for relationships to develop with the secular world. Supporting the schools, by joining committees is secular work, but at the same time, the work of God. It is missional. You are meeting people.  I do understand that in some communities, sending kids to the public school system is not possible. One missionary from an Asian country stated that if he sent his kids to the public school, they could be kidnapped for ransom. In some Central American countries the public schools are filled with gangs. Missionaries need to pray and apply God’s wisdom in their own unique situation.

Nurturing relationships with a platform community may not be optional for some missionaries, but mandated. Some governments have policies that missionaries must contribute to the economic well being of the community. Developing relevant programs is a way of nurturing relationships. Christian churches need to show their worth to secular governing bodies. In the mission to the Northern Canada, a person, who is a secular historian, advised me about our mission. He told me to tell the missionaries to develop programs in the community that will benefit the people, especially the children…things like a breakfast program. He also said that the missionaries should document clearly what they are doing and show how their work is benefitting the community.

Some communities in other countries have laws forcing Christians to gain accepted by the community.  In Indonesia, a Christian ministry needs the unanimous endorsement of everyone within a certain radius. This is not easy when 99.9% of the people around them are Muslim. But, miraculously, the Christian church gained permission. The church served the immediate needs of the neighbors. It included a tennis court a spigot from a clean water source and an internet café for the community. They were accepted into a very unlikely neighborhood. A partnership reached. They nurtured relationships with a platform community.

Part 3: My Experience With A Platform Community.

There is not much to say about a platform community in my house church experience. My family and I had a house church ministry for fourteen years in a university/farm town. The town has 40,000 people, with students. We live in America. The town is completely open to move into and do ministry in. The house church could operate as long as we had a will and the money to do it.  We could live on the outskirts of the campus and launch our mission into the campus. We would go to the campus to invite students to Bible study. No one could stop us because it was a state run university campus and we were tax paying citizens. As long as we were not causing trouble, we were welcome to come onto the campus to talk to students about Jesus.

In campus ministry, it would be nice to have an actual campus as a platform community. For this ideal to happen, a ministry would need to be so trusted and established on the campus, that they could actually utilize the university campus as a launching pad to launch out to other surrounding campus’ with the full co-operation of the university. The university would provide mentors and resources and assist in the launching out of missionaries. Missionaries from other locations would be free to come and go on the campus and utilize the campus resources. There would be missionary conferences, promoted by the campus, and not just sustained by missionary money This ideal never came close for us. It never came close for almost everyone we knew in campus mission. I pray that campus’ around the world may become platform communities for the advancement of the Gospel.

Part 4: Conclusion

A platform is a foundation for something to launch. A platform community would be a place there missionaries could live and pursue their goal to launch out to isolated, remote communities, where Christ is little known.

The characteristics of a platform community.

1…has a receiving church within it.

2…a place where secular and non-secular meet together in co-operation.

3…a place where missionaries are welcome to live.

4…is supportive of the mission, or at least is willing to accommodate it.

5…is always there for the missionaries.

6…is a place where the mission can be co-ordinated.

7…is a place where the needs of the missionaries can be assessed and met.

8…is a place where missionaries can co-ordinate visitors.

Missionaries can be proactive in nurturing relationships within a platform community. By God’s grace a platform community will be a staging ground for missionaries from generations.