Missionaries for America: A Strategy for Nurturing Bridge Leaders Serving in Greater Los Angeles

This project addresses the need, theological foundations, and strategy for nurturing bi-vocational missionaries (Bridge Leaders) to serve with unchurched people in the Greater Los Angeles area. The first section describes the need for bi-vocational missionaries (Bridge Leaders) in Greater Los Angeles. This need is particularly strong because of the diversity and number of people groups outside of existing churches. New missionary sending structures are needed that enable cross-cultural missionaries to start new forms of church in unchurched communities. The economic realities of America and life in Los Angeles require that the predominant pattern of missionary service be bi-vocational. The section also describes four bi-vocational missionaries who will serve as case studies for the remaining chapters. The second section describes the theological foundations that inform the strategy of nurturing missionary Bridge Leaders to serve among the unchurched. A review of relevant literature identifies five missiological and theological foundations that inform the Bridges strategy. Next, a presentation of the theology of the Church results in a description of the intended outcome for Bridges—Christ-following communities. These Christ-following communities are what Bridge Leaders seek to form through their missionary service. Lastly, this section explores questions about each person of the Trinity as foundational for the overall vision and strategy for missionary ministry outside of existing churches. The third section presents a strategy for nurturing missionary Bridge Leaders among the unchurched in Greater Los Angeles. This strategy is designed to help Bridges facilitate a multiplying movement that results in one hundred new Christ-following communities in Greater Los Angeles by 2021. The strategy is elucidated through describing the mechanisms designed to identify leaders as well as the structures and a grouping of services designed to cultivate key missionary skills within Bridge Leaders. This section lastly presents a new ministry initiative designed to implement the strategy