American ministry strategies in a Canadian culture have proven not to be the perfect match, at least not for the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) Strategic Focus Cities effort. But ministry leaders at NAMB and within the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (CCSB) are encouraged by the decision to regroup and restructure the existing emphasis on the extreme southwestern and highly multiethnic city of Vancouver.
On June 1, Vancouver Focus, NAMB’s first Strategic Focus City in Canada, will officially transition from a NAMB-directed ministry to being under the auspices of CCSB and the local Baptist association.
“We were trying to do Strategic Focus Cities in Vancouver pretty much like we had done it in other cities in the U.S.,” said Marty King, NAMB spokesman. “It was too aggressive for Canada. And the Canadian folks thought it was too aggressive. They asked if we could lengthen our commitment.”
NAMB decided to restructure the effort, but not the funding, King said. “We only have a certain amount of dollars,” he said, noting that the funding allocated for the emphasis will now be stretched over a longer period of time. The other aspect is that “we will let them do the lead coordination instead of NAMB.”
NAMB will now relate to the CCSB with Vancouver Focus as it does with other ministries, King said. “We know going in what the money will be used for and there will be lots of reports and accountability,” he said. “It will be more like [the way NAMB normally relates to state conventions] than a Strategic Focus Cities effort where we had more involvement,” he said.
Strategic Focus Cities is NAMB’s emphasis on increasing evangelism and church-planting efforts in major metropolitan areas in North America. Cleveland is the latest city.
“Different cities have been more effective in different ways,” King said. “Some have had more church plants, some more professions of faith, some more volunteers. They [have been] very individualized.”
Before now “we haven’t had any cities that I’m aware of … that we said, ‘this just isn’t working,’ that we need to change. This is the first time this has happened,” he said.
But Canadian officials welcomed the change.
Gerry Taillon, CCSB national ministry leader, said, “We are happy with the changes. In the CCSB, we readily accept that role. … We’re really glad the way it worked out.
“We want to conserve the results we get,” he said. “Sometimes it is much better to spread out [the work] with a wave rather than a big splash.”
Alan Au, city coordinator for Vancouver Focus, agreed.
“We are very excited about the opportunity that we can do this with longer time,” he said. “Building relationships is very, very key. Time plays a major factor.”
Au said NAMB’s “rapid investment and rapid outcome” does not work in Vancouver with the cultural and language barriers that exist — there are nine different languages in the churches that the association and Vancouver Focus supports. “We are dealing with a different missions field,” he said. “It is really secular.”
The 8-year-old Strategic Focus Cities effort typically lands in one city for three years, King said. “There is a one-year planning period and a two- to three-year implementation period,” he noted.
But Vancouver Focus will be closer to six years. Canadian officials are extending the emphasis to 2009, said Au, who left a missionary position with the International Mission Board two and a half years ago to lead this effort. Beginning in 2004, the effort was originally set to wrap up in October 2007. The final year of implementation will now be spread out over a three-year period.
To do this with funding that was planned for only one year will require some sacrifices, the Canadian leaders said, noting they will be responsible for determining how to use the funds.
Office space and equipment will be downsized as will staff, Taillon said. “The convention will try to pick up the slack.”
The communication coordinator position was cut as of May 31, and another position could potentially be cut. But because the original staff consisted of only three full-time people and one part-time person, Au said he is taking a few months to decide about the remaining positions. “Our staff is very … small,” he said. “When a person is gone, everyone has to pick up that … job and we are not as effective.”
Au, who is currently a national missionary with NAMB — which means his position is funded entirely by NAMB — will also experience some changes. He will continue to lead the Vancouver Focus effort, but his relationship with NAMB will be different, King said. “Alan … will become a jointly funded missionary with the Canadian convention.”
Au said he anticipates his position to wrap up with the original schedule of October 2007. “This was not to be a forever job,” he said. But “my role will continue (after October 2007) … in the transition to the local association and national convention. I will either work or volunteer in the association.”
The effort will gradually become 100 percent organized and implemented by Capilano Southern Baptist Association, Au said.
While Vancouver Focus works in partnership with Capilano Association, CCSB and NAMB, it is the relationship with the association that is building future ministries, Au explained. “We are working together hand in glove with the association,” he said. “Hopefully we are laying down a good infrastructure. … [W]e are building the association.”
Taillon said people on the local level won’t notice many changes with the transfer of responsibilities and funding. “We are keeping the name and everything else,” he said. “We are working very closely with Capilano Association to continue this Strategic Focus effort.”
CCSB will be more involved, Taillon said, but “our attitude is not to lord over the association in a controlling way. What we want to do is partner with them.
“Right now, one of our biggest focuses is a decentralizing process,” he noted. “We are dividing up Canada into regions — there are 65 now, looking at 100. We want to empower the regions to do the work they need to do. … We want to network with the churches … connect someone who needs something with someone who has it.”
Taillon and Au agreed that the main emphasis of Capilano Association is to plant churches and find more workers.
When Vancouver Focus started, there were 34 churches targeting the ethnic population in the city, 10 of which had no pastor. “We now have 45 churches and all church pastor positions have been filled with full-time or interim pastors,” Au said. “The church plants and percentage growth are phenomenal.”
Still “we are praying for more churches to be planted and more leaders,” he said, noting the largest ethnic population in Vancouver is Chinese. “We need more workers in the field. It is a critical issue.”
One of the new strategies Au has launched is to coach church planters. “This is a key position,” he said, noting the church planter coach is a new position that will start in June.
Au said it is time to put Vancouver Focus strategy in motion. The planning stage is complete and the meetings are over, he said. “The implementation is in the field.”
Share with others: