Inspiring Transformation to the Ends of the Earth

One of our greatest ongoing priorities at Crossway Global Ministry is to ensure the books and Bibles we donate to global church leaders are making a real impact in their lives. In partnership with ministries working in the field, our goal is to bear fruit in the hearts of church leaders and everyday believers. While this is ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit, we seek the Lord’s wisdom in pursuing every practical tool available to aid this impact.

To that end, we recently interviewed global partners who are integrating biblical resources with the work they are doing to train church leaders to teach sound theology and foster healthy churches. Below are eleven of these best practices our partners shared based on direct experience. Our hope is that these will inform and inspire you.

1. Strategic Integration

Resources distributed in isolation are rarely as fruitful as book and Bible distribution that is integrated with training or events. Resources are like nutrients that flow within a circulation system.

• Phil (Zambia): “Theological resources take the roots of biblical training deep into the soil of the mind and heart. . . . The effectiveness of the resource distribution is greatly enhanced when the resource is part of a comprehensive training plan.”
• Jeff (Global): “These methods (lectures/small groups) are very helpful . . . but we find that pastors need some resources to help reinforce the concepts they are learning . . . it can serve as a wonderful supplement that helps them stay on the line of God’s Word.”

2. Active Accountability

Distribution requires diligent follow-up. Due to the lack of a reading culture in many contexts, simply handing out books often results in them collecting dust. Some form of accountability will go a long way.

• Olumide (Nigeria): “We distributed [the resources] to fifteen pastors, but after months of follow-up, we discovered that most had not even begun reading them . . . [This] showed us that resource distribution without some form of discipleship and accountability was insufficient. Pastors must read and submit short reviews (of no more than 500 words) before receiving the next book.”
• Rick (Nigeria): “We look for underlining and/or highlighting [at the books they’ve read], notes in the margins, and application points in the blank spaces at the end of chapters. And then we discuss their notes with them, to discern how they have digested the content.”

3. Reading in Community

To overcome the isolation of ministry and the difficulty of reading alone, resources should be digested in community. Establishing reading cohorts forces a slower pace, encourages vigorous discussion (especially on books about difficult topics), and helps pastors translate theology into their local contexts.

• Anthony (Uganda): “Because we read books together as a group, the expectation and accountability help pastors to intentionally create time to do the readings. . . . They hold each other accountable. They teach one another. They learn to love reading.”
• Rick: “Most pastors are hungry for [a] working camaraderie and respond strongly to our approach of vulnerability and truth-telling about the ‘elephants in the room.’”

4. Applied Transformation

The ultimate goal of reading Christian literature is not to accumulate head knowledge but to observe change in heart and ministry practice. Best practices require pastors to articulate how they will change their preaching or behavior based on what they have read.

• Olumide: “The resources then become not just books on a shelf but living tools in the hands of men who are reading, learning, applying, and teaching others. . . . The most evident fruit has been a marked change in preaching.”
• Rick: “We go beyond mere information toward changes in thinking and comprehension, changes in personal spiritual practices, and changes in ministry styles. . . . We emphasize the need to move from professed theology to operative theology, both on the individual and communal levels.”

5. Vetted Participation

The most effective programs often require a “barrier to entry.” Rather than mass distribution, best practice involves an application process or a requirement to graduate from a preliminary course. This identifies leaders who are genuinely “hungry” and willing to labor in study.

• Olumide: “Pastors apply to join, which communicates seriousness and helps us identify men who are willing to labor in study.”
• Rick: “They are given one by one to . . . participants who have completed the study (with notes) of the previous books. . . . They are highly motivated to ‘earn the right’ to receive any helpful materials.”

6. Language Accessibility

The readability of a given resource is crucial. Best practice prioritizes translating resources into indigenous languages or using accessible English books to ensure theological concepts are truly understood—especially in countries where English is often a second language.

• Phil: “The most challenging locations are where there is a higher degree of illiteracy, or where the pastors do not know English. . . . We seek resources that are readable and not technical in nature.”
• Jeff: “Solid books and resources are very limited in local languages, so there is an ongoing need for rich, theological, gospel-saturated books to get translated into languages that are accessible to them.”

7. Indigenous Sustainability

The most effective strategies involve a 2 Timothy 2:2 approach. Whenever possible, train up indigenous leaders who will train others. The same applies to resourcing. Work toward eventually handing off these efforts to local leaders who mentor and lead reading groups themselves.

• Rick: “The men I have been working with for at least two years are now called to mentor (along with me) the more recent participants, and I’m teaching them how to handle the distribution of the books directly.”
• Tommie (South Africa): “We encourage pastors in our network to start training pastors and developing their own networks, which we can support.”

8. Gospel-Centered Framework

Effective theological training moves beyond isolated doctrinal categories to emphasize the overall story of the Bible. While systematic teaching is necessary, the more challenging task is to train in ways that support the concept of the Scriptures as one story culminating in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Olumide: “Even when they do read the Bible, they often seek verses that appear to validate whatever 'revelation' they claim to have received, rather than rightly handling the Word of truth.”
• Jeff: “For many global pastors we work with, biblical theology is an entirely new concept (that the Bible would have one story from beginning to end). Having resources that provide examples of biblical theology and show how themes of Scripture relate are incredibly valuable.”

9. Sustainable Pace

Church leaders in the Global South often operate at a frenetic pace driven by tremendous congregational needs, and most are also bi-vocational. To promote impactful reading, training practices need to build rhythms of rest that create mental and spiritual space.

• Rick: “Like many pastors around the world, we easily let regular or substantial reading . . . get squeezed out by the relentless demands of church work. Workaholism is almost a given.”
• Anthony: “When it comes to thinking about studying and reading, they may have the interest, but they have unrealistic and demanding schedules due to community pressures. . . . By the time they get home each day, they are exhausted. . . . Opening a book would be challenging for any of us in such a situation.”

10. Sequential Learning

Effective integration of books within training strategies must incorporate “scaffolding.” Best practice involves starting with “entry-level” books that explain the big picture before moving to more complex theological works. This incremental approach builds confidence and provides the necessary context for pastors to engage with deeper academic material in the future.

• Jeff: “We start with the basics of reading and understanding the Word of God so that they can be confident as they read it and seek to preach it to their congregations. . . . I recently saw a copy of Chris Bruno’s The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses translated to Thai. This is an entry-level book that further develops what we teach in our workshops.”
• Rick: “We have stopped handing out a handful of books every few months, and now distribute them personally to each participant one or two at a time based on where they are in the overall training. . . . After that conversation, we will hand them the next book or two that we recommend for them personally.”

11. Contextual Methodology

As with all cross-cultural engagement, contextualization is key. Strategies for assigned reading must involve customized approaches that can include examples such as independent reading/articles for suburban leaders, accountability groups for township leaders, and group summarization/oral discussion for rural leaders.

• Tommie: “You must know your target audience: for suburban leaders, we use articles; for township leaders, we focus on accountability; and for rural leaders, we use group sessions to talk about and summarize the resources.”
• Olumide: “We have one pastor whose village has not had electricity in four years. To overcome this, we began recording all our sessions and sending the recordings to participants afterward. This ensures that even those who cannot join live can still benefit.”

Strategic Distribution for Kingdom Growth

Whether a ministry partner serving overseas or a donor to Crossway, these best practices serve as a reminder of the importance for resources to be strategically distributed. When you give financially to provide a resource or serve as a means of the resource being distributed to the end user, you’re making it possible for these best practices to be implemented because the resources are now available.

Through Crossway’s Global Ministry, hundreds of thousands of resources are distributed every year. You’re invited to get involved by taking up one of these best practices in your life or ministry, or by learning what you can do to cause more resources to go forth to the ends of the earth, for the glory of the Lord.

Thank God for these faithful ministry partners who are stewarding valuable resources to build up the global church.

Pray for the pastors and church leaders reading the resources to step up to the challenges given in these best practices.