Steven Estes

Transfer of Ministries and Partnership: a Look at Baptist Mission Work in Argentina Steven Estes

Should missionaries have the goal of transferring their ministries to national control? If so what facilitates and what inhibits the transfer of a ministry? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a transfer? When should expatriates and nationals work together in an ongoing partnership? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a partnership? This book tackles these questions through a literature review and interviews carried out in Argentina. Finances, doctrine, missionary attitudes, missionary concern about transferred ministries, mission agency structure, and national church structure are treated as they relate to ministry transfer and partnership. The literature review and interview results reveal the complexity of deciding between complete ministry transfer and partnership. There are advantages to each and neither is a perfect situation. This study includes a checklist for those considering a transfer and another checklist for those considering a partnership. Expatriate missionaries and nationals will find much food for thought in this volume. This investigation should also be of interest to those working cross-culturally in community development.