"Jesus gave us a key to reaching his and every succeeding generation: "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Jn 17:20b-21.

"Many believers today do not understand why there are so many 'silos' in the Christian world. Worse yet, they are very confused about why people in these silos do not work together, or even get along with one another.

"When challenged to pinpoint what was keeping them from having greater impact, the response was, 'It is because we are not working together as one body.'

"In 2016, the Lausanne Movement held a one-day consultation in Croatia with 25 denominational and mission leaders from across the country. Apprehension about the meeting prevailed, given historic rifts between denominations. In fact, when asked what would be a good outcome of the meeting, one leader answered, 'Anything short of drawing blood.'

"The meeting went very well, with no casualties to report. However, many were astonished to hear from a local statistician that Croatia has only 178 churches in a population of four million. The rate of growth is five new churches per year.

"When challenged to pinpoint what was keeping them from having greater impact, the response was, 'It is because we are not working together as one body.' This discovery helped them break the silo trend and build personal relationships with one another. They went on to form a national church-planting platform with a shared vision to reach Croatia."

From How to be effective in disciple-making in the 21st century. See the full document here: 5-truths-church-planting-today

Co-authored by ECM worker: Ron Anderson