Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 8
He connects the “long view” (five to ten years) to people “wrestling with teaching with the word of God” as their worldview slowly shifts; how does that sound compared with how many churches approach missions and short-term trips, and what would need to change in planning, funding, and storytelling to embrace that timeline?
Another way to ask: How does a 5–10 year timeline for real change compare to how churches often do missions and short-term trips? What would need to change in planning, funding, and stories you tell to match that pace?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Compared with many short-term approaches, Clyde’s “five to ten years” sounds slower, less immediately measurable, and more relational and teaching-centered. To embrace that timeline, churches would need longer planning horizons, sustained funding, and stories that value slow worldview change and indigenous growth rather than quick, outsider-led results.
- He states plainly: “We take the long view… if you're not investing for five years, ideally ten… community development is not the right tool.”
- He ties the timeline to Scripture: “people wrestling with teaching with the word of God… slowly, slowly, people's worldview starts to change.”
- He emphasizes a multiplication strategy rather than outsider spotlight: “indigenous staff development… foreigners are really behind the scenes.”
- He notes SALT is a “teaching entity,” with “teaching manuals” used widely, which implies sustained instruction rather than brief contact.
- He describes ongoing improvement of materials as “a long work… so big, you never get done… every month, you just try again.”