Transcript

Welcome back to Multiplication Network University. The title of this training is “A DEFINITION OF A STRONG REGIONAL HUB.”

As Multiplication Network expands globally, we have logistically moved into the development of regional hubs. The ministry hub serves as the center of excellence for all that Multiplication Network does in a region. For several years we have asked ourselves, “What makes for a strong hub?” We asked for input from the fields and from U.S. staff as well. What you are about to study is the combined wisdom of all of us who make up Multiplication Network.

At the end of this video, you will be asked to fill out a form for certification in having completed this training.

So let us begin with the first bullet point. These are not in order of priority as all of these specific statements are of equal importance in the making of a strong and effective hub.

•A strong ministry hub has a clear vision and alignment with Multiplication Network’s mission and values.

It is important that a hub as a center of excellence has a clear vision of where it wants to be in, say, 5 years from now. This vision should conform to the overall vision of Multiplication Network, particularly as it relates to our mission and values. In a different video training, we explain Multiplication Network’s vision, mission, and core values, concepts that are present on all of our websites and in all of our introductory pamphlets and documents that explain who we are.

Although we use the word “conform,” this is not intended to be a forced alignment. It simply means that together we hold the same vision, mission, and core values. These are the truths that unite us together as a global team. Without a similar vision, mission, and core values, we would be separate entities going off in many different directions. For this reason, we seek alignment so that as an organization we move in the same direction. As one person puts it, “We march to the same beat of the drum.”

You may want to review our vision, mission, and core values either in a previous video or in one of our documents to see if your hub is in alignment. If not, it would be important to discuss this with the VP of Global Ministry. At the same time, as you expand into different countries, each national director or coordinator also must adhere to these concepts so that the hub indeed is strong and healthy with every country contributing to the results of the whole.

•A strong ministry hub supervises national champions or coordinators who represent the cause of Multiplication Network

A strong hub, through its hub director and other hub staff members, oversees the development of Multiplication Network’s outreach into existing and new countries in the region. To “represent the cause of Multiplication Network” in the region, staff needs to ensure once again that everyone is in alignment and that each player is not just “doing things right” but also “doing the right things.” In countries where Multiplication Network is already established, the supervision may be less frequent than in new hubs where the national champion or coordinator is still learning about Multiplication Network, our vision, mission, and core values, and our ways of operating within a country. The hub director will need to make frequent visits as funds permit, and in the very least be in frequent Zoom contact with the national champion or coordinator to resolve issues that occur as the country is being developed.

The national champion or coordinator will need help in initially filling out the financial reports and in turning in profiles and ABCs. They will also need assistance in gathering stories, in getting photos, and other metrics needed. This is something the hub director or other staff can be involved in until the country leader can do these things regularly and efficiently.

If you are a hub director, how do you rate yourself when it comes to supervision of country leaders? Take a few minutes to reflect on this. You may want to make a plan to better supervise your region. For example, you may need to set up a schedule for regular communication with the national leaders.

• A strong ministry hub fosters healthy partnerships for the Gospel with denominations and other agencies

Learning how to approach a prospective denominational partner is an art that requires diplomacy. Also, the ministry partner needs to see the value added of working with Multiplication Network. The hub leader has the expertise to assist in this process.

A strong hub develops relationships with denominations and other agencies within a country that are healthy and promote numeric and qualitative growth. For example, Dr. Juan Carlos Melo, director for Latin America, for years has referred to this process as wearing guantes blancas or white gloves. In English we call this kid gloves. Guantes blancas or kid gloves symbolize a delicate and intentional caring of the partner without causing ill feelings. One definition says this, “It is the careful and delicate treatment of a person or situation.” Another writes, “The star is getting kid-glove treatment.” It means we recognize the importance of the person or the partnership. We want to be sensitive to their needs and perception of Multiplication Network. Sometimes our requirements can be perceived as very demanding, such as the monthly ABC reporting. For this reason, we need to explain the “Why” of reporting. The document, “Five Beneficiaries of Multiplication Network’s Reporting Work” is one way in which we diffuse any misperceptions or hard feelings when we ask for these monthly reports.

Our intent is to see the Gospel go forth, but we can only do this in partnership. Multiplication Network does not plant churches—our partners do. And so, we must foster healthy ministry partnerships to see this accomplished in ways that are affirming of our partners and God-glorifying.

• A strong ministry hub understands the dynamics in “Training in, Reporting out”

A healthy hub recognizes the importance of what we call “training out, reporting in.” Multiplication Network exists to “train the trainers” to see new communities of faith being established around the world. Multiplication Network is a training ministry, first and foremost, and so “training out” is key to the success of a hub. Equally important, though, is the “reporting in” aspect of a hub’s work. We want to be able to measure how effective the training is, and that is through the careful, deliberate planting of a new church. How can we measure this? It is through the regular “reporting in” of the ABC report. The seven metrics of the ABC report help us to analyze the condition or health of the church being planted. Is it getting enough water? Is it sufficiently fertilized? This is through the training that occur on a regular basis and the implementation of the seven metrics. Are people being visited and relationships being formed? Is the Gospel message being shared with them? Are people coming to faith? Are they being baptized? Are they involved in small groups—either evangelical small groups or discipleship small groups? Are leaders being formed? These and other questions based on the metrics being reported in help us to measure the development of a healthy seedling.

• A strong hub provides timely and accurate ABC reporting out, analysis, and feedback to partners

Not only are the reports important, the “reporting in,” but it is crucial that this be done regularly and completely. Oftentimes church planters fail to turn in reports on a regular basis. The facilitator or the denominational partner cannot help the church planter make corrections if reports are not turned in on a timely basis and where, through careful analysis of the report, show a need for a corrective measure. Sometimes a church planter will turn in a report that is incomplete. Something is missing in the ABC report. It might be one of the 7 metrics. This makes it hard to analyze, to measure success and effectiveness. A strong hub receives timely reports that are complete and takes the time to analyze the information provided in these ABCs to assist the church planter be successful. This is done by giving feedback to the denominational partner who interacts directly with the church planter. The ministry partner cannot surrender its responsibility to directly supervise the church planter. It is not Multiplication Network’s role to be the direct contact with the church planter. It is the responsibility of the ministry partner to do so, based on the analytical feedback from the hub. The hub can help the ministry partner to learn how to analyze the reports so that eventually the partner can do this without input from the hub leadership.

• A strong hub builds the organizational capacity of the partners, always adding value

A denominational partner or pastor association may ask, “What is the value of our working with Multiplication Network?” This is a legitimate question. Denominations have been used to working on their own. Some have been successful in their church planting efforts and others have not. Some have stagnated and additional coaching. Some do not know how to plant churches that are healthy and endure over time. Some are living off successes from the past. They were once effective in planting churches but now are focusing inwardly and do not see the value of starting more churches. Some are used to doing addition when it comes to church planting and not multiplication.

For these reasons, Multiplication Networks needs to come alongside the ministry partner and help them to develop organizational capacity. This may be done initially through an Introduction to Church Planting seminar. It should lead to a signed ministry agreement in which the hub trains trainers that the partner has identified and helps them with the procedures for doing training. It may mean assisting in establishing an Office of Church Planting so that the partner truly values church planting as an ongoing and important activity of the church. The end goal is always capacity building of the ministry partner, not of Multiplication Network. We believe that “churches plant churches.” As it says is Ephesians 3:10, “Through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”

• A strong hub has a strong team in place–hub director, administrator (database and financial), and communication/technology specialist. 

How is the hub organized? What are the different roles within a hub? These roles are based on the functions that are essential for a healthy hub to exist. First, there must be a competent hub director. There is a comprehensive job description for this role. This person gives primary oversight of the hub, of its staff, and the relationships with partners in the different countries that comprise the hub. This person reports to the VP of Global Ministry.  The hub director is the person ultimately responsible for the operations of the hub when it comes to training, reporting, and financial reporting. They cannot abdicate that role to another. The hub director will be assisted by an administrator who gives oversight to the database and finances, but it is the hub director who is ultimately responsible to see to it that reports are entered in a timely fashion and that the finances are accurately reported according to standards set by the Chief Financial Officer and their staff in the U.S.

Additionally, there is a person who functions in a dual role, that of communication and technology. This person receives training in how to communicate what God is doing in the hub through its various country partners. This involves the receiving of stories (sometimes going out to the field to generate these stories), the taking of pictures and video, and the transmission of the same to the U.S. Communication Team. Hopefully, the hub director has seen these stories prior to their being sent in, but this is not always the case. This person also serves as the technology specialist for the hub. A hub recording studio is provided over which this person supervises the recording of whatever training the hub director deems necessary for the effective operation of the hub. Postproduction may be done elsewhere but the generation of the videos is in the hands of the technology specialist in the field.

In summary, a fully functioning and strong hub requires a director, an administrator, and a communications/technology specialist. Does your hub have these three components in place? What can you do to make this teamwork in tandem? What needs to be in your hub budget so that these three functions are effectively operational?

• A strong hub exhibits budget savvy, including monitoring budget vs. actual and budget vs. ministry results

The hub director and the administrator need to ensure that the hub and country budgets reflect what is needed to carry out the annual goals of the hub and its specific countries. Besides the development of these budgets, it is important to have monthly reporting of the expenses versus the approved budgets. This helps ensure staying within budget. When the budgets are developed, it is understood that the line items within the budget are what is needed to carry out the intended goals. So, it only makes sense to review how the funds have been spent to see if they align with the budget. The strong hub is one that does not end the year with over expenditures but stewardly spends according to the goals (what we call the results) through the approved budget. If we did not get the intended results, then the hub needs to evaluate why not and make budgetary adjustments for the following year. Perhaps more money needs to be allocated in a specific line item and reduced in another to get the desired results.

•A strong hub practices accurate and timely communications between the hub and the U.S. team (database results, stories, financial reports, etc.)

We’ve discussed this point in various other aspects of a strong hub. Suffice it to say that it is important for ongoing communications between the hub and the U.S. team.

This communication needs to be accurate, reflecting what is happening in the field, with financial reports that are trustworthy, and it must be timely. Processes have been developed to ensure this timeliness in reporting. A weak hub has inaccuracies in its reporting and is slow to report. A strong hub is accurate and timely in all its communication to the U.S. team. We are in this endeavor together. If the hub fails, we all fail. If the hub succeeds in this area, we all succeed. We have donors, auditors, and ministry partners who need the information that is provided by the fields.

• A strong hub fosters ongoing mentoring and training of field staff and ministry partners

Mentoring is not just a word in Multiplication Network’s vocabulary. It is a way of life for each member of the global teams. We talk about church planters being mentored. It is likewise important that hub leaders be mentored and that they in turn mentor their staff.  Remember the words of the Teacher in Proverbs 27:17: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Each staff member needs to be mentored in his or her role to be successful. The descriptor here is “ongoing.” Mentoring is not something done just once and then we check it off. It is an ongoing process as we walk side-by-side with staff. We at all levels within the hubs and in the U.S. team can benefit from this ongoing mentorship, to become all that we can become, and to function well as stewards of God’s gifts to us as members of the Multiplication Network team and as individual followers of Christ.

In a sense, hub staff are also mentoring our ministry partners in how to be effective trainers of church planters, in reporting, and in analyzing those reports. This is something learned. A strong hub sees itself as a teaching hub and as a mentor of others.

•A strong hub operates via influence and not via imposition

We earlier talked about coming alongside our ministry partners, wearing white gloves or kid gloves. It bears repetition. Our sensitivity to our partners is crucial for a healthy, ongoing relationship between us and them. One would think this goes without saying, but in the past, we have seen situations in which at least the perception of our ministry partners was that we imposed our processes. This caused a lot of consternation and resentment and temporarily injured our relationship. Our way of operating needs to be by influence and not by imposition. At the end of the day, there is no way we can tell our ministry partners how to do church planting.  We can only influence them by excellent training materials, precise reporting forms, and an explanation of why these things are important. As we have learned to operate via influence, we have been able to develop healthy ministry partner relationships that have lasted for more than a decade and have opened new doors for Multiplication network to assist in countries we never envisioned in our original plans.

•A strong hub understands that low cost/high impact is more than a slogan

Multiplication Network values good stewardship.  We are not an organization that spends money foolishly. Everything is calculated out. Also, from a missiological view, we know what will result in a healthy church and what won’t. Some organizations throw money at a problem as if more money will solve the issue. We recognize that it is not about money. It is about having processes in place that work and result in facilitating the end goal. For this reason, Multiplication Network lives according to the maxim “Low cost/high impact.” We do more with less. We would not be in some 60 different countries today with ministry partnerships if we financed every aspect of the church plant. We invest in training trainers. With key, proven denominations, we invest in offices of church planting. At the same time, we do not pay church planters. We will provide mobilization funds for training and/or gathering reports but the bulk of the expenses fall on the denominations. We do this by offering them training at no cost and materials at no cost. We can see more countries doing church planting exponentially by keeping our costs to a minimum and not investing in direct costs.

In what ways does your hub exhibit “low cost/high impact”? What things might need to change to make this more than just a slogan in your region?

•A strong hub understands that finances are tied to results

This was mentioned under the rubric of budget savvy. There is a direct correlation between our funding and desired results. Each dollar is budgeted with a result in mind. Also, good results mean Multiplication Network is normally willing to invest more. Where results are poor, we invest less. We invest in certain partnerships because they produce the most results. There are 4 or 5 denominations that are the largest producers of results, and for this reason we have highly invested with them based on the promised results.

•A strong hub determines when local/national fundraising can become a reality

This is not a high priority of most of our hubs currently. Nevertheless, we see local or national fundraising as an element of a strong hub. Funding from the U.S. may one day dry up. It is important that church planting continue with or without funds from the U.S. It is also a need of the hub for its own self esteem to be able generate some local or national funding. A parent may carry the financial load of their children for a time but eventually the kids want to contribute and eventually earn their own way in life. A strong hub is one that contributes to this financial burden via fundraising. Multiplication Network has those who can help the hub move in this direction. Is local or national fundraising one of your hub goals at this time? If not, what could you do to make this one of your annual goals for the future?

• A strong hub has leaders who are multi-cultural, able to work within various cultural or linguistic groups

Wherever Multiplication Network is present through its hubs, we are working in a multiplicity of languages and cultures. Even within a single hub there may be multiple cultures and multiple languages. A strong hub knows how to navigate through these waters. Multiplication Network, through its printed material and through videos, is here to assist hub leaders to become more multicultural and to understand the nuances of different people groups in their midst. In the end, though, it is up to the hub leaders to be informed and demonstrate what has been termed “cultural intelligence.” What is your hub doing to understand the people groups around you? What is being done to train staff in becoming more multicultural?

Summary

Thank you for staying engaged and finishing this specific training in the Definition of a Strong Regional Hub. We know this has been a lot of information. It has been a long journey in defining the best practices of a ministry hub for Multiplication Network. You will benefit from viewing this video again. If you are a hub leader, you can share this with your team to see if there is alignment with these elements. This could initiate some healthy and constructive discussion among team members so that you all have the common goal of becoming stronger and more effective.