DEFINING PHASE-OUT
Phase-out is not pullout, that is, leaving abruptly for whatever reason: health, personal, safety, completion of ministry goals. Rather, phase-out is benign neglect… it is “responsible disengagement…it is the planned absences of church planters, protracted over time, so that national believers can immediately strengthen their spiritual roots and wings” (Steffen 1997, 16, 20). It is the change of roles for team members (evangelist, teacher, resident advisor, itinerant advisor, absent advisor) as the nationals take over the various ministry challenges, including the planting of reproducing churches. It is the bitter-sweet time when the nationals say to the church-planting team: “Thanks, we can handle it from here.” This is what Greg Livingston calls a “gracious insult.” Post-exit roles for team members are considered below.
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