This is not some well thought out philosophy of ministry, just some quick points that I have come to understand and practice after doing work in the villages of Uganda for 25 years. I am certain there are other circumstances (seminaries, medical clinics, etc.) where a different standard MUST be applied, but in the remote and very poor villages, I have adopted these practical values.

1. I cannot save the whole nation. Come to think of it, I cannot even change a single city in the US, so what would make someone think anyone could change a whole nation. Jesus surely did, but even He worked mainly with small numbers. I am very skeptical of individuals or groups who suggest that have a strategy whereby they will do A, then B, then C, and in X years the whole village is transformed and saved. I have never seen this actually accomplished. It sounds good for raising funds, but totally leaves out the work of the Holy Spirit blowing when and where and how He pleases. John 3:8. My job is to be faithful.

2. One person at a time. This is an outgrowth of comments above. I certainly work with groups, whole churches, and many from a village in an open air campaign, but I am always aware of the importance of a changed heart of an individual.

3. Something beats nothing. The point here is very simple. Doing something always beats doing nothing. Doing things faithfully with attention to details is always what we strive for, but doing nothing is certain failure. I have known those who in the absence of doing something perfectly, end up doing nothing.

4. Compared to what? In this point, I am not saying that all things are relative, but when you evaluate both needs and ministries, you must not do so in a vacuum. Do what you can, where you can, with what you have and always hope to do better next time. Otherwise you fall victim to number 3 above. An example is I have been told several times that when we install a well in a village, we are doing the governments work and letting them off the hook. My answer, "You are 100% correct." BUT the government is not doing this and meanwhile the people in the village suffer. So compared to what the government is doing, I am OK with what we are doing.

5. The dependency wars. I understand the issue of establishing ministries that build dependence rather than independence. I have seen American church planting groups that steadfastly refuse to provide any outside support. I have never seen such approaches do much. Additionally, in the last 50 years I have been involved in nearly twenty church plants in the US and Uganda. In each and every successful case, outside aid has always played a role on a descending scale. Why is this common in the US and wrong in Africa?

6. Nearsightedness By this I speak of the sadness I feel in my heart when I see so many Christians who cannot work together. So many see what they are doing as what is "important and God's work" and others are just getting in their way. Very common and very sad!

7. Micro to Macro The tendency to see something succeed in a micro circumstance and then is extrapolated to the macro. Suddenly, what worked in a big way in one, well defined small setting, is now applied to all other areas and situations that have little in common. But because it worked over there, it must work here too.