Lausanne World Pulse – Learning from Ants: Missionary Teams and the Skyscraper Analogy
By Justin Long
Wal-Mart operates a variety of stores in different cities, depending upon the market. It has discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets and warehouse clubs. It operates 2,700 stores (one-third of all its stores) in countries outside the United States; together, they are responsible for about twenty percent of Wal-Mart’s sales.
However, being huge, Wal-Mart is often a target for criticism.
Certainly, being “big” makes a company more visible. Skyscrapers have been targeted by hostile people. A monolithic mission agency would be more visible too. It would be criticized by those who dislike missions. It would be a target for those who are hostile. It would become politicized by workers, staff, donors and other stakeholders. Like skyscrapers, it could possibly become overly-expensive, self-contained, proud and uncooperative. We don’t need anyone else, such an agency might say. We have everything we need within our own organization. We are the best.
I rather doubt a single, monolithic agency is possible. But perhaps something a little smaller? Next time, we will talk about pyramids.
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