Book Review: Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers

by Clay Quarterman 

Which is better: facilitation or resident missionaries? Which is worthy of our support? A more helpful question may be this: How can we be more effective at both?

 

Tom Steffen believes these two approaches are interrelated. In his book Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers, he provides a philosophy of mission work, whether facilitative or “hands-on,” which keeps the end-goal in view. In Olympic relays, much depends on passing the baton effectively. Steffen thinks it is the same in every church plant. We aren’t just individual runners. Whether resident missionary or facilitator, we are part of a team through which God works, and there is much we need to “hand off” to teammates—but how? (Click here to continue reading).