One of the things recently (again!) pressed on my heart is the need to find John Knox-style champions for individual places.It’s the crying need of the future: someone who will say, “Give me x [Scotland!] lest I die!” How do we find Knoxians? Here are some potential “indicators” we might be able to use to narrow the search pattern.

1. They have a vision of God’s heart for the nations and for specific places, and champion that place/people to others
2. They are people-oriented team-builders (whether extroverts or introverts, they remain team builders)
3. They have an apostolic bent “beyond the borders” of the existing church – “go where the Gospel is not”
4. They are concerned for “all” not “some” in an area – the idea of scalability, getting to 100%
5. They have an eye for barriers that must be crossed, whether linguistic, social, economic, cultural, political
6. They are resilient, ready to endure, run the race, with an idea that the race will be long
7. They are learners and discerners, constantly experimenting, learning, listening, teachable
8. They are planners and goal setters, ready to hold themselves accountable, measuring and optimizing themselves
9. They are ready to plant something that grows beyond them – humble, no credit, “I must decrease” types
10. Last, but not least (perhaps should be higher on the list) – they execute, they are willing to do the work.

We are hunting for needles in haystacks.

Who knows people with these kinds of bents? I’m looking for you!