For HOPE staff in Ukraine, reevaluating their spiritual integration (SI) efforts meant reflecting back to the time of Jesus. How could they more effectively apply a 1st century model of evangelism to the 21st century? Their conclusion was simple: discipleship.
Staff started by asking if what they were doing was working and realized that their efforts were spread too thin. Many clients had a basic understanding of Christianity, but far fewer had committed their lives to Christ or joined the local church. Staff members tried to evangelize every client—a daunting task when most branches have just two or three staff members. Their efforts ensured a wide breadth of outreach but left little time to invest deeply in clients’ lives. HOPE Ukraine staff wanted more for their clients.
At the same time, several other countries using an individual lending model were facing similar challenges. In February, leaders from HOPE-led programs in Ukraine and Russia were joined by HOPE partners from Moldova and Romania for a Spiritual Integration Summit. These leaders thoughtfully and prayerfully decided to refocus their programs—moving from general evangelism to personal discipleship after Jesus’ model. Each staff member will invest in a few deep relationships with clients, responding to their unique needs with the hope of the Gospel and raising up disciples who may someday become disciple-makers.
