Innovators Or Opportunists????

Missionaries have instructed to remember that fact that the first people to present themselves to you as a missionary, often are not the people we will build ministries on. They tend to be Opportunistic. Is this always true?
Innovators are also the ones most open to a foreigners presence and input. This is a great reminder.

"Remember that innovators will be first responders. As argued, innovators will be greater media consumers than the population at large, and will be more open to new ideas. They will be attracted to the foreign missionary since the innovator thinks in broader categories than the average person. The innovator can be confused as the “person of peace” since he or she obviously gets it.” Yet many missionaries know well the heartache that comes as these innovators quickly grow spiritually and then lose focus because they lack roots (Matt. 13:1-23). But innovators can be a gateway into a network of a “bunch of guys.” Spending time with them can be strategic, but mainly for seeing them as a link to the opinion leader.

Teach them as a group. As noted earlier, the aberrant group finds their restlessness in the fact that the majority religion does not satisfy their soul. These groups are looking for someone to help them make sense of their restless soul. Helping the group as a group keeps the bonds tight and the vision alive. They are more often able to handle persecution as a group and also use their gifts in a natural way to expand the work. The missionary should concentrate on the “group leader,” who will then teach others (2 Tim. 2:2).

(2 1/2 Percent: Church Planting Movements from the Periphery to the Center. Dwight McGuire. EMQ January 2010 Vol 46, No 1, pp 29-30)