Some Scales

Alan Hirsch writes about the M Scale - a scale developed by missiologist Ralph Winter to try and assess just how far a people group is from a meaningful engagement with the gospel:

* m0-m1 - Those with some concept of Christianity who speak the same language, have similar interests, probably the same nationality, and are from a similar class grouping as you or your church. Most of your friends would probably fit into this bracket.
* m1–m2 - Here we go to the average non-Christian in our context: A person who has little real awareness of, or interest in, Christianity but is suspicious about the church (they have heard bad things). These people might be politically correct, socially aware, and open to spirituality. This category might also include those previously offended by a bad experience of church or Christians...
* m2-m3 - People in this group who have absolutely no idea about Christianity. They might be part of some ethnic group with different religious impulses or some fringy sub-culture.
* m3-m4 - This group might be inhabited by ethnic and religious groupings like Muslims or Jews. The fact that they are in the West might ameliorate some of the distance, but just about everything else gets in the way of a meaningful dialogue. They are highly resistant to the gospel.

One of our major strategies for SPACE is the idea of progression. As a student gets older, they progress through mission experiences. The experiences progress in both culture and geography - and both aspects are key.

Two examples from last summer:
- Middle school - Working at CMTS helping with serving missionaries around the world : m0.
- 10th grade - Serving in DC with Food and Friends : m1
- SPACE team - Pygmy village in Cameroon - m2 or m3.

I first learned of this idea in Perspectives and believe that it's a pretty foundational principle that students need to be exposed to.