Their greatest joy should be to see the national church develop leadership and initiative. At the same time western partners will constantly be looking for ways to fill the gaps, meet needs, inspire vision and stretch beyond the abilities of the local church. National church leaders need to learn to look upon western missionaries as partners, not patrons, co-workers, not competitors. Partners must be open with each other if they are going to trust each other. Serving on a board is a great learning experience for everyone.
People learn how others think and how they make decisions by working through problems together.
This is one of the most supportive, non-directive means of stimulating leadership maturity. Board member selection is also important. The national church, not the mission, knows who will best represent it. Since the most successful partnerships are between two or more independent organizations who share the same goal, LAM found its role frustrating and unsatisfying after a time. Fortunately LAM was able to make a mid-course correction, which, had the partnership continued, would most likely have been a complementary role in the partnership.