JoshuaShepherd TAM International: Map the Global Movement Leader Landscape
Systematically discover movement leaders operating internationally — outside the US evangelical echo chamber. The movement is inherently global (Chinese house church, Latin American base communities, African independent churches, European new monasticism), and the TAM must reflect this.
Invocation
/tam-international $ARGUMENTS
Arguments:
- A region, country, network, or directive. Examples:
/tam-international Latin America— search a region/tam-international South Korea— search a specific country/tam-international Lausanne Movement— mine an international network/tam-international majority world— focus on Global South leaders/tam-international European new monasticism— search a movement stream/tam-international(no args) — full global sweep
Before Starting
- Read the master list to check existing international representation
- Read the rubric — the Seven Gates and 100-point scoring apply globally, but with cultural sensitivity
- Note the existing international candidates on the list (e.g., Michael Frost - Australia, Mark Sayers - Australia, Evan Mawarire - Zimbabwe, Andrew Jones - Europe)
Regional Search Strategy
Region 1: Australia / New Zealand / Pacific
Why high priority: Forge originated here; Michael Frost, Mark Sayers already on list; strong missional movement tradition
Search vectors:
- Forge Australia/NZ faculty and alumni leaders
- Morling College, Whitley College, Vose Seminary missional faculty
- Australian Church Planting networks
- New Zealand church multiplication leaders
- Pacific Island movement leaders with English-language content
Region 2: United Kingdom / Ireland
Why high priority: Fresh Expressions, new monasticism, missional pioneer movement well-established
Search vectors:
- Fresh Expressions Network leaders and practitioners
- Church Mission Society (CMS) pioneers and faculty
- Church Army, Urban Expression, 24-7 Prayer leadership
- St. Mellitus College, Ridley Hall missional theology faculty
- Northern/Scottish church planting networks
- New monastic communities (Northumbria, Iona, etc.)
Region 3: Continental Europe
Search vectors:
- European Church Planting Network (ECPN) leaders
- Forge Europe, 24-7 Prayer European leaders
- New monastic movements (Taizé adjacent, Protestant new monasticism)
- Scandinavian missional church leaders
- German/Dutch missional ecclesiology thinkers
- Eastern European movement leaders with English content
Region 4: Sub-Saharan Africa
Why critical: Fastest-growing church globally; massive organic movement tradition
Search vectors:
- African church multiplication movement leaders
- Disciple Making Movement (DMM) practitioners with published content
- African theological educators writing in English
- Leaders of African-initiated churches with global influence
- South African missional leaders (Stellenbosch, UNISA networks)
- East African revival tradition leaders with contemporary voice
Region 5: Latin America
Search vectors:
- Latin American Theological Fellowship (FTL/CLADE) leaders
- Misión Integral practitioners with English-language content
- Brazilian church planting movement leaders
- Colombian, Argentine, Mexican missional thought leaders
- COMIBAM (Cooperación Misionera Iberoamericana) leadership
- René Padilla / Samuel Escobar lineage of holistic mission thinkers
Region 6: East Asia
Search vectors:
- Chinese house church movement thinkers with English publications
- South Korean missional church leaders
- Japanese/Taiwanese church planting leaders
- Back to Jerusalem movement voices
- Asian diaspora leaders bridging East/West
Region 7: South / Southeast Asia
Search vectors:
- Indian church multiplication leaders with English content
- Filipino missional practitioners
- Indonesian/Malaysian movement leaders
- South Asian theological voices (SAIACS, ATC networks)
- Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam underground/organic church voices
Region 8: Middle East / North Africa
Search vectors:
- Persecution-context movement leaders with public profile
- Lebanese, Egyptian Christian thought leaders
- Iranian diaspora church leaders
- Middle Eastern church planting networks
- Arabic-language Christian authors with English translations
Phase 2: Search Execution
For each region/focus:
Run web searches combining region + movement keywords:
"[region] church planting movement leader author""[region] missional church practitioner""[region] disciple making movement leader""[country] Christian thought leader multiplication""[network/org] leadership faculty speakers"
Mine international networks:
- Lausanne Movement participants and resource authors
- World Evangelical Alliance leadership
- Langham Partnership scholars
- Oxford Centre for Mission Studies alumni
- International Journal of Frontier Missiology authors
- Global Church Movements affiliated leaders
Check international publishers:
- Langham Literature / Hippo Books (Africa)
- Regnum Books International
- William Carey Library
- SPCK (UK)
- Wipf & Stock international authors
Phase 3: Cultural Sensitivity in Evaluation
When applying the Seven Gates and rubric internationally:
| Gate/Criteria | Cultural Adaptation |
|---|---|
| Audience Size | Adjust expectations — 5K engaged followers in a country of 10M Christians may be more significant than 50K in the US |
| Content Forms | Books may not be the primary form — teaching series, oral tradition, community curricula matter |
| Digital Presence | Many majority-world leaders have minimal digital footprint despite massive movement impact |
| Revenue Streams | Bivocational is the norm, not the exception; "revenue potential" means different things |
| Network Connections | May not connect to US networks but may be deeply networked regionally |
| Language | English-language content is a practical requirement for the platform but shouldn't be the only signal |
| Multiplication Evidence | May be the STRONGEST signal — majority-world movements often far exceed Western multiplication rates |
Adjusted Gate 7: Network Coherence (International)
Does this leader's work represent a genuine extension of the movement (missional-incarnational, multiplication, Kingdom) into their cultural context? Or is it a disconnected parallel?
Phase 4: Output
For each new international candidate discovered:
Quick Profile
## [Full Name] — [Country/Region]
**Domain**: [primary domain]
**Language(s)**: [languages of content]
**Key Affiliations**: [orgs, networks, institutions]
**Notable Works**: [books, courses, movements catalyzed]
**English Content Available**: [yes/no/partial — specify what]
**Digital Presence**: [brief assessment]
**Estimated Reach**: [audience indicators]
**Connection to Existing TAM**: [names of connected candidates, if any]
**Initial Gate Assessment**: [PASS ALL / FAIL: Gate X / NEEDS RESEARCH]
**Notes**: [what makes them distinctive or important]
Regional Summary
Output file: intelligence/leader-research/international/[region-slug].md
# International TAM: [Region Name]
## Summary
- **Candidates found**: [count]
- **Strongest candidates**: [top 3-5 names]
- **Key networks identified**: [regional networks worth deeper mining]
- **Language considerations**: [English content availability]
## Candidates
[Quick profiles for all candidates found]
## Regional Insights
- [What does the movement look like in this region?]
- [How does it differ from US expression?]
- [What unique contributions could these leaders bring to the scenius?]
## Gaps and Next Steps
- [What couldn't be found? Who is likely missing?]
- [Regional networks to mine deeper]
- [Translation/language barriers to address]
Update Master List
Add qualified international candidates to 01-MASTER-RANKED-LIST.md in the unscored section with a [INTERNATIONAL] tag.
Key Rules
- The movement is global by nature. Alan Hirsch's own framework draws on Chinese house church, early church, and global movements. The TAM must reflect this.
- English-language content is a practical requirement but should not be the only discovery signal. Leaders who publish in other languages but have some English-language content are valid candidates.
- Adjust audience size expectations by context. A leader with 3,000 engaged followers in a country with a small Christian population may have outsized influence.
- Multiplication evidence may be strongest internationally. Disciple-making movements in India, China, and Africa often achieve multiplication rates that dwarf Western church growth.
- Never fabricate international candidates. The temptation is high because data is scarcer — resist it.
- Regional networks are goldmines. One well-connected regional leader can surface 10+ candidates.
- Flag language barriers honestly. If a leader has zero English content, note the opportunity but be transparent about the platform limitation.
- Diversity is not the goal — movement fidelity is. International candidates must pass the same gates. But recognizing that movement DNA expresses differently across cultures is essential.