THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INSIDER MOVEMENT PARADIGM

Abstract

Over the past fifteen years missiologists have produced a massive amount of literature related to the contextualization debate surrounding the proposals of Insider Movement proponents. Working through the back-and-forth arguments related to Insider Movement theory is a time-consuming undertaking made more challenging by the nuances and differences articulated by Insider practitioners. Coleman has noted that a spectrum exists in the practices of Insider proponents and has helpfully coined the term “Insider Movement paradigm” (IMP) to recognize that uniformity does not exist among proponents.1 Few field practitioners have the margin to work through all of the literature directly or indirectly related to the Insider debate. Fewer still have the time or resources available to trace the IMP presuppositions back to its main root. This article is an attempt to locate the rise of the IMP in its historical context and to provide a summary of the literature central to the formation of the IMP as a strategy in high religious contexts.