The Sending Church

1. The Sending Church Missionaries are the personnel of a Mission organization, but the supervision and provision depend upon the local churches

2. Responsibilities of Leaders • Key to missions is the local pastor’s vision • His example is decisive • Three contributions of leadership to missions • Project Vision —”Gives direction, motivation and mobilizes the commitment of all believers.” • Establish Policy —developing a mission-vision-strategy-program statement • Plan—Someone must give guidance, a mission team/committee could help Pastor. They need to be experienced (at least short-term), cycled through congregation, kept aware of mission philosophy, strategy and contemporary events.

3. Mission Committee/Team • Each member given a basic function, while free to involve others • ACMC (Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment) provides excellent materials. The Association of Church Mission Committee, 1974, Atlanta, is good source, as is the IMB and NAMB • ACMC has standardized evaluations, leadership guides, handbook, policy models. Guidelines for 65 issues churches need to consider. 600 churches are members. • Global Focus is a ministry to local churches to develop a prioritized, integrated, strategic and balanced plan for Acts 1:8 • Formerly part of IMB, now in partnership with others

4. Suggested ideas • Bulletin inserts with missionary and country info • Wall display of world map and missionary photo/letters • Annual short-term mission project for various age groups • Discuss supporting denominational missions and independent missionaries • Scheduling missionaries to speak in SS classes, participate in congregational services • Provide furlough missionary housing • Correspond with missionaries – give guidelines • Partnering with missionary on special projects, especially unreached people groups • Partner in area cross-cultural projects: internationals, inner-city, • Develop lay people in ministry skills to share in other ministries • Web page data on missions and missionaries

5. Responsibility of Local Church • Educating the Congregation about missionaries • Praying for, identifying and encouraging potential missionaries • Praying for specific people groups, church plants, etc • Training prospective missionaries • Supporting missionaries prayerfully • Supporting missionaries financially • Caring for missionaries on Home Assignment • Be involved with missions through Partnerships and short-term projects

6. Educating the Congregation • Pastor can give a series on biblical basis of missions plus frequent mention of current mission development • Sunday School curriculum teaching missions • Consistent information sheets and/or projected images of missionaries during congregational services • Reports by visiting missionaries (personal, cassettes, videos, letters, email, etc) • Church library stocked with mission books • At least one large world map with missionaries • Annual Missionary Conference (Global Impact Conf) • File of current information on all missionaries • Regular trips to mission field with pastors, members and youth for short-term projects

7. Training Prospective missionaries • Anyone interested should begin general ministry involvement ASAP with appropriate responsibilities • Accountability for spiritual disciplines, Bible knowledge and edifying relationships • Proof of leadership and speaking gifts should be demonstrated and affirmed before going off to college or Bible Institute • Ideally some short term experience to confirm interest

8. Supporting Missionaries Prayerfully • Intercession: Jesus said to pray for laborers and God would respond. Is there a cause and effect promise here? • Thanksgiving: for the opportunities to be involved, vicarious accomplishments thru present missionary staff • Nationals, UPGs, RACs and CACs need much prayer • Unevangelized world need much specific prayer • Should not limit prayer to formal meetings—family and individual prayer time, network for urgent requests, a part of Small Groups also • The Global Prayer Digest, by Frontier Fellowship and Operation World by Patrick Johnstone (also available for children)

9. Supporting Missionaries Financially • When doing the other responsibilities, financial support will not a burden. • Mt 6:20-21 Jesus taught about giving for Kingdom purposes “where your treasure is there will your heart be also” • Two-fold Policy decisions necessary • How funds are generated • Percentage of total giving • Increase of last year’s budget for added costs • Pledges as part of Stewardship emphasis • Faith/Promise commitment • What basis are they dispersed • Give to denominational mission fund (as SBC expect 11% plus Lottie Moon Christmas offering) • Give to denominational support and individual support • All funds go to individuals/families chosen by church

10. Caring for missionaries on Home Assignment • Not a vacation for missionaries, though rest may be needed • Report to all supporting churches • Raise project/support funds back to minimum • Gain new training, skill, or seminars for field/family needs • Practical hospitality and practical assistance • Welcome them to your home-treat normally • Be interested in them, their ministry or work – don’t focus on telling them how great your ministry, church, etc. is. • Help take advantage of new developments they could use • Arrange housing and transportation as needed • Provide pastoral care: counseling, encouragement • Encourage and finance continuing education • Help prepare for return to field: finances, projects, partnering

11. Partnering with Missionaries • Determine which projects fit the church’s budget and philosophy of ministry to extend its influence directly in another country • Break up all the projects into bit-size individual tasks to share among many people/churches • Evaluate if some field projects would fit into a short-term project, then bring it to completion—home church ministering to the missionary and his goals • Create accountability contract—mutual ministering • Missionary facilitates the participation of home church personnel in local ministry (translator, study guide, opportunities, etc). –Now a missionary is ministering to his home church personnel

12. Three Types of Missional Churches • Reactive or Responsive Church • Open to hearing the needs and opportunities for extending the kingdom through missionaries • Church congregation, Bible class, Small group or individual presentations • Budgets designed to increase monthly (yearly) support to new missionary projects • Willing to allow Classes or individuals to support missionaries through the church • Creates a bit of a budget problem, but willing to solve it • Support can begin immediately • Slightly less stable • Annually decides to take on support of new missionaries • Usually part of annual church budget typically approved in Jan/Feb • Generally very stable • Policy manual for support procedures • When part of a cooperative denomination, the promotion toward a once a year offering (i.e. Lottie Moon Offering)

13. Three Types of Missional Churches • Short-Term Missional Church • In addition to being a Reactive Church, a short-term trip component is added to the program • Requires more staff to manage • Trips are either targeted toward the existing supporting missionaries or denominational projects • Often progressive in commitment • Local domestic project (less expensive and less stretching) • Far away domestic or nearby country (Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, etc.) • Foreign country • Typically a 1-3 week exposure, but can be up to 2 yrs. • Objectives range from building projects to evangelism with a translator

14. Three Types of Missional Churches • Strategic Coordinator Church (or “Global Impact Church”) • Can practice both the former as well • Decides to target a specific overseas project and takes responsibility to see it accomplished • Adopting a People Group • Planting a church • Developing a broad training program • Missionaries to be supported fit in this focus • Partnering with other missions to accomplish this task • Utilizing resources of home church (personnel, skills, finances, prayer, etc.) to assure the accomplish of task