byFaith – PCA Headlines MTW on TwitterHere is the second installment of our trip to Haiti. To see the first clip and some background info, click here.
Mission to the World and Reformation Hope International are partnering together with a Presbyterian Church in Le Plaine, Haiti to rebuild. This is part two of the story.
If you want to discover how you can serve God with the business experience He’s given you, the Missions in Business Weekend is just for you.
Who Should Attend:
• Business owners
• Business executives
• Retired businesspeople
• Entrepreneurs
• Spouses (special program)
• Young businesspeople who desire to be mentored
Missions in Business Weekend
August 19-22
The Cove
Billy Graham Conference Center
Asheville, NC
Click here for more information and to download a registration form.
I recently traveled to Haiti to see some of what God is doing there. We participated in the first worship service in the first church to be rebuilt since the earthquake. MTW is partnering with Reformation Hope, International and The Presbyterian Church in Haiti to bring the Gospel in word and deed to the people of Haiti. Here is the first installment of our trip:
The following is an excerpt from a recent email I received from GTD. There are a number of events that you, in the church, can take advantage of, including their Church Planting Basics which is taking place as I type this. The next Church Planting Basics takes place in December, but since it’s in Asia instead of Lawrenceville, that may not be convenient for you. So bookmark their website (www.gtdtraining.org) for future dates. The next Train the Trainer workshop is November 10-13 and it is in Lawrenceville, GA. Contact GTD at gtd@mtw.org for more information.
Global Training and Development (GTD), the training arm of Mission to the World, is committed to providing resources and assistance to equip you for a thriving ministry. As missionaries with years of cross-cultural ministry experience, we desire to stand beside you as you seek to advance God’s kingdom around the world.
One ministry area that we want to help facilitate is that of mentoring. To that end, we are redesigning the MTW mentoring program to make it intentionally field-driven and expand its reach beyond the orientation of new missionaries. The enhanced program will provide training, encouragement, and resources for mentoring both new and experienced missionaries, as well as national leaders. In short, our desire is to help make mentoring a natural part of how we engage in ministry. The following resources have been designed to help accomplish this:
The Mentoring Newsletter is designed to equip you with the best tools, strategies, and resources to help you be as effective as possible in your mentoring relationships. This electronic newsletter will include articles written to help you sharpen your skills. An archive of these articles, as well as additional resources, will be maintained on our web site: www.gtdtraining.org/resources. To subscribe, email peter.beck@mtw.org.
The following is an article by Burt Boykin, pastor of Community PCA in Moody, AL. I asked Burt to write this article after recognizing a number of people out of his church who were going to the mission field. What I noticed was that these folks were the very leaders in Burt’s church. One was his associate pastor (his only associate pastor). So I felt like Burt could not only encourage us, but that he was a worthy example. Burt is a pastor’s pastor. Enjoy.
by, Burt Boykin
If you’re reading this article you’re surely one of those pro-mission folks who already has an above-average interest in and commitment to missions. I do too, I guess. But let’s admit that sometimes this missions deal gets just a little out of hand. Let me explain.
As a church we’re always glad to send some money to missionaries and even do it regularly. Most of us are even willing to support missions with our personal finances. And surely we pray for missionaries. In addition to sending money and praying, we frequently go on mission trips ourselves, taking a handful of folks to various spots around the world to get a taste of what the Lord is doing. And to put the icing on the cake of our self-righteousness, we even promote the idea of people considering missions as a calling. Sometimes we see our people seriously consider that call, occasionally pursue it, and once in a while actually end up on the mission field. There are always certain people we’d love to see go on the mission field, whom we approach and urge to consider missions, and whom we’re even willing to help support when they go. All of this is good and surely helps give our churches a more mission-minded look and feel. But, when your very best folks start lining up to leave the church, that’s when you start to wonder if this stuff isn’t getting out of hand! We’re just not one of those large churches that can afford to lose our leaders, our best people, our tithers! When we lose a “significant” family, it’s rather significant. (continue reading this article)
by David Brooks
“Gwen, come read this.” It was 1981, and we had just returned from a partnership trip to several churches in the South. Young and ready to go back to the mission field full-time, we needed more partners. This trip had been frustrating for a variety of reasons, so in my “thank you” note I had given some suggestions on how one church might improve its conference in the future. Then came the response from the senior pastor—he was very upset. I was stunned. I went back and reread my letter, seeing no problem. So I sent both letters to a colleague working with MTW at the time. His response was that I should write back and ask for forgiveness. But I had done nothing wrong! Out of respect for my colleague I did what he suggested, but it was certainly not out of conviction.
Twenty years later, a separate incident occurred. I was called my leader’s office. “Dave, I am going to resign. I see no other way forward for the work and I have always said if I became a part of the problem or could not do my job correctly then I would resign. I have reached that point.” I was not surprised but I was sad. Here was my leader, mentor, and friend making a difficult decision, and in this case the right decision because of unresolved conflict in a crucial partnership.
I was asked to replace him, and I began well. I met with several partners, listened, made changes, and things were improving. We were moving forward, and programs talked about in the past began to see results. But two years later I had an urgent meeting with the director of a major network that was key to the growing multiple partnership. We had hit a wall. He was frustrated with me and I was frustrated with him. We made some decisions and got past it but neither of us was happy with the other. (Continue reading this article in InVision…)
by Seth Wallace
“We have a leadership vacuum.“
“Our greatest need is leaders.“
You’ve heard these statements before. For several years now, we have heard this in a variety of contexts. In our denomination it has been ubiquitous. The need for developing leaders is great, but the progress has been slow. I’ve heard current leaders bemoan the “young leader pool,“ saying there aren’t many good prospects. I’ve heard those in my generation say that few current leaders want relationships or are willing to listen. Are leaders born or are they made? Will one generation flop about because it can’t lead? That question has probably been leveled at every generation to come along…continue reading this article from InVision.
The following is part of a report from MTW’s Coordinator, Dr. Paul Kooistra. In it he describes the need for both US missionaries and partnerships with national leaders. MTW has seen a real growth in the number of national partners. This is truly exciting to think about, and I look forward to seeing more PCA members go to equip even more national partners. Indeed, theological training and ministry equipping are some of the strongest offerings the PCA has to the Church beyond our borders.
I am often asked why MTW does not work with nationals. The answer to the question is that we do work with nationals. In fact, we work with a lot of nationals. The number of our national partners now exceeds the number of long-term missionaries.
Some who ask this question are actually asking why we don’t work exclusively with nationals. To many it seems much more efficient and more economical.
As I have indicated above, MTW does not in any way diminish the importance of working with nationals. From the beginning of the Church, nationals have played a vital leadership role. Paul, during his first missionary journey, appointed local leaders in Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Throughout church history the translation of the Bible into the vernacular was of primary importance.
On the other hand, we see that one church reached out to another church and to the masses held captive in the darkness of their own sin. It is not possible to reach out only with money. If we don’t give ourselves, we have missed the very essence of the gospel. The incarnation of God argues for an incarnational response.
We actually have some places in the world where nationals ask us to come, wanting no monetary help, but only the encouragement and connectivity with the Church in the United States. They recognize that their church is richer spiritually for its interaction with our Church.
What is now needed is for our Church to realize that we are richer for our interaction with other churches around the world. Paul reminds us that the body of Christ is made up of many parts. Usually, we only interpret this truth in relationship to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need to see that this also relates to the different parts of the Church around the world. We need each other, and that is one reason we respond to the Great Commission.
Pray for MTW and our missionaries as we deal with the weak dollar and the financial crisis within the U.S. We will be monitoring the budget very closely. I pray we will be able to deal with this matter by being very careful. - Paul Kooistra
by, Joe Creech
The relationship between a church and its ministry partners—both missionaries and national workers—is a lot like a marriage. The relationship has to be developed and nurtured during the dating period in which they get to know each other. The relationship matures as they labor together in ministry. There will be various roles that both parties must learn and grow in over the years. The major difference is that this marriage takes place at a great distance. Nonetheless, establishing ministry partnerships will bring immeasurable benefits to our churches, both here at home and overseas. Through this, glory is brought to God as His kingdom is built.
We are challenged in Scripture with the beauty of partnership in the gospel. The great missionary Paul says that we are fellow-workers—partners—together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). Paul thanks others for their partnership in the gospel (Philippians 1:5). The kingdom of God will not be brought to earth by all of us running around as individuals doing our own thing. Rather as we come into relationship, joining hands with brothers and sisters and moving forward in the power of the Holy Spirit, the church will be built in such a manner that the gates of hell cannot stand against it. Our building partnerships is crucial to this, because relationship sets the context in which ministry can take place. (click here to read more of this article)
by, Rev. Scott Seaton
These descriptions are actual comments from church leaders. Perhaps some of them describe your missions ministry. How did we get here? In many churches, members who long to see the gospel spread throughout the world form or join the missions committee. Perhaps they have missions experience themselves or know people who have served cross-culturally. Serving on the missions team seems like a good way to participate in the Great Commission. But once on the team, they find themselves bombarded with support requests for a seemingly infinite variety of ministries. Each proposal is appealing in its own way. To respond to the numerous requests, the team listens to each presentation and looks at their limited budget. With nothing to guide them other than the winsomeness of the missionary, the appeal of the proposal, and the availability of funds, the missions team allocates support to some missionaries and pass others by. As one PCA pastor frankly admitted, “Our support goes to good missionaries who give a good presentation on a good day for the church.”
The Priority in Missions
It’s clear in these cases that the missions ministry lacks a unifying purpose to guide its decisions. With no established priorities, every ministry opportunity has equal value and importance. To bring clarity, the church must actively determine priorities rather than passively respond to requests. What, then, is the most biblical and effective approach to spreading the gospel? Throughout the history of Christendom, theologians have answered that question with striking clarity: the primary instrument ordained by God to extend His
kingdom is the Church.
Cyprian: “You cannot have God for your Father unless you have the church for your Mother.”
Augustine: “Without [the church] there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Calvin: “God’s fatherly favor and the especial witness of spiritual life are limited to his flock, so that it is always disastrous to leave the church.”
Westminster Confession of Faith (25:2): “out of [the church] there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.”
To modern ears, these words may appear to be antiquated commitments to institutional religion or a restrictive emphasis on one of many ministry options. A closer look at Scripture, however, reveals God’s affectionate commitment to the priority of the Church. Many passages speak of the centrality of the Church, but perhaps none so clearly as the 16th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. Jesus and his disciples are in Caesarea Philippi, a site for worship of the Greek god Pan. Against this backdrop, where people came to proclaim the deity of Pan, Jesus put forward two questions. The first question was a safe one. The second, far more penetrating:
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”
Christians have debated whether the rock Jesus refers to is the foundation of the apostles, the confession of believers, or Christ himself—or all three. But among the riches of this passage, Christ teaches many things about His mission in the key passage, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it:
An Organic Community
The Bible describes the church as the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the people, family and flock of God. Even God’s temple is described as made of living stones. Each of these images is organic and connected, emphasizing the living, loving relationship we have with Christ and each other. We see the key place of the church in God’s plan when we read “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). It is the church that both experiences and expresses the life of Christ, with all the power of the resurrection working to grow this body.
Each of the biblical pictures of the Church has something in common: unity. There is both a unity with Christ and a unity with other members that is not simply a lofty, unattainable goal. Rather, unity speaks to the essence of what it means to be a Christian. By definition, to be a Christian means to live in community. The “communion of saints” is nothing less than a “union with” with the Lord and His people.
And when the world sees this unity that Christ prayed for, it will know that we are indeed His followers (John 13:35) and that the Father sent His Son (John 17:21). In other words, Christian unity has profound missional implications. In places where the gospel has yet to penetrate, genuine Christian community may be the most significant witness in that culture.
The Centrality of the Church
Indeed, Christ loves His church, and it is central in the mind and mission of our Savior. The establishment of the universal Church and the multiplication of local churches is how God will accomplish His purpose of bringing glory to Himself, by uniting all things under Christ. Put another way, it could be said that the church is God’s plan A; there is no plan B. He has always intended to create a people for His own possession (1 Peter 2:9). This has been God’s plan from all eternity, first expressed in the Garden of Eden, through the people of Israel, and into the New Testament church. From the opening pages of Scripture, we see that God had in mind more than the mere conversion of individuals. Rather, He intended that those who had been alienated from God and others would now be enfolded into a new community. And in that community, or church, Christ would dwell in fullness and give life to His new creation. Therefore, fulfillment of the Great
Commission must reflect God’s emphasis: the establishment of new churches committed to following Christ. The Westminster Confession is unambiguous about the centrality of the church:
The visible church, which is also catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, and of their children; and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation (WCF, chapter XXV).
If missions is about the expansion of God’s kingdom, then the priority of missions must be to establish churches where none exist (Romans 15:20). Because it is God’s plan that all peoples will worship Him (Revelation 7), the church must cross cultural barriers to establish communities of believers among every people group. Cross-cultural church planting, then, must be the biblical priority and unifying purpose for our missions ministries.
If cross-cultural church planting is the priority of missions, how do local missions leaders focus on the expansion of the Church? Three key questions will help.
1. Are we committed to the church planting as the primary means of extending God’s kingdom?
An honest and consistent answer to this question is absolutely essential, and it must be answered before further evaluation or planning. When challenged by the biblical priority of the Church, though, a typical response arises: if God has called the missionaries to a particular ministry, who are we to say otherwise? Some missions committees explicitly talk about their obligation to support whoever comes their way, should funds exist.
One way to respond is to compare a purpose for your ministry with the calling of a missionary. Most missions committees look for a strong sense of God’s leading to a particular people, location and strategy—and would be unenthusiastic about a missionary having no direction. Why should it be any different for a missions ministry? Further, establishing a priority does not de-legitimize God’s calling people in other ways. The Church of Jesus Christ has many parts and is far bigger than any one of us. But as you determine what part God has for your missions ministry, consider the following:
2. Do the ministries we support have a biblical view of the local church?
Many ministries talk about their emphasis on church planting; in fact, it’s almost in vogue now. But experience shows that they mean many different things. The term church has been used to describe all of the following:
All of these could be valid and fruitful ministries, but it is questionable whether they are what the Bible means by a church. In God’s wisdom, the Bible does not specify the exact forms of a church, as we would likely focus on the institutional structure rather than the organic nature of His body. To make it more confusing, the common elements of a church— worship, teaching, evangelism, discipleship, service, fellowship, the sacraments, etc.—are found in a variety of ministries. So when is a church a church? It’s
not always easy to discern, but in addition to the elements of the church just mentioned, here are a few critical questions to ask the missionaries or agency:
Mission to the World affirms that local expressions of the church will take on a variety of forms appropriate to their context. Thus, a simple definition or description of a local church will always elude us. However, we also recognize that certain principles transcend all contexts. Further, planning for our missionaries and accountability to our supporters require that we have some mutually agreeable understanding of what we mean by ‘local church.’ Thus, MTW has adopted the following definition of a church-planting project:
Church-planting projects must have at least 10 non-missionary adults gathering regularly for worship and an identified church planter who is committed to seeing a self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating church established.
3. How directly do the ministries we support grow the church?
Establishing the church involves many elements, such as training, evangelism, Bible translation and mercy ministry. When these facets occur apart from the ministry of the church, individual lives may be deeply touched, but the church may only be indirectly built up—if at all. That’s not to say such expressions are wrong. However, the more such ministries are connected to the church, the more effectively they contribute to the ultimate goal of missions: bringing people into a lasting Christian community where they can serve
and grow.
The missionaries and ministries you support should be able to demonstrate how directly they are connected to church planting. Is ministry an integral expression of a local body, or is the local church essentially unnecessary? Will people in the community become connected to the church, to a separate ministry, or nothing at all? Is the real goal the perpetuation of an outside ministry or the establishment of the local church?
Insight and experience will help missions leaders navigate the waters of cross-cultural church planting. But establishing and following biblical priorities is well worth it. As your church becomes more focused on church planting, your missions ministry will develop a clear and cohesive purpose resulting in a lasting impact for God’s kingdom. And that will truly be a good day for the church.
Rev. Scott Seaton is MTW’s former International Director of Enterprise for Christian-Muslim Relations. He has also helped MTW to resource and equip church missions ministries and is now a church planter with the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) at Emmanuel Presbyterian in Arlington, Virginia.
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