Missions Blog for Churches

“I don’t need much. I simply want to be someplace where I can serve. If I am working with the poor then I might want to live in their neighborhood, or if I’m working with students, could I have a national for a roommate?” This perspective expresses the heart of many who are looking at missions today. They want to live in the home of a national, or with a national roommate. They might see themselves living in a village, embracing the same lifestyle and facing the same challenges as the people living there. They are at a unique crossroads of personal freedom and have a strong desire to minister in challenging situations, such as living among the poor. They are ready to embrace life on the edge.

MTW’s new EDGE program will allow participants who desire a stripped-down missions experience to live more closely with those to whom them minister. Featuring lower support costs and hands-on ministry experience, EDGE is a two-year missions experience that will be offered in addition to current intern, short-term, and career missionary tracks.

However, EDGE will not be for everyone. We believe this ministry path will be most attractive to those in their 20s, just graduated from college, or singles who are free to travel and take risks. It may also fit for newly-married couples without kids, or even couples whose kids have moved out (provided the circumstances are right and they have a tolerance for risk). If someone is looking for hands-on experience and a service-oriented ministry, then this could be for them. A caution is that more than any of our other programs, EDGE will take participants to the extreme in terms of personal sacrifice. This is not to say that the opportunity to sacrifice is not present in other programs; in fact, on the surface it doesn’t look much different from our intern level of support. The difference is that this is a two-year endeavor, a lifestyle. It is embracing subsistence living over a long period of time as a means to connect. Click here to continue reading this article…

“I want to give praise and glory to God for saving my life with my family and to express my words of gratitude to everyone who lifted us up before the throne of God while we were in extreme danger… It was the darkest night of my life.”

These are the words of Charles Amicy, long-time MTW national partner in Haiti, following the assault of Hurricane Ike. Pastor Amicy reports that only the buildings remain in the compound that serves as his ministry’s hub. Gone are all the medicines in the pharmacy, all the vehicles, a 40-foot container of materials for the orphanage, his library, and some of the compound walls. Some church members lost loved ones while others barely escaped with their lives. And the devastation in Caberet where Pastor Amicy ministers may not be the worst. (continue reading this article and find out more about the needs in Haiti)

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

• “Our missions ministry is a mile wide and an inch deep.”
• “There’s little or no coherence to our support decisions.”
• “We don’t feel we’re making a lasting impact.”

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:

1. First, Christ is the one who is building, not us.
2. He is building the church, not a Christian organization or individual converts.
3. It is His church, not ours.
4. It is a prevailing church.
5. The church is on the offensive, such that the gates of hell cannot withstand the blows of the church.

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:

• Church planting is the primary means of extending the Church.
• Church planting is both a biblical imperative and example.
• Church planting is the most effective means of evangelism.
• New believers need a community to belong to, for care and support.
• New churches are the best way to reach new people groups.
• New churches help to renew existing churches.

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:

• Any gathering of believers, no matter how briefly they meet
• A missionary praying with non-Christians
• Bible studies that meet for a few weeks
• A fellowship that includes worship and teaching, yet targets only students
• An individual believer who listens to a Christian radio broadcast

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:

1. Do the church members have an ongoing commitment to each other?
   Sometimes we hear of incredible numbers of churches planted in an area. This is cause for rejoicing! But it is also cause for discernment. A church is more than an event or a short-term gathering of believers. It is a community of people living out their Christian lives together. Find out how many of the churches started in the last year or two still exist. How healthy are they? And most importantly, how will you know?
2. Does the church have recognized leadership?
   The Scriptures call for believers to submit to their church leaders and look to them for pastoral care (Hebrews 13:17; James 5:14; Matthew 18:17). Thus, it must be clear to the members who these leaders are and how they are to relate to them.
3. Does the church have recognized membership?
   Church elders are exhorted in the Scriptures to shepherd the people God has put under their care (1 Peter 5:1-3; Acts 20:28). In order to do so, the leaders must have some way to know who their flock is. Without adopting Western forms, churches should have a culturally appropriate means of determining their membership. Belonging to this new community will help foster committed relationships.

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.

This article is available in PDF format for easier reading and printing by clicking here.

I have not used this software, so I’m not recommending it, other than it is free so it may be worth a spin.

Compu-Books of Glendale, AZ is offering their Church Missions 3.0 software free to Christian churches and Mission organizations. This solution tracks church mission projects with missionary information, contribution records, communication log and reports. They give you a free single-user version – a contribution receipt for the donation is requested in return ($99 value). It’s available for Mac and Windows. Visit their website ‘products’ page to request your free copy.

by Paul Meiners

Part way through their first term on the field “Fred and Beverly” were struggling. Their language fluency was not as they had hoped. Friendships with nationals were not giving them entrance into the culture and opportunities for ministry as much as they expected. They desired a strong bond with their team, but sometimes felt they had little to contribute and others were too busy to give them much care and encouragement. Fred and Beverly had come after a great year of experience elsewhere which had confirmed their interest and abilities in missions. God’s call seemed to be confirmed by their experience, their church, and by MTW. Yet, could this all have been a big mistake? Click here to continue reading…

by Bruce McDowell

Overseas workers returning from the field can experience stress, reverse culture shock, unsettledness, and disruption from routine that makes the experience of returning “home” far from the vacation that some church members imagine it to be. Some workers struggle as they return to the demands of advocating for their ministry and raising needed funds. Others find they are financially stretched much more while Stateside than when they are on the foreign field. Housing and transportation, busy travel schedules, school concerns, and even winter clothes can add up. Still others are working through marriage and family issues that may affect their ability to return to the field and serve effectively. Click here to continue reading…

Serving As Senders: How to Care for Your Missionaries While They Are Preparing to Go, While They Are on the Field, When They Return Home
by Neal Pirolo

One book that our team regularly shares with pastors and missions leaders as we visit churches is Neal Pirolo’s Serving as Senders. The book is great not only because it tells us what we should be doing, it’s great because of the practicality with which it tells us how we should be doing these things. Pirolo, a missionary himself, brings a perspective that is valid as well as clear to a subject that many churches neglect. It isn’t as if we don’t care. If asked, most of us would exclaim that we do! But for whatever reason we often neglect doing much more than sending support checks.

This book will help churches with established missions ministries as well as those just starting out. The ideas will spawn creativity that will lead you to develop your own new ways of meaningfully ministering to those serving overseas. Even more, the book will help us realize and then remember that the Church is much bigger than our local congregation, and the call to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world,” is not an or statement but an and statement.

If you’ve got some new ideas of how you or your church has cared for missionaries, why not share them here? I’d love for others to be able to read them, but also to take these ideas as I visit churches in the PCA.

George Verwer, Operation Mobilization
“I strongly believe that this is one of the most significant missionary books of this decade. Unless the Church and God’s people respond to its message, the work of reaching the unreached is going to be greatly hindered. Every committed sender needs to get involved in distributing this book.”

Dr. Ralph Winter, U.S. Center for World Mission
“This key book makes the strategic point that mobilizers–the senders–are as crucial to the cause of missions as frontline missionaries. It is a book just crammed with solid, exciting insights on the most hurting link in today’s mission movement.”

Click here to order Serving as Senders online from Amazon.com.

by Blaire Oakley

The following are questions meant to facilitate further involvement of churches in the work of the particular fields with which they partner.

Caring for the Team:

• Prayer Networks:
  • How can you encourage prayer for the team?
  • What process will you follow and who will be responsible for coordination? 
• Encouragement
  • How can you encourage members of the team?
  • Balancing the field’s need to communicate with the partnership, their needs for security, and a desire not to be overwhelmed by emails and such, how can we promote communication?
  • What projects could be undertaken?
  • Are there special opportunities to encourage the children of the team?
  • Are there simple things (i.e. foods, household items, personal items) that the missionaries cannot obtain in their new host country that they miss?  Are there small things we could put together to send to them as an encouragement?
• Pastoral Care
  • Drawing from the resources of churches, are there ways to coordinate pastoral care?
  • Should the partners be involved during the re-entry process (either for Home Ministry Assignment or End of Term?)
  • Are there resources we could provide (books, website recommendations, etc.) that would be spiritually encouraging/enriching to the team.
• Security Policy
  • In regards to sensitive fields, how can you help protect the security of the team member in your own churches, on the Internet, etc?

The Extended Team (involving both new team members and national team members)

• Training
  • Are there ways the partnership can contribute to training team members?
  • Are there things we can provide to help cut training costs?
• Ministry Strategy
  • What input or questions does the partnership have regarding team strategy?
  • Are there unique resources/ideas of the partners that could contribute to ministry strategy?
  • Can the partner church send a team for a vision trip to get a greater sense of the needs and vision of the team?
• Resources and Development
  • Are there possibilities for short-term projects, for teams with either general or specific skills experience?
  • Are there translation projects the partnership can help coordinate?
  • Can the partnership contribute to training nationals?
• Financial Support
  • Do the partners understand and support the team budget?
  • Are there any changes to be considered?
  • How can the partners support the team budget, either directly or through fund raising?
  • Are there available resources within the partnership that could help lower the overall budget (i.e. available copier, paper resources for support letter mailings, church members willing to stuff and mail letters, car available for use during HMA or support raising, donation of SkyMiles for missionary to use for flight to training events or field, etc.)
• Globalized Ministry
  • Are there people within the target group living near the partners (i.e. you partner with a team in the Ukraine, and have a population of Ukrainians nearby)?  Can you facilitate local outreach to these groups? (This website can help you with this undertaking)
  • How can the field (expatriate or national) help partners reach these people?

Promoting the Ministry

• Promoting Field Awareness
  • How can the partners work together to educate others about the people group, balancing the need for promotion with the need for security?
• Recruitment & Assessment
  • Considering ministry priorities, how can we coordinate our efforts at recruiting new workers?
  • Given the awareness of the field that partners will have, are there ways that the partners can help in the assessment process of new candidates?
• Expanding the Partnership
  • How can you coordinate an effort to broaden the partnership, either by adding members to the Steering Committee or the broader partnership?  What process will you follow to add new members?
• Partnership Organization
  • Who will serve as the chairman of the Steering Committee?
  • Are other leadership roles necessary to facilitate the partnership?
  • Looking ahead, can you envision creating sub-committees for a specific task (i.e. working groups?)
• Assisting the Suffering Church
  • Are there appropriate ways that the partnership can assist believer within the people group who are suffering for their faith?