MOVEMENT THINKING _ MISSION FACTOR Part 8 of 10
THIS MATERIAL BELOW
is a borrowed material
for DISCUSSION PURPOSES at
HIS LIFE DIVINITY SCHOOL
PART 8 of 10
THE MISSION FACTOR
The Great 9 IDEAS on HOW TO BE A POWERFUL MISSION CHURCH
Someone has said that the church does not exist FOR missions but rather BY mission.
If you peek inside the fastest growing churches in the world, you will discover that, without exception, they are missions-minded and have caught a vision of “World-conquest”.
Our own church really became alive when missions was placed on the front burner and became a top priority, visible for all to see and hear. For a few years, it was simply another slice of the pie, an auxiliary, a tackled on organization with in the church to which no one listened and no one gave.
It took one of our staff leaving us and going to the mission field to awaken what has amounted to an on-going revival.
Let’s face it. Missions conjures up in most people’s minds poorly dressed missionaries whose talks can’t hold anyone’s attention longer than 3 minutes, showing slides that are too dark and blurry or too light and irrelevant to missions but always with the closing slide being a lovely sunset view! Sound familiar?
There are some key factors about missions that are indispensable if it will be a viable ministry in any church. And, unless it is a viable ministry, the church is doomed to a plateau of no growth.
1. MAKE A GREAT COMMISSION COMMITMENT
The preacher, the governing body, and the other key leaders must start the process.
Missions isn’t optional. It’s what the church is all about. What we call the Great Commission has too often been the Great Omission. Yet, Jesus declared that missions is why the church exists.
That’s why the Great Commission appears five times in the New Testament. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).
What oxygen is to fire, missions is to the church. As fire exists by burning, so the church exists by missions. No missions, no church.
I once read where an artist was asked to paint a picture of a dead church. Masterfully, he worked day and night, and finally the portrait was finished. When it was unveiled, it showed a box on a table in a church foyer. On the box was printed the word MISSIONS. There was a slit in the top of the box for the offerings, and across the slit was a spider web. It could never have been said more eloquently! Until the leadership of the church acknowledges the centrality of missions, then provides the members to become personally involved in the support of missions, that church will not grow beyond just a few hundred people.
2. DEFINE CLEARLY YOUR MEANING OF MISSIONS
How does missions differ from evangelism?
Isn’t evangelism in Seattle and evangelism in Bangkok the same thing?
Why, then, do we call one evangelism and the other missions? In our own local church we have made the delineation from Acts 1:8. “Jerusalem” for us is our local outreach area. “Judea and Samaria” we refer to as our nation, beyond the local church. The “end of the earth” is just that, those places beyond our national border. Basically we’ve called that which is beyond our “Jerusalem” missions. While it may not be the most accurate delineation, it helps identify it for our people.
But beware! We have discovered that not all appeals that come to us labeled “missions” are in fact missions. Thus, we have basically determined that we will hear causes and consider causes whose objective is the winning of the lost to Jesus Christ, and establishing His church. Dropping gospel tracts from helicopters over mountain villages in South America hardly qualifies. Buying 1000 bicycles for a Vietnamese mission may or may not qualify. Define what you mean for missions, and the bottom line should be saving souls and building the church. The Book of Acts provides the model for that approach.
3. ESTABLISH A MISSION COUNCIL
Whether a church is large or small, there ought to be a mission council that meets at least twice per month. The larger the church, the more often it should meet. Our mission council meets weekly just to stay on top of requests, procedure, and future planning. Who should serve on the council?
Start with people who have a burning interest in global evangelization!
I think the council will be constantly changing. If the church is relatively small, the pastor himself should lead that council. In cases where missions are covered by staff person, that person should lead the council. This council needs pastoral leadership one way or another to keep vision high and involvement at a peak. The responsibilities of this council are simple. They set the policy and procedure for missions in that church. They also interview mission candidates, and peruse requests, making appropriate recommendations to the governing body of the church. Of course, they also formulate the annual missions budget and plan the faith promise conference.
4. STAGE AN ANNUAL FAITH-PROMISE MISSIONS CONFERENCE
The faith-promise principle is operative in most growing churches today as applied to missions.
The principle stated is this: It is a promise made by the believer to God that whatever He supplies in the way of funds to be given to missions will be given. It is not a pledge of a certain amount for the year, which if God supplies will be given. Rather, it puts the emphasis on the personal and on the power of God to provide. It also removes the negative stigma of a pledge made and not fulfilled. For example, if I faith promise to give to missions $1000 this year and over and above my regular giving. God only provides $800 is what is given. On the other hand, if I didn’t trust God for enough and the Lord frees $1500 for me and through me, then it’s $1500 that I give. Apart from personalizing missions giving, it is a great faith builder. An airline stewardess who had never made a faith promise in her life decided she would try it. Flight attendants aren’t the highest paid people. But one Sunday about 3 ¼ months after her faith-promise pledge, she came running up to me waving an envelope. She opened it up and showed me a check made out to her by the airlines for $1800. She whispered in my ear. “I know we aren’t supposed to tell anyone but God about our faith promise, but I made a faith promise of $1000 having no idea where it would come from. This is a settlement check from a 4 year old wage dispute that I had forgotten about and given up on! “Did she ever learn a lesson in faith!
By the way, she put the whole check in and gave more as God provided throughout the year!
Every fall we hold our annual Faith-Promise Missions Conference, a week long program of services , prayer meetings, luncheons, breakfast and groups. missionaries are in abundance and our entire foyer (large enough to hold 900 people) is full of missions displays from around the world that we are supporting. On the last Sunday of the conference, an opportunity is given for everyone to make a faith-promise commitment on card. No signatures are placed on the cards. They are totaled and we fully expect in our next conference for the total to exceed $1,000,000! Faith promise works, because in it God gets all the glory. On our giving envelopes, we have a place for people to write in their gifts. It says “Faith Promise Mission.” So every week, people can include along with their regular giving what God has provided them to give in missions. Does it hurt people’s regular giving? Not at all in fact, we saw our general fund and building fund INCREASE when we began the faith- promise program.
5. MAKE MISSIONS VISIBLE TO YOUR PEOPLE!
A once per year missions emphasis isn’t enough. It’s going to take weekly exposure to keep this vital ministry before the eyes of the people. If you were to walk into our building, you would notice a very large color picture of the world behind plexiglass. On either side of that display are the pictures of the missionaries we are currently supporting with a button under their picture. When you press that button, a light comes on the map at the very spot where they are ministering. There isn’t a service where before or after I don’t see people of all ages standing at that display pushing the buttons. When you walk into our auditorium. We have a very large map of the world on the right wall and on the left wall, in huge letters, “ GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES.” We want everyone who walks in to at least visually observe what we are about as a church.
In addition to that, we have a once per month missions minute in our services to point up the tremendous need from overseas. Sometimes , it is a personal taped message from a missionary, sometimes a very brief, well done slide presentation. Sometimes, a time to pray for a particular missionary. We have put in very special phone lines to talk live to our missionaries on the field so our audience can hear them. All of this is vital to keep missions before the eyes of the church and personalize the whole missions program for people. We have learned that people give when they are informed. This is especially true in missions. We also publish a very attractive missions booklet which every member receives and every new member receives in his membership packet. Listed are pictures and stories of every missionary we support, their families, birthdays, anniversaries and addresses so people can send cards throughout the year. Again, this personalizes what could easily be a very impersonal approach.
6. RAISE UP MISSIONARIES OUT OF YOUR CHURCH
One hundred percent of all missionaries I’ve ever met came out of the local church.
Some came because they were challenged and raised up, some came in spite of the fact there was no program to raise up and train recruits! Where do missionaries come from? Start with your high school juniors by challenging them to seriously consider the ministry of cross-cultural missions, get those teen vitally involved early on in missions projects, on the missions council, expose them to missions journals and invite them to seriously consider short term missions projects. A second source is college students. Many a youth in their first and second year of college at a university will catch the world vision. And thus needs a local church surrounding in which to nurture that vision. Many a youth is lost to the ministry and missions today because there is little or no encouragement, guidance, challenge and education in the local church toward world evangelism. Of course, God can tap anyone who really catches the vision, businessmen, housewives, singles, couples, and retired people. We have at present four or five couples who in their retirement years caught a vision, joined a missions agency and off they went to serve the Lord cross-culturally in undeveloped nations by using their professional skills. Retired teachers, physicians, plumbers, construction workers, dentist and many others have decided that instead of sitting in their retirement home in sunny Florida, they will serve the Lord where they can. Growing, dynamic churches today have organizations in house to embrace these people, train them, encourage them and commission them out for service. A few years ago, our organization, known as Pioneers, was formed and at present some sixty people of all ages, educational background and interests are involved. Some of these are short term missionaries, who may later become career missionaries, some are exploring the idea of becoming career missionaries and others want to try their wings in America first. But all have felt the call of God upon their lives to fulfill the Great Commission in some way. Most churches would be greatly surprised to discover that within their ranks are people with tremendous gifts in various areas, who if challenged and encouraged, would respond. It is estimated that 30% of all career missionaries on the field today constitute people who were already in a career when the challenge came. With a world population of over 4 billion people, we can’t afford to overlook anyone.
7. SPONSOR MISSION TRIPS
Whether large or small churches serious about the Great Commission need to plan and sponsor periodic mission trips for their pastor, staff and leadership. These trips need to be budgeted out of the missions giving and have several objectives. A primary objective is fact finding. It is poor stewardship of funds to blindly support causes that are five or seven thousand miles away without personally investigating the effectiveness of the mission. This is not to imply distrust or even suggest that widespread deceit occurs in missions overseas, but if our support is the extension of the local church’s ministry, there needs to be first-hand knowledge of the work. This can only be had by occasional visits from the home church. Another obvious objective is information and personalization for the local church. We have found that when one of our members stands in the pulpit and relates through slides and personal comments about the effectiveness of a work in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, or Africa, our people come alive for missions and support greatly increases as well as awareness. Besides the pastor, staff and elders, we have found that it is extremely beneficial to send other lay people who have deep interest in mission because of the transforming influence on their lives. In fact, we have people on the mission’s field today whose first taste of cross-cultural missions was a fact-finding missions trip. Even if they don’t end up on the mission’s field, they become the greatest advocates for missions in the home church, and the church hears a voice for mission besides the voice of the preacher.
Another objective to mission trips in ministry to the missionaries. Most of us who have never served extended periods in another culture, away from the familiar, old friends, loved ones, and conveniences, have a difficult time relating to what a missions visit from “back home” really means. Having made one of these trips in 6 countries, seeing some 42 missionaries, I can testify as to what a visit means to the missionaries as well as to their families. It’s like a breath of fresh air, a spiritual shot in the arm, a revival, and a mountain top experience all rolled up into one. In many instances, a visit has spelled the difference in whether the missionary stayed on the field or came home. In most cases, the visits are geared to bring spiritual refreshing to the missionaries. You might also guess what a personal. Visit means to those to whom the missionaries are ministering. It places the work and effort on a much higher plane when native Christians see that missions are only a few days or maybe a week.
Sometimes those from the home church paying the visit will also minister by preaching, teaching, doing medical work, or helping in some other area. This too, is a great source of encouragement to the missionaries on the field, and it gives the person doing visiting first-hand experience of what missionary work is really like.
It needs to be understood these are not pleasure trips, or sight-seeing trips. Often a person making the mission trip will want to tack on an additional week at his own expense for sight-seeing and pleasure, but it is apart and aside from the mission trip. Also, on fact-finding trips, we ask the person traveling to keep a journal as he goes. Some key questions we feel a real need to have answers to are these: what are living condition like? Is it productive field as far as response is concerned? Are the missionaries adjusting properly to the culture? Are there any personal or family problems existing with the missionaries? Do the missionaries have enough to live on? What are their greatest personal and ministry needs on the field? Is evangelism really taking place, is there equipping taking place, is the church being established, what are the greatest barriers, etc.? it is usual on the visit also that the need for more missionaries in that place is determined. To some in the local church, a periodic mission trip may sound like an extravagance, yet in the long run, it is probably the most productive thing than can be done to really put missions on the front burner where it truly belongs.
8. SPECIAL MISSIONS OFFERINGS
Our church receives only two special offerings per year, Christmas and Easter.
We have a policy of designating one of those for a special missions project that is cross-cultural. One year we raised $37,000 to build a 400-seat tabernacle in rural Chile. On another occasion, we bought a large mobile medical unilt fully equipped for our missionaries in Mindanao in the Philippines.
Recently we purchased a portable house for our missionary family that just moved to a desert in Kenya working with the Masai tribe. These special offerings not only, of course, provide what is needed for the missionaries, but give our people a personal stakein a country. People do not give to generalities and theories, they give to projects. For example, the special offering for the 4-wheel vehicle was easily raised when we had parked in front of our lobby for 2 Sundays the exact kind of vehicle we were buying. People could actually see what we were doing. I think it best to have no more than one special missions offering per year, but make it a big project. People love to be on a winning team, and we have found that people will really sacrifice if they know they are directly helping fulfill the Great Commission. One of the ongoing projects financed by special offering and faith promise giving is to mail cassette tapes monthly to our missionaries of our services and sermon. They have told us again and again how they have been spiritually sustained by those tapes, and how they play them over and over again.
9. DEVELOP A WORLD MISSION STRATEGY
Many churches operate only on a reaction basis with missions. They re-act to appeals for support. It is better by far to act by discovering those parts of the world most in need of the gospel message coupled with the greatest degree of receptivity. It is there a church really needs to invest its time, money and energy for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. For example, we discovered just a few years ago, that Africa was a sleeping giant. A great receptivity was developing, especially among certain tribes in Kenya. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in that area, and fortunately have seen great returns on our investment. We turned to that part of the world after doing some intensive study. That’s not to say you ignore or neglect the other parts of the world. I believe however, that God expects us to be wise planners, and good stewards of the funds with which He’s entrusted us.
A church should never forget that God is holding us accountable for the peoples who have never heard. My missions professor in Bible college said 32 years ago. “America doesn’t have a right to hear the gospel twice until the farthermost parts of the world have heard it once. “I’ve never forgotten those words.
God’s word to the church is bound up in the prophecy of Ezekiel:
So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me, If I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand (Ezek. 33:7-8).
Those words never stop ringing in my ears… they must never stop ringing in the ears of every local church as it faces its responsibility to take this world for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom!
