Now that the mission team has gone through the process of
defining the purpose of missions for their local congregation, educated
themselves in missions through Perspectives
and reading, it’s time to implement a comprehensive global program.
Based on your three top priories in missions, who and what
projects you now support. Are they
in line with your missions goals?
Let me give you an example (not based on any church I know…random
thoughts). Here is a list of a
common mission projects:
1.
Church planting family in Bolivia working with
the Quechua.
2.
Youth camp in Albuquerque
3.
Teacher of English in Beijing
4.
Crisis Pregnancy clinic in the city
5.
Retired missionary couple in Omaha (served 40 years
in Botswana)
6.
Missionary with orphanage in India
7.
Bible/tract printing in Cambodia
8.
Bible teacher in Lebanon
9.
Single woman missionary in Mexico
10. Agricultural
project in Mali (West Africa)
Let’s suppose that your evaluation scale looks something
like this:
Church planter - 10
points
Unreached people or country 10
points
Church planting facilitator 8
points
Administration/support 5
Evangelism 5
Social work 3
Other 1
Now let’s evaluate your present mission projects
1. Church planting couple in Bolivia – Their score would be 20, as they are involved in church
planting among an unreached people group.
2. Youth camp in Albuquerque: Score 1 – My thought that not everything that is outside the local church
budget should be paid for from the missions budget. If the church feels strongly about this youth camp then it
should funded through general offerings.
3. Teacher in Beijing
10 points for working in restricted country, perhaps 8 points for facilitating church planting or church growth,
depending on what they are teaching and interaction with the local church. If they are just teaching English with
no specific outreach perhaps only a 3
4. Crisis Pregnancy clinic in the city – Score 1, same as youth camp.
5. Retired missionary couple in Omaha (served 50 years in
Botswana) Score 1. Is this retired couple dependent on
support to live? If so, perhaps a
stipend, depending on the relation of the church it has with former
missionaries and for how long. This is one of those emotional issues you will have to
work through.
6 Missionary with orphanage in India Very much like the
teacher in China, if it is a specific outreach to a community of Hindus or
Muslims, 10 and 8 points. If it is a stand-alone
project perhaps 3
7. Bible/tract printing in Cambodia 5 points for evangelism, 10
points for unreached people. If,
however, it is just a printing press without any tie to outreach 5 points
8. Bible teacher in Lebanon – Probably a score of 18, unreached area of the world,
facilitating church growth and, hopefully the planting of new churches.
Single woman missionary working with women in the church or
seminary in Mexico - score 8 as a facilitator in an evangelized
country.
Family involved in an agricultural project in Mali (West
Africa). If the project is
associated with the national church as a means of outreach to Muslims, score it
as a 20. If it is just teaching people how to farm with no tie into
outreach give it a score of 3.
Well, I think you have an idea of how to go about it. You no doubt will create your own
evaluation method as it fits your church context. But an assessment system is important as you continue to
work the process of making your missions program more effective.
How do you gain information on missionaries and projects and
their work? First, read all the
letters they have sent to your church over the past two years. If you are not keeping these updates,
shame on you. There should be a
file (and in these days of electronic filing is easy to keep missionary
reports), and so go through these files and read carefully what is happening on
the field. If you don’t receive
regular reports then write them a personal letter saying, in a non-threatening
way, “Hey, haven’t heard from you in awhile. What’s happening with you and your family and the ministry
you are involved in?” DO NOT SEND OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE. Missionaries hate these things and,
quite frankly, if the supporting church has been paying attention to the
missionaries or organizational reports, you won’t need to send out a
questionnaire. Of course,
relationships are the key to an effective missions program. If your church members are engaged in
missions, at least with regular updates, then you probably have a good idea
what’s happening on the field.
Of course, when the missionary is home on furlough (home assignment) you
will as a team have a perfect time to learn more about what they are doing on
the field.
Next post will be on what do to with the information you
have acquired.
