Measuring Missions
Think Your Church is a Great Missions
Church? Think Again!
In many churches, missions is just another of several programs.
In these churches, the missions conference is their missions
program. The conference is planned and executed with
professionalism (as are the other events of the church
calendar); but then, missions is forgotten until next year.
This is lip-service, token effort - playing at missions. Many
of these churches are more impressed with their missions program
than they should be because they compare themselves to a few
other churches they are acquainted with or they have reached the
plateau of their missions ascent ever since they finally began
supporting a missionary on every continent. But this mindset
for measuring missions is unworthy of its Founder.
When missions is more, missions will be the
passion of the church: it will be
the
reason for her existence. In order to qualify these
comments, consider the following specific descriptions compiled
by ACMC (to get a complete listing, go to
ACMC's website and purchase their "Missions Assessment
Profile"):
When missions is only possibility
(low), the church may support missionaries or missions
projects or go on mission trips.
When missions is project (a notch up
the scale), the church does not have an ongoing missions
program. However, they may periodically do things
or give money for missions.
When missions is program (the average
church), missions is one of the regular, on-going programs
of the church.
When missions is priority (stepping
up), missions is one of the most important programs of the
church.
When missions is purpose
(high), reaching the world for Christ is a major purpose for
the church's existence.
But when missions is passion
(highest), reaching the world for Christ is the primary
motivation of the church.
Below are actual entry-level criteria
of churches qualifying to make Tom Telford's list
of churches majoring in missions (cited in his book, Today's
All-star Missions Churches: Strategies to Help Your Church Get
Into the Game):
- The church must have an outward focus and
strategy.
- At least 30 percent of the church's budget
must go to missions.
- The church must have an ongoing training program for
missionary candidates.
- Missions education must be integrated into all the
programs of the church - (Sunday school, adult Bible study,
Christian school, Bible institute, etc.).
- The church must send its own
people.
- The church must be concerned about and pray for the lost.
- The church must be interested in helping other churches
in missions.
- The church must have a strong evangelism program in its
community.
Where is your church in light of these specific
benchmarks? Where do you believe God wants the church in these
areas? What will you do about getting there? What can you do now
to begin?
