Leading the Church to Major in Missions 

                                                                    by David Parker

No one changes without seeing the need and finding the motivation for change.  When I saw missions in the Bible for the first time, it was extremely motivating.  Many times we do nothing different because we think we are already doing a great job.  I used to hear missionaries get up and say, “The Bible is all about missions.”  They were right; but I never saw it.  It became clear to me when someone took the Bible and showed me from Genesis to Revelation how God has been seeking and saving His people.  I was one of those fellows on the road to Emmaus.  It was there the whole time: I just didn’t see it.  Some people don’t “get” missions because the pastor has never “got” missions.  When I was convinced from Scripture that the plan was God's and He was executing it with a passion, I wanted in.

Setting the example in missions is important whether you are a pastor or any other member of varying responsibility in the church.  The list of ideas for living missions (as a support member) is endless.  Here are just a few thoughts:

1.  Pray for missionaries in your home (include a different missionary for each meal-time prayer).

2.  Keep missionaries in your home when they are on furlough.

3.  Read missionary biographies to your children.

4.  Get world-map placemats for the table (if your wife permits).

5.  Pray for people you hear about on the world news report and find the locations of their countries with the kids using a globe or a map.

6.  Make a “sacrifice” corporately (as a family) to contribute toward a missionary’s (or their people’s) needs.

7.  Take a family vacation to the mission field to encourage a missionary family in your church.

Change your view from one of a local church with a missions program to that of a global church with a missions purpose (Acts 1:8).  Missions is not a church program: it is God’s purpose in the world.  When we allocate missions to a competing budget item among the myriad “programs” in the church, we demonstrate our ignorance (or apathy) of God’s purpose and calling for the church.

Educate yourself and other church leaders (deacons, staff, teachers, etc.).  Read books and attend missions-focused seminars.  If you say that missions is important to you, where during the course of a year are you feeding yourself in the area of missions development?  God can't bless your ignorance no matter how much you dedicate it.

Visit the mission field at least once a year.  Anyone who aspires to teach and preach on missions and make decisions that affect missionaries needs to get his feet wet on the field.  Making decisions that affect the lives of missionaries who live in a completely different culture ought to be done by some who have lived - to some degree - beyond the theoretical.

Don’t expect things to change overnight (rarely do people and organizations experience “bean stalk” growth).  Don’t become impatient when some do not get on board immediately.  Avoid motivation by guilt or shame.

Seek to affect a missions influence that permeates the entire church and its ministries (toddlers, children, teens, singles, seniors, academy, Sunday school, adult Bible study, Bible institute or college, etc.).  Some statistics report that 80% of missionaries surrendered between the ages of 8 and 16.  This means we need to ask the question, “What is in place through the children’s education opportunities of my church that is designed to put missions in front of our children?”

Establish a children’s missions library in your church.  Put missionary biographies in there that are written for children.  Hang world maps on the wall at the appropriate height.  Put up missionary quotes.  Make sure the room is littered with bean-bag chairs and globes.

Teach your church the biblical basis of missions.  Sadly, this is not happening in many churches.

Make yearly missions resolutions for yourself and for the church.

Preach on missions intermittently throughout the year.  It’s a tell-tale sign that missions is just getting a “lick and a pat” when the people only hear a missions message when a missionary is present or it is missions conference time.  Make sure that missions is afforded a permanent place in the pulpit, the church classroom, the education classroom, etc.

Seek the involvement of as many church members as possible in missions (missions conference, missionary care, mission trips, missions strategy and policy development, etc.).  It’s unfortunate (but frequent) that the average church member’s involvement in missions has been relegated to signing a faith-promise check.  But it’s not all their fault.  Often the planning of the church missions conference is conducted by a select few and the members are simply invited to attend.  Then we expect them to get involved (or moved) as result of our agenda of guest speakers.  People need to take ownership in missions.  People who invest in the preparation will care, pray, work, and expect something to happen.  Spectators become critics.  Participants become boosters.

The missions conference is not just an event designed to increase our faith-promise giving although that is an important part of it.  Sometimes our people have the subtle idea that the missions conference is simply about raising more money.  This can be because pastors often fail to recognize the opportunities available for the church and the missionaries through the missions conference.  Here are some suggestions for the purpose of a given missions conference.

Highlight 19th Century Missionary heroes (incidents of sacrifices, quotes, etc.).

Focus in on an unreached people group.  Nothing I know of would more energize a local church's missions priority than for the church to begin to "adopt" an unreached people group (a people who have no church or Gospel witness of any kind, and who could not hear the Gospel if they wanted to).  This begins by designating a research team.  It continues by gathering information about the people group via web resources, etc (peoplegroups.org); and then making an onsite visit to the area in the world where the people live to simply gather more information.  The team may return and compile the information for presentation.  The church can then initiate a serious prayer campaign for this people group asking God to send out laborers.  It may be that God will reveal that someone from the particular people group is residing nearby in the States.  This person may be invited to come and share information about his people.  God may call someone out of the church to go to this people, or the church may partner with other churches to try to reach the people group.  This project will energize both the missions outreach as well as the local "Jerusalem" outreach of the church.  It is obedience to the command to, "Look on the fields"; and it provides an opportunity for God to work in and through the church.

Love & encourage our missionaries (the possibilities here are endless: brainstorm some ideas to show love and affection toward the heroes of the church - gifts, recognition, opportunities for church folks and missionaries to spend time together in activities, meals, fellowships, etc.)

Train our missionaries (missionaries need ongoing training in all areas of the Christian life - finances, spiritual growth, marriage & family, missionary methods, evangelism, discipleship, character, love & forgiveness, dying to self, etc).  Bring in some special speakers who can address some of these things in a positive and encouraging (and as needed, convicting) way.  Be careful to not over-schedule the week of training.  If you overload the schedule and wear them out, the whole meeting will be counterproductive.

Provide special opportunities for the children of missionaries to get "spoiled" a little.  Give the kids some money.  Take them to some great places for kids, etc.  Usually the children of missionaries must endure the rigorous schedule of meetings, furlough, and work on the field with opportunities for them to enjoy their childhood few and far between.

Education time for our church people in a specific area of missions (Make it a point to use the missions conference as a learning time for the church in the area of missions - biblical foundation of missions, spiritual warfare, biblical areas for taking care of the churches missionaries, etc.).

Focus on the surrendering of each believer to Christ (When God really gets all of us, he gets everything we have).

And yes, increase Faith-promise (Read the books, The Treasure Principle; and Money, Possessions, and Eternity - both are excellent books by Randy Alcorn.

If we overtly focus on some of these things, not only will our church folks and missionaries be trained and encouraged, but we will grow in our obedience to God's priority - MISSIONS!

David Parker