Thursday, September 10, 2009
Supporting Missionaries...
I have been thinking quite a bit lately about supporting missionaries. How do we decide who to support? For how long? Should churches target certain areas and concentrate only in those places? Do we select people and support them wherever they chose to go? Southern Hills is a large church, so we get lots of requests. We have tremendous university student participation, so we get requests. Many of our leaders and members have been involved in missions, so we get many requests.
I do not know that I have all the answers, but I am convinced of one core principle that takes precedence over anything else. But let me be clear that I am speaking for me, not for my fellow elders. I wish this would become SH policy, but it is not ... at least not yet. And, yes, I have publicly advocated this position at SH. So here it is.
We should commit as a family of believers that if any of our brothers and sisters do mission work, we will support them. Now at this point I am not looking to debate the exceptions (appropriate venues, definition of "one of ours", etc.). I just think our congregation ought to send any of our family who want to go. Wouldn't it be incredible to put God to the test this way. What if every congregation made this kind of commitment to it's members?
Here is the most common objection I have heard to this: what if we have more people wanting to go than the budget allows? Trash the budget. Ask God for the resources. Put our money where our mouth is. Buy smaller houses. Sell some possessions. Be people of faith. Take a second job. Then tell the rest of us how you are developing such a heart for reaching the lost.
I would love to be part of a church that had the passion to make this commitment. I would love to help shepherd a church that had so many members going into all the world that we had make real faith decisions. Wouldn't you?
And, by the way, I think I am.
So let's do it.
I do not know that I have all the answers, but I am convinced of one core principle that takes precedence over anything else. But let me be clear that I am speaking for me, not for my fellow elders. I wish this would become SH policy, but it is not ... at least not yet. And, yes, I have publicly advocated this position at SH. So here it is.
We should commit as a family of believers that if any of our brothers and sisters do mission work, we will support them. Now at this point I am not looking to debate the exceptions (appropriate venues, definition of "one of ours", etc.). I just think our congregation ought to send any of our family who want to go. Wouldn't it be incredible to put God to the test this way. What if every congregation made this kind of commitment to it's members?
Here is the most common objection I have heard to this: what if we have more people wanting to go than the budget allows? Trash the budget. Ask God for the resources. Put our money where our mouth is. Buy smaller houses. Sell some possessions. Be people of faith. Take a second job. Then tell the rest of us how you are developing such a heart for reaching the lost.
I would love to be part of a church that had the passion to make this commitment. I would love to help shepherd a church that had so many members going into all the world that we had make real faith decisions. Wouldn't you?
And, by the way, I think I am.
So let's do it.
Comments:
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I think i agree....but I also think that we send people out to do missionary work with out being properly trained to do so.
In my experience if people really believed that a person(s) were going out to do true mission work...money would never be a problem. The problem is church leadership sends a mixed message about this...On one Sunday they tell us that we are all missionaries...Abilene can be our mission field..etc. Well in that case, by keeping my money and paying my bills and supporting my family...I in fact am currently supporting a missionary..myself! Then the next Sunday someone needs money to do their mission work in another country...?? So my train of thoughts go to A. Why don't they support that work through the skills and talents that God has blessed them with... B. How do I know that supporting this mission work is any greater need in the eyes of God than just supporting local Christians right here...and furthermore, how do I know this person has been properly trained and evaluated by the leadership of the church to justify such a sacrifice.
I get that it sounds defensive and I promise I'm not...Just wanted to share a few thoughts that go through my head when i think about these issues. For the record I love and support foreign mission work, but I just wonder if we could do it better sometimes.
Skye
In my experience if people really believed that a person(s) were going out to do true mission work...money would never be a problem. The problem is church leadership sends a mixed message about this...On one Sunday they tell us that we are all missionaries...Abilene can be our mission field..etc. Well in that case, by keeping my money and paying my bills and supporting my family...I in fact am currently supporting a missionary..myself! Then the next Sunday someone needs money to do their mission work in another country...?? So my train of thoughts go to A. Why don't they support that work through the skills and talents that God has blessed them with... B. How do I know that supporting this mission work is any greater need in the eyes of God than just supporting local Christians right here...and furthermore, how do I know this person has been properly trained and evaluated by the leadership of the church to justify such a sacrifice.
I get that it sounds defensive and I promise I'm not...Just wanted to share a few thoughts that go through my head when i think about these issues. For the record I love and support foreign mission work, but I just wonder if we could do it better sometimes.
Skye
# posted by 
: 10:48 AM PDT
: 10:48 AM PDT
Skye, a few thoughts on your comment. I totally agree that all people are called to God's mission. Some are called to share the Gospel close to where they were born, grew up, etc., and some are called to move to another country and do the same thing. We do not choose where God wants to send us, we just listen really hard and hope we don't miss it when He tells us! As a person who has personally been called to another country, here are the things that your comments bring to my mind.
A. My husband and I plan to work part time when we get to Australia for a few reasons. One is that it will be a genuine way to get to know people. Two is that it will help us support ourselves. Here's the problem, some countries won't let you in without knowing that you're not going to be a drain on their economy. You have to have some financial backing to even make it in. Also, there is no possible way to step off a plane on Monday, get a job on Tuesday, and get a check on Wednesday. Just as in the states, the fruit of your labor is not ready for harvest for a while! There is not way to get to a country, rent/buy a place to live, set up utilities, take the train to the grocery store, and feed your family without money. When Paul writes his letter to the Philippians he thanks them for their financial gifts to him. He was a hard working man, but needed help sometimes. Trust me, I struggle with this A LOT, but realize that the money we make at our "paid" jobs is just not going to cut it.
B. If the body of Christ is truly living as a body, then the leadership of a church should be so close to the people they are sending that they know exactly what kind of training they've received. We are all guilty to some degree of being ATMs instead of people who disciple. When the relationship is discipleship and not money throwing, then churches know exactly what kind of people they're sending and what those people have done to prepare for their journey.
This too might sound defensive, and it's not! We are just living out the practicalities of this right now, and I thought I'd share what that looks like.
Tish
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A. My husband and I plan to work part time when we get to Australia for a few reasons. One is that it will be a genuine way to get to know people. Two is that it will help us support ourselves. Here's the problem, some countries won't let you in without knowing that you're not going to be a drain on their economy. You have to have some financial backing to even make it in. Also, there is no possible way to step off a plane on Monday, get a job on Tuesday, and get a check on Wednesday. Just as in the states, the fruit of your labor is not ready for harvest for a while! There is not way to get to a country, rent/buy a place to live, set up utilities, take the train to the grocery store, and feed your family without money. When Paul writes his letter to the Philippians he thanks them for their financial gifts to him. He was a hard working man, but needed help sometimes. Trust me, I struggle with this A LOT, but realize that the money we make at our "paid" jobs is just not going to cut it.
B. If the body of Christ is truly living as a body, then the leadership of a church should be so close to the people they are sending that they know exactly what kind of training they've received. We are all guilty to some degree of being ATMs instead of people who disciple. When the relationship is discipleship and not money throwing, then churches know exactly what kind of people they're sending and what those people have done to prepare for their journey.
This too might sound defensive, and it's not! We are just living out the practicalities of this right now, and I thought I'd share what that looks like.
Tish
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