OK - my notes from the urlLink Advancing Churches in Missions Commtiment New England Conference. It's going to be long, let me know if it was worth it.... Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment conference ACMC acmc.gospelcom.net Flooding the World with Gods Word 2003-11-22 Black Rock Congregational Church, Fairfield CT Keynote Clive Calver World Relief Not a lot of people working in relief, but not anyone who does it through the Church 6 years as pres of World Relief 43K US Churches to serve other churches only through local churches Temptations Facing Missions Today Going for the jugular Luke 4 Satan and Jesus meet in the desert The wilderness is the classroom 30 miles x 15 miles Judean desert lowest places on earth We assume Satan is a vague source of evil Deliver us from the evil one the Lords prayer which should be renamed as the Disciples prayer Where Jesus will be tried and proven Jesus was just at His highest point baptized, mountain top experience 40 days without food physical weakest Why does God allow us to be tested?
Refining fire impurities rise Look into gold to see His reflection, in the hearts of His people By His strength, we will win Effective = Attacked You are not alone. The Holy Spirit took Jesus into the desert. Scripture Book of Deut Story - The Iranian Church 5am Bible delivery $60 = a lifesavings for Bibles Kinds of Temptations 1. stone into bread lots of limestone in the Judean desert, looks like bread temptation to whine look at your pain use your power to feed yourself 80% of world resources are in the North American church God trusted us to serve His church Paul and Barnabas Jerusalem famine, they went to Macedonia and sent back to Jerusalem We need to rethink missions Not a statement against expatriates Evangelical churches dont change quickly 19th century sending 20th century sharing, with indigenous 21th century train the nationals, serving and enabling them the serving is going to be incredibly unpopular film about Sudan 2. temptation of compromise All the kingdoms of the earth Do it the easy way The simple way The greatest
strength can become the greatest weakness Americans are fix it people Pioneering instinct Sometimes its too easy Not what we can do but what we can release Most of the Christians around the world are spiritually deeper than us Satan offers the wealth and the kingdoms of this world Jesus strips you of what the world gives A commitment to sacrifice Story about the Iraqi church Clive met a pastors wife She told him her husband was preaching He asked her what happened to the previous pastor He showed up, a drought came, they killed him He asked her what motivated them to come then. She asked isnt that what all Christians do? Let a man deny himself 7 times Compromise is not the pattern of Jesus 3. Temptation to shine Psalm 91 aligned with the word of God The Devil is the accuser of the brethren Satans aim is the destruction of Jesus The missions Rhodes gallery (the wall of missionaries) God called us to serve not to shine Ive never seen so little money going into missions. Other
countries hope is in the US government when it should be in the US Church. You can earn the reward of service but not salvation. Workshop #1 Ken Campbell President World Team Associates Implementing a Missions Strategy in Your Church Im the 2nd youngest person here The average age is easily in the upper 40s. Affiliate of World Team Service agency to missionaries Church link division connecting churches Missions mobilization for 25 years Wheaton IL, Wheaton Bible Church - why have a strategy? Communicate vision Give focus Establish direction Answer questions Enhance good stewardship - Start with the church mission statement Ask and answer What is our history What is our distinctive Why was this church founded What characteristics remain today Any natural bridges to other cultures In Wheaton, every Dunkin Donuts is owned by Pakistani people - Misc Gather facts about current missions commitments Analyze data and discover current strategy Take Perspectives course Read _The Church is Bigger than You Think_ Subscribe to Missions Frontiers - Select/Appoint Task force Thinkers strategic planners Research other churches in your network Compare
mission/strategy statements Learn how they made changes Analyze for what fits us Allow time for the process Involve key decision makers and leaders from the body - Resources ACMC Denomination Agencies Other churches Link to the missions strategy Define missions for your church - Paradigm shift in missions Passive supporting Proactive sending Mission Focused/Synergistic - How Churches View Missions (scale) Problem -> possibility -> project -> program -> purpose -> passion - Other Key Definitions Church planting Unreached Unevangelized Cross cultural Domestic outreach Support ministries - Transition Implement over time Use natural attrition as part of implementation Fire missionaries when necessary Recruit to meet the strategy Educate the congregation Be gracious and generous Communicate with present missionaries Identify agencies that fit your strategy and partner with them 46 missionaries from 1 church with 1 agency Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit Workshop #2 Tom Telford, ACMC Six Steps to Bring Missions Alive in Your Church Many churches take a shotgun approach to missions Focus that is strategic, defined, cooperative Missions doesnt fit into the American dream - Add younger members
to your missions team Older generation pray and pay Younger generation pray, pay, go - Focus on integration versus information in Missions Programming Missions is caught not taught Concentrate on small groups, one-on-one - Youth Develop skills and passion systematically Begin with local, physical assignments and progress to cross-cultural and international ministry Solid training program Debrief and move up Short terms should be called vision trips - Expand your involvement as senders Evaluating call and readiness Develop the support team Prep field ministry Spirit/emotional health Family concerns Home assignment needs Survey of 50 churches: 20 had scholarship programs for the kids of their missionaries 48 send staff every year on a missions trip missions minded pastor be sensitive where you send them *Chinese Urbana 2004 10 essentials in a missions church 1. Outward Focus 2. pastor sold out to world evangelization has a passion for it 3. church has a well defined missions strategy and policy 4. An effective international ministry team (missions committee) 5. A significant percent of the budget is for missions One church gave a copy of
Operation World to every person for Christmas Resource a geography teacher God is blessing churches that make sacrifices economic climate One church said if we run out of money, we fire the pastor first and the missionaries last came upon a church property for 0 cost 6. Missions Education is for everyone Covered basketballs as globes and gave to toddlers with the theme of hug a planet Take your church and dip it into missions, sometimes you have to hold it down. Drama who wants to be a millionaire all questions about missionaries lifeline was one of their missionaries they called live all money given to missions pastor at the end of the drama 7. church prepares and sends out missionaries 8. missionaries are well cared for evaluation is part of this missionaries child was sick. Church sent a doctor to the field. Couldnt diagnose. Sent doctor and child to CDC in Atlanta. And then back to the field after treatment, church picked up the whole cost. 9. Broad personal involvement 10. The church prays for the world Preachers kids
are bad because they hang out with deacons kids. Workshop #3 Doug Christgau Everything you need to know to have effective short term missions trips Inspire you all to do it with excellence The kingdom would be better if we didnt do the bottom 1/3 trips Black Rock Church, Wheaton Bible Church, Valley Community Baptist Avon CT Missions Pastor Fellowship of Short Term Leaders 1. Why Take short-term trips a. Missionary encouragement Do short term with your own missionaries To encourage your own If they have a need you can meet b. Ministry with nationals No just what we want Think cognitively Mutually designed by sending and going c. Spiritual missions growth of members Not a substitute for summer camp d. Church mission passion Church passion debrief is huge for this 2. Before the trip disciplined preparation leads to excellence a. Church vs. short term agency organized b. Financing Should not come out of missions budget Financed/partnered with people If person wants to pay, let them Giving begets giving Can become a cash cow c. Trip ministries and locations Dougs
sampling of trips: Construction trips Rob economy 5x the cost of a national Nationals helping you Work alongside Not negative on construction trips if they are done right Senegal Muslims were their bosses Will we submit? Will we work hard Will we be productive? Good rapport and relationships Sports Evangelism Nicaragua baseball fanatics 10 softball players baseball clinics in the am games with locals in the pm evangelistic in the evening Seeker Driven Montreal 3 languages in city international city Family outreach Indian reservation Womens program VBS Youth programs Same place for 7 years Very good possibility of a church plant ESL Eastern Europe Romania Basic of English Conversational English Library software upgrades Software upgrade to library systems Had special access to software in different languages Business Education American business practices Believe it or not, other countries desire our standard of morality and code of ethics when it comes to business Camp Albania Volunteer staff support clean, dishes, etc. Midpoint during their season Muslim There are 150K missionary kid schools around the world, virtually all are understaffed MK schools are
a great experience Most MK schools have 50% unsaved, lots of expats have kids there d. Training/equipping of leadership and participants Thorough administration 8 hours of training _Prepare Your Heart_ Cindy Judge personal prep, any age _Maximum Short Term Missions_ Peterson, Sneed _Short Term Missions Workbook_ IVP Training is critical Hardy Personality test have people choose one item and talk about it, in over 12 years, it helps on every team Application/selection process You dont want a dysfunctional person on the trip Missions trip are not reform school Need a baseline of spiritual maturity demonstrated in context of the local church Ok for nonchristians to go 3. During the trip direction amidst stops and starts a. Pace of activity b. Cultural sensitivity c. Spiritual goals for trip members d. Flexibility e. Anticipate illness or stress 4. after the trip yield from the investment a. debrief on the plane b. reunion with supporters included c. tell your church d. recruit for mission leadership at home 25% of short term members became missions volunteers Standards of Excellent in Short-Term Missions www.fstml.org 1.
Releases God-centered kingdom growth Expressed in the lives of all participants by: - sound biblical doctrine - persistent prayer - integrity 2. is based on Partnership between sending and receiving sides expressed by: - primary focus on intended receptors - planned outcomes which benefit all participants - mutual acocountability 3. delivers a program which has been Mutually Designed by sending and receiving sides expressed by: - common philosophical base and alignment to long-term strategies/mission - goer guests ability to deliver and receive - hosts receivers ability to deliver and receive 4. provides Reliable Setup and Thorough Administration for all participants expressed by: - sound financial practices - appropriate risk management - program delivery and support logistics 5. screens, trains and provides Qualified Leadership for all participants expressed by: - pre-field through training and equipping leadership - on-field through program delivery and support leadership - post-field through debriefing and follow-up leadership or expressed by: - spiritually mature servant leadership - competent interculturally experienced leadership - empowering and equipping leadership - prepared, organized and accountable leadership 6. is evidenced by Participants Trained
and Equipped expressed by: - biblical, appropriate and timely for all participants - commitment to continuous training (pre-field, on-field, post-field) - qualified trainers 7. is commited to Thorough Debriefing and Follow-Up for all participants expressed by: - debriefing throughout entire process (pre-field, on-field, post-field) - re-entry preparation for goer guests prior to leaving the field - post-field follow-up and evaluations or expressed by: - spiritually mature servant leadership - competent interculturally experienced leadership - empowering and equipping leadership - prepared, organized and accountable leadership
