Missions on Point

This is a tough one! Missions agencies have developed a thick hide protecting their independence. It's hard to consider changing their mindset to allow the rightful biblical place of the local sending church in their enterprise. If done well, it promises incredible benefits to their administration, their missionaries, and the fruit of their ministries on the field. May God give overwhelming grace for missions agencies to understand, embrace, and change to become fully "Propempo certified."

Wow, I wish I had heard this episode before I went to the mission field decades ago! I wish that every missionary candidate could have heard this when they first started preparing for the field. This concept put into practice by missionaries and sending churches could lift the joy and effectiveness of missionary work worldwide! Having a biblical "propempo perspective" will encourage and sustain solid missions work as much as anything other factors. Prayerfully affirm and implement it for God's glory.

Propempo Certification for the local church missions Leader means understanding, accepting, and practically implementing the primary biblical and church principles of local-church-centered missiology. There are crucial, paradigm-shifting insights that will make your church and your leadership more effective in your role. This episode crystallized key concepts and foci to enable you to become that "Propempo Certified" kind of local church missions leader.

"Propempo Certification"? What is Propempo? What is certification? This series is a concept series on what it takes to be biblically local-church-centered in understanding the role of the local church in missions. It will rock your world! Understanding the biblical basis and the practical application could, Lord willing, revolutionize your church, your participation in missions, and your understanding of how to get the Great Commission done!

This is one of the most difficult issues to deal with emotionally for the church. The tangled web of relationships and motivations is hard to untangle. The intentionality of circumstances and diligence press us to do a good job of evaluation, prayer, and communication to get through to the best answer on the other side of the tough decisions. There are lots of legitimate reasons to reevaluate the level of support given to a particular missionary. Let's be realistic, gracious, and generous of spirit in the process while honoring the missionary, as well.

Oft-neglected, the issue of how best to communicate missions in the church is a key to mobilizing your whole congregation in missions. This doesn't mean that the goal is for everyone to become a missionary! It does mean that every church member should know and live out their personal role in the Great Commission. However, this doesn't happen without good, consistent, solid communication from and through the church. Missions communication should be fresh, memorable, and well-connected to your church's vision and connections for missions. These best practices can be used in many contexts, including your small groups, your homeschool, your prayer or Bible study group.

The term "missions junkies" refers to people who are hooked on missions - sometimes for the good, sometimes for the not-so-good.  This episode helps you identify a missions junkie in your church or among your friends. Ultimately, the key to helping a missions junkie is to encourage them to focus on their local church and the biblical goal of the Great Commission. This might force them to focus on others more than accumulating a record of their own personal feel-good missions experiences. Missions junkies CAN be guided in positive ways in your church.

The critical junction of a long-term missionary coming back off the field "permanently" to retirement years is too often neglected as a special opportunity to help and shepherd them well. The past generation of missionaries retiring over the last 20 years or so were sadly ill-prepared to face the cultural whiplash and financial burdens of living back "home." We need to ask probing questions and stand ready to minister to them with honor and respect. We should include the missionary's extended family in the conversation. The retiring missionary can be a great asset to the ministry of the church.

It's a privilege and joy to visit a missionary on the field. It's also a solemn responsibility, especially when done on behalf of the sending church. That visit is a crucial interface between the sent missionary (family) and the sending church. So many things can only be learned with a healthy personal visit. Learn how to do it, what to do when you get there, and how to best advance the cause of Christ through your visit to the field.

One of the realities of contemporary missions is that many of our missionaries, particularly in unreached areas of the world, are at greater risk to their personal safety. Hostile governments, religions, and factions can cause a missionary harm or get them kicked out of the country. The wise missionary and sending constituencies take care to live with an alert and security mindset. We all have to adjust in order to have a lasting and effective Gospel presence.