This second of the series on Missions Funding deals with the principles behind establishing an objectivized basis for giving to a missionary or ministry. Those metrics are defined along three scales: relationship to the church, priority of ministry, and Gospel impact. Besides the level of individual support, there are considerations for how much the church should give on the whole. Listen to all four in this series to catch the big picture of missions funding, both as a church and as an individu...
Nov 26, 2021•15 min•Ep. 71
This first of four episodes deals with the inevitable questions about missions funding. In this episode we talk about different sources and types of funding. Yet, we cannot escape the basic education of the congregation respecting the biblical priority and need for their participation in funding missions. The autonomy of the local church allows a wide degree of freedom of expression as to means and methods for funding. Your church needs to be discerning and wise in stewardship. Listen to all fou...
Nov 19, 2021•15 min•Ep. 70
This is part 6 of our 6-part series, helping a church to learn and implement the dynamic VISION of becoming a missionary sending church. We compress two days of training into these six 15-minutes overview segments. This episode, NURTURE, helps the whole church understand their role and proper expectations for enabling their missionary with shepherding ministries. Missionaries with such a caring sending church are the envy of other missionaries on the field. This part of the VISION will certainly...
Nov 12, 2021•14 min•Ep. 69
This is part 5 of a 6-part series, helping a church to learn and implement the dynamic VISION of becoming a missionary sending church. We compress two days of training into these six 15-minutes overview segments. This episode, OWNERSHIP, helps church leaders and the congregation understand their sending roles in the process of training and sending out a missionary. The whole congregation should be given opportunities to help with a high level of ownership.
Nov 05, 2021•15 min•Ep. 68
This is part 4 of 6, walking through the Implementation phase of our VISION process. Implementation includes the selection of a missionary candidate, missionary training, and implementation proper (including finding a sending agency facilitator). Too many people, both candidates and church leaders, rush this phase, much to their later regret or attrition. Think and pray it through carefully. Solid preparation leaves no regrets. Check out the HERE to THERE book and the Six C's of Missionary Quali...
Oct 29, 2021•16 min•Ep. 67
This is the third of a six-part series, helping a church to learn and implement the dynamic VISION of becoming a missionary sending church. We compress two days of training into these six 15-minutes overview segments. This episode wrestles with the hard work, prayer, and learning necessary to developing a strategic plan or strategic focus for the church's future missions outreach. Research, communication, and thoughtful discernment are essential to the process of understanding and selecting your...
Oct 22, 2021•15 min•Ep. 66
This is part 2 of a six-part series, helping a church to learn and implement the dynamic VISION of becoming a missionary sending church. We compress two days of training into these six 15-minutes overview segments. This episode, IDENTITY, helps church leaders understand their church missions history, connections, and present circumstances in order to begin designing a missions focus and vision for the future.
Oct 15, 2021•15 min•Ep. 65
This begins a six-part series, helping a church to learn and implement the dynamic VISION of becoming a missionary sending church. We compress two days of training into these six 15-minutes overview segments. This episode helps church leaders understand the biblical and practical ways they can begin the process in their church with VALUES development and communicating those values throughout the church at every level.
Oct 08, 2021•15 min•Ep. 64
We'll continue talking about some of the most outstanding missionary biographies to consider. We'll also offer suggestions for some of the ways to present and to learn and grow from consideration of their lives. Practical issues framing each one's testimony, life, and lessons learned can have indelible imprints on our own walk with the Lord and vision for ministry. Personally, for your family, and for your church, it's hard to beat the impact of well used and well presented missionary biographie...
Oct 01, 2021•14 min•Ep. 63
Missionary biographies can be one of the most useful tools to accelerate your and your congregation's interest in missions. It's not academic; it's real life! Biographies are "relate-able" and help people understand that God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways for His purposes and His glory. Not only may missionary biographies encourage some to consider becoming a missionary, but every listening Christian's passion for Christ, for the Gospel, and for personal godliness will be encouraged....
Sep 24, 2021•14 min•Ep. 62
Your Church Missions Profile series walks through the 12-category self-assessment of your church's missions ministries. We'll talk you through how to think about and assess your church's implementation and effectiveness. Our online CMP is available at https://propempo.com/church-missions-profile . "Follow" or "Subscribe" to help evaluate your church missions profile and get help to improve your missions ministries.
Sep 17, 2021•16 min•Ep. 61
Your Church Missions Profile series walks through the 12-category self-assessment of your church's missions ministries. We'll talk you through how to think about and assess your church's implementation and effectiveness. Our online CMP is available at https://propempo.com/church-missions-profile . "Follow" or "Subscribe" to help evaluate your church missions profile and get help to improve your missions ministries.
Sep 10, 2021•15 min•Ep. 60
Your Church Missions Profile series walks through the 12-category self-assessment of your church's missions ministries. We'll talk you through how to think about and assess your church's implementation and effectiveness. Our online CMP is available at https://propempo.com/church-missions-profile . "Follow" or "Subscribe" to help evaluate your church missions profile and get help to improve your missions ministries.
Sep 03, 2021•14 min•Ep. 59
Your Church Missions Profile series walks through the 12-category self-assessment of your church's missions ministries. We'll talk you through how to think about and assess your church's implementation and effectiveness. Our online CMP is available at https://propempo.com/church-missions-profile . "Follow" or "Subscribe" to help evaluate your church missions profile and get help to improve your missions ministries.
Aug 27, 2021•14 min•Ep. 58
Many times we've received a panicked call from a Pastor who was approached by "George" (our hypothetical missionary wannabe), who thinks God is calling him to be a missionary. What do we do? How do we train him? Should we just refer him to a mission-sending agency? How can we be sure he has the right qualifications? Listen in. Don't freak out! It's OK; God will help you train up missionaries from your congregation. It is actually a very good thing for all involved.
Aug 20, 2021•16 min•Ep. 57
It's painful to realize that the church needs to reduce or completely cut support for a missionary previously heralded and highly regarded by the church family. Emotionally difficult, it can have land mines with big repercussions. Good communication with both the missionary and the congregation is key. Whether for economic reasons, sinful patterns, strategic focus, failure at some level, or other things, the church is obligated to face the facts, communicate graciously and firmly, then take acti...
Aug 13, 2021•16 min•Ep. 56
Another common question posed to Propempo by many churches: "How can we get our church to be more actively involved in missions?" The basics start at the top with the pastor and continue with reevaluating the role of the Missions Team in mobilizing the whole congregation. Relationship and experience, paired with good information and opportunities will turn the tide. Don't abrogate responsibility for missions to anyone else (or any other institution)! The local church owns missions and is the God...
Aug 06, 2021•14 min•Ep. 55
One of the top urgent calls for help we get is this: Help, we just realized that our missions ministry has no focus, no common thread, no strategic purpose. The things we support seem to be a random collection of people, places, purposes, etc. How can we work toward having a focus? What questions should we ask to get us on track? Rifle target instead of a shotgun blast? This episode will not give you a specific road map. But it will give you initial concepts to start that journey to your desired...
Jul 30, 2021•14 min•Ep. 54
More books! Not the dry, academic, brainiac type, but the warm, personable, practical type. This episode highlights some of my favorite resources, the tip of the iceberg, the frosting on the cake, for helping missionary candidates, some biographies, and some practical books helping families get involved in missions. Curl up or recline with a cuppa and enjoy!
Jul 23, 2021•15 min•Ep. 53
There are lots of times we are asked for recommendations of essential missions books. Here's my latest line-up. Hopefully, these will prove to be friends to you and your church to grow a stronger, more biblical, and more effective mission trajectory. Today's episode is aimed primarily at church missions leaders. But everyone can benefit and learn from these books. Then, you can use them to encourage and influence others in their missions responsibilities or pursuits.
Jul 16, 2021•15 min•Ep. 52
Discovering Missions Throughout the Bible begs us to consider the practical applications. Knowing these things should find us seeing missions in our Bible reading (and listening, and study)! We should have our understanding tuned to better grasp things of Christ and the Gospel throughout the inspired Word. We see God's heart for the nations through the Gospel even in normal information and scenes of everyday life. It fuels our prayers and changes our perspectives. Then, we share our discoveries ...
Jul 09, 2021•12 min•Ep. 51
Way too often, we minimize and marginalize the Great Commission! We think we hear about it too much. We think we know all we need to know about it. We feel that it only applies to a few zealots in the church. How sad to learn that, if we pause and think deeply about what it is, what it means, and how important it is to Christ, to the Gospel, our church, and our world, we find our preconceived notions mistaken. May this re-thinking drive us to repent and pray for God's grace to re-shape our think...
Jul 02, 2021•15 min•Ep. 50
Knowing how to look and see "the nations" and equivalent terms throughout the Bible will reignite and revolutionize your missions insights. God has left us clues throughout the Scriptures to see His heart for the nations for His glory. It is comprehensive in scope and intent. God alone is God. He alone is worthy of awe and worship and loving obedience. He makes His purpose known through all His interactions with us and through all His inspired revelation to us. May we better see and understand "...
Jun 25, 2021•14 min•Ep. 49
One of the joys of understanding how to recognize Christ, the Gospel, and Missions throughout the Bible is that, as we read the Scriptures, these gems of insight jump off the page and illumine the pathway to see them all connected in God's great plan for His glory. With just a little insight, we can fuel our eagerness to read and understand God's passion for His glory in all of human history. We lift our eyes off of ourselves and discover the majesty and sovereignty of God in the details of seem...
Jun 18, 2021•15 min•Ep. 48
As a beginning point, it is important for us to discover and realize that God is the hero of the Bible. The Bible was written by Him for His purposes. And His overarching purpose in all of creation and history is His own glory. God's glory is the end goal and common thread behind all of Scripture. It's also an essential component of our understanding of missions throughout the Bible. Seeing God's glory as the high view of Scripture gives us hope, understanding, perspective, and a grand sense of ...
Jun 11, 2021•15 min•Ep. 47
How can you measure Missions Team effectiveness? Use the Church Missions Profile self-assessment diagnostic tool on Propempo.com. Your church should plan for growing missionaries from your church body. Regularly teach and preach biblical missions. Expose your church to missionary heroes and practical understanding of their role and of "how we do missions in our church." Don't forget to keep God and His grace at the center of all your vision, strategy, and goals. Amen! Access the episode transcri...
Jun 04, 2021•16 min•Ep. 46
Ah, the essentials include the necessary considerations of the values behind missions direction, relationships, and values. These things keep everyone on the same page heading in the same direction. Then there is the broad scope of Missions Team meetings and operations. How do we do that? Lastly, we'll talk just a bit about building real local church ownership of your missions personnel and ministries. Mundane, maybe. Glorious in its impact on the whole church, absolutely! p.s. - ... and on the ...
May 28, 2021•15 min•Ep. 44
Every church should have an effective, functional Missions Committee. We prefer you call it a "Missions Team" - not to be confused with a Short Term Missions Team. Whether you call it a Committee, or Board, or Task Force, or Team, whether you call it Missions, or Global Outreach (GO), or Cross-cultural Ministries, the main purpose is to mobilize the whole congregation to do their part in the Great Commission. Practical alignment with your local church's identity and values helps frame the scope ...
May 21, 2021•14 min•Ep. 43
Sorry for the technical glitch on this episode. It mysteriously disappeared upon update. I've had to repost it. The Gospel is so essential to missions and the local church's message. It is the exclusive message of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is simple, profound, and the only basis for the transformation of men and women from the inside out. Proclamation of the Gospel is necessary and God-empowered for effective spiritual fruit. No other substitutes will accomplish regeneration. It is a simple ...
May 14, 2021•17 min•Ep. 45
The ministry of missions is, in essence, the reason for the church on earth. Keeping that passion for outreach central in the heart of the local churches maintains a healthy biblical balance. "Mission," without the "s," can be selfish and inward-focused. People often think of missions in inaccurate or misguided terms. Local churches dare not allow external Christian organizations to eclipse their own responsibility, participation, and joy in doing the work of missions to reach the world. Access ...
May 07, 2021•15 min•Ep. 41
