By Tami Hubler -.jpg)
The idea of missions can be overwhelming, especially if your church doesn’t currently have a specific missions ministry. But here you are, reading this article, so it’s obvious you’ve felt God’s tug on your heart to do more for missions within your church..jpg)
At the end of this blog, we’ll list resources for you to use. Let’s get started!
THE WHY
Here are 3 good reasons why your church should have a Missions Ministry (in case you need to convince others):
1. Jesus Said So
The Great Commission is Jesus giving us this command for missional activities:
"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
2. Healthy Church Growth
Missions connects our church family across all ages. A Missions Ministry gives the congregation one focus (sharing the gospel) and an opportunity to become more involved. Since it’s human nature to share what we’re doing with other people, the conversations lead to invitations to join the ministry, attend church and opens doors to share Jesus with others.3. Discipleship for Members
Missions is perfect for discipleship (following Jesus, learning to live as He did and teaching others). Exposure to missions creates an awareness of how missionaries are serving and sharing the gospel. Your church will be exposed to examples of sharing the gospel and giving testimony. Ultimately, individuals develop their faith and deepen their relationship with God.
Now that you have the reasons WHY to have a Missions Ministry, let’s jump into the HOW:
THE HOW
Below are my personal experiences starting a Missions Ministry in different churches. The first piece of advice is to use the 3 S’s: START SMALL, START SLOW and SHOW.
1. Start Small
Focus on one thing to introduce missions into your church. We get so excited with new ideas that we usually want to do a million things right away. This gives the enemy the tools he nees to destroy your ministry - frustration and burn out. A few ideas are listed below:
Part of Start Small is to remember to Start Slow. You’ll need support from your pastor and church leadership team so communication and showing your heart for missions is essential. You may find that others don’t share the same passion for missions as you do – that is okay! Do one activity well and allow others to become excited for missions through your example. You’re building a mission-minded culture and culture building takes time. The bottom line is God gave You the passion for this, your obedience to the calling is what He cares about.
I’ll share my experience to encourage you of how God moves: 15 years ago, we were a church restart through NAMB. We began exposing the church to the Annie and Lottie offerings. Slowly, we added other activities, including the occasional mission trip with adults (Haiti & Cuba) and youth (World Changers). 15 years later, God put on the hearts of our church officers and congregation a need to budget specifically for missions. We didn’t even have to ask! In 2023, we have a $12,000 budget specifically for Local & Worldwide Missions - Praise the Lord!
3. Show
The Pew Research Center (a secular, non-partisan fact tank) found that 63% of people join a group because of productivity – can the group accomplish its goals (63%) and whether the group engages in productive discussions about something that is important to that individual (61%) [1]. Gone are the days of meeting to have meetings. Individuals want to accomplish something and see tangible results. Whatever ideas you implement, make sure the congregation can see the fruit of the activity such as money raised, missionary updates at your church, mission trips.
WMU can help you!
National WMU provides easy-to-use resources that will equip and inspire every man, woman and child in your church to be involved in missions!
Get started with their FREE downloadable starter packs at wmu.com/missions-discipleship/getstarted/.
Use this link to choose the information or missions group(s) you’re interested in and you’ll get immediate access to the resources. The free starter pack contains everything needed to lead one missions gathers – including general information, tips on how to lead your group, a curriculum sample, and much more!
And, of course, your Indiana WMU is here for you too. We’d love to support and encourage you in the journey of making disciples of Jesus who live on mission! We have state and national connections to help you every step of the way – including financial support for leadership and missions in your local church. Contact us on our website or email us directly at indianawmu@scbi.org.
May the Lord bless your desire to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth!
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
_________
Footnotes
[1] “The Social Side of the Internet Section 2: Joining, participating in and leaving groups” Pew Research Center January 18, 2011
Section 2: Joining, participating in and leaving groups | Pew Research Center
Missions is perfect for discipleship (following Jesus, learning to live as He did and teaching others). Exposure to missions creates an awareness of how missionaries are serving and sharing the gospel. Your church will be exposed to examples of sharing the gospel and giving testimony. Ultimately, individuals develop their faith and deepen their relationship with God.
Now that you have the reasons WHY to have a Missions Ministry, let’s jump into the HOW:
THE HOW
Below are my personal experiences starting a Missions Ministry in different churches. The first piece of advice is to use the 3 S’s: START SMALL, START SLOW and SHOW.
1. Start Small
Focus on one thing to introduce missions into your church. We get so excited with new ideas that we usually want to do a million things right away. This gives the enemy the tools he nees to destroy your ministry - frustration and burn out. A few ideas are listed below:
- Pray, pray, pray. It’s a good reminder for us to pray. You are now a bigger problem for the enemy because of your desire to reach the lost. And you’ll want clarity from God on what it is He wants you and your church to do in growing His kingdom.
- Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions (NAMB) and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions (IMB). Expose your church to the two annual missions offerings. Both have many resources you can use.
- Small Group or Sunday School – use an existing small group or Sunday School class to teach a study on missions. This way you are plugging into an existing group of dedicated individuals. WMU has many resources!
- Adopt a Missionary – reach out to NAMB or IMB to find missionaries from your state to adopt for prayer, encouragement, and support. You may be surprised to learn that there are missionaries from your own community!
- Missionary Speakers – invite missionaries to speak at your church. IMB missionaries are always looking for opportunities to speak when they are back in the US on furlough. Also, the State Convention of Baptists Indiana has partnered with a group of retired IMB missionaries in Indiana to connect with Indiana churches.
- Christmas in August – this is a great way to support missionaries through giving. WMU provides a list of NAMB missionaries each year seeking support for their local ministries.
- Mission Trips - NAMB has many North American mission trips for first time mission groups which are low cost with easy registration.
Part of Start Small is to remember to Start Slow. You’ll need support from your pastor and church leadership team so communication and showing your heart for missions is essential. You may find that others don’t share the same passion for missions as you do – that is okay! Do one activity well and allow others to become excited for missions through your example. You’re building a mission-minded culture and culture building takes time. The bottom line is God gave You the passion for this, your obedience to the calling is what He cares about.
I’ll share my experience to encourage you of how God moves: 15 years ago, we were a church restart through NAMB. We began exposing the church to the Annie and Lottie offerings. Slowly, we added other activities, including the occasional mission trip with adults (Haiti & Cuba) and youth (World Changers). 15 years later, God put on the hearts of our church officers and congregation a need to budget specifically for missions. We didn’t even have to ask! In 2023, we have a $12,000 budget specifically for Local & Worldwide Missions - Praise the Lord!
3. Show
The Pew Research Center (a secular, non-partisan fact tank) found that 63% of people join a group because of productivity – can the group accomplish its goals (63%) and whether the group engages in productive discussions about something that is important to that individual (61%) [1]. Gone are the days of meeting to have meetings. Individuals want to accomplish something and see tangible results. Whatever ideas you implement, make sure the congregation can see the fruit of the activity such as money raised, missionary updates at your church, mission trips.
WMU can help you!
National WMU provides easy-to-use resources that will equip and inspire every man, woman and child in your church to be involved in missions!
Get started with their FREE downloadable starter packs at wmu.com/missions-discipleship/getstarted/.
Use this link to choose the information or missions group(s) you’re interested in and you’ll get immediate access to the resources. The free starter pack contains everything needed to lead one missions gathers – including general information, tips on how to lead your group, a curriculum sample, and much more!
And, of course, your Indiana WMU is here for you too. We’d love to support and encourage you in the journey of making disciples of Jesus who live on mission! We have state and national connections to help you every step of the way – including financial support for leadership and missions in your local church. Contact us on our website or email us directly at indianawmu@scbi.org.
May the Lord bless your desire to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth!
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
_________
Footnotes
[1] “The Social Side of the Internet Section 2: Joining, participating in and leaving groups” Pew Research Center January 18, 2011
Section 2: Joining, participating in and leaving groups | Pew Research Center
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Tami Hubler serves as the WMU Director of Indiana's East Central Association.
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