Local Church and Mission Agency - Working Together

Look in on this email conversation between the mission pastor of New Life Church (NLC) and the director of a mission agency called Bread Company to the World (BCW).

To: Director, Bread Company to the World
From: Mission Pastor, New Life Church
Subject: Appreciation

I’m writing to thank you for the good interaction we’ve had with Bread Company to the World Mission about our missionaries Joe and Sally Kuhl. Our church here used to think that you were out to beg for money and steal our best people. We also thought mission agencies like yours were bogged down with needless overhead. So we decided to cut out the “middle man” and send our missionaries directly to the field. Boy, did we get in trouble! We had to hire extra staff here at NLC to handle training, shipping, visas, overseas banking and dozens of details we never thought of before. We didn’t have a clue how to provide schooling for the Kuhl children or language study for the parents. We couldn’t provide field administration, accountability or pastoral care. When the Kuhls arrived they weren’t part of a team and struggled to develop personal relationships with the national church. And guess what? They ended up using a lot of the services that mission agencies had put in place. We’ve learned to appreciate you folks at BCW and understand now why there has to be some administrative overhead.

To: Mission Pastor, New Life Church
From: Director, Bread Company to the World
Subject: Re: Appreciation

Well, thanks! I’m afraid that we mission agencies have been at fault for not working closely enough with churches like NLC. I’m so sorry that we didn’t learn to listen to each other sooner. We used to accept candidates even if they didn’t have strong references from their churches. When missionaries hit difficult times, we tried to help them but failed to communicate with their church. I’m so glad we now insist that each candidate has a home church, and we’ve learned to pay careful attention to your references. We also gained a lot of valuable input when our mission leaders spent a day with you and other pastors to listen to your vision for outreach. Our role is to help you fulfill the missionary vision God has given you for your church. I’ll send you a copy of our “end-of-term” evaluation with Joe and Sally Kuhl. We listed several areas where we need your advice on how to help them prepare for their second term with BCW.

The partnership between churches and mission agencies has not always been harmonious. At times churches have charged mission agencies with taking their people and funds while allowing little opportunity for local church ownership. Individual churches sometimes set up their own sending agencies only to discover the inefficiency of providing services and accountability.

I’m delighted at the growing cooperation between mission-focused churches and mission agencies. Mission organizations have been listening to sending churches, and sending churches have grown in their appreciation of the unique help of sending agencies. We need each other.

Throughout history sending churches and mission agencies have been wonderfully used of God to plant and nurture churches in every country of the world. The Bible illustrates the distinct but complementary role of church and mission. Mission agencies fulfill the traveling prophetic and apostolic role and churches carry out the local priestly and elder function. Prophets and apostles are sent out; priests and elders are called to local evangelism and nurture. The local church and mission agency form an interdependent bond, each needing the other and both included in the Church, the worldwide Body of Christ.

While harmony is growing, we could do more to strengthen the partnership and accomplish Christ’s worldwide commission.

Suggestions for Mission Agencies

* Collaborate closely with sending churches in the selection and placement of missionary candidates.
* Expect candidates from para-church backgrounds to take part in the life of a local church before sending them to another culture
* Ensure that missionaries communicate regularly with their sending churches and relate closely with the pastor and missions committee.
* Keep churches up-to-date on special issues as they arise, or from end-of-term evaluations.
* Create forums for listening to the vision of pastors and missions committees. Then find innovative ways to help them fulfill their vision.
* Suggest mission resources, sermon ideas and curriculum for pastors, missions committees, small-group leaders and Sunday School teachers.
* Expect missionaries to invest time with their churches while on home assignment, realizing that missionaries have a responsibility both to plant churches in another culture and to be a blessing to their sending church.

Suggestions for Sending Churches

* Teach God’s plan for the nations in every facet of the church, including the pulpit, Sunday School and small groups.
* Challenge church members with cross-cultural ministries, coming along side them to select a ministry, mission agency and location.
* Support home staff missionaries who amplify the effectiveness of field missionaries.
* Give freedom to the field ministry. Even mission agencies must allow flexibility in strategy for their field teams.
* Partner with the mission agency in the ministry of healing for missionaries who face burnout, frustration and depression.
* Expect regular interaction and prayer requests from those you send.
* Assign missionaries to Sunday School classes and home groups for consistent prayer and communication.
* Draw the whole congregation into prayer for missionaries. World missions is the joyful privilege of every Christian, not just those serving in another culture
* Honor missionaries on home assignment and those returning from short-term trips with opportunities to stimulate missions and enthuse the church with God’s plan for the world. Too often missionaries come home from life-changing experiences with no occasion to communicate their passion.

The Body of Christ includes both the church and the mission agency. When the two join together in harmony, the local church is richly blessed and together they become a powerful tool for influencing the world.