There are a lot of questions surrounding deputation of which a new missionary is likely to get a lot of answers. The following are my views on deputation. While I don't claim to be an expert on deputation procedures, I will say that Mission: Brownwood benefitted well from deputation.
1. Do deputation- There is a growing mindset that missionaries shouldn't do deputation because Paul didn't do deputation. "You should just step out on faith and know God will provide," they say. God will provide, and your needs will be met, but there's more to deputation than just fundraising.
I found deputation to be very encouraging toward me, my family and my work. It was very encouraging to be able to share my burden and calling with sister churches, and have them tell me they were praying for me. Some even told me that they felt the Lord's presence assuring them that the Brownwood work would be successful. I can not tell you how encouraging it is to hear preachers tell you that they know in their hearts God will bless your work. To this day, those words keep me going. It was encouraging to my wife to know that so many are behind us. It was encouraging to my children, as traveling on SOME deputation appointments gave them the sense of how important this work is.
I also think deputation is encouraging to the churches you visit. It is encouraging to know that men are answering the call and going to new fields to start new work. In a day when the Lord's churches are becoming more isolated, it is easy to become discourged, thinking that nothing's happening and the church is becoming one of the last true churches. Churches can be encouraged by deputation, being brought into close fellowship with God's people and being encouraged that the work of the Lord presses on. I say this, having been a pastor. I felt encouraged by the missionaries who visited us. I don't know if I personally was encouraging to the churches I visited, but I do know that missionaries do encourage churches.
As for fundraising, I think it could be shown through statistical studies that deputation is one of the most effective ways of raising support for a missionary. Sending letters will net some response, as will speaking at associational events. Having a sponsoring church or pastor promote you is helpful as well, but churches who get to meet the missionary tend to be more motivated toward supporting him.
2. Go, even if they don't have the money. While on deputation, occasionally a pastor will give a disclaimer prior to your accepting his invitation that his church is struggling financially and probably will not be able to become a monthly supporter. This pastor is doing this as a courtesy to you, because he understands how valuable your deputation time is. I say, this pastor and his church are worth your time even if they don't have money.
I remember being pastor of Denson Springs. I would have done anything to see Denson Springs be as mission-minded in their giving as they were years before I got there. I also wanted to see them become missional (being actively involved in mission work, especially on the associational level). The problem was our funds were low, and Denson Springs had enjoyed very few visits from missionaries in the recent years. Most that they had been supporting hadn't even been sending them reports (that's a topic I will address in a future issue.) So, I gave the "We have no money" disclaimer several times. I am thankful for missionaries like Phil Gavila and B.R. Singh, who took the time to visit our church knowing that we were broke. Bro. Singh especially was good for the fellowship. He really opened the church's eyes toward foreign missions. Bro. Gavila encouraged the church toward local evangelism and preached on the dangers of false professions. He encouraged us to stay true to the scriptures. There were others, but these two are in the forefront of my mind.
Later, we held a state mission rally, which was attended by several of the state salaried missionaries. They gave great reports, and the church went on to become a supporter of state missions. Without the encouragement of these missionaries, I would have had a harder time encouraging the church to support missions, even though we could barely cover our expenses.
Today, Denson Springs not only supports most, if not all, phases of missions, they are a strong supporter of Mission Brownwood as well. All that happened after I left.
3. Be willing to pay your own deputation expenses. Most churches you speak at will offer you an honorarium or love offering for coming out to speak to them. Go ahead and use those funds to pay for your travel expenses. However, do try to avoid burdening your sponsoring church and mission fund on deputation travel expenses. You'll need that money when you get to the field. It is important to remember that wells run dry. Where do you want your finances spent... on the field getting the work going? Or at the Northcentral Expressway Raddisson?
This may mean keeping your secular job while traveling all night over the weekend to do deputation. I did it. It can be done. It's one of those sacrifices we make.
On the other hand, yoru situation may require that your sponsoring church or mission fund pick up the tab for your deputation time. I'm not saying it's a sin to live on mission funds while on deputation... I'm just saying it's best in the long run if you can avoid it.
4. Use common sense with the family. Deputation trips can be long and stressful. The conditions of travel can upend even the most well behaved kids. Having children act up on a visit can torpedo any chance that the church you visited will become a supporter.
When I was on deputation, I got someone to watch our kids most of the time while my wife and I traveled together. There were visits where I took the kids, but those were on visits where (a) I knew the church and the people, (b) There were local attractions that I thought would be good for the kids or (c) if I felt led to take them. An example of scenario (a) would be when I took the kids to Mt. Herman in Center. They knew my kids and had seen them at their worst. (The church bought them Christmas gifts back in 2004, and some of the members had even encouraged the kids to play with them in the afternoon service. Good people, good fun, nerve racking on a 1st year TBI student.) The second visit was a lot more orderly, but still, they knew the kids and enjoyed the time with them. We also took them to White Rock, if I'm not mistaken. Scenario (b) would be the time we took the kids to San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk after visiting with Landmark MBC in Floresville. However, we abstained from taking the kids on most of our trips to West Texas, as 8 hours in the car would do more harm than good. Most of the time, Jessica and I traveled alone. It was really good for our marriage.
5. Promote. Send out letters annoucing your call and availability to every church that you think you could conceivably visit. I sent letters to every church listed in the Texas state minutes book, and some to Arkansas and Louisiana. I didn't send letters to California, because (a) I wouldn't be able to make the trip and (b) I didn't see the Californian churches getting excited about a rural Texas mission (they have their own fields to work). That might not have been the best attitude, but it's what I did.
I got some appointments from those letters. I also promoted my work by use of this blog, attending associational meetings, and by posting reports and announcements on ABANews.info (which back then was an email service). I got several deputation appointments from those and one church picked us up without having to hear us. Still, my calendar wasn't full. So, I got my state minutes book and called several pastors. Many were glad to hear from me and promptly offered me a Sunday. Some turned me down. Some may have even been offended. Still, I got lots of invitations over the phone this way. IT IS OKAY TO CALL! Don't worry about whether or not you will offend people. If you go about your work worrying about offending people, you have doomed yourself to failure.
6. Courtesy. No church will excoriate you for using the KJV. No church will be offended if you wear a coat and a tie. No church will be offended by your reverence. Some churches will be offended if you use a modern translation (some may even stop you from preaching.) Some will be offended if you show up in causal wear. Regardless of how you feel about these issues, it is best to take B.M. Bogard's "Two chances over one" and err on the side of caution. Use the KJV, even if you preferr the NASB. Paul said he becomes all things to all men so he can win some. If the KJV would be the only dividing line between you and the brethren you visit, use the KJV. It is God's Word, and it is not flawed (as some would state it is) and trying to convert everyone to a new translation is not really all that beneficial.
Wear a coat and tie. Self explanatory. Remember good manners. Please, thank you, send a thank-you card, and remember, "Attitude of grattitude." You're happy just to be able to share you calling.
Also, be courteous of their time. You don't have to share every single detail of your work in order to share the work with them. Main thing, share your calling, your passion, and if you have any yet, share the success stories of the people you are working with (new converts and so on.) But you don't have to go on about how big the property is, how much the building costs, demographics, population statistics, city history, culture, etc (unless you are a foreign missionary... then that helps us fall in love with the people.) I mean, population is important, as are demographics. So, say that the town has 50,000 people, with 27% being Hispanic and 43% being African American with a median household income of $42,000 annually, but number of households, children under 12, etc etc etc... you can go overboard with data. Building and land needs are important, but you shouldn't spend more than a minute or two on that either. Cover the basics, share your passion, then take questions. Then, preach, but be concientious of time.
7. Be honest. I remember one pastor interviewing me in private after an appointment, because the church wanted to support me, but wanted to make sure "I was planting a church just like theirs." I have strong feelings about that attitude I will not share here at this time. He asked me several questions. (1) Was I KJV only? (2) Did I believe in integrated churches, or did I believe in racial separation. There were others. I use KJV. I do believe in literal modern translations, but have yet to find one that matches the quality of the KJV. So, I use KJV. I encourage others to do so as well. (2) I believe that God is not a respector of persons, therefore it is not His will that we artificially segregate ourselves on the basis of race. The doctrine of racial separation is unGodly, in my opinion, and I find it troubling that it is a prevalent doctrine in some circles. Needless to say, I failed both questions and they do not support me. That's fine. If they want me to conform to their doctrines, I don't want their support.
If a church demands that you be exactly like them in order to be supported, and you are not exactly like them, be honest about that. If you mislead them and take their support, it will come back to haunt you. There are several points of fellowship that you need to be prepared to answer for... KJV Onlyism, Racial Separation, worship music (hymns vs. contemporary music), Awana vs. Discovery, Church-planting vs. traditional mission structure, and so on. Be prepared, know what your convictions are, and be willing to express them in a candid, but respectful way if asked.
8. Keep it short. Don't be on deputation indefinitely. From the time you land a sponsoring church, or even before then if God so leads, set a departure date and stick to it. That is stepping out on faith. Deputation is a blessed time, but spend too much time on deputation and you will find yourself discouraged. I spent 7 months on deputation. A good time frame will be anywhere from 7-12 months for state and interstate missions, and 12-18 months for foreign missions.
Finally, if you are a missionary and you are reading this post, and you did things differently, or if you disagree with me, please don't take it personal. My goal is not to set policy or mission law, but rather to share my experiences, successes and failures in hopes of encouraging others who might be considering mission work. If you have better advice to offer please do. Feel free to add your comments.
Thank you for reading, thank you for considering the Lord's work, and thank you for doing the Lord's work.
Next week, we'll discuss associational support.
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