This will likely be the last of my How-to series. However, if you have any how-to questions, I'm always happy to share my ideas. Just send me an email or call me.
Support your missionary. When a missionary asks for support, most pastors and church members bristle... after all, the assumption is that he is asking for money.
While money is a blessing, and it affords you the ability to acquire tools to enhance your outreach and discipleship efforts, it is not the end all when it comes to missionary support.
Few things are worse than being on a mission field with a sponsoring church that is unaware of his efforts, successes and failures, no matter how in-depth the reporting. Few things are worse than having to leave the field to visit the sponsoring church to beg for a basic ministry necessity. Few things are worse than having to explain the scope of your work to the sponsor over and over again.
I am very blessed. Rocky Springs is very solidly behind the work in Brownwood, and they demonstrate this every single time a Brownwood-related matter comes up for a vote. It is a blessing to know that my strongest advocates are also active members of my sponsoring church. Rocky Springs is a good example of what a sponsoring church should do.
I have before stated that a church need not be wealthy financially to sponsor a missionary. While I still hold to that statement, a sponsoring church MUST have a committment to see that the missionary has the tools he needs for the work set out before him. If the sponsoring church has the ways and means to supply those tools, they should. If they sponsoring church does not have the finances to provide those tools, then they should aid the missionary in raising the support from sister churches. It is perfectly acceptable for a church to turn to sister churches for help in carrying out the Great Commission.
This is another way I am blessed by Rocky Springs. The Old Cherokee Association (Rocky's local association) is not going to have a mission rally without Bro. Charles Swilling or Bro. Jim Slocumb giving a Brownwood report and asking for support.
More important than financial support, however, is the issue of emotional and prayer support. The mission field can be very discouraging (and that's just Brownwood. I can only imagine what our brethren in France, Africa, Ukraine and Thailand are feeling). A missionary needs to know that the sponsoring church understands the importance of the mission work, is behind the work, and that they are there for moral support.
How can a sponsor show that support? Easy. Call the missionary and offer words of encouragement and thanks. Tell him that someone spoke on his behalf in Sunday School, Send him email and letters, and maybe even a gift package... and don't forget his wife and kids. All too often, they make the biggest sacrifices.
And last but not least, don't fall into this mentality that a mission work is a drain on church finances and resources. That mentality will lead to bitter feelings between missionary and sponsoring church. God blesses our church finances for the sole purpose of carrying out his work. That work is mission work, both local and beyond.
Thank you for your prayers and support. There have been hard times in Brownwood, but not many... and with your support and encouragement, they never seem all that bad. In fact, these are the best days of my ministry. Thank you so much.
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