Should Missionaries Remain Members of Their Sending Churches?
Body
“Thus follows a story about why and how we removed seven of our 65 members and identified them as missionaries instead.” - 9 Marks
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Thus follows a story about why and how we removed seven of our 65 members and identified them as missionaries instead.” - 9 Marks
“While the missionary-supporter relationship is multifaceted, this basic truth must be established: anyone choosing to financially support a missionary joins the missionary’s ministry and that of his sending church.” - P&D
“Inevitably, the issue of church size enters the discussion. They say things like, “We’d like to do more, but we’re just a small church.” … Sometimes, comments about size serve as a cover for different concerns.” - Lifeway
“Some pastors bemoan the business-model trends that some missionaries follow in their support raising, while others hurt for the missionaries who are still stuck in a deputation rut that’s been 150-years in the making.” - P&D
“I am hopeful for the church in Germany. This hope is based both on my knowledge of God and on what I see happening in our own church and in other places around the country.” - Desiring God
“A lack of pastoral care is more likely to lead to a lack of spiritual health, which in turn hinders the work of the commission…. So what do we do if the status quo is chewing missionaries up rather than building them up?” - 9 Marks
“Paul didn’t only give the gospel to local believers; he shared his life with them (1 Thess. 2:8). He didn’t limit himself to ministry relationships or even task-focused partnerships.” - TGC
“Without Timothaine missions, many churches would fail to prosper and may even falter. …. If Pauline missions doesn’t exist, then the ends of the earth will never be reached….Both Timothaine and Pauline missions, therefore, are necessary.” - 9 Marks
Read Part 1.
In this short series, I am sharing some of the things that I learned at Via Generosity’s Support Raising Bootcamp, which I attended earlier this month near Austin, TX. The training is centered around the book called The God Ask by Steve Shadrach (Fayetteville, AR: Via Nations, 2023).
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