Missions on Point

The Charter might be a stand-alone document that frames the most key principles for why, how, and what your church Missions Team does. It is a core piece of orientation for any church member, but especially for new Missions Team members. This episode uses a great model Missions Team Charter to walk through its elements and the significance of each part of it.

Few churches really think, pray, and lead their church in adopting a world missions focus and strategy. Those that do so, excel in missions ministry and launch their congregation to a higher level of understanding and involvement in missions. It takes work and time to pray through to the right focus for your church. But, it is worth it!

Building Your Church Missions Handbook will require you to think about key definitions which will guide your church for years to come. A side benefit is that good definitions, accepted by all in leadership, prevent a lot of misunderstandings and future wrangling over the same issues. Think well about these key definitions. Then, communicate them well to all concerned.

The first two keys for defining the Scope of Authority for Your Missions Handbook or Your Missions Team are: clarifying the differences between local outreach ministries and overseas, cross-cultural missions; and, getting your Elders or highest board of authority to conceptually mark the Guiding Principles or Guiding Values within which the Missions Team ministries will operate. This helps all con...

As we begin building our Church Missions Handbook, the very first major element should be the biblical basis. We always start with the Scripture as our authority for life and ministry. Remember your audience: keep it simple and relatively short. It isn't a theological treatise or comprehensive. It is representative and builds a case for the priority of missions and the local church's role in missi...

Missions issues, problems, misunderstandings, and conflict can be avoided by developing a "handbook" or "manual" that establishes the pattern for missions in your church. Church leaders regularly encounter questions about tough situations or from people sincerely seeking support for their ministry or some ministry to which they are related. Every church is unique. But every church should have guid...

This is a rare personal view of Propempo new dynamic partnership with MissioServe - the Why, How, and When. As of Jan. 1, 2023, Propempo and MissioServe have merged and blended God-given strengths to better focus on a biblical, local-church-centered philosophy of missions. We're trusting God for great things. This vision includes having an impact on the entire evangelical church and missions compl...

This episode reflects on the basis of the biblical concept of the centrality of the local church in missions and muses about the potential results if all stakeholders apply it together. It would be radical! It would also be a massive boost to missions effectiveness on all sides.  It seems obvious, but why wouldn't we obey and apply this foundational principle?

Bible schools, seminaries, and missions specialty schools also need to be consistent in understanding and teaching the centrality of the local church in missions. Yes, even making practical the church's centrality for fulfilling God's purposes. If and when this happens, the schools and the missionaries they produce will be more effective, stay on the field longer, and bear more lasting spiritual f...

This is a sensitive topic. We hope to inform and guide your thinking towards being a more effective and satisfied donor to missions. We'll present six areas of thought and practical questions to help you be better biblically and strategically focused in your giving. May the Lord be pleased to use this for His glory.

This is a tough one! Missions agencies have developed a thick hide protecting their independence. It's hard to consider changing their mindset to allow the rightful biblical place of the local sending church in their enterprise. If done well, it promises incredible benefits to their administration, their missionaries, and the fruit of their ministries on the field. May God give overwhelming grace...

Wow, I wish I had heard this episode before I went to the mission field decades ago! I wish that every missionary candidate could have heard this when they first started preparing for the field. This concept put into practice by missionaries and sending churches could lift the joy and effectiveness of missionary work worldwide! Having a biblical "propempo perspective" will encourage and sustain so...

Propempo Certification for the local church missions Leader means understanding, accepting, and practically implementing the primary biblical and church principles of local-church-centered missiology. There are crucial, paradigm-shifting insights that will make your church and your leadership more effective in your role. This episode crystallized key concepts and foci to enable you to become that...

"Propempo Certification"? What is Propempo? What is certification? This series is a concept series on what it takes to be biblically local-church-centered in understanding the role of the local church in missions. It will rock your world! Understanding the biblical basis and the practical application could, Lord willing, revolutionize your church, your participation in missions, and your understan...

This is one of the most difficult issues to deal with emotionally for the church. The tangled web of relationships and motivations is hard to untangle. The intentionality of circumstances and diligence press us to do a good job of evaluation, prayer, and communication to get through to the best answer on the other side of the tough decisions. There are lots of legitimate reasons to reevaluate the...

Oft-neglected, the issue of how best to communicate missions in the church is a key to mobilizing your whole congregation in missions. This doesn't mean that the goal is for everyone to become a missionary! It does mean that every church member should know and live out their personal role in the Great Commission. However, this doesn't happen without good, consistent, solid communication from and t...

The term "missions junkies" refers to people who are hooked on missions - sometimes for the good, sometimes for the not-so-good.  This episode helps you identify a missions junkie in your church or among your friends. Ultimately, the key to helping a missions junkie is to encourage them to focus on their local church and the biblical goal of the Great Commission. This might force them to focus on...

The critical junction of a long-term missionary coming back off the field "permanently" to retirement years is too often neglected as a special opportunity to help and shepherd them well. The past generation of missionaries retiring over the last 20 years or so were sadly ill-prepared to face the cultural whiplash and financial burdens of living back "home." We need to ask probing questions and st...

It's a privilege and joy to visit a missionary on the field. It's also a solemn responsibility, especially when done on behalf of the sending church. That visit is a crucial interface between the sent missionary (family) and the sending church. So many things can only be learned with a healthy personal visit. Learn how to do it, what to do when you get there, and how to best advance the cause of C...

One of the realities of contemporary missions is that many of our missionaries, particularly in unreached areas of the world, are at greater risk to their personal safety. Hostile governments, religions, and factions can cause a missionary harm or get them kicked out of the country. The wise missionary and sending constituencies take care to live with an alert and security mindset. We all have to...

It's surprising to many that the average termination of service of a missionary on the field may be less than five years. This is especially true for missionaries in fields of higher stress, greater antagonism toward Christianity, or more challenging living conditions. We can help! Awareness and prevention of preventable attrition can go a long way toward keeping our valuable missionary personnel...

A key to avoiding preventable attrition on the field is having a strong sending-church-to-mission-agency partnership agreement. The local sending church must not abrogate its continuing responsibility to shepherd and guide their missionary on the field. The mission agency must not divest the sending church of the responsibility to shepherd and "own" their missionary's ministry on the field.

Too often mission leaders and supporters take for granted the need for language proficiency in missions. Many of us come from a mostly monolingual society. We short-circuit language learning or press for minimal time and effort so that, in our view, the missionary can get on with the program. Little do we realize the significance of a higher level of language proficiency in order to teach and expl...

International commerce and opportunities abound. Christians are sometimes persuaded that going for overseas employment can be an effective means of witness for Christ and the Gospel. Maybe so; maybe not. Digging into the details will help temper expectations toward realism. It's possible that the job proposed doesn't allow for much, if any, evangelistic or ministry opportunities. Count the cost. Q...

So many institutions are established by mission agencies with well-meaning intentions. The natural compassion of Western affluence sometimes provides an outlet for humanitarian concerns and goals. However, institutions too often become an end unto themselves over time. They lose sight of the original goal - that is, to establish a platform for Gospel ministry toward indigenous church planting. Ins...