- Choosing a speaker
Some choose missionaries they have at the conference, others bring in a speaker. Although you definitely want testimonial and presentation time from every missionary, I believe the most beneficial would be to bring someone in that can challenge your people and giving and getting involved in missions. Most missionaries are timid to speak about money but a discreet missions conference speaker contact fully challenged and help your church and giving and doing more.
Just because a preacher as a friend, can preach well or has a growing church, does not mean he can adequately help your church in the area of missions. You will want to choose a speaker who will help your church in the effort of worldwide missions. And this may require planning and scheduling a year in advance.
- Choosing missionaries
The wrong Missionary could discourage your church instead of encourage the Church. Call around and research in order to schedule missionaries that have goals, are passionate, have the right preparation, a good recommendation from his pastor, is raising his support quickly and is sure of God’s leading in his life. This kind of Missionary will challenge and encourage your church.
- Proportionate
If goddess placed the church with the purpose to fulfill the great commission, one must think of what is going on both local and foreign. God’s word says both – here (home) and there (uttermost) is our responsibility. Understanding this, we should examine our budget and place a goal to make missions outreach abroad an important part of the churches budget.
The People’s Church of Toronto explain their financial priorities as:
a) overseas outreach for Christ
b) operating expenses
c) building expansion
Instead of hurting the church and growth, it is only proved their priority and move them forward. World evangelism is Gods plan.
- Preparations
Many conferences can fail because no preparation was given to the conference. It is wise to present the faith promise card and mention it for three minutes every service a month in advance. When conference time rolls around, the people have already received a card, prayed and heard about faith promise, and now they are ripe and ready for God to work. Have moments of prayer for the conference and talk about missions and you can expect God to work. But neglect to plan, talk about and pray about the conference, and you cannot complain when “nothing happens”. You will get out of the conference what you put in the conference.
- Member involvement
Get the people involved in the conference. Someone almost always learns more by doing and simply observing. Here are a few areas in which church people can get involved in:
a. Ambassadors for missionaries that come
b. Updates on missionaries you already support
c. Food for international banquet
d. Decorations
e. Special gifts for every mission family present – many times and forget about wife and children.
- Calendar
Make sure the calendar is clear so there will be no conflicts in schedule with other ministries during the missions conference.
Begin or end on a Sunday to have the most people present for the pick promise day.
- Set goals
a. Financial – not too high, but not too low. Stretch your faith and have a goal to shoot at. Remember that the person who aims at nothing will surely hit it.
b. Force – have a goal and pray God will send someone from your church. The greatest missionaries are still to be seen… And some may be in your church pews.