Category: Helpful Resources

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Why have a Missions Conference at your Church?

Probably only 30% of Baptist churches hold an annual missions conference. Of course there are different emphasis, theories, and “ways” in ministry, but I want to share a few ideas of why an annual missions conference can be a help and blessing to your church.

  1. The conference will help put missions in front of the people. Don’t forget that we are to be witnesses in our Jerusalem as well as in the uttermost parts.
  1. The conference places a healthy role model for the church. We get what we honor. If we bring in missionaries and let them share their burdens for the lost around the world, our children may look up to them and want to be like them. We all agree we need more laborers, but if we don’t show examples of what laborers are we can’t get upset that the people are not surrendering.

Continue reading “Why have a Missions Conference at your Church?”

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Preparing for missions conference

  1. 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.

  1. 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 Continue reading “Preparing for missions conference”

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How to choose a missionary! – By Austin Gardner

  1. Ask him about his preparation or what makes him feel that he can do what God has called him to.  Has he been prepared?  Has he studied?  Is he looking into language schools?  What are his prerequisites for the language
schools that he plans on going to?  Why did he choose that one.  Be sure that he is going to language school and if not do not support him.
  2. Missionaries do not need to be taken on by pity or by need.  Many time the pastor and people in the church feel pity for a person and when they do this, this causes the church to want to help.  Help by giving a one time offering maybe, but a missionary should not be taken on by need they ought to be taken on by their fruit.  Look for a man who will produce or has produced in what God has called him to do.  Some pastors might say, I just know that no one else will support him so I just wanted to help him.
  3. How much research have they done on their country.  Before a missionary comes to the church check out the general statistics of the country and ask him about them while he is there.  He ought not know everything but the general questions.  If he hasn’t studied his country enough then he probably isn’t the kind of missionary that you want.
  4. What is his work ethic?  Missions is over spiritualized many times.  Just because a person has been called by God to a place does not mean that he ought not be working. The answer I have not had to call any pastors
and I think that is what God wants me to do is very spiritual but very rarely works.  They will then proceed to tell you how it has been a long time and not much money coming in.  If a man has a full schedule for a year or so then it might be alright but if not they need Continue reading “How to choose a missionary! – By Austin Gardner”
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Ideas for Senders

  1. Get people from your church to prepare cards and notes to send to your missionary.
    • Have special cards and notes sent to the children.
    • Have everyone put in a few dollars in each card to make it 
very exciting for the children to open
    • Adults might send gift cards for iTunes or Amazon in
cards
  2. Get together some goodies to send to your missionary. Be sure to contact them and make sure that they will not have to pay customs on whatever you send them
  3. Be prepared to report on your missionary in the missionary presentations for the Goer Sender Coalition
  4. Make sure that you keep their name in the church bulletin, on the church Facebook page, etc.
  5. Ever so often set up a display from their country, give out their prayer cards, and get Continue reading “Ideas for Senders”
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Eleven Essentials for the Missionary

Hudson Taylor’s Missionary Equipment

  1. A life yielded to God and controlled by His Spirit
  2. A restful trust in God for the supply of all needs
  3. A sympathetic spirit
  4. A willingness to take a lowly place
  5. Tact in dealing with men
  6. Adaptability toward circumstances
  7. Be real in service
  8. Steadfastness in discouragement
  9. Love for communion with God and for the study of His Word
  10. Some experience and blessing in the Lord’s work at home
  11. A healthy body and vigorous mind

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Themes for Missions Conferences

(Many I have gathered from conferences I have attended or have heard of, others I have gathered in the past from other sources, those of which I do not remember)

How Beautiful are the Feet – Rom. 10:15

Punching holes in the darkness

Hear their Hearts Cry

That All the Earth May Know – I Sam. 17:46, Prov. 25:25

How to Build Waist Cities – Is. 64:1

Ambassadors for Christ – II Cor. 5:20

Set Sails for Souls

Is There Not a Cause – I Sam. 17:29

Is it Nothing to You? – Lamentations 1:12

Reaching this Generation

Enlarging our tents Continue reading “Themes for Missions Conferences”

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A Missions Parable About Lost People:

Putting World Evangelism Statistics In Perspective

By James M. Weber, missionary to Japan

    Once upon a time there was an apple grower who had acres and acres of apple trees. In all, he had 10,000 acres of apple orchards.
One day he went to the nearby town. There, he hired 1,000 apple pickers. He told them:

“Go to my orchards. Harvest the ripe apples, and build storage buildings for them so that they will not spoil. I need to be gone for a while, but I will provide all you will need to complete the task. When I return, I will reward you for your work.

    “I’ll set up a Society for the Picking of Apples. The Society — to which you will all belong — will be responsible for the entire operation. Naturally, in addition to those of you doing the actual harvesting, some will carry supplies, others will care for the physical needs of the group, and still others will have administrative responsibilities.” Continue reading “A Missions Parable About Lost People:”