One of the poorest attended meetings in the local church each year is the Church Mission’s Conference. This is a sad indictment upon our churches and our concern for lost souls around the world. However it also indicates poor planning and preparation on the part of the pastor and the church. Someone said; “Everything rises and falls on leadership!” That is certainly the truth! Here are a few ideas that you might consider that might help your next conference.
- Begin preparations for the conference a year in advance. If you do it at the last minute obviously it isn’t important to you and so your church folks will feel the same about the conference that you do!
- Get the people involved in the preparations. Have them think of it as the most important meeting in the year.
- Express real interest in world evangelism, lost people, others, missionaries through out the year. You get what you honor. Your people will honor and love what you honor and love.
- Get the people personally involved with the missionaries; have them write letters to the missionaries telling them that they look forward to meeting them. Have them send them personal emails. Have them call to arrange for their comfort when they arrive. Make the people know that what they are doing is of eternal value.
- Help the people develop a personal relationship with the missionaries. Let them eat out together, converse together, pray together, play together, etc.
- Advertise the meeting! Put posters around the church weeks or months in advance. Put it in the bulletin. Send out prayer requests and preparations to your church members via email.
- Some questionnaires (asking the missionary his needs, favorite snacks, favorite books, what each family member would like, etc.) gives the people ideas of what they can do to be a blessing to the missionary.
- Get more people involved in preparing for the conference. Have them help decorate. You will do much better if you involve the people and not just staff or secretary.
- One church asks each missionary before they arrive what each missionary’s favorite drink, dessert, etc. is and then one of the church folks will be in charge of trying to take that special item to each missionary at the meals etc.
- Have someone take each missionary’s car to fill it up with gas or get it washed.
- Do not make it a money raising campaign as much as a blessing time for others. Help your people get their eyes off of themselves and onto others. If they think all you are going to do all week is try to get money out of them then they will not come.
- Have the folks get information together about each missionary so that the folks can feel like they know them.
- Find ways to honor the missionaries and what they have done for the Lord.