GUIDELINES FOR MISSIONARY APPROVAL AND SUPPORT

GUIDELINES FOR LOCAL CHURCH APPROVAL AND SUPPORT OF MISSIONARIES

Dr. O. Wilburn Swaim Th.D

www.angelfie.com/nc/exhortationplace

The following, upon approval by the membership of _______ _______ Church, will constitute the standards by which we shall conduct our Faith-Promise Missionary Program:

1. The Missionary must give personal testimony and evidence of conversion, a calling and commitment to missionary work, a conviction concerning the planned field of service, his purpose of ministry on that field, family dedication and support in the missionary endeavor, and adequate preparation and financial/proposed financial support to allow him a successful ministry.

2. The Missionary must be ordained by the authority of an independent Baptist Church into the Gospel Ministry as an independent Baptist Preacher.

3. The Missionary must be commissioned by an independent Baptist Church.

4. Only the King James Version of the Scriptures shall be used by the Mission Board and the Missionary in English-speaking public ministry (not to include the New King James Version).

5. The Missionary and his family on the field with him must be members of the same independent Baptist Church. At the initiation of his ministry, it should certainly be the commissioning church.

6. The Missionary must convincingly express a commitment to a ministry of evangelism, and the planting and/or establishing of independent Baptist Churches.

7. After a maximum of two years on deputation for raising support, the Missionary shall be re-evaluated concerning church support of his ministry. A less-than-60% support level would be probable cause for withdrawing the church's support, but each case should be evaluated individually.

8. A change of his field of service shall be cause for a re-evaluation of the church's support of any given Missionary.

9. Missionary furloughs are normally for one year after four on the field. Deviation from that norm will be investigated and a reevaluation made.

10. The Missionary's ministry is to be overseen by the commissioning church, and the Mission Board under which he may serve. The mission board shall be structured so as to consider itself subordinate to the local churches.

11. Mission Boards must be Baptist in doctrine and by charter (not merely "baptistic"), and committed to the planting and establishing of independent Baptist Churches.

12. A Mission Board is to deduct no portion of a Missionary's support for its own uses. The Missionary may raise a support amount sufficient to allow him to voluntarily contribute monthly to the Board's operating expenses, which could be deducted automatically.

13. Any Missionary considered for support should be required by the sending church, or his Mission Board, to maintain regularly some plan(s) designed to protect him in the area of health-care, and provide for his retirement, and for his family in case of untimely death.

14. The Missionary is to go to the field recognized and officially received by the foreign government as a Missionary, not in some secular work capacity.

15. Approved Missionaries will be supported through _______ _______ Church, using the Faith-Promise Plan of Giving.

16. Under the Faith-Promise Plan, individuals commit to the Lord to give, over and above their regular tithe and offering, a particular amount weekly (or monthly, as the individual's personal income may be received on a monthly basis), to the church's missions program.

17. _______ _______ Church shall support no Missionaries out of budget, but shall designate 10% of weekly offerings for missions, children's homes, camp ministries, Bible distribution and tract ministries, etc. Said funds may be used to take care of current commitments during the transition, to meet the expenses of missions conferences and guest Missionaries who visit in and/or minister in our services, and provide for expenses of the Pastor and his wife to visit a Mission field, as the church may authorize. Any reserve within the Budgeted Missions Funds should not grow beyond $1,000.00, except as some particular project may deem it needful.

18. Prior to a Missionary/Missionary-Candidate presenting his ministry to our church, the Pastor will review with him these guidelines, seeking to insure that all standards are met. One not adhering thereto would not be invited to make his presentation. Support for any given Missionary by _______ _______ Church will be determined solely by the whole church in compliance with these guidelines. The amount of financial commitment by the church to mission endeavors will be limited to the amount of faith-promise commitments received. However present commitments will continue to be honored, except as further changes are enacted by the church.

19. Herein are fairly stringent Bible standards, and principles based on our position as an independent Baptist Church. They require a fair amount of diligence on the part of Missionaries and Mission Boards. Let _______ _______ Church then be mindful of the church's responsibility to minister to them in prayer and giving; to be as diligent on The home front as we desire them to be on their field of service.