 |
Actscelerate.com
Open Any Time -- Day or Night
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Message |
Author |
 Missions giving |
Dentanner |
| Preacher777 wrote: | We do a monthly missions offering and at that time share testimonies from some of the missionaries we support. Some people don't have fiances but do have time so we do varied fundraisers for missions.
We support the same missionaries every year and trust God to add more missionaries as funds become available. I believe the Bible teaches us to have relationships with our missionaries. It saddens me to see how much time and money missionaries need to spend raising funds to do ministry. If churches would build long-term relationships and support the same ministries as God leads the missionaries wouldn't have to waste so much time/money raising funds. A larger percentage of giving could be allocated away from travel expenses and into the ministry. |
How true, would that more of our congregations and pastors could better know their missionaries. Too many do not know the difference between career missionaries, ministers doing yearly trips, short term volunteer mission workers. Stronger transparent relationships between missionaries, local congregations and pastors will build more trust and stronger prayer and financial support. It is really all about 'relationships'.
_________________
Dennis Tanner
Administrative Bishop Scotland
Church of God Career Missionary |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 97
3/10/17 11:12 am
|
|
|
|  |
 |
|
|
| Missions Giving |
Dentanner |
A person on FB wrote to me about the concern they had about not hearing from missionaries, missionaries not being scheduled to speak at church, and no public reports given by church leadership on missionary or mission projects.
"We don't see them if at all and there is usually no report of what God is doing in them or the ministry. We are not told their successes nor their needs as a rule. Many churches that have missionaries have grown with the loss of some members and the gaining of new. The new probably have no knowledge that the church even supports a missionary and his/her family."
This is a sad report. It is one reason why our mission department, leaders and missionaries struggle to raise funds for ministry. There are so many opportunities today for the Gospel to be preached. We a lacking people and finances.........
Dennis
_________________
Dennis Tanner
Administrative Bishop Scotland
Church of God Career Missionary |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 97
3/10/17 4:28 pm
|
|
|
| |
|
| Another Nice Way to Help Missionaries |
Preacher777 |
We like to have one missionary at our annual church picnic. People really enjoy an informal 20-30 minute presentation with dialogue, question answer time etc. We also encourage the missionaries to spend the as much time as possible hanging out with us that day.
Our goal is to maximize his/her time and reduce expenses as much as possible. Therefore, we try to consider our flexibility as to the dates we can have our picnic and then give options to the missionary. Sometimes he/she can come between a Sunday morning/night service allowing an extra meeting that day.
Dennis, I and others shared some reasons it helps to have long-term relationships with missionaries. I want to add that building those long term relationships is easier if we try to support missionaries whose base is within a close proximity to our church when possible. We sincerely pray about who to support and don't limit the Holy Spirit to a 3 hour driving range but it sure helps. If churches would try to work this way everybody benefits.
The missionaries can spend more time with their families when home on leave. Less time is and money are spent on travel. Ralph from Atlanta can build better relationships in his state instead of him going to Pennsylvania the same weekend another missionary leaves his/her home base in PA to spend time and money going to Atlanta. Again, I don't believe it is operating in the flesh to use some common sense.  |
Friendly Face
Posts: 434
3/11/17 12:57 pm
|
|
|
| |
|
| Re: Missions Giving |
wayne |
| Dentanner wrote: |
Questions for discussion and to help me better understand what I must do to better communicate opportunities for mission giving to our congregations.
1. Does your church have a missions budget?
2. How does your church raise that missions budget?
3. For COG congregations, since the TOT cut, does the congregation still give to missions and support missionaries?
4. As a career missionary I depend on God to supply resources through our congregations on a monthly basis. I am not a one year project but a cross cultural minister that has committed my life and my family's life to ministering outside the USA in another cultural. Why do so many congregations and pastors only think of missions support as a ONE YEAR commitment? Often a missionary raises the needed support only to arrive on the field of his calling to find some many COG congregations have stopped supporting him after one year!
Dennis |
Hello Bro Tanner:
1. We have designated all our Sunday School offerings to go to Missions monthly and we send an extra 200.00 a month to support a minister from our church who is pastoring in El-Salvador.
2. Our church usually gives pretty well when missionaries come to our church.
3. We do still support. Currently 4 different missionaries.
4. Bro Dennis, you and I have had conversations in the past about fund raising for missionaries. it is my opinion because most members hear how a million was raised for this project and *hundred thousand was raised for this project, members may be assuming that somehow that money is shared with the other missionaries. I know the importance of building schools, churches etc, but it seems we don't give enough attention as a whole denomination to all our other missionaries.
Maybe, one year the missions department should make all missionaries their project. Not Israel, not Asia but missions as a whole. Create Bio's on all our missionaries and make that the project.
***side note, our church is only 9.5 years old and we have given to missions for quite some time now. My father in law saw his monthly tithing/giving increase at one of his churches because he made missions a priority. Since we have made missions part of our monthly priority we have witnessed an increase in our giving as well. ***
We are currently in the process of buying the building our church is housed in. This building currently has 4 other tenants that will allow our church to bring in income on top of our monthly tithes and offerings. If this purchase
goes through, our church will be positioned pretty well financially and I attribute much of this success to making missions a priority.
Bro Dennis: I am currently a district overseer and if you/missions department would send me some material on missionaries, I will gladly pass it along and encourage all our church to increase their giving.
Wayne |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1274
3/13/17 8:26 am
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
