Every local New Testament church exists to “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” This is known as “the Great Commission,” given by Christ to His Disciples before He ascended to heaven following His 40-day post-resurrection appearances. (Matt. 28:18-20) That command to evangelize the lost, beginning at Jerusalem and ultimately going to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts. 1:8), has always been the top priority of His church. The question that local churches that are serious about fulfilling that commission deal with is: “How can we most effectively get missionaries to every corner of the earth with the life-saving gospel message?”
Pastors and church members will agree that God alone can call missionaries, separating them for the ministry of church planting as the Holy Ghost did Paul and Barnabas. (Acts 13:1,2) It never ceases to thrill the hearts of pastors and church members when men and women surrender to the work of world evangelism, answering God’s call and obeying His command. The task may appear daunting, and missionaries will be the first to affirm that without support—prayer support, financial support, and “moral” support—they would not dare assume the staggering responsibilities that an ambassador for Christ, often with a family and usually on foreign soil, would volunteer to yoke up under.
That is where I want to pick up a discussion on the subject of “Why a Mission Board?” My answers to this question will come from my heart, after having pastored churches for half a century and having been as wholly involved in 20th and 21st century missions ministry as I possibly could have been as a pastor. I have pastored a church that partnered with scores of missionaries in assisting their getting to and serving on the field to which God has called them. And, for 45 years, it has been my privilege to serve as a board member of Baptist World Mission, a service agency that has come alongside hundreds of local churches, assisting them as they work through the challenges and “logistics” of getting their God-called evangelists to their respective fields. I am “pro mission boards” because:
- Most pastors shepherd midsized to smaller churches and are limited in their ability to visit foreign fields in person. If God calls two or three families out of one church to go “across the waters” to minister, that would make the issue of accountability even more problematic. Thompson Road Baptist Church was the sending church, during my tenure as pastor, of several missionary families simultaneously serving on various fields. I have been indebted to the “foot work” of various good mission agencies that have assisted our own missionaries in matters such as obtaining visas, cultural adjustments, raising support, and submitting to counsel about serving in adherence to sound Biblical and doctrinal principles and work ethics.
- From time to time, emergency situations unfold that missionaries need extraordinary help with—situations beyond the ability of their sending church to handle. For instance, a missionary that our church supported as he and his family labored in Germany came down with “mad cow” disease. There was a critical need for this servant to be evacuated to where he could get the medical attention required for this dread disease. The board under whose auspices he served had the insurance policy in place to step up and be of invaluable assistance in getting the missionary back to the US, where he became one of the few survivors of this affliction.
- Partnering with many other churches supporting missionaries that we also support—missionaries who have been carefully and prayerfully screened and vetted by boards of like faith with our church—has afforded us the opportunity of fellowshipping with, and co-laboring with, scores of God’s choicest servants. As a church, we have supported some of them with our prayers, finances, and encouragement for more than four decades.
- Sound mission boards, such as Baptist World Mission, are diligent in examining the doctrinal beliefs as well as the personal walk with God of each applicant that comes before them. The mission board is committed to the principle that only churches send missionaries. But the board, as a service agency to the local church, takes its responsibilities as a co-laborer with the church very seriously. This working arrangement, involving visits by mission-board field directors to assist and encourage missionaries, gives the local church an added layer of assurance that each supported missionary is given all the help, encouragement, and accountability that could practically and possibly be rendered.
These are just a few of the pertinent reasons why this (retired) pastor is a proponent of mission boards. In truth, there is no perfect board, missionary, pastor, or church; but a wise and careful church, led by a pastor with a heart for biblical missions—in tandem with a mission board that has tools and expertise that many churches could not tap into—provides an arrangement that worked well for this pastor in enabling our church to know, love, and serve many, many godly servants of Christ who spent a lifetime in the ministry of missions. Should anyone reading this have questions or comments on this subject, which is deeply lodged in my heart, feel free to correspond further with me.
“Say ye not there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35)
PRAYER REQUEST: Our dear friend, Dr. Larry Hufhand, suffered a fall this week. He was hospitalized as is being treated and examined. Please pray for his recovery. I will try to give you an update when I can. The family requests no phone calls or house visits at this time. If you would like to send him (and his beloved wife, Marion) a card, message me for their address.