MISSIONS PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT
of Faith Baptist Church - Brown City, MI
I. Missions Purpose Statement: The purpose of Faith Baptist Church missions is to engage in global efforts of bringing glory to God by winning people to Jesus Christ and equipping them to be more faithful disciples.
II. The Missions Policy Purpose: To enable our church to have a sound, Biblical missions program.
III. The Missions Policy Goals:
A. To ensure that missions decisions are made on a sound theological basis and in accordance with our philosophy of missions and ministry.
B. To ensure good stewardship of our financial resources.
C. To strengthen the relationship between our church family and our missionaries and/or agencies that we support.
IV. Definitions
A. Missions means evangelizing and discipling [fulfilling the Great Commission] outside one’s own geographic and cultural community in whatever forum is acceptable in the targeted country and suitable to the missionary’s gifts and experiences.
B. Missionary is a believer called of God and sent out by a local church to fulfill the Great Commission with people in a different geographic location and in a different culture than his own. The cultural difference can be within his/her country and language, or in another country. For our purposes, missionaries will be involved either directly or indirectly in establishing New Testament churches.
C. Foreign Missions are ministries that fit the above definitions that are conducted outside the United States.
D. National is a missionary, not from the U.S., who is seeking to engage in full-time Christian vocational ministry in his own country.
E. Home Missions are ministries that fit the above definitions that are conducted within the United States.
F. Short Term Missionary is a person who is considering pursuing missions as a vocational ministry; usually the consideration is for 2 years or less, or a person participating in a Mission Trip for the purpose of training, construction, medical, or other ministry purposes.
G. Evangelism is actively sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people around us as opportunities occur without regard to geography or familiarity.
H. Discipleship is the process of helping a person to change and grow in the likeness of Christ as that person is “equipped for the work of the ministry”.
I. Support means funds designated.
1. Each approved missionary shall annually subscribe to the statement of faith of our church by their signature.
2. The approval and support of any regularly chosen missionary shall cease at once if such missionary refuses or cannot sign our statement of faith, transfers to another mission agency, resigns, or is dismissed.
3. The extent of the support for an approved missionary of the church shall be acted upon by the church on recommendation of the pastor and the board.
4. When a missionary retires, the missionary’s retirement package will be evaluated to see if the church has an obligation to continue some level of support during the retirement years.
V. Biblical Foundation of Missions
A. The Great Commission: Matthew 28:19, 20 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
1. This passage serves as the foundation for our Mission Statement: The ministry of Faith Baptist Church is to win people to Jesus Christ and equip them to be more faithful disciples.
2. Christ delegated authority to the disciples and commanded them to “make disciples of all nations”.
3. The word “nations,” rather than referring to geo-political nation states, points to the idea that the body of Christ is to be made up of people from “all nations, kindreds, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9).
B. Matthew 16:18, “...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”; Acts 2:37-47; Philippians 4:15-19.
1. Matthew 16 establishes the unity of the entire body of Christ. Our love for the brethren includes those of other cultures who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Our church’s efforts, as well as those of our missionaries, are to seek to bring unsaved people into the Church, the body of Christ, by faithfully proclaiming the Gospel.
2. Acts 2:37-47 establishes the beginning of the ‘local church’.
3. Philippians 4:15-19 establishes the connection of a local church supporting a ‘missionary’ in the work of the ministry. While Paul also engaged in ‘tent making’ responsibilities (Acts 18:1-2), the ideal is a local church supporting the missionaries they send out.
C. Acts 13:2 says, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Over time, the church in Antioch became the leading church of the first century (Acts 13:1-14:28).
In the midst of worship, prayer, and fasting, the church responded to the Holy Spirit by commissioning two of their leaders, Barnabas and Saul, sending them into ministry.
1. Barnabas and Saul were already actively serving in the church - seeking to win souls to Christ and engaged in regular discipleship opportunities.
2. The church recognized their gifts and service, and the church authenticated Barnabas and Saul’s call to the ministry by commissioning them for the task.
3. In each new city that Barnabas and Saul visited, their goal was to plant and establish new churches. This is evident by the fact that they evangelized key cities, preached the gospel, strengthened the disciples, and appointed elders.
4. Following their missionary journey, Barnabas and Saul reported back to the church in Antioch, demonstrating their submission to the leadership and authority of that local church.
5. Therefore, missionaries are directly accountable to the local church that commissioned them and indirectly to the churches supporting them. Mission Philosophy (cf. VII. Types of Ministries).
VI. Purpose of Missions
Missions is the process of local churches carrying out the Great Commission (making disciples) as patterned by the book of Acts: evangelizing strategic cities, instructing new Christians, planting local churches, and strengthening those churches that they would duplicate the cycle and multiply through sending their own people into missions. The chief task of missions is to plant and establish new churches that will be effective in fulfilling the Great Commission in their geographic and cultural setting.
VII. Types of Ministries
As a matter of stewardship, we will place primary emphasis and the bulk of our time, talents, and money on sending and supporting individuals whose ministry call and focus is on the establishment, growth, and multiplication of local churches that are consistent with the doctrine and practice of Faith Baptist Church.
A. Church Planting Ministries
1. The primary focus and priority of the individual’s efforts are for the establishing of new, indigenous, reproducing churches in cross-cultural situations.
2. Consideration will possibly be given to national church planting efforts of an individual sent by a non-American church.
B. Church Development Ministries
These ministries focus on evangelism and discipleship in strategic populations which enable an existing church to reach beyond their current sphere of influence in that particular cultural setting - i.e. campus ministry, jail ministry, radio ministry, etc.
C. Support Ministries
There are individuals and/or organizations that are involved in ministries that legitimately support traditional church planting efforts (i.e. medical work, relief and development, social work, technology, educational, etc.). We may designate a portion of our missions support to go to these types of ministries.
1. Stateside administration and counsel which directly supports people in church planting or extension type ministries.
2. Schools and/or educational institutions that can contribute to the training of those who seek to plant/develop local churches.
3. Other ministries that contribute to effective church planting or extending existing churches - i.e. mission aviation, medical work, relief work, educational, and translation.