Once we at Circle Church instituted the policy of personal and individual mission support—in contrast to church-wide, corporate body support of missionaries and their work—we asked our missionaries to inform us when one of our members became unable to continue his or her support. We then provided the missing the amount through the interest earned on a special fund. This would continue for a short time until a new donor could be found to replace the old.
In such an arrangement, we considered the possibility that the scope of the church’s overall mission vision might suffer. The International Outreach Module attempted to prevent this before it occurred by examining short-range mission projects we could support as a congregation. Such projects we undertook included providing money for a new dormitory or school, for instance, or supporting a technician from our congregation to fulfill vital functions on a given field.
Despite the difficulties this system of giving may seemed to present, it did eliminate both complicated bookkeeping and also the false sense of pride that sometimes develops when we measure our accomplishments by the way the efforts of one year have topped those of the years before. It also prevents the easy involvement which requires only vicarious involvement through giving.
These ideas may not suit other congregations, but our basically young, student-oriented, extremely mobile, urban-centered group had demanded a solution of this kind. They insisted we activate and respond to a desire on the part of the total church to “Help Stamp Out the International Outreach Communications Gap!”
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
