Major Components of an Effective National Church Missions Program

Introduction

This article describes the major components of an effective national church missions program. It will also present the need for United Apostolic Pentecostal church to establish the missions entity. The paper will further evaluate areas of policy in Malawi Assemblies of God in relation to missions work. Lastly, the author shall present his views about the best methods for effective communication between missionaries and those who support their work with finances and prayer.

Major Components of an Effective National Church Missions Program

It is the desire of God that the church should reach out to the lost world. This calls for national churches to begin having missional departments within their systems to champion the good cause of missions. The other way round is doing it by partnership and networking. Every church has the capacity and enablement to participate in missions. According to John V. York (2001), “a Spirit-filled church can do anything that God mandates [it]” (22).

One of the major components of an effective national church missions program is to clearly define their mandate as God’s missionary people. The mandate needs to have a direction for it to produce the positive impact. Exclusive of these, resources are wasted, problems of ministers continue and it becomes a challenge to administer the program.

Planning and good organization is crucial in having an effective missions program. Planning helps you to utilize the advantages that you are able to experience on the intentional field selected. Denis Lane (1990) notes that “where so much Christian work goes on, we need to research what others are doing and where the gaps are before deciding what God wants us to do” (7). This helps the church to avoid duplication of work so that our energies and resources should be directed to an area where there is a need. In relation to organization, it helps minimize or counteract the opposite forces.

An effective national church missions program needs to have policies in place. These policies range from doctrinal, financial, relationship, leadership, decision making and personnel. The policies like those above help to clarify how we plan to realize our goals.  Without the policy there is no direction and people within the organization are restless.

United Apostolic Faith Church and Missions (UAFC)

UAFC is one of the Pentecostal churches that are not vibrant in Malawi its quest to reach out the lost. Locally, the church has no proper missions sending structures. According to Pastor Wyson Mtambo, local congregations are not yet empowered to begin multiplying themselves. Most of the crucial decisions about missions activities are done in South Africa where the headquarters is based. They do have a department called “Africa for Christ” which is responsible for training and evangelism. However for so many years the evangelism aspect has been dormant. Locals have no voice when it comes to mission programming. The headquarters refuse to allow them form mission committees to carry out various missions activities. However, I look at it having all the capabilities to do missions.

UAFC headquarters in South Africa should allow the Malawi branch to come up with a committee or board that should be entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the missions activities. There is a need to deliberately come up with awareness programs on missions. This should target the church leadership. Once the leaders are trained it will be easy to replicate this to the larger membership. It is a privilege to the church that there is already a vast and variety of training materials for missions. The leadership should adopt some of these materials to suit their needs. Members from UAFC should be exposed to other churches that are already participating in missions. Partnership and networking is crucial at this stage.

For the sustainability of the missions program, training should be an on-going process at all levels. According to Enson Mbilikile Lwesya (ANTS Class discussion 2010), “every missions agency that has overlooked training has cut short its development.” Enhance also infrastructure development. This has to do with physical structure, systems and policies. Establishment of the support systems is essential in establishing a missions entity. Among others, by doing this, the church will be having means to raise funds, material and personnel for the same cause. Lastly, they need to be focused. Identifying a target group that they will spend their resources on is of importance in having an effective missions program. As they evaluate their work, experience and perfection will be needed where they will be flopping.

Malawi Assemblies of God Missions Program into Perspective

The Malawi Assemblies of God has policies that act as a base of doing missions. Each local church has a duty to reach out to the surrounding areas. Many pastors within the organization are aware of the importance of reaching out the lost. The organization’s undergraduate theological training has factored in a number of missions courses. For a deliberate practical aspect, the students give towards missions and go to evangelise and plant churches.

Each first Sunday of the month has been declared as a missions Sunday in MAG assemblies. On this day it is envisaged that all songs, preaching and various activities should be missional orientated. At the moment each local congregation has been challenged to plant a church in one year and also support a bible school student. In a small scale the organization has managed to send missionaries under E3.

Suggested Areas of Improvement

Though MAG is doing missions, still there are some gray areas that need improvements. As already noted, the missions Sunday should be given all the attention it deserves. It is sad that in a lot of churches this missions Sunday has been replaced by what is christened “Big or Paper Sunday.” The “Paper Sunday” is normally used as fundraising tool (drive) for other church projects. There would have been no problem if the funds raised on this Sunday were for missions activities. It would be better if a mission Sunday is shifted to the next Sunday of the month. In doing so, we will still be having an opportunity to emphasize missions in our local congregation. Without doing this we are prone to raising a generation of members that do not see the need of supporting or participating in missions activities either by giving, prayer or going.

MAG should consider enhancing the training they offer in missions. Introducing a school of missions at the undergraduate level is a crucial component in raising missionaries. The individual going through this process will be helped have a thorough preparation to be a missionary in the field. It has to be noted that “the way we relate to trainees and the ways those relationships are institutionalized in our training programmes will directly impact trainees’ understanding and exercise of leadership in ministry” (Robert W. Ferris, 1995, 9). In this case advancing the leadership that priotizes missions activities.

Enhancing awareness and sensitization is one of the pillars to inculcate a missional mind in the church. Through awareness, people will embrace the need to reach out to the lost world. This can be done through the church visits by the division of Missions and Evangelism in various local churches. The committee will be able to present their success stories, challenges and needs.

Other means of raising funds for missions should be developed. These creative ways will help boost the financial muscle for missions department. More money for missions at national level should translate in sending missionaries under E3category. By sending missionaries outside Malawi, the Department of Missions and Evangelism should take care of the missionaries in all areas. Among others, these should be physical, spiritual, and psychological.

The national church is better placed to champion partnership and networking. Through this initiative the church is capable to double its efforts in reaching out the lost people groups. For example, we might produce trained personnel and then look for a partner who is financially sound to sponsor the person. This can also be effective in access restricted areas.

I believe time has come that as an organization we open up to the laity that has the capacity to reach out to various people groups. Empowering these individuals is crucial in complementing the overall missions program.

Effective Communication in Missions

Communication is a vital element for a free flow of information in an organization. To have a successful missions program, building a synergy between the missionaries and those that support their work is necessary. In this case, good communication will bring awareness and enhance the trust between the two parties.

A missionary who has gone to another country or area acts as an ambassador for the sending church. Not all can go and stay in the field hence the missionary becomes their representative. Reporting to the sending church should be one of the major activities of the missionary. Denis Lane (1990, 90-95), presents some methods for effective communication between the missionaries and those that support their work. These include prayer letters, tape recordings, slide sets [can be on power-point], and short video documentaries. Publishing a magazine that outlines the success stories and challenges being faced by those in the field will be of help. The missionaries’ activities will be expressed in a better way to be understood by the sending constituency. However, caution should be taken on what information need to be used for publishing to safeguard the work and life of those in the field. In “Access Restricted Areas” there is a need to scrutinize that which is fit for publication.

It is always encouraged that there should be a constant communication between these parties. The missionary prayer letter is of significance to both parties. This should somehow be given prominence at the expense of other methods. Through the letter, the missionary provides more personal data that is able to stir some reactions. As the needs are presented, the church is called to prayer and mobilizes more funds for the initiative.  If the area has some facilities that have the internet, it is advantageous to the missionary to use the email in communicating to as many people back to the sending church frequently.

Without communication people may not see the need of supporting you while in the field. However, the senders also have an obligation to communicate to the missionary. The missionary should feel that he or she is loved.

 

Reference List

Ferris, Robert w., editor. 1995. Establishing Ministry Training: A Manual for Programme

            Developers. Pasadena: William Carey Library

Lane, Denis. 1990. Tuning God’s New Instruments: A Handbook for Missions from the Two-

            Thirds World. Singapore: World Evangelical Fellowship

Van Engen, Charles. 1991. God’s Missionary People. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book

            House

Wyson Mtambo. Interview - Lilongwe Malawi,16^th September 2010

York, John V. 2001. Missions from the Two Thirds Word. A Study Guide. Springfield, Missouri:

            Global University

Book Review… God’s Missionary People: Rethinking the Purpose of the Local Church by Charles Van Engen.

Introduction

Many Christian books continue to be published all over the world. As the books continue to be published, there is a need to review their content. This paper makes a critical review of the book entitled God’s Missionary People: Rethinking the Purpose of the Local Church. The book review in this paper is done according to the reviewer’s academic concentration.

Van Engen, Charles. God’s Missionary People: Rethinking the Purpose of the Local Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1991. 194pp.

Summary of the Book

The book is intended to guide the pastors and the laity who lead as they seek to guide the emergence and development of the theology of ecclesiology that is applicable to evangelicals. It is the book that brings out workable principles of church growth and how to administer a vibrant local congregation.

Van Engen is scrutinizing the local church in relation to the universal church by calling on church leaders to begin looking critically at their opinions of ecclesiology.

In part one which has five sections he discusses local churches as God’s missionary people. He provides an overview to the whole essence of and intent of being a local church. Among others, the author further looks at a new perspective of the local church and the impact of modern ecclesiology on it. The author also looks at the essence of the local church in the book of Ephesians and its historical perspective. The writer of the book tries to bring out the biblical foundations and truths that characterize the missional local church. This is a church that is pure and reaching out to all with the gospel.

Van Engen (1991) argues that “to develop a congregational missiology for the church is no longer an optional” (20). He justifies this by suggesting that “the church of Jesus Christ may find its fullest expression in relation to the world from within the kingdom of God only if it lives out its nature as a missionary people” (27). A new paradigm is advanced in the sense that the local church begins to look at its mission as “both gift and task, both spiritual and social” (35). According to Van Engen this has brought about the radical change by bringing a sense of urgency on the ministers of the gospel towards the sinful mankind.

Van Engen then presents to us the biblical images of the church that help to put the local church at its right position with God and the world. These include saints, body, soldier with armor, wife, chosen people of God, workmanship, building, children of light, ambassadors, etc.

In part 2, the author highlights a new vision of God’s missionary people presented in three sections. He clearly presents the church as a community which transpires through koinonia, kerygma, diakonia and maryria. Without these four pillars the church has no life and has no meaning to the inward and outward society. He further argues that “as the missionary people of God, local congregations are branch offices of the kingdom, the principal instrument, anticipatory sign, and primary locus of the coming kingdom” (101). This lead to churches becoming more aware in their understanding that they are a community ruled by King Jesus and knowing that it exists to spread the knowledge of the rule of the king. According to Van Engen, by imitating the role of Jesus to this world the church begins to operate in three offices of priest, prophet and king (121-125).  

In part 3, which has four sections, (pp. 133-145), the writer of the book spends some time in laying out the application of becoming God’s missionary people. The author places an immense significance on the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing out the vision of the church’s mission in their various contexts. He indicates that the Holy Spirit creates, sustains, directs and propels. Van Engen advances an idea of not having “super stars” in the church. He argues that every believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit and called upon by the scripture to participate in building the church. As the church begins to develop missional goals it ceases to stop at just having the statements of faith. These statements of faith are turned into statements of purpose thereby making the church to become what is confessed to be.

The book presents God’s missionary people as people of God. According to the writer this has deep implications for missionary congregations. He strongly attacks the distinction between the clergy and the laity. This he says many times puts the congregation at the receiving end without realizing that before God we are all equal.

Out of God’s missionary people flows a missionary leader. These are missionary leaders at the same time being servant leaders who model after Jesus. Out of this discussion one is stirred to begin analyzing the status quo.  He then wraps up the book by bringing a crucial topic on missional administration in the local church. All the good work done may crumble if the administrative structures are weak or porous. Van Engen proposes that the “dynamic administration must be culturally appropriate and contextually-equivalent” (180). He then clarifies that “it is administration that missionary congregations are given their concrete, practical, livable form” (185). Good administration helps to avoid manipulation and facilitates evaluation. A church should constantly evaluate itself. Missionary congregations can only evaluate themselves on the basis of who they are without losing site of an eschatological, emerging reality (191).

Critical Book Review of God’s Missionary People: Rethinking the Purpose of the Local Church

The book is scholarly, practical and definitive look on how to view the purpose of the local church. It presents to us the necessary facts and principles of becoming a vibrant missional local church. He does this by placing much value on the believer being at the centre of carrying out this mission of reaching out to the lost. Van Engen’s book does address different missional issues concerning the local church that are relevant in this era. It is worth reading and in it we may draw in principles that are of substance in planting and raising missionary local churches.

The author seeks at presenting an approach for the improvement of the purposeful local church without losing track on emphasizing the empowerment that is in each individual believer. This book has its roots both from the biblical foundation and modern missiological theories.

Van Engen advances also the process of raising a missionary local church taking into reflection the context.  Tetsunao Yamamori (1993) agree with Van Engen in stating that “this principle of contextual symbiosis first of all in the life of Jesus, who varied the nature and type of his ministry to fit the situation” (143). Above all, he cautions the local churches to always remember that local congregations are branch offices of the kingdom where faith and love must prevail. George Patterson and Richard Scoggins (2002) articulate it well in stressing that “the most important thing to multiply churches is to obey our Lord Jesus Christ in childlike faith and love” (21). According to Patterson and Scoggins, these are some of the factors that present a church as a true community of believers. Both authors seem to agree on the idea of each believer playing his or her rightful role in the church to make it effective in reaching out the lost.

This book is appealing to the academia; however, I find some topics being practical that a pastor and the common leader, and indeed a believer in the local church can grab its ideology. It is bible based, realistic at the same time culturally receptive. Van Engen is clear on his rationale of writing this book. He follows well his purpose, argues his facts well and they look to be attainable. The book is a must read for every theologian who desires to operate effectively in the ministry that God has entrusted him or her. I recommend it to be one of the tools to be used in training missionary leaders in a Seminary or at a Bible Institute.