Good Practice for Churches Commissioning Members for Long-term Missionary Service
This statement of good practice is focused on long-term cross-cultural missionary service.
The aim of this statement is to:
- ensure that a church member’s call to missionary service is tested and supported
- ensure that commissioning for long-term mission service is undertaken well by churches and agencies working together
- enable all participants and partners in the programme to find the experience fruitful
- assist in increasingly placing mission at the heart of the church in the UK and beyond.
The commissioning church should:
- seek to encourage members of the congregation to be involved primarily in mission projects that demonstrate a commitment to Bible-based cross cultural mission.
- have a clear, and transparent, procedure whereby members of the congregation can make known to the appropriate leader(s) their interest in long-term mission service.
- evaluate the participant’s calling and emotional and spiritual condition to ensure that they can cope with a potentially challenging cross-cultural experience.
- recognise that it has a responsibility to serve all participants and partners to the highest standards possible.
Clearly, missionary situations vary and not every element of this statement will necessarily apply in all cases.
UNDERLYING VALUES:
The importance of a call to missionary service:
In recognition of the testing nature of cross-cultural ministry there is a compelling need for the church leaders to validate a participant’s calling to such service.
The importance of partnership:
The partners in a long-term mission programme all have a significant contribution to make. They are:
the missionary
the commissioning church and/or sending agency
the host church, and/or host agency
There may also be other interested parties involved who should be recognised and included as appropriate. These include the missionary’s family, supporting friends and, possibly, another Christian community to whom they relate, for example their Christian Union.
Evidence of ministry gifts:
Selection by, and support from, the commissioning church should be focused primarily on candidates who are already involved in ministry in the church and/or other Christian community to whom they relate.
Adequate preparation:
The challenges of long-term cross-cultural service require full attention being given to appropriate pre-field training and orientation for candidates for such missionary service.
Discipleship of the participant:
In recognising the significant impact of missionary service on the missionary’s faith and personal development, the need for pastoral care and positive discipleship during the service is important.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Missionary service must have clear aims and objectives that are realistic, measurable and compatible with the long-term objectives of the partners.
Through consultation between the senders and hosts, there should be shared ownership of the missionary service. This must respect the commissioning church’s responsibility for the pastoral care of the missionary and the host’s responsibility for the on-site project.
The benefits to, and responsibilities of, all the partners should be clearly identified.
There needs to be a clear commitment to disciple and develop the missionary through the mission experience.
Initial information should be obtained early and should be as comprehensive as possible including the pre-assignment training required and financial responsibilities.
TRAINING:
Cross-cultural missionary work is very demanding. It involves learning a new language and understanding the culture of the people amongst whom the missionary is to live and work. Adequate training is an essential pre-requisite for missionary service and needs careful attention by the commissioning church. Where the placement is with a Mission Agency decisions about the training programme must involve both commissioning church and the Agency.
Candidates need to have had significant Christian and church experience and to have demonstrated leadership potential and a desire to develop leadership skills and to pass those skills on to others. Essential components of a pre-field training programme will include biblical, doctrinal and cross-cultural training. Specialist training will be required in certain situations e.g. ministry in the context of other religions, literacy skills, et al.
A useful resource for identifying appropriate training institutions is to be found in the Affinity “Survey of Bible and Theological Colleges” to be found in the Theological Advocacy part of the Teams section of this website.
SELECTION AND ORIENTATION:
A suitable, transparent selection process always involving face-to-face contact should be followed. A pastoral component must be included, regardless of the outcome of selection. Where the placement is with a Mission Agency the selection process must involve both commissioning church and the Agency.
It is important that adequate orientation prior to the placement be given to all missionaries by the commissioning church and/or by the sending Mission Agency if the placement is with an agency. The host church and/or agency should ensure that satisfactory induction at the start of the project is also provided.
Orientation and induction should cover the following aspects:
- the location and description of the first term project
- the cultural context of the project
- the religious context of the project
- the short-term and long-term objectives of the project
- the provision of adequate opportunity for language learning
- the expected tasks and the lines of accountability
- guidelines on behaviour and relationships
- team dynamics and conflict resolution
- communication policy with home
- health and safety, child protection, security and risk assessment
- financial procedures and insurance requirements
- expectations regarding re-entry and debriefing.
Where missionaries will be working with children and vulnerable adults, police checks must be made prior to placement.
COMMISSIONING AND SUPPORT BY THE SENDING CHURCH:
As close to departure as possible, the sending church should incorporate into its main Sunday service an act of commissioning of the missionary.
The commissioning church should appoint a link person to maintain good two-way communication with the missionary. News from the missionary should be shared in the church’s services periodically.
The church should establish a prayer / care group to meet periodically in support of the missionary.
PLACEMENT AND CARE DURING THE ASSIGNMENT:
Responsibilities of all partners regarding practicalities, job descriptions and supervision need to be made clear and agreed prior to placement.
Placement decisions must be clear, transparent and made with integrity and should be communicated to all involved, including if and when changes are made.
Pastoral care, support structures and opportunities for personal and spiritual development of the missionary must be established and implemented.
The need for good communication with, and an annual review of the missionary service by, the commissioning church should be recognised.
If the missionary service is with a Mission Agency, there should be clarity concerning the appropriate contact person in both the commissioning church and the mission agency.
PERIODIC GUIDANCE AND RE-ENTRY SUPPORT:
Periodic advice and guidance should be offered to missionaries to find progressive steps in their ministry. If the missionary service is with a Mission Agency, this will be done by the Mission Agency in liaison with the participant’s home church.
When a missionary returns for home assignment (furlough) the commissioning church should convene a ‘welcome home’ meeting to enable the missionary to report on his/her term of service.
Debriefing and support for the missionary through periods of home assignment are an important part of the programme and the process needs to involve all partners as appropriate.
The commissioning church can have a special role in aiding returning missionaries in the provision of accommodation and transport facilities, the provision of any special re-settlement financial needs and in advising on and facilitating children’s education needs.
