As a part of fulfilling the desires of Fellowship Church we are utilizing the Missions Mentoring Program developed by Great Commission Ministries. This program seeks help a person confirm God’s leading into foreign missions and equip them to serve by the time they are ready to GO.
In regard to preparation for cross-cultural ministry, we have the benefit of learning from both missions history and recent studies on the successes and failures of missionaries. Based upon these, and the mandates of God’s Word, we perceive there are key areas in which the missionary candidate needs to develop with the help of the local church.
To be considered for the missions mentoring program a candidate must be:
- Committed member of Fellowship Church
- Taking steps to be equipped by all this church has to offer
- Solid Homegroup and Sunday attendance
- Have or is open to a discipleship relationship with a leader in the church
This mentoring program addresses extensively how to make progress in issues of the heart/home, head, and hands. However, the following are minimum expectations for a member of Fellowship Church seeking to become a missionary.
Issues of the Heart/Home
By far the most important dimension of preparation for the mission field has to do with one's relationship with God and conformity to the character of Christ. Above all we want our missionary candidates to be men and women of the Word and of prayer.
We want to encourage them toward a regular and satisfying devotional life of prayer, Bible study and memorization. Our deep concern is that the missionaries sent out from Fellowship Church are gripped by a biblical vision of God—a God who is sovereign over the universe and intimately concerned for the deep and lasting happiness of the individual (Romans 8:28-30).
- Attend Monthly LTT (Leadership Training Times]
- Complete Discipleship Class
- Have a personal accountability partner
Issues of the Head
At Fellowship Church we value very highly the life of the mind and the clear understanding of biblical truth. Not that we expect every member or every missionary candidate to be a Bible scholar, but our desire is that each of us will joyfully obey the biblical admonition in 2 Tim. 2:15, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth."
There is also a need for missionary candidates to have a grasp on a biblical apologetic for missions involvement (Missional Theology), and understand issues of HOW we do missions (Missiology).
We are not seeking to make missions experts out of our missionary candidates. But we want to know that Fellowship Church missionaries have been introduced to the most pressing issues facing missions today, so that they might be more aware of some potential pitfalls before they hit the field.
Complete the following FC Equipping Class or equivalent (must be approved by FC missions pastor):
- Essential Bible Doctrines
- Biblical Financial Study
- Outreach Class
- Bible Study Methods [do we offer a class in this]
- Complete Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
- Read entire Bible
Issues of the Hands
There is an old adage which says, "if you’re not doing it here, what makes you think you’ll do it over there?" This is a probing question. Mission agencies ask it all the time. They insist that missionary candidates have demonstrated a significant degree of inclination and effectiveness in ministry here, which will be relevant experience for ministry on the field where the candidate is going. The leadership at Fellowship Church agrees and so we want to encourage our missionary candidates toward a regular involvement in the kinds of ministries here, which will provide them with relevant ministry experience for the mission field. We realize that there are significant methodological differences, for example, between campus evangelism to internationals and evangelism among the Muslim Fulani of Cameroon. But the similarity is also significant. Both situations are cross-cultural and both give you the experience of depending on God to empower you to move out of your comfort zone and communicate the gospel in terms, which can be understood. We want our candidates to go to the field with enough experience of God working through them that they leave with a well-grounded confidence that He will continue to do so in the future wherever they go.
Action Points
- Take someone through Discipleship Class
- Involvement in a local cross-cultural ministry
- Begin language learning of target people group (if known)
- Go on a STM where you are lead to serve
- Read one of the following
- The Cultural Experience by Spradley and McCurdy
- Ministering Cross-Culturally by Lingenfelter and Mayers
- Survival Kit for Overseas Living by L.Robert. Kohls