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An Idea To Help Praying for Missionaries

Discussion in 'Pastoral Ministries' started by Tom Bryant, Mar 1, 2012.

  1. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    Over the last 2 years, we have tried to move people from praying just about the sick at prayer meetings to praying about church outreach and for our missionaries (We are SBC, but support non SBC missionaries in prayer and in some finances).

    Here's a couple of things that have helped us:

    We started having in both morning services a mission minute that puts a spotlight on a missionary who has been to our church or whom our church family knows. It has started people thinking world wide rather than just Uncle Joe's ingrown toenail.

    Then on Wednesday nights, we have asked our regulars to become information seekers and prayer warriors for a specific country or people group. We have a retired missionary who is our info and prayer guy about missions in Muslim areas. Another is centering on Ghent, Belgium where we have entered into a partnership.

    We still have missionaries in to present their ministries.

    We are just getting started on this, what do you all do to help people become world wide Christians?
     
  2. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    I've seen prayer letters included in the bulletin. Others read portions of letters as a "moment" during the service.

    Part of it could come from the Missions agency if they worked at it.

    We visited a SBC church about 15 years ago and were very interested in the missionay's ministry. I gave them a business card on the way out and asked to be placed on their mailing list. This never occurred, no contact was made, emailed the agency and asked - nothing happened and no response. Snail mailed a letter of disappointment to the agency and received no response.

    I had to wonder how they ever raised any interest in their workers.
     
  3. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    I am always amazed at the rudeness of people who won't return a note, email or phone call. Especially wrong when you're trying to raise mission funds and/or awareness.

    The late Angelo Dundee lived by the motto, "It doesn't cost you a thing to be nice." Wish more churches lived like that.
     
  4. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    I don't know if this will help but here's what we do:

    1. We do a missions conference every January (3rd and 4th Sundays) where we spend a whole week across two Sundays emphasizing missions. We have a missionary or missions leader come and speak one Sunday and then do a big program the other about what we're doing as a church to be on mission.

    2. During February (following the conference) we mail everyone in our church a calendar with specific things to pray for, missionaries to pray for, on specific days. We spend the whole month praying for missions.

    3. Once a month or so we take intentional announcement time to cover an upcoming or ongoing missions activity local, nationally, or internationally.

    4. We wrap missions stories into our messages.

    5. We are always asking the question, "What are you doing to be a missionary where you live, work, and play?"

    Finally, we spend a lot of time getting our student ministry to go out on mission throughout the year. I'm pretty convinced that we aren't called to assemble and sit, but to get and go. Part of our spiritual formation process is about 1/4 book studies, 1/4 personal growth, 1/2 going and doing. Passion is caught, not taught in our culture. :)
     
  5. DiamondLady

    DiamondLady New Member

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    The PrayerLine: 1-800-395-PRAY Share
    SBC IMB

    1-800-554-7729 (press 2)
    SBC NAMB Prayer Line

    Pray for missionaries on their birthdays
    you can find them listed in Open Windows magazine (quarterly publication)
    or you can find them http://www.namb.net/prayerrequests/
     
  6. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    We do some of these things too. Every 2 years we'll have a Sunday thru Wed Missions conf.

    Over the last 2 years we have gone to Belgium, West VA and Miami on mission trips with our teens and adults.

    You're right, passion is caught!

    Thanks for the response.
     
  7. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for their numbers!
     
  8. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    Lat year I bought the book Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation by Jason Mandryk. I have found it to be quite helpful about countries.
     
  9. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    I agree. It is a terrific book. We are using it to help the people understand how to pray for the specific countries!
     
  10. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Some great ideals here. Our church has just formed a missions committee. Will be using some of these ideals.
     
  11. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    That's one of the things that has helped us because no one sees this as a pastor led movement, but coming from the people of the church. It's a pastor encouraged movement.

    Plus, people have far better ideas for involving people in missions than we ever have. Give them the resources and let them go!
     
  12. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    At every offering time, I will inform the church of a specific missionary or missionaries who are serving Christ at some place in the world. I remind our congregation that a part of our offerings every Sunday go to support this mission work. We pray by name for those missionaries.

    Further, we invite missionaries to speak when they are stateside (or if their assignment is stateside, which is ever more the case!).

    After that, the single best way to cause a local congregation to support missions is for them to embark on missions. It is far too soon in my current congregation to begin this next idea, but in time it will come about. I intend to take the ENTIRE CONGREGATION on a mission trip. We will place a sign on the door that says that WE ARE ALL GONE ON MISSION FOR THIS WEEKEND and that we will return next Sunday. Then, we will plan, travel, and serve.

    The idea is radical, but I cannot think of a better way to make a congregation mission conscious than to DO missions work in some form and it is high time that we get radical enough to take the entire congregation and work to that end as a group.
     
  13. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    That is a radical idea. I like the idea, just not sure about the logistics and finding a place that could really use a large crowd of people.
     
  14. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    Make it simple at first... Find a worthy church planter, then flood his city to help his cause. Everyone pays for their own motel and transportation costs with the church picking up those who simply cannot via gifts and fundraisers. Buses work well for close-by work. Planes for longer distance work. Book an entire hotel!

    Oh, and get the press involved. Just imagine hitting the nightly news on all the major networks as A LOCAL CHURCH FILLS 3 PLANES to fly to Guatelala for a mission trip. They've never seen that sort of thing before!
     
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