Biblical Reasons for Being a Missional Church
1. The Scriptures clearly state that God fully intends to display his glory among the nations. Our desire to identify with Christ means that we also identify with his work. Therefore, we will be involved in whatever way we can in making God’s glory known among the peoples of our world.
“Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,” (Numbers 14:21).
“ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” ( Habakkuk 2:14).
“ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” ( Psalm 96:3).
“ All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” ( Psalm 86:9)
“9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” ( Revelation 7:9-10)
2. Involvement in making God’s glorious gospel known to the nations is recognition of God’s purpose to go beyond simply making his glory known. His purpose is to bless all the peoples of the earth.
“1 The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’" ( Genesis 12:1-3).
3. Recognizing that Jesus, our Savior, has given us eternal life through his death on the cross for our sins, we firmly believe he is worthy of receiving the reward for his suffering.
“11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’” (Revelation 5:11-12)
“9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
4. Our work toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission is an act of loving obedience to Christ.
“18 Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” ( Matthew 28:18-20 ).
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” (Mark 16:15).
“46He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:46-48).
“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’” (John 20:21)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
5. Involvement in missions and evangelism is a means by which we can tune our hearts to Christ’s heart for people of the world.
“36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” (Matthew 9:36-38).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ( John 3:16 ).
6. The means by which we make God’s glory known in the world is to simply give witness to what we learned and experienced since coming to faith in Christ.
“32 Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” ( Matthew 10:32-33 ).
“ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ( Acts 1:8 ).
7. Through our participation in God’s work, we can enjoy with Christ the thrill of seeing others come to faith:
“13 for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” ( Romans 10:13-15 ).
“20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21Rather, as it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’” ( Romans 15:20, 21 ).
“16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” ( Ephesians 1:16-17 ).
8. By our involvement, we demonstrate the depth of Christ’s love by ministering to the totality of human need.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,” ( Luke 4:18 ).
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” ( James 1:27 ).
GRACE HARBOR MISSIONS POLICY
Table of Contents
I. Purpose and Definition of Missions….……………………………………………1
II. Our Missions Team…………….…………………………….….…………………….1
III. General Financial Considerations…….……………………,……………………...2
IV. Selection of Missionaries for Support.…………………….………………………2
V. Short Term Projects……………………….………………………………………….3
VI. Responsibility of Grace Harbor to Our Missionaries…..………………………..3
VII. Expectations of Missionaries Supported by Grace Harbor……………………4
VIII. Congregational Training and Education...………………………………………..4
IX. Glossary of Terms …………………………………………………………………….5
GRACE HARBOR MISSIONS POLICY
I. Purpose of missions:
Grace Harbor’s stated purpose serves as a guide for all our missions activities:
The purpose of this church is to win lost people to Christ, build believers to maturity in Christ, equip believers to minister to others, and advance the kingdom of God by multiplying churches among all people groups in all nations. As the believers grow in their love for the Lord Jesus Christ and obediently serve him, the church will be able to glorify God in praise and worship.
This means:
A. We join with God in drawing people to salvation through Jesus Christ by our obedience to Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20),
B. We see ourselves becoming a missional church focused on fulfilling Christ’s commands to reach out to our lost world both here in Sitka and around the world.
C. We understand that it is God’s will that we work under his leading to establish missionally minded, indigenously led, self-sustaining, reproducing churches in targeted regions of the world.
D. We will seek to provide resources and support for growing Christians in the targeted areas in which the Lord has led us to work.
E. We become a church where we do not just support missionaries, but we see missional thinking permeating every aspect of church life, where every member sees himself or herself and the church as God’s tool for reaching our world with the gospel, and where this type of thinking becomes evident in small groups, children’s ministry, youth ministry, men’s and women’s groups, prayer groups, staff meetings, elder and deacon activities and even in the home life of our members.
F. We train and provide resources for our members by working through strategic partnerships with other churches, mission agencies, and individuals as much as possible, so that the gospel may be proclaimed throughout the whole world (Matthew 24:14).
II. Our Missions Team:
A. Size and Selection: The Missions Team shall be comprised of at least three and no more than ten lay individuals from the congregation. Names of potential members shall be approved by the board of elders prior to their being asked to serve.
B. Term of Office: Each member is to serve for a two year term. Ideally the person will serve for many years.
C. Chairperson: The board of elders will select a chairperson each year from within the team. This individual is responsible for the proper functioning of the missions team.
D. Expectations of members:
1. Attend meetings
2. Serve on task forces as assigned
3. Take an active role in the decision-making process
4. Take the Perspectives course and continue to learn about world evangelism
5. Devote much energy to furthering the missions program at our church.
E. Responsibilities of Team Members
1. Pray – Personally encourage intercession from the congregation for world evangelism and for our missionaries.
2. Educate – Assist in providing a comprehensive missions education program for our entire congregation. This will include information about the world, our missionaries and global missions organizations.
3. Recruit/Train –Select and assist in the equipping of members of our constituency to become missionaries.
4. Send – Encourage support for missionaries spiritually, financially, and emotionally during their term of service.
5. Care – Organize for the provision of practical assistance to missionaries while they are on their field and home assignments.
6. Support – Prepare a missions budget and oversee the allocation of the funds throughout the year.
7. Represent – Serve as a liaison between the church, its missionaries and mission agencies.
8. Evaluate – Review the missions program of the church and make changes as necessary. This includes evaluating the missions policy statement, as well as the continuation of support for a missionary.
III. General Financial Considerations:
A. A target of at least 10% of Grace Harbor’s budget will be set aside for Missions/Evangelism ministries.
B. The Missions Team will recommend a percentage of the missions budget that will target local evangelism and care ministries and what percentage will target church planting among other people groups with an emphasis on unreached people groups
IV. Missionary classifications:
A. Mission Associates are those missionaries to which we give a small amount of monthly support, yet have little involvement by members of our congregation in their work or with the people with whom they work. Still, we endorse their ministry and believe their work is in line with Grace Harbor’s world wide mission.
B. Mission Partners are those missionaries with whom we have an active participation with their work. Whether we have adopted their people group for our prayer focus, have sent teams to work alongside them, or have continually funded projects related to their ministry, our contact with these is regularly brought before the congregation. A significant amount of monthly support is invested in these individuals and significant time is expected with the church during home assignment.
C. Short Term Associates are those from our congregation, our community, or from like-minded congregations who become part of organized teams sent to minister among various people groups at home and abroad for no more than a two year term.
V. Criteria Considered in Choosing Missionaries for Congregational Support: (The more items below that fit the missionary, the greater the probability of consideration.)
A. There is a strong mutual relationship between the missionary and Grace Harbor where this is considered their home church and this will be where they spend much of their time when on home assignment.
B. They have a significant connection with family or another SE Alaska church that would increase the possibility of regular reports while on home assignments.
C. Their focus is on an unreached people group or a particularly needy people group where there are no or few Christians, little gospel penetration, and few missionaries.
D. They have an ability to show a direct, effective gospel ministry plan for the people group to be reached.
E. They demonstrate good and effective financial stewardship.
F. They have a strong commitment to Grace Harbor’s statement of faith and values.
G. They are affiliated with a priority organization associated with our sister churches, namely WorldVenture, Mission Door, CBGlobal, CBNW, and CBA of A.
H. Each missionary supported shall exhibit a growing and solid personal relationship with Jesus Christ and be able to articulate clearly the basic elements of the gospel.
I. They have a demonstrated desire to involve people of Grace Harbor in their ministry.
VI. Short Term Projects
A. The Missions Team will seek to locate opportunities for Grace Harbor members to be involved annually in missions around the world. These may vary in length of from one week to several months. They may be one time projects or recurring, depending on the need.
B. The Missions Team shall be responsible for seeking opportunities for involvement, determining the team training need, providing for training, calendaring of events, providing resources and personnel and providing a budget request for inclusion in the church’s missions budget. They will make arrangements with the board for raising funds outside the budget.
C. Special attention should be given to meeting a strategic field need in partnership with one of our missionaries or agencies and should be appropriate for the skills of the team.
VII. Responsibility of Grace Harbor to Our Missionaries will include:
A. Prayer for their work.
B. Communication with them on a regular basis.
C. Promotion of their work among members of the church.
D. Finding ways to encourage the missionaries and their families.
E. Sending financial support in an orderly fashion.
F. Assistance with housing needs when on home assignment.
G. Working toward partnership with missionary and/or agency.
VII. Expectations of Missionaries Supported by Grace Harbor will include:
A. Communication concerning their work on a regular basis.
B. Providing advance notice of possible changes in ministry assignment or affiliation with agencies.
C. Spending time with church on home assignment.
D. Not solicitating additional funds from individuals in the church family without the Mission Team’s endorsement.
E. Providing yearly goals and measurement of past year’s achievements.
F. Sending updated support figures annually.
G. Supporting development of a team relationship with Grace Harbor.
VIII. Congregational Training and Education:
A. At least annually, opportunities to learn about sharing the gospel with others through such programs as “Share Jesus Without Fear” will be offered to the congregation. The entire membership will be encouraged to make participation in evangelistic efforts at home or abroad a way of life.
B. In cooperation with staff, officers, teachers and leaders, the Missions Committee will provide and encourage a variety of opportunities for developing and maintaining the church’s missional focus among all age groups.
C. Preferably annually, we will offer the Worldwide Perspectives course to our members and the community with the goal of having all pastors, elders, and Missions Committee members completing the course.
D. Visiting missionaries who hold to our doctrinal perspectives will be encouraged to acquaint the congregation (or particular groups within the congregation) of the nature and purpose of their work. They will also be encouraged to explain how our people might become involved in similar efforts.
E. Prayer updates from our missionaries will be made available to the congregation as soon as they are received.
F. Strategically focused short term mission trips will allow members to observe our missionaries and/or experience firsthand involvement in spreading the gospel to our world.
G. Training for short-term teams provided by the committee may include outside trainers or training programs.
H. Bible studies and leadership training classes will include as part of their practical applications, the possible use of the principles in missions work.
I. Members of the congregation including youth will also be encouraged to consider missions as a first or second career.
J. Sunday School teachers of children and youth will include teachings about the Scriptural mandates for missions and historical and current developments in missions
K. Introduction of organizations and tools which assist in understanding missions such as the U.S. Center for World Missions, ACMC, Caleb Project, and Operation World along with websites will be provided.
Glossary of Terms:
Missional – A term to describe a church or an organization that is committed to living and working in such a way as to obey the Great Commandment (Luke 10:27) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
“He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27).
“19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Targeted – A targeted region or people group is one for which the congregation has a special focus. The church would normally have one targeted to three targeted groups. Much of the time and energy of the mission ministry will be focused on the targeted area or people group.
