Resources

There are many resources available to help you emphasize missions in both your church and home. Here you will find a sampling of ideas for supporting missionaries. You'll learn what resources are available for your large or small churches. Ideas for emphasizing missions with your children at home and church are also covered.

Lingala resources

To the right you will find some resources on the African language of Lingala. There is a grammar guide and five MP3 audio files that go along with it for you to download and use.

StrengthsFinder

The Gallup Organization's StrengthsFinder Profile is a helpful tool to discover your personal strengths and those of your team. Paul and Judy Snuffer are certified StrengthsFinder coaches who can help your ministry team increase in effectiveness. Click here for more information on how you and your team can benefit from this service.

Idea bag

Steve Austvold (Steve.Austvold@efca.org), a church missions consultant, has made available both Old and New Testament biblical references of missions as well as many practical ideas for promoting missions in your local church. You can download both the Old and New Testament ideas from the box at the right.

Emphasizing missions in the home:

1. Pray for missionaries and missions as a family using the weekly Pray ReachGlaobal.
2. Read and discuss missionary prayer letters.
3. Correspond by letter or email with a missionary family. Encourage younger members to correspond with a missionary child.
4. Adopt a missionary family.
5. Read missionary books and biographies as a family.
6. Entertain missionary guests in your home.
7. Show an interest in the missions program of your local church.
8. Attend missionary meetings as a family.
9. Make giving to missions a family function.

Emphasizing missions in Sunday School:

1. Pray for missions during the Sunday School class time.
2. Order Young Hearts for Missions I and II curriculum.
3. Order an information packet about the current VBS project to be used in Vacation Bible School, Awana, or Sunday School.
4. Introduce and display missionary books.
5. Utilize available videos, cassette tapes, maps, pictures and other multimedia.
6. Present a short skit or role play.
7. Arrange to have missionary speakers visit your class.
8. Assign students to report on a particular missionary, country, or problem missionaries face.
9. Adopt a missionary child or national student for prayer, correspondence and encouragement.
10. Study a country: religions, dress, language, culture, climate. Make a model home, dress in foreign costume, serve typical snack food. Assign interesting questions and projects for students to research.
11. Include missionary songs in your music program (available from from church and public libraries). Follow this link to a list of songs.
12. Play a game that children play in a different country.
13. Tell missionary stories. These are one of the most effective tools for encouraging interest in missions.

Praying for missionaries:

1. Be informed. Learn facts about your missionary, their country, ministry and family.
2. Pray regularly for your missionary using the weekly Pray ReachGlobal.
3. Pray that your missionary will be led to hearts the Holy Spirit has prepared.
4. Pray for the children of missionaries.
5. Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to raise up more missionaries.
6. Keep praying!

Corresponding with missionaries:

1. Take personal interest in the missionary. Read the prayer letters and learn what the missionary is doing. Become acquainted with family interests. Read articles and books about the missionary's country and culture.
2. Share about family and church activities, occasionally send clippings and recipes, answer personal and form letters the missionary has sent. Colorful stationery brightens the heart. Try some in your correspondance with your missionary!

Serving missionaries:

1. Provide a "linen closet" for missionaries when they first return from the field. New linens, towels, kitchen items, cleaning agents, blankets, games, books, etc. are especially appreciated.
2. Send care packages to the missionaries' college students or missionary kids.
3. Provide make-overs and hair stylists for the missionaries when they first return from the field.
4. Help the missionary find housing and transportation when they are in the U.S.
5. Arrange for your church to host ReachGlobal's Candidate School.

Promotion ideas:

1. Strategically place bulletin boards that contain catchy captions, large pictures of missionaries, mission activity, and maps to remind people of our responsibility to share Christ with people living in other parts of the world.
2. Highlight your missionaries, the countries where they serve, avenues of service, and mission projects. Enlist artistic people to help!
3. Telephone conversations can add an interesting touch to your missions emphasis. These conversations can be recorded or live, though this requires some planning.
4. Adopt a "Missionary of the Month."
5. Provide bulletin inserts about your missionary.

Books

Purchase missions-related books from NextStep Resources for your church library.

Visit the NextStep Resources site and click on Missions in the left hand column. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.

Commissioning service

You can download the Suggested Order of Service for missionaries being commissioned (top, right-hand side of this page). Variations in the order may be made to fit local needs. Because these services have a tendency to become lengthy, each participant should be as brief as possible in their part of the service. It is common to have a reception after the service.

Generic Missions Policy

You can download the Generic Missions Policy at the top of the right-hand side of this page. (NOTE: When the word "Board" is used in this document, it refers to Elder Board, Executive Board, Church Board, etc.)

This missions policy is intended as a guide. Before writing your policy, you will want to develop a strategic missions plan for your church. Your policy and budget should support your strategic plan. All three items (plan, policy and budget) are necessary to maximize your church's involvement in missions. A Church Missions Consultant (CMC) or home office representative can help you.

We suggest you also review two other policies from nearby EFCA churches. If your church has a significant short-term ministry, you may want to add additional statements about your short-term philosophy.

Downloads

Old Testament ideas

New Testament ideas

Suggested order of service

Generic Missions Policy

Lingala resources

Lingala grammar guide 12.9 MB

Lingala lesson 1 (MP3 audio) 3.6 MB

Lingala lesson 2 (MP3 audio) 2.81 MB

Lingala lesson 3 (MP3 audio) 2.38 MB

Lingala lesson 4 (MP3 audio) 2.52 MB

Lingala lesson 5 (MP3 audio) 4.08 MB