6 Ways to Grow a Strong Relationship With Your Sending Church
Mission work often attracts mavericks. The challenge, the adventure of going to a far off and difficult place, it inspires pioneer types. Not every missionary has a maverick personality, but many do. These character qualities are a great help in the boldness and tenacity needed for missionary life. They also have a negative side.
It is important to live in submission to authority. We can not afford to operate without spiritual covering, even if we have an entrepreneurial personality.
One place to find that covering is through your missions agency. Another is through a home church. There is great value in establishing a strong, healthy relationship with a sending church. It will help you thrive and be sustained for the long-term.
Prayers and Love from Home
I was deathly sick. I’d been evacuated from Nepal to a hospital in Bangkok. Thank God for insurance that paid for my flights. A complicated relapse of hepatitis had made my fingernails and the whites of my eyes as yellow as a ripe banana. My skin was horribly itchy as the bile built up in my body.
My liver wasn’t functioning well. Doctors came and went from my room, fascinated with my medical condition, but with no clear diagnosis or treatment plan. Calls were made to infectious disease centers in the USA and Australia as they sought solutions.
After being flown to Thailand, accompanied by a British nurse from the clinic in Kathmandu, she left. I was alone. So very sick and discouraged, I stared at the pictures of my little girls I’d left back in Nepal. I missed them and my husband terribly. I had no idea how long I would have to be in the hospital, or away from them. My husband was coming but had not yet arrived. It would take days for him to make arrangements for our kids and the work he’d have to leave behind.
One lonely and difficult day, my home church surprised me with kindness. They walked into my hospital room…a short-term team on their way to another country with a layover in Bangkok. Hearing how sick I was, they came to see me.
In they walked, carrying a video camera! They prayed for me, worshipped with me, then left a CD player and music to listen to. Their stay was only 15 minutes long, but it brought deep encouragement.
When the team returned home, a video of me in the hospital was played in our church. Thousands prayed for my healing and God answered.
I am so very grateful for the many, many, times our home church, Cedar Valley, has stood in the gap on our behalf. Their love, concern, support, and encouragement has made a huge difference in our success in the mission field!
Staying Connected
It has not always been easy to stay connected. Since going to the field, our church has gone through two major pastoral changes. Each time, we have had to work hard to get to know the new pastor, build a relationship, and establish trust. We’ve had new missions committee members, and many changes in church staff.
When we come home, it can feel a bit like we are “out of the loop.” We are no longer known to the new leaders. We don’t have much relationship anymore. At times we wonder, is it worth all this hard work to have a strong relationship with our “sending” body?
It absolutely is!
Paul & Barnabas Were Sent
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”
Acts 13:2-3 ESV
Paul and Barnabas had a sending church. It was the church in Antioch. During a time of fasting and prayer, the church leaders felt God speak to them about sending these two out. They owned that decision and were a part of it. Later we find the team reporting back to the Antioch church about their missions activity.
It is easy to think we can go on our own. Gather friends and supporters and don’t worry about the hassle of getting your church’s backing. Pastors today, especially in large churches, can feel quite unapproachable if you are not well-known in the church or are young. Sometimes, they want you to contribute to the church’s local needs rather than step out in missions. That can be discouraging.
In spite of these barriers, it is still crucially important to pursue a positive relationship with your home body.
6 Ways to Grow a Strong Relationship with a Sending Church
1. Invest by serving
Before going to the field, be willing to serve. If you are not a faithful and active member, they are unlikely to “send” you. Get involved. Serve in the kids’ programs, ushering, cleaning, or in whatever needs to be done. Don’t think a church will support and send you if you have not prioritized contributing to the church’s vision.
When you return home, though time is short and it may be difficult, do your best to make a contribution. This will help renew relationships.
2. Share transparently about God’s call in your life, and the vision/dream on your heart.
Don’t wait for them to ask you to share. Find opportunities to talk about the need that has gripped your heart. One time when home, we made it a goal to request time to share in every Sunday school class and small group.
3. Invite them to give input, advice and to pray with you on major decisions
Honor your pastor, elders and other leaders by showing you value what they think. Don’t be afraid of their input. Listen and take it to heart.
4. Communicate often and well with church leaders
Don’t neglect communication when on the field. Make phone calls, send emails, or video messages. It shows you care. Fill out whatever forms they ask of you on time.
5. Go the extra mile to build a genuine relationship and to renew it
When on furlough, make an appointment with your pastor. Take him/her out for lunch or coffee and pay the bill. Ask questions about their vision for the church. Show genuine interest. Contribute where you can. If there are changes in leadership, you may need to work hard to get to know them. The relational investment will pay off.
6. Don’t make it about the money
Having a sending church that understands your vision and work is a great support. If they are able to support you financially, that is great. Don’t make the relationship about the money. Their prayers and sending of you are what is most important. Finances often follow, but should not be the main reason you connect with your home church.
Perseverance in Finding a Sending Base
My husband and I haven’t done this perfectly. Sometimes we’ve not put in the effort or have been too drained when we came home to do all that’s mentioned above. We keep pressing on.
Sometimes missionaries are sent, but later they lose their home base. Churches split, or a pastor has a moral failure and the church dissolves. What do you do then? You must find another church to send you. It’s worth the investment and effort. We need to think long-term.
What difficulties have you faced in developing a relationship with a sending church? I’d love to hear those in the comments below or in the Missionary Life Facebook group.