The Mission Society

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The Case for The Mission Society
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Four critical questions
The Case for The Mission Society

• Why Missions?
• Why The Mission Society?
• Why Now?
• Why Me?

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Why Missions?
Why Missions?

• God is a missionary God
• The Bible is a missionary Book
• The Church is a missionary community

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Why Missions?
Why Missions?

• God is a missionary God
• Reaching the world is at the center of Gods
  Heart
• Mission is rooted in the nature of the Father,
  the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• Mission does not originate with us

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Why Missions?
Why Missions?

• The Bible is a missionary book
• From Genesis to Revelation, it proclaims Gods
  passion that all the peoples of the earth would
  come to know Him

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Why Missions?
Why Missions?

• The Bible is a missionary book
• Old Testament
• Gods covenant with Abraham (Gen.122-3 ) -
  blessed to be a blessing to all peoples on earth
• Reference to all peoples and nations (Psalms,
  Isaiah, Jonah
• New Testament
• The Savior was for ALL the people
• The Great Commission theme throughout the NT
• Matt.2818-2 Mark 1615 Luke 2447, John 2021
• Acts 18 You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
  and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of
  the earth

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Why Missions?
Why Missions?

• The Church is a missionary community
• Sent by God into the world
• Two-fold mission
• Obey the Great Commandment Love the Lord your
  God (Matthew 2237-40)
• Obey the Great Commission Go into all the
  world and make disciples of all the nations
  (Matthew 2818-20)
• Missions is not a program of the church the
  church is an program of Gods mission
• The Body of Christ is empowered by the Holy
  Spirit to continue Jesus mission in the world

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Why The Mission Society?
Why The Mission Society?

• Our Vision
• The Cross of Christ within arms reach of
  everyone in the world
• Our Mission
• To facilitate obedience to the Great Commission
  by the Body of Christ
• Our Strategy
• To create self-reproducing, indigenous,
  discipling Christian communities by mobilizing
  cross-cultural witnesses for Christ in
  partnership with nationals

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Actualizing Christs mission
Why The Mission Society?
31 Nations
Cross-cultural Missionaries
MS Prepares Dispatches
Needs Based Ministries
World Parish
Candidates
Missionary Life Cycle
Local church catches the vision
Discipleship
Indigenous Leadership Developed
Prepare Dispatch
Missionaries
Cross-cultural
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Our Mission Strategy accomplished by
Why The Mission Society?

• Our Uniqueness
• Our Business Model
• Our Strategies

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1. What makes us unique?
Why The Mission Society?

• Independent vs. denominational model
• Holistic approach
• Evangelism Ministries of compassion
• Size Spectrum
• Entrepreneurial (needs based) vs. One size fits
  all
• Multiple nation ends of the earth focus
• vs. North American only emphasis

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a. Independent vs. denominational
Uniqueness

• Unique DNA
• Orthodox, Wesleyan, Evangelical
• Fills an evangelical gap in mission agencies
• Supported by individuals and churches
• No denominational support i.e. Independent
• Trans-denominational (constituents and
  missionaries)
• Partnering with those of like mind
• Dont care who gets the credit

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b. Holistic approach
Uniqueness
High
Mission Society
The Great Commission
Evangelism/Church Planting
Low
Ministries of Compassion
Low
High
The Great Commandment
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c. Size Spectrum
Uniqueness

• Big enough to provide world-class resources
• Small enough to provide personal approach

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d. Entrepreneurial Model
Mission Society
Cookie-cutter Approach
Entrepreneurial Approach
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e. Indigenous focus
Mission Society
Denominational/Cultural Extension
Indigenous Churches
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f. Geographical Focus
Mission Society
Single Country Focus
Global Focus
Local Focus
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2. Our Business Model
Why The Mission Society?

• Flow of income and expenses
• Where does the come from?
• Expenses relative to ECFA guidelines
• Sound business metrics
• Home Office value proposition to field
• Sustainability of the organization

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a. Flow of income and expenses
Business Model
Funding Sources
Missionaries Ministries
Restricted Gifts
21.4
Support Selection Training Benefits Strategies
Partners
12 average
78.4
Fund Raising
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b. Where does the come from?
Business Model
Foundations 0.2
Churches 21.4
Individuals provide 78.4 of revenue
No institutional support from any denomination
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c. Expenditures in line with ECFA
Business Model
Mission Society
ECFA Guidelines

• G A 11
• Donor cultivation 9
• Ministry 80

• G A 11-12
• Donor cultivation 6-7
• Ministry 75

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
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d. Sound Business Metrics
Business Model

• World class productivity (Missionary/staff ratio)
• Industry standard 5/1
• Mission Society 9/1
• Leveraged business model
• 20 Home Office personnel
• 181 Missionaries (cross-cultural workers)
• 3,200 indigenous personnel
• Creative fundraising

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e. Home Office value proposition to field
Business Model

• Informed prayer warriors
• Tax-exempt entity for donor base
• Matching and deployment services
• Training
• Language
• Cross-cultural adaptation and communication
• Partnership team development for support
• Payroll and benefits management
• Missionary care for families
• Donor database management
• Field research and development

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f. Sustainability of the organization
Business Model

• Gods vision
• Done Gods way
• Never lacks Gods provision
• J. Hudson Taylor, Founder
• China Inland Mission

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f. Sustainability of the organization
Business Model

• Gods vision
• God is sending more people than ever before
• New missionaries from outside Methodism
• Neighboring countries asking for help
• God has places us in the emerging Harvest
  Fields (Philip Jenkins)
• Done Gods way
• Business metrics are economical and efficient
• Newly appointed resident continental coordinators
• Missionaries goal to work themselves out of a
  job
• Never lacks Gods provision
• We trust that God will continue to send us
  resources to do the job He has called us to do

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3. Our Strategies Where, why and how?
Why The Mission Society?

• Locations of primary and secondary mission fields
• Strategic decision-making process
• Examples

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A needs-based strategy informs where we go
and why
Strategies
Currently 180 missionaries on five continents
Our efforts are organized by mission teams
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Where and Why Our global teams
Strategies

• Central America
• Mexico
• Costa Rica
• South America
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Africa
• Ghana
• Tanzania
• Kenya
• India

• Europe
• France
• Hungary
• Russia
• Khabarovsk
• Izhevsk
• Smolensk
• Kazakhstan
• Asia
• Philippines
• Japan
• China

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Where and Why Cooperating teams in
Strategies

• Mexico- OMS International, Children of Promise
• Honduras-World Gospel Mission
• Haiti -OMS International
• St. Croix-World Gospel Mission
• Brazil -Each one Feed One
• Indonesia-Frontiers
• Viet Nam-International Teams

• Guinea-Pioneer Bible translators
• Russia-Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries
• Ukraine- Great Commission Ministries
• Syria- Frontiers
• Morocco Arab World Ministries, Wycliffe
• New Zealand-Wycliffe
• Solomon Islands-Wycliffe

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Where and Why Our external partners
Strategies

• Global Agencies
• Frontiers
• YWAM
• Ambassadors for Christ International (AFCI)
• Young Life
• International Leadership Institute
• Seminario de Gracia
• Medical Ambassadors International
• Evangelism Explosion III International
• LEAD International
• Glory Outreach Assembly
• Wesley Foundation
• Georgia Southern
• University of Georgia
• University of Kentucky
• Valdosta State University (GA)
• Western Kentucky

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Where and Why Our in house partner World
Parish Ministries
Strategies

• World Parish Ministries starts the life cycle
  of the Mission Societys ministry by igniting the
  local churchs passion to obey the Great
  Commission according to the Great Plan (Acts 18)
  
• At home (Jerusalem)
• Across the street (Judea and Samaria)
• Around the world (to the ends of the earth)
• Inspiring an understanding of Gods Heart for
  Missions
• Empowering the local church to cast a strategic
  vision for global impact
• Coaching and mentoring churches to
• Develop strategic mission partnerships
• Mobilize lay missionaries and mission trips
• Bring the world to the local church

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Where and Why World Parish
Strategies

• Making a major impact in a short period of time
• 150 U.S. churches influenced since 2000
• Approx. 6.5 Million invested since 2000 Acts
  18 missions
• 15 new cross-cultural workers committed since
  2000 with the Mission Society scores of others
  moving to vocational Christian ministry
• Empowering the local church for global impact

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b. How Strategic decision making process
Strategies

• Discovery
• Need analysis (example - Kazakhstan)
• Macedonian call (example - Ghana)
• Providential call (example - Paraguay)
• Discernment
• Feasibility studies
• Prayer
• Viability of proposed national partner
• Gods provision (people money)
• Deployment
• Method for entry support (by invitation
• tent-making or covert approach)
• Recruitment and mobilization

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Discovery Need Analysis - Kazakhstan
Strategies

• Strategic decision to enter
• Void left by decades of Soviet atheism
• Second largest former Soviet country
• Mission Society research and on-site visits
• What were doing there
• Compassion/Bridge Ministries
• Small business training center
• Micro-economic loan program
• Community health programs
• Children-at-risk ministry
• Anti-alcoholism ministry
• Evangelism/Church planting
• Three generations of churches planted
• Training Center has become Central Asian
  Theological Seminary
• Government thanks and acknowledgement
• Vision for the future
• Further multiplication of church planting across
  Kazakhstan and Central Asia
• Challenges and Needs
• Multi-cultural issues Kazakhs and Russians

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DiscoveryMacedonian Call - Ghana
Strategies

• Strategic decision to enter
• Leaders of the Ghana Methodist Church requested
  Society personnel to train leaders after being
  denied by others
• Evolved into both Ghana strategy and West Africa
  Strategy
• What were doing there
• Compassion/Bridge ministries
• Nutrition center
• Hospital
• Literacy programs
• Community Health Evangelism
• Evangelism/Church planting
• Ghana is becoming a lighthouse to West Africa
• Exporting the leadership training to other
  countries (e.g. Togo)
• Strong church leadership being trained by World
  Parish (MS) to spread the Gospel and plant
  churches in the Northern Ghana where Islam is
  spreading rapidly
• Vision for the future
• Ministerial training center in Kumasi to serve
  both Ghana and the region
• Continued church planting, but particularly in
  the North
• Further cooperation with Wycliffe Bible
  Translators to get the Gospel to all of the 57
  people groups who live in Ghana and who each have
  a different language
• Continued lives healed and saved through current
  bridge ministries
• Challenges and Needs

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DiscoveryProvidential Call - Paraguay
Strategies

• Strategic decision to enter
• Brazilian Christians invitation to partner in
  Paraguay
• Need to establish evangelical churches
• What were doing there
• Compassion/Bridge Ministries
• Mobile medical clinic traveling to remote areas
• Well-drilling ministry to provide drinking water
• New Horizons Christian School 250 students
• Evangelism/Church planting
• Pastoral training institute
• Church planting
• Leadership development
• Vision for the future
• Further growth and development of ministerial
  training center to increase the pace of
  multiplication of churches
• Agricultural improvement initiative to increase
  standard of living
• Community Health Evangelism program
• Challenges and Needs
• Leadership development trainers to allow the new
  church to be less dependent
• Staff for bridge ministries doctors, nurses,
  TESL teachers,

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Why now? The Task is unfinished
Why Now?

• 6.3 billion people in the world
• 1.6 billion - are unreached by the Gospel
• 2.7 billion - live in non-Christian countries
  with little access to the Gospel
• 2.0 billion - call themselves Christian but only
  a small percent are mobilized to spread the Gospel

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Why Now? The World Condition
Why Now?

• Opportunities provided by global communication
• Growth of Islam and other religions
• The USA Church is ready for a missions revival
• Mission Experts agree Best opportunity since
  the 1st century
• And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached
  in the whole world as a testimony to all nations
  AND THEN the end will come. (Matthew 2414)
• As you look forward to the day of God and speed
  its coming. (2 Peter 312a)
• The fields are ripe for harvest (John 435)

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Why Me?
Why Me?

• Christ has no other hands but yours
• Our obedience can accelerate the return of the
  Messiah (Matt. 2414)
• Enjoy the benefits of investing in the work of
  His Kingdom (Matt. 6 20)
• Christ may come again during our next generation
• The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows
  (Gaither)
• Pray specifically Give strategically Go as
  often as you can

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Critical Questions Critical Answers
Summary

• Why Missions?
• Reaching the world is at the center of Gods
  heart
• Why the Mission Society?
• Its vision, mission, strategy and results are
  consistent with Gods plan for all peoples
• Why now?
• The current state of the world demands our
  immediate attention
• Why me?
• Christ has no other hands but yours

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THE MISSION SOCIETY GODS MISSION my mission!