Having been missionaries before, and even now as we’re raising support, we’ve become experts at knowing how much we’ll need to survive and support our ministry but sometimes it’s easy to forget the tough questions congregations have to ask themselves if they want to support our work. Kevin DeYoung writes 4 “Questions for your missions budget” for congregations to consider when thinking about their missions support: (via between two worlds)

1. Are we supporting 1 Timothy 4:16 kind of people?

The command to keep a close watch on your life and doctrine may have been first of all for Pastor Timothy, but it is important for all of us. We are all called to be examples of godliness. We are all called to believe what accords with sound doctrine. This is true for our missionaries as well. No one gets a free pass on life and doctrine, no matter what they are doing or how difficult their surroundings. Each church will need to decide how much doctrinal uniformity is necessary, but surely every evangelical congregation will want to support missionaries that believe in the full trustworthiness of the Bible, glory in Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice, feel the weight of heaven and hell, and affirm justification by faith alone, just to name a few of the most important doctrines.

Likewise, though our missionaries don’t have to be perfect (and we shouldn’t expect them to be), they must be growing in godliness and live lives above reproach. We certainly don’t want to create an adversarial relationship with our missionaries by constantly checking their life and doctrine, but by some mechanism (e.g., through an annual report, through personal contact, through denominational oversight) we want to make sure we are sending out the sort of people we would be happy to have serving in our own churches.

I found the four questions he asked refreshing because it seems he’s after the character of the missionaries as much as the viability or successfulness of their work. As missionaries preparing for our own work our goal is not to raise the support we need but rather to be the kind of missionaries worthy of that support in the first place. There is a strong temptation to fudge through the redemptive process that God is doing in our lives and instead focus on the money needed to get to the field. It’s important for those of us preparing for the ministry field (and those on it) to remember that ultimately, God is as much interested in our faithfulness and sanctification as he is the salvation of those we’re ministering to.

Ministry is a like a furnace, exposing the impurities and refining us into a purer form; overlooking the refinement of our own hearts because we’re focused on the work will always result in brokenness and burnout. Missionaries and the churches supporting them who forego the refining process because it seems to be an obstacle in their way will suffer greatly once engaged in ministry. Ask the questions Kevin asks, they will bless your decisions and your future ministry. Trust me, I know...

Tags: Missions