December 2003
Churches "Spiritually Own" Mission Fields to Make Investments with Great Returns

Evangelical Friends Mission now provides a variety of ways to invest in missions. Executive Director Chuck Mylander writes about churches becoming instruments of God who gain spiritual power by investing in missions.The brochure (at right) illustrates how families and individuals may invest in missions with fun ideas for Christmas giving. Contact EFM for more information at 303-421-3100.

Many churches give some money to support missions or missionaries. Some churches send people on short-term teams to other countries. A few churches send career missionaries from their own congregations to foreign fields.

The most powerful churches go a step further, with incredible eternal rewards. These elite warriors in the Lamb's War "spiritually own" a mission field.

What it means to "spiritually own" a mission field
While every church is unique, here are a few common marks of spiritual ownership.

A church that spiritually owns a mission field connects with it emotionally. They believe that what happens on this mission field happens to them. It's such a vital part of their ministry that it's just as if something good or bad happened to family members in their own household. This mission field and its missionaries and national leaders become sons or daughters or brothers or sisters to the local church. They spiritually "own" them in their emotional make-up—they love them, cheer them on, stand by them.

A church that spiritually owns a mission field will help win its spiritual battles. Every missionary is on the battlefield against Satan's forces of evil. Every national leader is the target of attack by the evil one. Every mission field needs intercessors who will fulfill Ephesians 6:10-12 and win the struggle against the evil powers.

A church with spiritual ownership will pray intensely and intercede regularly. The faithful intercessors in that church will render powerless the forces of evil in the spiritual realms that oppose mission fields and missionaries. They will keep at it, day in and day out.

A church that spiritually owns a mission field will understand that this is God's assignment, and is not from any human agency alone. The church body as a whole will know that its connection to the field is from the Holy Spirit, part of his revealed will to share the eternal gospel with every tribe, language, people, and nation. They will discern the spiritual connection between themselves and a particular country, city, language, or people group.

The assignment from God goes beyond a particular missionary or project to the very people that missionaries serve.

A church that spiritually owns a mission field will engage in ministry on-site in a hands-on way. Frequent trips, even at great personal cost, will take place. People will look for ways to match their church's strengths with the mission field's needs. Every church holds a few God-given strengths and a few unusually gifted people. The gifted few will be recruited and sent with the blessing and prayers of the whole congregation. They can target the needs of the community, city, or nation (as well as the church) with specialists from the church. Their motivation is to bless them with the very skills for which they are crying.

A church that spiritually owns a mission field will beware of two grave dangers: money and culture. The history of missions is full of blunders in these two areas. The wise church will receive training (video courses are available) to make sure that American money does not turn the hearts of the people from Jehovah Jirah (the Lord will provide) into "America Jirah" (our church or mission will provide). The rule of thumb regarding giving is that one-time projects help but any ongoing support hinders.

When it comes to culture, the rule of thumb is that Americans point to the Word of God, but do not make decisions. National spiritual leaders must learn to look to the Lord to discern his will in applying the Word to their culture—not Western culture. Americans must not connect money to ministry suggestions or it will blind the eyes of national leaders to the discernment of God's best and application of God's Word to their culture.

Each culture, like an individual personality, is a unique gift from God to be appreciated and honored. The sins of every culture, including those of the US, must be addressed and spoken to from the written Word of God. Then the applications in daily life must be worked out as the living Word applies grace and truth to the culture where the local people live.

The Holy Spirit will lead the local people in holiness of life, patterns of conduct, ways of organizing the church, styles of handling conflict, habits of making decisions, and selection of their own leaders.

A few things spiritually owning a mission field is not

It is not possessive. More than one church can spiritually own the same people group, city, or particular mission field.

It is not supervision. The mission agency that supervises that field still applies its time-tested policies and procedures. However, local churches and mission leaders can consult together. In a brand new ministry, a local church will be wise to search for a mission agency as a valued partner.

It is not exclusive. Spiritually owning a certain mission field does not mean that churches will fail to support other missionaries and other fields. They may support one or two in a major way, and others in minor ways.

It does not last forever. The goal is to get the job completed, fulfill roles, and move on to the Lord's next assignment. This may be two or three years for a refugee camp or an orphanage, or twenty or thirty years for a church multiplication movement.

It is not free. It will cost time, talent, and treasure. It will cost sons and daughters, leaders and elders, the most gifted lay people, and the best resources. It means the church must move out in faith and sacrifice.

Following the Lamb wherever he goes always includes a cross, and the suffering is worth it. Rewards will include new brothers and sisters in Christ who live in other lands, but with whom we will forever share in the Kingdom.

Steps churches may take to spiritually own a mission field

Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead your church and its leaders.

Investigate the possibilities. Communicate with your Yearly Meeting's mission leaders, with Evangelical Friends Mission, and, if the Lord so leads, interdenominational mission agencies. Evangelical Friends Mission is willing to help any church discern God's will.

Communicate your intent in writing to your Yearly Meeting Mission Board, Evangelical Friends Mission, or the supervising mission agency. Even if it is a totally new mission field, contact is still necessary.

Take the first steps. Send your pastor, mission leaders, or prayer team to offer support and to investigate possibilities for involvement. Talk to missionaries, interview national leaders, and seek ministries that best fit your church—asking God to direct and bless!

My former pastor and great friend, C.W. Perry, always said, "The church God blesses gets outside of itself." This is an encouragement I have taken to heart and hope to pass on to our constituents. Consider getting outside yourself in greater missions involvement as part of the powerful movement of God around the world.

-by Chuck Mylander, Executive Director, Evangelical Friends Mission. Contact Chuck Mylander by emailing him directly at cmylander@yahoo.com or by calling (714) 225-5414.