Something must change with how we do Independent Baptist Missions. The current process is a colossal failure. This has not always been the case, but as the church climate has changed, the process of getting missionaries to the field has not adapted. Currently, the average missionary makes about 150 phone calls to schedule one meeting at a church. They have to schedule about 4 meetings in order to gain one supporting church. The average monthly support by a church is only $50 per month. Let’s say that the average support a missionary family needs is $5,000 per month. If these numbers represent the average, here is what they mean:
- Each missionary family needs 100 supporting churches.
- They have to visit several hundred churches to get the needed support.
- They end up making thousands and thousands of phone calls to get enough meetings to result in enough support.
There are some other concerning points.
- It takes a missionary family close to three years to get to the foreign field.
- The process of deputation can cost over $100,000 (some estimate the cost to be $250,000).
- The number of Independent Baptist Churches is declining. Our movement is decaying away to nothing (‘why’ is a topic for another day).
- Many of the Independent Baptist Churches that are left are stagnant and instead of the missions program growing, it is declining.
- If this trend continues (and, at this point, there is no reason to think it will not) the pool of Independent Baptist churches will be even smaller and the process will take even longer.
- It would not surprise me if in 10 years the average length of deputation is over 5 years and if the average cost is $250,000 – $500,000.
This is all in an effort to get the missionary family to the place to begin their missions ministry on the field. If we are called to be good stewards of the time and resources that God has given us, and we are,we must be good stewards in the area of missions. Currently, we are not.
The process of deputation is simply too long and too costly. I have heard some say that deputation doesn’t need to be changed because it was the time when God taught them so much and grew their faith. I don’t doubt that at all. But let’s not put God in a box and say that He can’t teach people and grow their faith in a more effective and beneficial deputation process. It’s like a member in a church standing up and giving a testimony as to how God has taught them about finances and grown their faith through their bankruptcy, and then the church designing a program to usher people through bankruptcy. After all, God uses that to strengthen people’s faith and teach them about finances. Just because God uses something that does not mean that it is the most beneficial, logical, and prudent process to reach the goal.
We cannot wait for the problem to get worse; change needs to be made now. So what needs to change? Honestly, I don’t have all the answers, but it is something to which I am giving a lot of thought. Here are a few things that would help immediately.
(1) Pastors, only bring missionaries to your church if you have the ability and intent to take them on for monthly support. It is foolish to ask missionaries to drive all over the country to attend the beauty contest that we call a mission conference. Do your research up front. Meet with the missionary family up front. Determine up front if you can and want to support this family. If you can only support two families, then only bring two families to your conference. You don’t have to have a big missions conference (many missionary families) to have an effective missions conference.
(2) Pastors, focus on quality, not on quantity. If you could either support 100 missionaries at $25 per month or 25 missionaries at $100 per month, you should pick the fewer missionaries at the higher amount every time. Too many pastors are more concerned with being able to brag about how many missionaries they support rather than doing what is best for the missionary and the church. Supporting a lot of missionaries at a small amount benefits no one.
(3) Pastors, sometimes you can be too independent for your own good. Let’s be willing to work together to get missionaries to the field. Every pastor has friends who are pastors. If you have a missionary family that you would like to see get to the field, call your pastor friends. Help the missionaries schedule some meetings. Independent does not mean isolated. Our over-emphasis of being independent is truly detrimental to the work of Christ in many areas, that includes missions.
There are some other more drastic changes that may need to be considered, but let’s start with these simple adjustments. If we were willing to make these simple changes we could cut the cost of and time of deputation in half, missionaries could get to the field sooner, and ultimately there would be more souls saved. Isn’t that the goal?
January 18, 2012 at 8:01 am
I appreciate what Pastor Wallace is identifying as a problem in IBM today. As a veteran missionary working in Europe, I can remember the many miles we drove to raise support. I also remember many spiritual challenges my wife and I faced during this period of time. I remember during this time I wanted to quit because of these challenges. Deputation is expensive but it is a purifying process eliminating those who ultimately quit on the mission field. If a missionary makes it through the deputation process and goes to the field and quits, it ultimately cost more money for our Independent Baptist Churches. Even with the difficult deputation process we still have a 25% drop out ratio with those who ultimately go to the field. I believe this percentage would be much higher if we streamlined the process and it would ultimately be more expensive for all involved in IBM.
I do applaud Pastor Wallace’s three points that would help immediately. The first point “Pastors, only bring missionaries to your church if you have the ability and intent to take them on for monthly support.” This is one of my biggest complaints with a few pastors. In 2008, I took a short three month trip back to the States to raise additional support. I called several churches in one particular area the country to present my ministry and raise some additional support. During my first contact with pastors I explained that the American dollar had dropped dramatically in value and I needed to raise some additional support to offset the loss in value (the dollar had dropped 40% in value during this time). I was a little surprised by the aloof attitude by many pastors during these phone calls. I know many missionaries are calling them and it is time consuming, but the business of the church is evangelistic outreach. After arranging approximately 20 meetings in three months I was very disappointed that several of these meetings were pulpit supply. The pastor was going on vacation and I was the guest speaker. Churches seldom support missionaries without the pastor’s recommendation. The pastors don’t recommend missionaries unless they have met them and hear their presentation. My wife and I felt used many times during these three months. I even had one large church take an offering at the beginning of the service, send me to a particular hotel and restaurant with the premise I pay up front and my love offering and reimbursement would be sent. I made two follow up calls to the church asking about the check and was informed it would go in the mail. I am still waiting for the check. Please understand the majority of pastors are kind and generous toward us missionary. I can understand the frustration of those missionaries who are on deputation today, but deputation is a purifying process that weeds out those who will probably not make it on the mission field.
The second point, “Pastors, focus on quality, not on quantity. If you could either support 100 missionaries at $25 per month or 25 missionaries at $100 per month…” I appreciate the concept that if one church has to drop support of a missionary for $50 he will not come home to raise more support. I believe this is a good concept that works. The problem is $50 support has been a standard since the 1970s. The typical missionary needed 30 to 40 churches supporting them at that time. Based upon inflation this number should be $150 to $200 a month. This would put the missionary support base around 30 to 40 churches again. I would also like to point out the missionary can spend time with 30 supporting churches on his year furlough. A church that supports many missionaries at $50 will never become familiar with individual missionaries, this is sad. I would also like to point out my VW Passat (economy car) costs $110.00 to fill the tank. I think most churches are worthy of supporting for more than a half a tank of fuel a month.
The third point, “Pastors, sometimes you can be too independent for your own good. Let’s be willing to work together to get missionaries to the field.” This is one of the difficult realities in the Independent Baptist movement. Many pastors have certain issues or loyalties which are their driving force in determining what missionaries they may support. I have found in my home state at least four distinct Independent Baptist movements that have a tendency to support those within their movement. Pastors within those movements may or may not have a missionary come if they are KJV or non-KJV, Calvinist or non-Calvinist. This is one of the major problems missionaries face on deputation and the reason it takes so long to get to the field.
I appreciate Pastor Wallace’s concern for missions and suggestions. I may not agree with all of his recommendations, but I applaud him because he wants to change the status quo. I believe two things need to happen in the Independent Baptist movement. First, we need a better screening process to reduce the drop out ratio of missionaries starting on deputation. Second, pastors need a better understand of the difficulties and problems missionaries face. A primary attribute of the church is evangelism. I do believe when the church’s mission program is an inconvenience the cause of Christ is hurt.
In closing, I have many wonderful supporting pastors that I am grateful for with their sacrificial prayers and giving. I also want to say a $50 love offering is sacrificial coming from a church that is struggling. I appreciate many small churches who have consistently given when they are facing financial challenges but never forgot their commitment to their missionaries.