How to connect with a missionary
Fresh Ideas
I Know a Missionary
by Diana Davis
[Note: This article is written to encourage Southern Baptist churchesto make personal connections with missionaries; other churches will find usable suggestions, too.]
You are part of the world’s largest missions-sending agency. Your Southern Baptist Church voluntarily contributes through the Cooperative Program and special mission offerings (Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon) to support your Southern Baptist missionaries—5,629 international (IMB) missionaries and over 5,500 North American (NAMB) missionaries. What a privilege!
But…do you know some Southern Baptist missionaries? Oh, you can’t know all eleven thousand, (and many serve in areas where security is an issue) but your church can personally encourage a few. Need ideas to make personal connections with missionaries?
- Establish a connection with a missionary who came from your church or your state. Contact the missions department of your State Convention office for names of missionaries from your state. For North American Missionary, apply online or call 800-634-2462. For international missionaries call 800-999-3113 ext 7826.
- Connect with an IMB missionary in a country where members of your church travel for business or pleasure. Call 800-866-7826 or www.imb.org. One of the best ways to connect with an IMB missionary is to attend a Summit.
- Connect with a NAMB missionary near your church, such as a church planter, collegiate minister, denominational leader, chaplain, etc. To make a connection, contact your state convention office or apply online or email missionaryencourager@namb.net or call 800-634-2462.
- Consider buying and furnishing a house for furloughing IMB missionaries. Our church’s mission house was booked years ahead and each occupant became a “face of missions” for our church. Register your church’s mission house with WMU and minister to a missionary.
- Plan short-term mission trips to assist an IMB or NAMB missionary.
- For international trips, contact your regional missional church strategist or 800-999-3113 ext 7826.
- For mission trips in North America, see NAMB missions opportunities site or call your state convention office. Check out Family Mission Trips, Baptist Builders projects, Campers on Mission, Disaster Relief, New Orleans Operation Noah Rebuild, Appalachian or Mississippi River Ministries, or browse The Bridge for hundreds of mission trip opportunities across America.
- Your state convention or association may also plan mission trips, both national and international.
- Help students or adults in your church go as a short-term, summer or career missionary. What greater connection could your church have?!
- For info: North American Missions, click on Sojourners, summer missionary, semester missionary, innovator missionary, US/C2 missionary, Mission on Short Term missionary, Missions Service Corps missionary, apprentice, associate or a career NAMB missionary.
- For international missions opportunities— for 2-3 year missions such as ISC, Journeyman (young singles), or Masters (age 50+), many different missions projects and plans for youth, college and seminary students , volunteer missions assignments, or career missionary. Email your IMB mobilization specialist or call 800) 999-3113 ext. 7826.
- If your church adopts an unreached people group, a regional missionary will assist you. Encourage that missionary. This is an amazing opportunity for any size church!! Please contact your IMB regional missional church strategist for info, and order the free DVD titled “Touch YourWorld, Reach the Nations” at 800-999-3113 extension 7819 or email imb@imb.org .
- Invite furloughing missionaries to speak at your church and get to know them.
- Contact your regional mobilization church strategist for IMB missionaries or call 800- 999-3113 X7826.
- For NAMB missionaries, call (770) 410-6000 or make an online request.
- Study SBC websites for great connection resources. www.sbc.net, www.imb.org, www.namb.net, www.wmu.com.
- Order free monthly missions fliers for church bulletins.
- Display SBC missions magazines – examples:
- Use missions videos and video clips often. You’ll be in awe of the quality video resources available to you:
- SBC’s free downloadable videos
- NAMB’s missions videos and video clips and podcasts (all downloadable free)
- IMB videos and videoclips (inexpensive; many free)
- Plan a Missions FilmFest and invite viewers to write a featured missionary
- There are dozens of other free or inexpensive booklets , posters, maps , prayer calendars, missionary spotlights and more.
- Show church members how to subscribe to free e-newsletters about our missionaries:
- IMB has over a dozen excellent topical e-newsletters and many of our missionaries have websites or regular email newsletters for updates.
- NAMB’s OnMission e-magazine is informative and inspirational and there are a dozen topical e-newsletters, too.
- Study the websites for lots more ways to connect with our missionaries.
- There’s a Last Frontier Clock, email subscriptions, and lots more. You can receive a daily list by email of all those IMB or NAMB missionaries with a birthday that day, and pray for them by name. Education and personal participation in SBC’s missions will excite and enliven your local church!
As your church connects with missionaries, spotlight them. Pray faithfully for them. Stay in contact. If appropriate where they serve, send personalized care packages and birthday cards. Read their e-updates and respond with a note. Do a Skype video-interview. Email an occasional Scripture, encouraging word or prayer. Discover specific tangible ways you can help. Display their photo and a small flag with a plaque stating “These are some of the 11,126 missionaries supported by our church.”
Your tithes and offerings already support them monetarily. Will you “put a face on missions” and personally encourage an SBC missionary?
Bonus: SET A RECORD GOAL FOR YOUR CHURCH’S LOTTIE MOON OFFERING this year. A few ideas:
- Relate your goal number to the number of IMB missionaries – 5,239. For example, challenge the church to give a total of $1 for each missionary – goal of $5,239; or $10 per missionary—goal of $52,390.
- See more ideas for setting goals here.
©Diana Davis is Indiana Baptist executive director’s wife and author of several books. www.keeponshining.com