Great Commission stewardship goes beyond money
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
What does stewardship in local churches look like regarding global missions? Is it just a matter of finances—bang-for-the-buck kind of thing—or could we include the time given by individuals and congregations to study missions, to hear reports from mission workers, and intentional time in prayer for mission efforts?
While I want to be careful not to dismiss the need for the EMC Board of Missions to be wise and discerning in terms of how much of our budget goes toward supporting workers and the fruit they generate, what role does the sending church have in producing that same fruit?
Back in September, I, along with several others, travelled to Spain, Morocco and Europe to connect with workers serving in what could be described as hard soil. Among the goals and objectives I prepared for this trip, I wanted to evaluate the “successfulness” of the work being done: thinking in terms of contacts being made, thoughtful strategies, use of spiritual gifts, growth rate of new believers, number of baptisms, and so on.
I told someone upon my return that, as a Conference, we need to recognize the amazing workers we have serving the global community. There is no lack of hard work and diligence in their efforts. Our workers recognize and appreciate that they are serving on behalf of the sixty EMC churches in Canada. So, one may ask, why does the harvest seem limited in certain areas when Jesus himself said “the fields are white unto harvest?”
Even though overseas workers seek to use their gifts faithfully, they also depend on the sending base to intercede on their behalf. The reality is that the sending base is just as accountable for the harvest as are the workers.
It is because, when sending churches play a greater role in the harvest, they produce fruit. Even though overseas workers seek to use their gifts faithfully, they also depend on the sending base to intercede on their behalf. The reality is that the sending base is just as accountable for the harvest as are the workers. We all long to see a greater harvest, and so collectively we come to our Saviour, led by the Holy Spirit, to pray for breakthroughs, for people of favour, for dreams and visions, for open doors, for serendipitous moments, for empty hearts to be filled with the love, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus.
Doing “our part” as the local church does not end with sending and supporting workers. Thankfully, many of our churches highlight missionaries each week or month in their bulletins. Well over one hundred people from our Conference have gone out on prayer teams in the past ten years, hundreds have served on work teams, pastors and church leaders are encouraged to visit mission fields by receiving a five-hundred-dollar subsidy from the Board of Missions, and our prayer calendar goes out to hundreds of homes each year.
All of these components combine to help answer our prayers for a bountiful harvest around the world. Thank you for your stewardship to help us bear this fruit together!
