 Image by National Galleries of Scotland Commons via Flickr |
| Missionary David Livingstone |
You would be surprised how poorly God’s men work together sometimes. For the most part, I think it is lack of understanding. If a pastor has never experienced the ministry of deputation, then he is oblivious to what it is like. Likewise, if a missionary has never been the pastor of a congregation, then he is severely limited as to how most men would operate in that capacity. Regardless of circumstance, pastors and missionaries have to work together. This post will address how a pastor can better help a missionary as they seek to work together.
5 Ways Pastors Can Help Missionaries
#1 – Pray Specifically For The Missionary’s Needs
The missionary’s needs can be surmised by the prayer letter that is usually sent out, at least, once in a quarter. Missionaries can spend hours prayerfully compacting information to send back to their supporters. Often, this precious document is just posted on a bulletin board and never really digested! This should never be the case for a pastor. He should thoroughly be abreast of each of his missionaries’ situations just as if it were a ministry locally.
#2 – Communicate With The Missionary
If it is possible, a pastor should try and phone his missionaries from time to time. Just hearing the voice on the other end can mean everything that day. Emails are a great way to communicate, but make them meaningful for they sometimes have to pay a little for each email. Sending a package can be very helpful too. One word of caution though… be sure that what you send is worth something. Due to duties, and various tariffs, missionaries can spend quite a bit of money just to get $5.00 worth of stuff. Search out ahead of time.
#3 – Pastors Can Send A Prayer Letter To The Missionary
Every supporting church requires the missionary to send a letter to report back what is taking place on the field. This is done for many reasons. One of which is for accountability purposes. How about the pastor reporting to the missionary about what is going on in the supporting church? It helps to solidify the pastor/missionary relationship. After all, they are co-laboring in God’s harvest field!
#4 – Pastors Should Let Missionaries Preach!
Some pastors think missionaries cannot preach. I have heard this more times than I care to remember. What they are really saying is that they do not have the same style. Ascertaining whether or not someone can preach has nothing to do with style. In fact, pastors would be surprised how God uses missionaries “who cannot preach” on their respective fields of labor. Pastors can really help the missionary by letting him preach!
#5 – Pastors Can Be Pro-Active And Seek Out Missionaries!
Missionaries labor trying to book meetings in search of support. Every now and then a pastor will call a missionary wanting them to present their work! This is like giving someone a Christmas gift. It sure encourages the missionary when this takes place. It shows the pastor truly cares!
Bottom Line…
There are many ways pastors can help missionaries. These are just five. Maybe you can suggest more in the comment section below. You never know how your thought expressed here could help someone whom you will never see here on earth!
