Biblical Responsibilities

• Prayer Support – in obedience to Scripture and in love for one another we will seek to implement regular prayer into the corporate and private life of the congregation.
• Pastoral Support – for accountability, counsel, academic and theological discussion and mutual encouragement, we will commit our staff and leadership to the missionary’s needs.
• Financial Support – we will fulfill our financial commitments as detailed under Finances and Evaluation.
• Fellowship Support – we will seek to demonstrate sacrificial love and genuine friendship in our partnership with the missionary family.

Academic Responsibilities

• We endeavor to learn of missionary history and godly missionaries to motivate and instruct our church regarding the heritage of spreading the gospel.
• We endeavor to learn of the culture where our missionaries serve to better understand the challenges of cross-cultural living.

Practical Suggestions: Before They Leave

• Ask them what their needs are (materially and spiritually), and pray earnestly for them.
• Be mindful of the emotional hardship of leaving family, friends, church and “what they’ve always known.”
• Help them find information on needed equipment.
• Promote faith by asking them how God has taught them or provided for them on the path of deputation.
• Help them to get all the supplies that they need to take with them overseas. You can help them by running errands, or offering to take care of their children so that they can more easily run errands.
• Provide meals and housing in those last days before they leave since most of their stuff is packed or gone.
• Help them pack the items they'll store here in the U.S. as well as the items they'll take with them or ship.
• Treat them to something special just before they go.
• Take them to the airport as a team and have a send-off there.
• Have an open house or “Informal Commissioning” service for them before they leave so they can pray with and say good-bye to many of their friends.
• Host a reception for them at church after their Sunday morning church commissioning.

Practical suggestions:  While They Are Gone

• Pray earnestly for them.  Read and post their most recent missionary letter for the congregation.  Keep a notebook of former letters for those who have not read them.
• Write to your missionary often.
• Keep up-to-date with what your missionary is doing so that you can encourage them in the work and share their work with the church family.
• Keep the missionary informed of church happenings so they can pray and be part of the work of the supporting church.
• Remember, missionaries still celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and holidays – remember them with a card, gift, email, or telephone call.
• Send emails, if possible, to them occasionally so that they have current, up-to-date information on their “team.”
• Pass on any special prayer requests to the church office so that the pastoral staff knows how to pray and so that it can be shared with the church family.
• Send fun "care packages" occasionally to encourage your missionary or to help meet some of their needs.
• Send your missionary articles of special interest out of the newspaper or magazines.
• Consider visiting your missionary on the field.
• Send them a good book you've especially appreciated.
• Mail out their prayer letters for them.
• Help to take care of your missionaries' home while they are away.
• Link with missionaries utilizing webcam.

Practical Suggestions:  When They Return

• Pray earnestly for them.
• Be at the airport to welcome them back home.
• Host an open house so that they can see many of their friends and update them.
• Schedule a service to report on the Lord’s work on their field.
• Praise the Lord with them for how God used them.
• Mail out their prayer letters.
• Be available to help them readjust to life in the U.S.
• Have housing ready for them when they arrive home.
• Have a few groceries for them in their refrigerator and cupboards so that they don't have to go shopping right away.
• Help them to find a car to borrow during their furlough time.
• Help them to catch up with what is current, what's in, and what's out.  Provide them with a cultural update on trends, U.S. & local news, and fashions.
• Bring dinner by their house for the first few days.
• Introduce them to new people at church.
• Include them in social activities
• Help with continuing education.
• Treat them as an extension of the pastoral staff.
• Offer vacation possibilities.
• Care for family needs like babysitting, loaning a car, providing car maintenance, and communication support.
• Introduce the children to other children their age.