1. WHAT IS MISSIONS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN THE 21ST CENTURY?

  • Developing countries will lead the way to reach the UPGs.
  • Denominations will become increasing less effective with traditional methods.
  • Less emphasis on sending and more on empowering and equipping nationals.
  • North American missionaries will play the role of coaches and be mostly non-residential.
  • Emphasis will be on UPGs in 10/40 Window - focus on Muslims.
  • Immigrant status for expatriates instead of missionary status.
  • For U.S. churches, the emphasis will be more on engagement and less on funding.

2. HOW DO YOU ANALYZE YOUR MISSION PROGRAM AND WHERE YOU GO FROM HERE?

  • Has giving to missions declined or become static?
  • Are business people in your church challenged to view their vocation as a highly effective setting in which to carry out ministry globally?
  • Is your missions program spread too thin around the world with missionaries and partnerships so that your work is not adequate anywhere?
  • Are you evaluating the role of the church in the U.S. and the job of North American missionaries in the future of missions and considering the role of the national?
  • Do you have a lack of personalization and relationships with current field personnel and partners?
  • Do you find the emerging church and the need for personalization and relationships positioning your church as being less relevant?

3. WHAT ARE THE MEASUREABLES YOU USE TO JUDGE SUCCESS IN YOUR MISSIONS PROGRAM?

  • Traditionally, churches have measured success by:
    1. Numbers of missionaries supported.
    2. Amount of funds given to missionaries - faith promise - denominational giving.
    3. Number of short term trips conducted by membership.
    4. Number of partnerships with para-church organizations involved in strategic ministry like Scripture translation and publishing, Films, broadcasting, media tools, etc.
    5. How many have been saved and baptized - converts vs. disciples?
  • Criteria of judging your church today being strategic in missions:
    1. Finishing the Task as a strategy.
    2. UPGs - which ones and why.
    3. Unengaged peoples prioritized and how to reach them.
    4. Number of disciples made - number of churches planted.
    5. Membership engaged using giftedness and skills.
    6. Membership owning vision and strategy as theirs - church staff serves them.

4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE CHURCH TO BE THE MISSIONARY?

  • Personalization of reaching one or more UPG.
  • Long range commitment to finishing the task - adoption.
  • Leadership at every level is committed to strategy.
  • Membership involved personally in every aspect.

5. INADEQUATE REASONS FOR ADOPTING AN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP

  • It's a cutting edge methodology.
  • The urgency of the need.
  • The urging of a potential partner or pastor friend or facilitator.
  • The passion of one church members who is enthusiastic about a UPG or program/project.
  • Sending out a missionary from your church to a UPG.
  • A desire to work in every part of the globe - "Uttermost Part" - "Ends of the earth".
  • If one partnership worked, two would be better.
  • A way to excuse cutting funding for current missionaries in which leaders have lost confidence.

6. BEST REASONS FOR ADOPTING AN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP

  • Church leaders have a passion to accomplish far more for the expansion of the Kingdom than they are currently achieving. There is a holy dissatisfaction with their current mission impact.
  • Church leaders have spent a significant time in prayer individually and corporately to determine if God is leading them toward a strategic partnership.
  • The pastor, staff, and other leaders are enthusiastic in approving a strategic partnership in concept and opportunity. They will invest time to help analyze the church's missional DNA and determine the shape of a global partnership in which they can build on their congregation's God given passions and gifting.
  • Leaders are prepared to make hard choices, saying "no" to some other good projects in order to concentrate their efforts on selected priorities.
  • Church members are ready to have their thinking stretched about what missions looks like and how God wants to use them.
  • The church is ready to engage in a mission effort that will probably be messy and to make a commitment with no guarantee of success.
  • The church is willing to invest the time and energy to develop in-depth relationship across cultural boundaries.
  • Is the church committed to serving with humility accompanied by a teachable spirit?
  • Is the church ready to have their cultural assumptions challenged and their understanding of biblical Christianity enlarged?
  • Are the current mission team of the church willing to entrust major partnerships responsibilities to others in their church, especially entrepreneurial members of the congregation who may do things quire differently than they have been done in the past?

7. WAYS TO PREPARE FOR PARTNERING IN A COALITION OF CHURCHES

  • Research the unreached peoples of the world.
  • Take a vision trip with people from the congregation to analyze what it takes to get involved.
  • Have specific times of prayer to determine God's will for the congregation.
  • There is sufficient interest among membership to do something strategic.
  • Is the church committed to serving with humility accompanied by a teachable spirit?
  • Is the church ready to have their cultural assumptions challenged and their understanding of biblical Christianity enlarged?
  • Are the current mission team of the church willing to entrust major partnerships responsibilities to others in their church, especially entrepreneurial members of the congregation who may do things quire differently than they have been done in the past?

8. WHAT SHOULD A HIGHLY PERSONALIZED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FIELD LOOK LIKE?

  • The congregation knows personally the field partners.
  • Many of the congregation have been to the field and share the vision of the workers there.
  • Some members of the congregation are planning to spend extended periods of time among the UPG in order to make disciples.
  • The emphasis on the UPG is continual and not once a year.
  • Membership is involved in creating unique ways to reach the UPG.

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