Serve at Home

Nineteen Ways That You Can Assist A Church Planting Effort

Can't go overseas right now? Have to work full-time for awhile?

Bridge Builder

Serve as a volunteer, part-time advocate called a Bridge Builder. Download The Bridge Builder's Blueprint (PDF).

Prayer

• With information from the missionaries, develop a mailing list from the missionaries to recruit intercessory pray-ers. Keep adding to it.
• Monthly send out prayer requests.
• Have a sub-list for high power prayer emergencies.

Network

Develop a list of who is on the team, however broadly defined:

• missionaries on the ground
• churches which support them and the people
• effort agencies which do have involvement there
• more importantly, agencies which can or should have involvement there. (This will require imagination, searching the web, etc. Very valuable exercise!)
• Traveling - who is going, when, what can they take, whom should they meet, how to protect those in-country from an overabundance of visitors

Research

Very important and often overlooked.

• Make a list of the key systems, what exists, what is the progress of each project - Scripture, film, cassettes, etc.
• Medical needs
• Educational needs

Social changes

• What recently have they experienced?
• What went over well?
• What did not? And what can missionaries learn from that?
• Bibliography on the people group - Very important.
• Develop a profile from an angle different from the typical Christian one.
• Think in new, creative ways about the people group

Anglican network

• What is it? Where is it?
• Contact the nearest bishop and seek ways of working together.

Strategies

• Who is doing what?
• What is their style?
• What is needed for doing what they are doing better?
• 100 action points developed during training - review your list. Revise. Examine. Which ones can be done? And from the US?

Churches

(in the people group’s country and elsewhere in the world)

• Maintain a database.
• Which ones are interested. Key people. Contacts made. Interests. Resources.
• Needs. Much of that would need to come from those in-country.
• Connect them with appropriate projects - film, medical, etc.

Advocacy

• Web site - develop and maintain
• Brochure – develop, maintain, distribute.
• Prayer mobilizing and educational film.

Missionaries

• Advocate, pray, assist them – help them get support.
• What sort of “tender loving care” do they need?
• Mobilize and sustain people and churches giving TLC.

Other ideas

• Where do they live outside of their home country?
• Do they live in Anglican areas.
• Design stationery and slogans to use
• Find partners to involve in this.
• What products/arts have the people produced and what do they export? Literature, coffee, textiles...
• Study the language.

How to Proceed

• Commit to a group
• Prayerfully select the top priorities
• Give yourself a reasonable time-line
• Dig in with prayer and joy

Reaching a People Group

Regardless of your age, your busy life, or your health, you can play a role in reaching a people group for Christ.

Be on a Virtual Team Reaching One People Group

The Team members live on different continents, but are connected by faith in God, commitment to the people group, prayer, email, telephone, fax, meetings as possible, and short and longer term trips.

Team members may serve as part-time volunteers or as AFM missionaries working full-time. AFM staff are a resource to every team.

Team members Play Diverse Roles

Advocate – volunteer, part-time ministry in the US (short term trips as appropriate). In consultation with the AFM staff, the advocate chooses activities according to God’s call and the advocate’s interests and giftings: mobilize prayer, research, gather resources, recruit other team members, participate in national partnership meetings, participate in AFM networking opportunities. One of the advocates will coordinate AFM’s informal network for each people group. Serves the total effort, assisting with requests from the AFM missionaries (strategy coordinators or entrepreneurs).

Prayer partner  – a part-time volunteer, registered with AFM as committed to praying for the people group, interacting with the People Group Network, serving the AFM missionaries (strategy coordinators and entrepreneurs)

World Servant  – a volunteer who participates in a business or social/health service project on a short-term basis. For example, an American physician may serve the people group for two weeks in an overseas health clinic.

Strategy Coordinator – AFM full-time missionary who researches, collaborates, locates resources, and maintains a broad view of the work on behalf of the specific people. Recruits, trains indigenous or neighboring Christians to do evangelism and church planting. Coordinates/interfaces with the Virtual Team members (advocates, prayer partners, etc.) Their ministry is supported by faith-based donations from other Christians. Strategy coordinators may live in or near the people group’s country or be based in another country.