2019 Cindy Liu

His Plan

Mission Management

Importance of Management

Asuccessful business cannot be separated from its excellent management. Likewise, a successful mission is reflective of its effective management. A good mission managing system aids the efficiency, speed, safety, effectiveness, growth, and spiritual healthiness of a mission development.

The 21st Century Mission Method mission management is designed to operate with the indigenous church partners. Mission Supporters are not only churches, they are also mission organizations, Christian entrepreneurs, or a small group of individual Christians who have passion for mission. Therefore, to operate under the indigenous church’s covering is recommended.

This collaboration is built upon biblical principles—“so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians3:10 ESV).

Purpose of Management

The purpose of mission management is to be a good steward for God and to gain maximum return for His kingdom. Scripture reminds us, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48 ESV).

It is also the responsibility of the Mission Supporter’s management to ensure that a good church structure is in place to bear maximum fruit for His kingdom.

Therefore, understanding to operate in a sound biblical church structure is essential.
Church Structure The word “church” is from the Greek word ekklesia, which is defined as “a called-out assembly or congregation.” The root meaning of church is not that of a building, but of people. New Testament describes church is a congregation of believers whom God has
called out of the world and “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV).

Christ’s relationship with the church is formal not casual, it’s also close and loving—“as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25b ESV). The church is His body, of which He is the Savior, and Christ desires “so that he may present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any other such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27 ESV).

Romans 16:5 stated church was initially established in someone’s house, like a house church with a biblical structure. For example, Christ is the head over everything for the church (Colossians 1:18). Ephesians 2:20 ESV stated church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” It was Christ who gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). The purpose is to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up to maturity.

The early church structure is set up with elders or “overseers” in the church who make decision for the church (Acts 15:1–2). In fact, the elders who lead the church are responsible for teaching the Word and guiding, admonishing, and exhorting the people of God (1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Acts 14:23).

The other officers in the church are deacons who handle the practical concerns of the church, such as caring for the sick, elderly, or widowed and maintaining buildings or other property (Acts 6:1–6 and 1

Timothy3:8–12). For a church to function according to God’s will, it must be set up biblically. No church should be set up in a way to allow an individual to rule without accountability.

A church function with only one leader without proper structure is not biblical, it cannot grow and mature into the fullness God intended for His church.

To build for the kingdom, one must follow kingdom principles; especially when a mission is on a small scale, the Mission Supporter must carefully give guidance to the indigenous believer to build church according to His Word.

There are cases where some evangelists and pastors plant churches on their own without the church body covering, often isolate themselves from the existing church body. If one operates alone and does not submit to church authority, he or she has neither spiritual
oversight nor financial accountability, this church will become vulnerable and easily targeted by the enemy.

A brother shared a testimony from a Chinese house church, which taught a valuable lesson. An overseas Mission Supporter generously provided funds for a house church, but due to some restrictions and poor church structure, all the funds were channeled into the pastor’s private account.

The pastor bought the land and built the church all in his own name. Although the pastor was faithful and trustworthy, when he suddenly died of heart attack, his children came forward to claim the church building and the land for themselves. This church suffered a huge loss.

To be a good steward means to ensure that the churches being established have a healthy biblical structure. Church should belong to the kingdom not an individual, and Christ Jesus is the head of the church not a man. Having a clear structure where the responsibilities of each partner are clearly defined keeps everyone accountable and responsible.

Financial Structure

The financial structure is designed to prevent the indigenous evangelists from cultivating an endless dependency on the Mission Supporter. The goal for the indigenous evangelists is to realize right from the start the dependency must firstly focus on God and His supply.

Cash gifts given personally to any indigenous ministry representatives for their ministry endeavor without an auditable financial structure in place is a reason for concern. Giving cash to an indigenous evangelist without asking them to be accountable is negligent—a totally irresponsible act of the mission supporter, which could potentially become a dangerous stumbling block to the indigenous minister. Accountability, transparency or validation, and receipt of expenditure are important aspects to instill the mature confidence in the handling and the effectiveness of the finance.

When Does Management Begin?

Management begins as soon as the mission project starts. For a large-scale mission project, the responsibilities include (when a method is proven working well in a large scale, it definitely can be scaled down to small-size project):
• A research a plan.
• Spiritual confirmation of the correct timing to initiate a mission project; confirmation of
church partnership.
• Running a pilot project.
• Confirmation of indigenous churches unity and support.
• Confirmation of the evangelist’s effectiveness.
• Translation of documents.
• Supply information, communication technologies.
• Project management.
• The selection of national leaders.
• Marketing and promotion of the mission project.
• Project transition and succession ceremony.

Hiring a Project Coordinator
Once the mission project is approved to go ahead, the top priority for the mission management is to hire an indigenous project coordinator who lives in the nation to be evangelized, and who is bilingual to be able to communicate with all the indigenous church partners and with the Mission Supporter to set up all the structure legally as required and according to the local law.

Staff Requirement
If the mission project is a large scale one, hiring staff may be necessary. Staff selection requires strong spiritual insight. Trained professionals with spiritual field experience are required to decide who should fill which roles.

The Mission Supporter expects to hire someone trustworthy and with high Christian standard to be the project coordinator. For a large mission project to be effective, three key
roles must be filled:
• Project coordinators paid by the Mission Supporter who are spiritually and professionally
able to manage a mission project.
• Indigenous church partners that can oversee indigenous evangelists and the new churches
they planted.
• Indigenous evangelists who have proven their character, calling, and commitment to
evangelize their nation.

Employment and Wages

Paid personnel are supported based on the nation’s average pay for that role minus 20%. The aim of paying less than the full amount is to encourage the indigenous church partners to provide the difference and prevent people to come forward for the money rather than fulfill their mission calls.

The Mission Supporter must recruit each supported evangelist who is overseen by the indigenous church partners. National leadership is then specifically formed to guide the mission project.

Supporting Standard
First year—the indigenous evangelists will receive 100% support. This support is reduced to 80% in the second year and 60% in the third. The reason for this is to cultivate indigenous support from the church and when the Mission Supporter pulls out, the evangelist work can be self-sustaining to continue in the nation.

When an evangelist doesn’t reach the set target, the financial support ends after three years. For the evangelist who only reached the minimum target, the financial support will be only 60% for the fourth year if the evangelist feels called to become a pastor, but after that, the financial support stops.

However, if in three years the agreed target has doubled, the Mission Supporter will give 100% support in the second three-year cycle. An example of this would be a minimum of twenty-four people being baptized, forty people attending meetings, two successors trained, and the indigenous evangelists willing to step out to evangelize a new area and the respective indigenous church would be willing to release them for further work.

Establish Mission Criteria Once the recruiting is done, it’s time to work with the indigenous church partners and the indigenous evangelists to set mission criteria which includes (also
mentioned in the previous chapter):
• Which target nation or people group to impact?
• Supporting structure from the church partners.
• Deciding the number of supported indigenous evangelists.
• Monthly targets.
• Approved management and transition plan.

Staff Structure

Depending on the size and scale of a project, the staff needed may be adjusted. For a large-scale project, these are the main paid and volunteer roles:
• Indigenous Leaders (volunteers) – To guide and to advocate for the mission project to increase its national impact.
• Project Coordinator (paid) – Leads and manages the project at an international or national level.
• Field Coordinators (can be volunteers or paid) – To confirm mission effectiveness of the
indigenous evangelists and church partners.
• Indigenous Church Partners (volunteers) – To oversee indigenous evangelists and provide
pastoral support.
• Indigenous Evangelists (paid) – Evangelize a nation and disciple new believers and train their successors.

For a small mission project run by a church or individual, the role of a field coordinator can be filled by church members who are willing to serve for short-term mission trips, or by asking non-indigenous church partners to help fulfill this role.

Volunteer Expert Advisors
Another vital role church partners are required to offer is expert advice in different fields. For example, advice in matters of business and law, education and training. In most cases, indigenous advisor volunteers are drawn directly from the indigenous churches that
partner with the Mission Supporter. Their business, educational, and spiritual wisdom and experience are invaluable.

Job Function
It is essential to understand the way different personnel interact. Mission projects run on the principle of “mutual accountability,” meaning total transparency regarding both the cost of the project, mission targets, and the accountability of those involved. See Appendix
5 for mission project roles and responsibilities.

Mutual accountability requires the project coordinator and the field coordinator to monitor the church partners and indigenous evangelists’ work to ensure it is effective.

Monitoring a large-scale mission project has three tiers:
• To be effective means to reach the mission target.
• Normally, the project coordinator and field coordinator provide management oversight.
• Indigenous church partners sending their church volunteers to provide spiritual oversight to the indigenous evangelists.

Book – His Plan ( 8 )

2019 Cindy Liu

His Plan

Mission Management

Importance of Management

Asuccessful business cannot be separated from its excellent management. Likewise, a successful mission is reflective of its effective management. A good mission managing system aids the efficiency, speed, safety, effectiveness, growth, and spiritual healthiness of a mission development.

This collaboration is built upon biblical principles—“so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians3:10 ESV).

Purpose of Management

The purpose of mission management is to be a good steward for God and to gain maximum return for His kingdom. Scripture reminds us, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48 ESV).

It is also the responsibility of the Mission Supporter’s management to ensure that a good church structure is in place to bear maximum fruit for His kingdom.

The other officers in the church are deacons who handle the practical concerns of the church, such as caring for the sick, elderly, or widowed and maintaining buildings or other property (Acts 6:1–6 and 1

Timothy3:8–12). For a church to function according to God’s will, it must be set up biblically. No church should be set up in a way to allow an individual to rule without accountability.

A church function with only one leader without proper structure is not biblical, it cannot grow and mature into the fullness God intended for His church.

To build for the kingdom, one must follow kingdom principles; especially when a mission is on a small scale, the Mission Supporter must carefully give guidance to the indigenous believer to build church according to His Word.

A brother shared a testimony from a Chinese house church, which taught a valuable lesson. An overseas Mission Supporter generously provided funds for a house church, but due to some restrictions and poor church structure, all the funds were channeled into the pastor’s private account.

The pastor bought the land and built the church all in his own name. Although the pastor was faithful and trustworthy, when he suddenly died of heart attack, his children came forward to claim the church building and the land for themselves. This church suffered a huge loss.

Financial Structure

The financial structure is designed to prevent the indigenous evangelists from cultivating an endless dependency on the Mission Supporter. The goal for the indigenous evangelists is to realize right from the start the dependency must firstly focus on God and His supply.

When Does Management Begin?

Staff Requirement
If the mission project is a large scale one, hiring staff may be necessary. Staff selection requires strong spiritual insight. Trained professionals with spiritual field experience are required to decide who should fill which roles.

Employment and Wages

Paid personnel are supported based on the nation’s average pay for that role minus 20%. The aim of paying less than the full amount is to encourage the indigenous church partners to provide the difference and prevent people to come forward for the money rather than fulfill their mission calls.

The Mission Supporter must recruit each supported evangelist who is overseen by the indigenous church partners. National leadership is then specifically formed to guide the mission project.

Staff Structure

For a small mission project run by a church or individual, the role of a field coordinator can be filled by church members who are willing to serve for short-term mission trips, or by asking non-indigenous church partners to help fulfill this role.

Mutual accountability requires the project coordinator and the field coordinator to monitor the church partners and indigenous evangelists’ work to ensure it is effective.

2019 Cindy Liu

His Plan

Mission Management

Importance of Management

Asuccessful business cannot be separated from its excellent management. Likewise, a successful mission is reflective of its effective management. A good mission managing system aids the efficiency, speed, safety, effectiveness, growth, and spiritual healthiness of a mission development.

This collaboration is built upon biblical principles—“so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians3:10 ESV).

Purpose of Management

The purpose of mission management is to be a good steward for God and to gain maximum return for His kingdom. Scripture reminds us, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48 ESV).

It is also the responsibility of the Mission Supporter’s management to ensure that a good church structure is in place to bear maximum fruit for His kingdom.

The other officers in the church are deacons who handle the practical concerns of the church, such as caring for the sick, elderly, or widowed and maintaining buildings or other property (Acts 6:1–6 and 1

Timothy3:8–12). For a church to function according to God’s will, it must be set up biblically. No church should be set up in a way to allow an individual to rule without accountability.

A church function with only one leader without proper structure is not biblical, it cannot grow and mature into the fullness God intended for His church.

To build for the kingdom, one must follow kingdom principles; especially when a mission is on a small scale, the Mission Supporter must carefully give guidance to the indigenous believer to build church according to His Word.

A brother shared a testimony from a Chinese house church, which taught a valuable lesson. An overseas Mission Supporter generously provided funds for a house church, but due to some restrictions and poor church structure, all the funds were channeled into the pastor’s private account.

The pastor bought the land and built the church all in his own name. Although the pastor was faithful and trustworthy, when he suddenly died of heart attack, his children came forward to claim the church building and the land for themselves. This church suffered a huge loss.

Financial Structure

The financial structure is designed to prevent the indigenous evangelists from cultivating an endless dependency on the Mission Supporter. The goal for the indigenous evangelists is to realize right from the start the dependency must firstly focus on God and His supply.

When Does Management Begin?

Staff Requirement If the mission project is a large scale one, hiring staff may be necessary. Staff selection requires strong spiritual insight. Trained professionals with spiritual field experience are required to decide who should fill which roles.

Employment and Wages

Paid personnel are supported based on the nation’s average pay for that role minus 20%. The aim of paying less than the full amount is to encourage the indigenous church partners to provide the difference and prevent people to come forward for the money rather than fulfill their mission calls.

The Mission Supporter must recruit each supported evangelist who is overseen by the indigenous church partners. National leadership is then specifically formed to guide the mission project.

Staff Structure

For a small mission project run by a church or individual, the role of a field coordinator can be filled by church members who are willing to serve for short-term mission trips, or by asking non-indigenous church partners to help fulfill this role.

Mutual accountability requires the project coordinator and the field coordinator to monitor the church partners and indigenous evangelists’ work to ensure it is effective.

Staff Requirement
If the mission project is a large scale one, hiring staff may be necessary. Staff selection requires strong spiritual insight. Trained professionals with spiritual field experience are required to decide who should fill which roles.