Sending churches are not just important to ABWE’s process of sending missionaries; they are essential. We work in equal partnership with our missionaries and their local sending church.
As part of this, ABWE commits to serving missionaries by:
- Faithfully and knowledgeably pray for their missionary.
- Assist the missionary throughout the pre-field process.
- Consult with them and their missionary before making any major ministry change.
- Provide an annual review of their missionaries fulfillment of responsibilities.
- Provide training for their missionary prior to field departure in preparation for future ministry.
- Provide periodic communications with ideas to aid the ministry of the local church to its missionaries.
- Whenever possible, be visited by the pre-field director annually.
- Provide the Message magazine. ABWE’s annual financial statement is available upon request.
ABWE commits to serving sending churches by:
- Communicating accurately the state of need in the world and keeping the church informed for effective prayer for world missions.
- Challenging the church regarding its role in the task of world missions by promoting missions and the work of missionaries and national partners.
- Evaluating missionaries and ministries, giving a clear report for accountability and stewardship of all resources.
- Coordinating and overseeing the work of missions, leading to effective teamwork and maximum impact of the gospel.
- Strategizing and planning for optimum evangelistic coverage of the nations and peoples of the world, resulting in church-planting movements and missions movements.
- Caring for missionaries and their families on behalf of the church and facilitating the care provided by their sending and supporting churches.
- Training missionaries for optimum cross-cultural influence as they go into all the world.
ABWE asks that the sending church commits to:
- Faithfully and knowledgeably pray for their missionary; regularly keep their ministry and needs before the church family.
- Work closely with ABWE in assisting, encouraging and advising the missionary.
- Provide logistic support for your missionary throughout their pre-field ministry.
- Assist the missionary in finding opportunities to present their ministry in like-minded churches.
- Financially support their missionary as generously and sacrificially as possible, considering their own sent missionary to be a priority in missionary giving.
- Provide opportunities for ministry that coincide with the missionary’s prefield schedule in other churches.
- License or ordain men when field ministries require it.
- Publicly commission your missionary before departure for language school or the field.