Cody Missionary Alliance Church Missions Policy What is Missions As a church, we exist to point people to God by loving Jesus supremely, proclaiming Him passionately, and serving others sacrificially. To that end, we believe God desires the local church to be the primary means for sending people and resources to proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ to wherever people inhabit the earth. Biblical Mandate We believe God desires for every person in the world to benefit from the ministry of a local church body. The target is the whole world. We accept as our mandate for involvement in missions our Lord s instructions as recorded in scripture: Christ s last words were: The Great Commission Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB) And before He ascended He said: The believer s personal responsibility.. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NASB) Types of Missions Foreign missions is defined as those efforts to communicate the gospel, make disciples, establish and strengthen the church and equip leadership outside the United States Home missions is defined as those efforts to communicate the gospel, make disciples, establish and strengthen the church and equip leadership within the United States Local missions is defined as those efforts within Park County, Wyoming to communicate the gospel, make disciples, establish and strengthen the church and equip leadership Revision date 8/16/2012 Page 1
Purpose of the Missions Policy To facilitate, plan and direct a Missions program dedicated to help fulfill the Great Commission. To make possible the most effective use of the resources devoted to missions at Cody Missionary Alliance Church (CMA) To establish criteria that will help determine who and how missionaries are to be supported and how and when financial support is to be curtailed To facilitate accountability and communication to church leadership, the congregation and missionaries about the overall missions program at CMA To ensure consistency and continuity over the course of time as the composition of the CMA Elder Board and Missions Mobilization Team will change Missions Mobilization Team The purpose of our church s Missions Mobilization Team (MMT) is to be a catalyst that strategically helps to move our people toward personal engagement in God s plan to take the Gospel to every nation, tribe, language and people group. The MMT shall consist of at least five but not more than nine members, one of which will be a CMA Elder It will be comprised of men and women who are in good standing in the church, who reflect spiritual maturity and have a vision for world evangelism The Governing Board of CMA will approve the chairperson for a term of two years The MMT will elect one member to serve as financial liaison with the CMA treasurer and with the Governing Board Each member is to commit to serve a term of two years Requirements for MMT membership are: must be a member of CMA and be personally invested in missions either by supporting missions and/or missionaries, or have participated in missions The selection process to become a MMT member includes completing an application form which will be reviewed by the MMT Nomination Committee which will be formed from the MMT members when needed. This committee will then make a recommendation to the MMT. Approval for membership will be made by a majority vote of the full MMT. Revision date 8/16/2012 Page 2
MMT Meetings The MMT will meet monthly unless otherwise agreed to by a majority of the members. The chairperson, or their designee, shall preside at all MMT meetings and fulfill all other responsibilities established in the Missions Policy statement. MMT members are expected to attend MMT meetings. Responsibilities of the MMT Support CMA participation in the worldwide missions and church planting ministries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (Alliance) Select missionaries, mission organizations and projects for support by CMA Plan and conduct an annual Missionary Conference Coordinate and support the Alliance Women s ministry Annually, each Fall, evaluate the entire missionary roster and the allocation of funds Develop specific programs and vehicles for education of the congregation regarding missions Help to create a climate of prayer for missions at CMA Insure that all Short-Term Mission (STM) candidates receive appropriate cultural and evangelism training prior to their trip The MMT can make disbursement up to $2,500 per project per year, and total disbursements of $10,000 per year before needing to seek Governing Board approval Mission Objectives Alliance missions, the Great Commission Fund, Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA) and the Alliance s District church planting projects To partner with proven ministries of effective evangelism that result in mature, reproducing disciples To provide multiple opportunities for CMA adherents to experience short-term missions Revision date 8/16/2012 Page 3
Strategy for Support In considering a particular mission opportunity, the MMT will consider the following aspects of the proposed ministry: The sustainability of the ministry, i.e. is it well organized, does it have defined goals and objectives, and a workable budget The scope of the proposed work The need for the work to advance the Kingdom Are there similar or existing ministries actively working in the same area being considered Missionary Support Requirements of Full-Time Missionary Candidates from CMA The missionary candidate must currently be or have been a member of CMA for at least one year The applicant must agree with CMA s doctrinal position and philosophy of missions The individual must be or have been active in ministry at CMA, be faithful in attendance and tithing The missionary candidate must be accepted by a mission agency approved by the MMT The applicant must have completed all education and training requirements of their mission agency (candidates who have not completed all education and training requirements will be evaluated on a case by case basis) The candidate must complete CMA s Full-Time Missionary application and supply letter(s) from their mission agency showing financial support needs and acceptance by the agency Once accepted for missionary support by CMA, the missionary must complete CMA s Annual Review form which includes a financial update, a current individual or family photo, and a personal evaluation of their ministry including accomplishments and future goals Requirements of Full-Time Missionary Candidates not from CMA Priority for support will be given to CMA members, however, missionaries from other churches or mission agencies will be considered in some instances. The MMT will take into account the goals and Revision date 8/16/2012 Page 4
strategies of the applicant s ministry, their qualifications, their field situation, their relationship to CMA, the agency they are or will be serving under, and our funding ability. Non-member candidates must meet all the other requirements identified above for CMA member candidates. However, they must be active and involved members of another like-minded Bible believing church. Short-Term Missions The MMT enthusiastically supports short-term mission projects and workers and desires to nurture a love for missions among the congregation of CMA. Short-Term missions will create: An opportunity for kingdom service An exercise in dependence on the Lord in unfamiliar circumstances A stimulus to a missions vision and prayer support A small part of a lifelong involvement in missions An opportunity to encourage and support partner missionaries A brief exposure to another culture and to other expressions of Christianity A limited but useful first-hand experience of missions A reminder to the entire church body of its responsibility to spread the gospel Requirements for Short-Term Mission Applicants The candidate must currently be actively involved at CMA and faithful in attendance, preferably for at least one year The applicant must agree with CMA s doctrinal position and philosophy of missions The applicant must show some evidence of spiritual life and walk with the Lord, unless the applicant is deemed to need an exposure to a short-term mission for their own personal growth in the Lord All applicants should submit a Short-Term Missions application form to the MMT at least three months prior to the mission/project Revision date 8/16/2012 Page 5
CMA Commitments to Short-Term Missionaries CMA will provide appropriate cultural and evangelistic training to each person approved for a short-term mission project. This may include formal instruction or in-house developed training. CMA will, in a worship service, commission the short-term missionaries prior to their leaving for the mission. CMA will provide individual or group financial support appropriate to the mission need. Revision date 8/16/2012 Page 6