Oh, No! They're Coming!

They’re coming! You have an Alliance IW coming to your church. How do you decide what to do with them when he/she is here?

Personally, I’ve been on both sides of the situation…as a local pastor, and as a “touring” IW. Sometimes, churches ask IW’s, months in advance, how they can be best utilized. Other times, the churches plan amazing interpersonal gatherings to connect the IW with people, on their own initiative and creativity. There’s even been a few times, when I arrived at the host church, and they asked what I wanted to do, and we implemented the “instant planning” approach to the meeting schedule!

When you are introducing an IW to your congregation, what’s been your most effective way to connect them with the people in your community?

Who are your key leaders? Identify key leaders in your midst …leadership team members, staff, elders, teachers from each age group. Face-to-face interaction with an IW can open creative opportunities to integrate missions into the church’s “bloodstream”. It may also inspire short-term and partnership opportunities, that these leaders could facilitate, and carry into the future.

Whom is God nudging? Do you believe that God is preparing new IWs, pastors, church leaders, prayer warriors and theologians from your congregation? I do! Connecting these people - young and old, with the IW in your church can (does) have amazing influence! At times, it is also significant for the parents of whom God is calling.

How do you have fun? It’s not always about another meeting… Once a church found out that I liked fishing. A local expert took me to a small stream, in a small boat…I hooked my first (only) Muskie! Yep, it got away…but we laughed & it opened conversational doors. Plus, it was fun and relaxing! Airplane rides, horseback riding, frisbee golf, coffee roasting… Shared experiences are fabulous for building relationships. Oftentimes, these are serendipitous opportunities for deep faith conversations, too.

There are some responsibilities in hosting an IW. Sometimes, they don’t have a car. Sometimes, they are unfamiliar with your community surroundings, history, cultural and uniquenesses. Awkwardly, at times, they “aren’t from here” (especially noticeable in a small town café).

How to get from here, to there. IWs on Home Assignment (HA) speak about God’s faithfulness in their ministry, the challenges of the opportunity in their culture/country, & their ministry needs in the midst of God’s working. But, they need to get to your address. Maybe, they need a car. The host church is responsible for their travel (costs, reimbursements) and for being generous to them. This may be a love offering, stipend, free-will offering… but honor them. Truly, they are an extension of each local Alliance church’s evangelisCc outreach…to the ends of the earth.

We can’t afford a hotel. In so many cultures around the world, hospitality is generously warm and welcoming — even to strangers. Sometimes, at great sacrifice (ask me about “the last chicken”). What does hospitality look like in your community? Could hosting an IW, and some brief conversations, be an opportunity to enhance a culture of hospitality in your church, and in your civic community? Most IWs are comfortable staying in your home (some have pet allergies). Staying in a church leader’s home is a great opportunity for conversations, or story-telling. Don’t lose the richness of the opportunity by pulling them in a hotel. On the other hand, sometimes the solitude of an empty (well stocked) cabin in the northwoods provides a much needed rest. Communicate with your IW about their preferences ahead of time.

Of Course! For sure, you’ll want the IW to speak publicly about missions in their country and this year’s theme — All of Jesus for All the World. Of course, you’ll want to explain Alliance missions and how we fund our IWs around the world. The IW can assist you in presenting the GCF and funding opportunities. The internet has helped us all stay current with global happenings (hint: learn about your IW’s country). It has also made resources readily available, even in remote places. But, there is still something about conversing, face-to-face, about what you’ve been reading lately, and what God has been teaching you.

Read a good book, lately? Our DS has the NCD staff reading through, and discussing Tempered Resilience. It’s a great book! It has provided some deep conversations among us. What are you reading?

What is your guest IW finding inspirational? Among peers, an evening conversation like this can be intriguing, and relationship building. When the time is right, I hope you have a palaver of this type with your IW this fall!

This week, I revisited an “old” book…Invitation To A Journey. Here’s what I’m musing on today:

All of God’s work to conform us to the image of Christ has as its sole purpose that we might become what God created us to be in relationship with God and with others….Wherever there is something in our life that is not conformed to the image of Christ, there is a place where we are incapable of being all that God wants us to be with others; there is a place where our life with others is hindered and limited and restricted in its effectiveness and in its fullness…Our relationships with others are not only the testing grounds of our spiritual life but also the places where our growth toward wholeness in Christ happens…The primary focus must be trinitarian — God, self, others — if we are to grow holistically into the image of Christ. Every relationship has the potential of becoming the place of transforming encounter with God…

Leaders in the churches of the North Central District — Thank you! Thank you for teaching on the Great Commission in your messages. Thank you for lifting up our IW families in personal and corporate prayer. Thank you for modeling and instructing others about Christian values and character in a way the transforms your community. Thank you, for listening to the voice of God in your life and in your ministry!

This month, will you:

• Write an NCD IW and ask them about the role of hospitality in their culture, and what it looks like?

• Ask your own church leaders what brings them the most joy in their “down time”, day off, or sabbath?

• Talk to your prayer warriors about praying for a new generation of “called-out” ones…who will be ministry leaders?

Dave Manske

Missions Mobilizer