The Foursquare Church is a mission movement. We are passionately committed to the whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world.
In order to send missionaries to the ends of the earth, we have developed a “two track” strategy for sending people to the mission field.
We began with a single sending model that went like this: All Foursquare Churches would contribute to the Global Missions Fund (then known as the General Missions Fund). With those funds, Foursquare Missions International would deploy catalytic leaders who would pioneer church planting movements using a four-stage process. (Read more here.)
The “Four-Stage” Model looks like this. (You can read more about it in “Disciples of All Nations,” by John Amstutz.)
This sending model allowed our missionaries to focus completely on the mission field without needing to constantly raise support.
Eventually, we began to see the need for an additional sending model, one that allowed called and qualified people to raise their own support and go to the field in obedience to the Great Commission. I have written about this here
Over time our missionaries became know as “Globally Funded missionaries” and “church funded missionaries.” Some prefer “self-funded” or “partner-funded”. No matter which title you pick it will have weaknesses. After all, if churches fund the Global Missions Fund, aren’t the missionaries supported by that “church funded missionaries?” But I digress.
The process was a bit messy and confusing. Thankfully, we have moved beyond where funding comes from and we are focusing on assignment.
We are learning to run with both feet: The Global Missions Fund AND the self-funded missionaries serving various aspects of the same calling: To Go Around the World with the Foursquare Gospel.
In this post, I want to look at the benefits of the Global Missions Fund model. In my next post I will explore the benefits of the self-funded/church-funded missionary model. I believe they both serve incredible kingdom purposes.
Here are Five Benefits of the Global Missions Fund:
- Catalytic leaders are resourced and released to develop church planting movements in unreached cities, nations, and people groups.
- Indigenous church planting movements are cultivated.
- Global leaders and missionaries are mobilized, equipped, trained to take the Gospel around the world.
- Missionaries are deployed and cared for.
- Local Churches have a global partner to help them fulfill the Great Commission. (Check out 5 Ways Your Church Can Be Relevant to Global Missions Regardless of Size or Location.)
I could go on and on about the benefits of the Global Missions Fund. Instead, I want to give you a small glimpse into my own life and ministry as a Globally Funded missionary. Debbie and I are one of more than 20 couples supported by this fund.
Over the last few months we have been involved in helping open new Foursquare works in nations like Ukraine, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina; helping people and churches who have been affected by war and floods; worked with national and global leaders to advance the Gospel into new frontiers; helped coach new church planters; helped US pastors and churches get involved in missions; cared for missionaries; helped missionary candidates find their right fit for the field; and teaching and preaching in churches and conferences. All of these are important aspects necessary to cultivating church planting movements around the world. We are able to do all of this and more because of the Global Missions Fund. This is the Global Missions Fund at work.
If you believe mobilizing catalytic leaders who produce and cultivate church planting movements around the world is a great way to fulfill the Great Commission, you should consider supporting the Global Missions Fund.
If you believe cultivating indigenous church planting movements is the best way to reach the nations with the Gospel, you should consider supporting the Global Missions Fund.
If you believe we need well equipped and well resourced missionaries and leaders, you should consider supporting the Global Missions Fund.
If you believe we should deploy the right people to the right places and those people should be cared for, you should consider supporting the Global Missions Fund.
If you believe your local church is a global partner is reaching the nations with the Gospel, you should consider supporting the Global Missions Fund.
If you have benefited from the Global Missions Fund, maybe you should consider supporting it too.
As more resources come in, more missionaries will go out. Let’s ramp this thing up and get the job done together!
Click HERE to start supporting the Global Missions Fund.
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Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
