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In a previous thread regarding transparency in providing church info on pastors salary. To prevent hijacking the thread I started a new thread. I would be very interested in your response and opinion, especially from the pastors who post on this siteOne of the posters listed the Church Expense sheet presented to the congregation minus the amount of the pastor's salary. In reading the expense and income I saw no mention of Missions Income or Expense for supporting missions or mission projects??Is this common for a church this size? I am not sure if the church was COG or AOG?Questions for discussion and to help me better understand what I must do to better communicate opportunities for mission giving to our congregations.1. Does your church have a missions budget?2. How does your church raise that missions budget?3. For COG congregations, since the TOT cut, does the congregation still give to missions and support missionaries?4. As a career missionary I depend on God to supply resources through our congregations on a monthly basis. I am not a one year project but a cross cultural minister that has committed my life and my family's life to ministering outside the USA in another cultural. Why do so many congregations and pastors only think of missions support as a ONE YEAR commitment? Often a missionary raises the needed support only to arrive on the field of his calling to find some many COG congregations have stopped supporting him after one year!Thank you for participating in this conversation.Denni Dennis TannerAdministrative Bishop Scotland

Our congregation has 4 or 5 set aside offering days throughout the year in order to raise money for missions.The problem I began having is that so many missionaries and other projects are asking for support that it eventually wears out a congregation and they stop giving.Because of that, we focus on supporting one missionary each year (the same each year) and leave some room for a couple of projects as they come up throughout the year (i.e. flooded churches in Louisiana).Instead of inviting other preachers/singers to come and speak or sing at the church, I leave those dates open for church planters or missionaries to come and speak so that we can give them an offering when they come [Jesus] will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. - Nicene Creed

Thank you, Pastor Wright. Appreciate the response and God bless you for supporting missions Dennis TannerAdministrative Bishop Scotland

I imagine there are more churches more 'mission minded' than others. I was raised in a parsonage where Dad was the pastor, and my mother's passion was missions. We visit many churches and some we attend it is easy to see an emphasis on missions. It was my mother's belief that church growth stateside is tied to it's love for missions.A church will be mission minded usually if the pastor is, that is for sure.One of the first names I learned in regards to missions was Brother Hermann Lauster. I do not know how it was done, but the Lausters received food and gifts from our church while he was in prison. Mother treasured those letters.May God richly bless your work for the Lord. Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/

Thank you, Cojak. Appreciate the responses. As a career missionary in the Church of God I have always struggled with the concept of only supporting a missionary for one year. Somehow we have allowed our churches and pastors to believe that career cross cultural ministers who are assigned overseas only need our support or commitment for one year!?? Also, it is difficult to understand how any congregation or pastor can expect to be effective by not being involved in supporting missions and missionaries. Denni Dennis TannerAdministrative Bishop Scotland

Missions Giving

Hey Thanks, Pastor Wyatt for your mission vision and effort to keep missions before the congregation. The key to guaranteeing funds come in to support missionaries and mission projects is to have a special mission Sunday each month. It also helps to include excerpts from missionary newsletters in the church bulletin, on the weekly prayer list, and on church websites. Often churches will have a mission secretary or local mission rep read a excerpt from a missionary letter before receiving the missions offering. These methods or practices will assure that the mission giving or offering will not take away from the tithes or other church budget needs. Would be interested in how other Pastors do the mission offering and how I as a career missionary can help the pastor or local mission rep keep the mission funds coming into the church. Denni Dennis TannerAdministrative Bishop Scotland

I like this idea. What would, in your opinion, be good monthly support from a smaller Church of God congregation [Jesus] will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. - Nicene Creed

Pastor Wright. I am a strong proponent of the small church mission conference! It has proven to be not only effective in raising mission monies but raises excitement within the congregations, has often resulted in increased giving in other areas and in some churches has resulted in an increased attendance. Through the small church conference you allow the congregation to decide by faith how much they will give to missions The pastor, mission secretary or mission committee would decide on a date and speaker for the conference. The conference would begin with a Sunday morning where the pastor would cast his vision and biblical support for evangelism, outreach and mission ministry around the world. The following Saturday evening the church could host an all nations meal and introduce the missionary or guest speaker who would explain that on Sunday Faith Promises (important to note these are not PLEDGES!!) would be received that will determine the next years mission giving. Often the State Missions Director , Regional Missions rep or another local missionary -home or foreign- would be invited to the all nations meal. The host church could make arrangements for them to speak at another location on Sunday morning. The host church might consider providing one nights lodging to help with the travel if coming a long distance On Sunday morning the guest speaker work share and minister an inspirational and challenging message about missions. He would also emphasize the Faith Promise method of giving (not PLEDGES). It is best to use wisdom here and not bring in a 'high profile speaker' who is going to focus on the emotional and urgent need of their own ministry. The guest speaker is there to help the church raise a mission budget not there to raise his own funds or special project. He is there for the pastor and congregation. After a month or so, and after evaluating the response of the congregation and the amount of money that came in from the first mission offering, the pastor or mission committee could then make a decision on the amount of support and the number of missionaries or mission projects they want to be involved in. If only 1200$ for the year had been promised. And in the first offering over 150$ came in for missions then the pastor or mission committee could make a decision to support 2-3missionaries and/or a project for $15-25 a month each. Or one missionary at $75 a month. After 6 months another evaluation could be made. But in the end and in answer to your question, it would be the congregation who decides how much to give and the pastor or mission committee decide on distribution of funds Dennis TannerAdministrative Bishop Scotland

Re: If you were referring to my list