January News: Choosing A Mission Agency

You want to pursue missions longer-term. But open any missions magazine, or attend Urbana, and you see hundreds of agencies to choose from. How do you decide? Is it the cool brochure? The passion of an Urbana seminar speaker? Is it the persuasion of an agency exhibit? The experience of a friend?

Before making a commitment, you need to get to know an agency. So how do you go about developing a relationship with an organization? What do you need to know to make a wise decision? Just like relationships with friends, it's a lot easier to work together if you share a common calling, beliefs and values; have complementary gifts and personalities; and clear expectations about what caring for one another looks like.

Calling

What has God called you to? A place? A profession? A people group? Your missions agency, of course, needs to share that calling. Are you looking for an organization that sends people to Burma, that equips artists for cross-cultural ministry, that shares your vision for ministry among the Uighurs? Any agency you join should have the same calling.

You can find this out easily through their written purpose or vision statement. It's also helpful to talk to missionaries with experience in the agency. Ask them to tell you their stories of how God called them and what they're doing now. Look for indications of how the agency is enabling them to fulfill their calling.

Beliefs

You must be able to fully embrace the doctrinal and values statements of a missions agency. This is foundational to any long-term relationship. Do you speak in tongues? Make sure the agency approves or at least is open to this practice. Does an agency hold the doctrine of eternal security, but you think the Scriptures teach something else? A missions agency will require you to be knowledgable about theological issues and to agree with their doctrinal statement.

For your own good and the good of your future ministry, you need to know what you believe. Now is a good time to study the Scriptures, read church history, learn some formal theology and make some decisions about what the gospel essentials are and are not. Then find an agency that shares the same essential beliefs and the same attitude about non-essentials.

Values

Values are those things we think make something "good." Often we hold values we're not aware of, until they are contradicted or threatened. Some values affecting the kind of agency you choose might be related to the following:

•structures (e.g. team, individual, hierarchy, employment, volunteer)
•methodology (e.g. relationship, program)
•desired outcomes (e.g. statistical measurements, individual goals)
•leadership (e.g. role of women, ethnic or racial diversity)
•management style (e.g. close supervision, autonomy, relational, task)
As you spend time in Scripture, prayer and reflection, and as you learn more about the way missions is done by various agencies, write down things that are important to you. Then make sure the agency agrees - not just on paper, but in practice.

Ask God to shape your values during this investigation process. The more aware you become of what's important to you and to God, the better able you'll be to spot the right agency for you.

Gifts

How has God equipped you for ministry? Are you a woman with teaching or leadership gifts? Does God use you to speak words of knowledge that convince people of the truth of the gospel? Are you a servant at heart, loving most to do acts of kindness to people behind the scenes? A missions agency should acknowledge and appreciate the gifts God has given you and have a place in their structure/team for effective use of those gifts. This doesn't mean that everyone in the agency has to be just like you. But God's gifts in you need to be valued by the organization and needed within the mission structure to accomplish the purposes of the organization. Often any restrictions or limitations on spiritual gifts (based on theology or agency purpose) are stated in writing. But it's best to ask.

Maybe you're just beginning to discover your gifts. Then find an agency that values learning and personal and professional development. It will also need structural flexibility and the demonstrated willingness of leadership to allow experimentation and the freedom to move young missionaries into a variety of ministry assignments. This is best discovered in conversation with those within the agency. Ask missionaries why they joined the agency. Find out what roles they've had and why they've been given those ministries or positions. Ask about expectations of new missionaries. And find out how these missionaries spend their furloughs and vacations. These questions will give you some idea of what this group of people value and how missionaries are being developed within the organization.

Personality

Every organization, like every individual, has a personality of its own. People are hired, structures are created, ministries are shaped and results are measured based on organizational personality. So we can honor agencies for what God is doing through them without having to join them. Find an agency that you "click" with - one that resonates with your thinking, your passions and your dreams.

Expectations of Care

We all have our own ideas about how we should be treated and what being cared for looks and feels like. It's important to realize that just like in relationships with people, it's likely that not all of your expectations will be met by an agency, no matter how much you communicate or how well suited you are for each other. Still, the best relationships will begin with clear expectations established at the outset. Ask God, your friends and your family to help you think about what you expect from relationships, from leadership and from life. Then look at a missions agency's "code of best practice" or their written plans of care for their missionaries. That plan might include:

•Training. This should include an orientation and on-going professional development suited to ministry purposes and length of ministry assignment.
•Funding. You should clearly understand whether or not you are expected to raise your own funds; if so, look for the availability of training and accountability in this area. Budgeting and use of funds by the agency and the missionary may not seem important now, but financial issues will either stress or bless you once on the field.
•On site supervision. Find out who is responsible for your ministry, pastoral care, practical administration, and anything else you expect in supervision. Issues you might not think to ask about, but need to, include expectations for team relationships, reporting procedures and conflict or crisis intervention plans and policies.
•Furloughs and sabbaticals. How long do missionaries usually stay in the organization? For long-term ministries, ask about agency expectations for furloughs and sabbaticals. Expect these to include fund-raising, training or education, rest, spiritual restoration and a visit to the agency headquarters.
•Pension and retirement planning. No one is in missions for the money or benefits, but these practical details have to be taken care of now for your benefit later on. If an agency doesn't have these kinds of options, you should think about how to plan for these yourself - especially if you hope to be a missionary long-term.
•Debriefing/re-entry. Agencies should care for those returning from the field, too. Find out what provision is made for those returning for extended furloughs, retirement or end of employment.
There is no perfect missions agency. But with prayer, thorough research, thoughtful questioning, humble and honest self-evaluation and good communication, you can find an agency in which you are free to be yourself, challenged and equipped to become all that God intends, and empowered and blessed to fulfill God's calling.