Funding Foreign Missions by Growing Home Missions
Joyful Life Ministries is less than three years old; a baby church compared with many of the churches in our community. So I was pleased when we were able to host and sponsor two foreign missionaries as Partners in Missions at the end of last year. We’ve been blessed to receive financial contributions from family members and friends from other churches in our short time on the home mission field. We appreciate the help that this has provided to our church in these early stages of building a new work. It means so much to us to be able to show that same kindness to our friends who are going to the foreign mission field.
What a great approach to achieving Global Impact! Joyful Life Ministries began with a purpose that included having an Apostolic influence around the world. Supporting our foreign missionaries helps accomplish this.
One of the struggles of our foreign missionaries is having limited churches to visit while raising funds to begin their ministry. As we build more churches here in the states we help solve this problem. Thus, home missions benefit foreign missions – a perfect circle? Almost. What could bring things full circle? As more churches are fully established on the foreign missions field, could they help build more home missions churches? Are there any churches so established on the foreign mission field that they are starting daughter works? I believe I know of some and hopefully, this revival trend will spread.
In the 21st century, the lines between home missions and foreign missions are fading. Technology has allowed us to cross barriers and oceans within seconds. This fact will help us achieve Global Impact. It also challenges us to create a perfect circle of support for home and foreign missions both building new churches with no borders or boundaries. When giving becomes multi-directional and we no longer see stark distinctions in missions, we’ll truly have a Global Impact on the whole world with the whole Gospel.
