Returning Home
A few weekends ago I was sitting in a church service and a couple of missionaries gave a report about their work in a far off land.
They had normal clothes on. I remember going to church as a kid and seeing how they dressed when they came back to report to the church. Well in 2010 these guys had their PowerPoint or Keynote slide show and some videos embedded into their slide show. They told about some of the neat ways God was working among their people.
If you know me well you will know that I am quite keen on Acts 13 and the Antioch church or better known in some circles as a good model for a sending church. I love talking about how a church sends out their missionaries. But what happens after they leave for the field?
Do you forget about them? How do you learn about what they are doing and how can that be useful for the church?
So as I sat there I had this question.
How did Paul and Barnabas report back to their church?
I found this in Acts.
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
24Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been( commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28And they remained no little time with the disciples. Acts 14:24-28
They had been traveling. They had seen people come to faith. They had made disciples. They had seen churches planted.
They had fulfilled the work for that trip.
They had witnessed God move in some amazing and powerful ways.
They had stories to tell.
So they gathered the church and told them all that God had done with them.
I like how Paul and Barnabas took the initiative with that meeting. I sometimes laugh to myself at the thought of a worker calling home to their church saying “scratch the programming ideas for this week we are going to meet this Sunday and talk about my mission work. Smile.
Honestly I think it can be a challenge today to report back to your church or churches! It makes me wonder.
How do you invite yourself?
Do you wait to be invited?
What if your home church has no interest or lost interest in your work?
How do you work with a church to a point where you can talk with them once you return home for furlough or stateside mobilization?
How do you report back to your church?
- Is it better to give a talk / presentation to the entire church?
- Is it better to talk with a small group or bible study within the church?
- Do you plan a some special event (dinner or café) ?
I would like to hear your thoughts, ideas, feedback or pushback on this?
Next up? What do you say when you actually have an audience?
I’m doing this very thing in a few hours at my home church (telling them about what God has been doing in/through me). I’ve got the PowerPoint, but my little embedded videos are giving me problems. =)
Personally, I try not to invite myself to churches. I try to turn my thinking around to how I can serve them. What does this church need from me? I let them know I’ll be in the area and that I’m here to serve them in any way that I can. That keeps me from trying to ‘sell’ myself or the role God has me in. At least that’s my aim.
Todd, I like what you are doing about turning the conversation around in how can you serve them. I think sometimes even churches think that the partnership they have with you is mostly towards how they can help you so when we talk to churches they are wondering what is our “ask” this time. I think it is very wise to find ways to get to know them, pray for them and serve them. Great thought. Thanks.