Vision

Imagine with us a time in the future where First Baptist Church is entirely convinced that it is our responsibility as a local church to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ across geographic, linguistic, and ethnic barriers. Realizing that we have limited resources (people and finances) we decide to be very focused on a handful of missionaries who are engaged in evangelism and the planting and strengthening of churches. We are so convinced of this that a significant portion of our annual budget is earmarked for this endeavour alone. But it’s not only money that we give to this endeavour. What if we actively engage in training up our missionaries to go into all the world? What if some of our people make commitments and we come alongside them and provide half their support? If we know them before they go, we will be praying for them! When they have a need, we will send them a short-term team to help! When they get discouraged, we will bombard them with prayer, emails, letters, care packages and, if possible, visits! Then when they come home for furlough, half of their time will be with us! This model will help solidify our relationship with the missionary and aid their effectiveness on the field. In other words, we would rather go deep with a few than shallow with many. 

Preliminary Convictions
  • We believe that the task of evangelizing the globe is the responsibility of the local church (Acts 13:3; Philippians 4:15, 16; 3 John 1-8).  
  • We also acknowledge (as seen in the New Testament and church history) that the gospel is what fuels such world evangelism. Where there is a joy in the gospel, evangelism to the nations will follow.
  • We believe that the local church is where faithful missionaries are made. It is in this context that we can best assess character, fruitfulness and Bible knowledge of candidates.
  • We also believe that sending, supporting and ongoing care of missionaries is primarily the responsibility of the local church. Such support should be rooted in relationship, financially generous and attached to ongoing care and accountability.
  • We also acknowledge that the local church has limited God-given resources and therefore we should wisely and intentionally distribute these resources.
  • Finally, we recognize the value in partnering with other local churches (through networks, associations and denomination) in the sending and supporting of missionaries.

Considering these convictions, we believe the following items are necessary:

Foundational Pieces
  1. A humble attitude and habit of Kingdom Prayer – We recognize that the task of world evangelization is hopeless without the work of the Spirit. In light of this, FBC must be continuously reminded of the trustworthy Scripture promises that God is “totally committed to rescuing the nations from the bondage of sin and Satan and turning vast multitudes into followers” (C. John Miller) of Christ (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8; Matthew 28:16-20). Therefore, the elders of FBC are tasked with providing ongoing opportunities for FBC to call upon the name of the Lord to accomplish what He has promised and obeying Christ’s call to ask for labourers for the harvest (Luke 10:1-2).
  2. An intentional, ongoing training of deacons, elders (pastors), church planters and missionaries. If we believe that the Lord raises up faithful missionaries from within the local church, then it is necessary that the church is intentionally engaged in raising up godly leaders from which missionaries may be found. The elders of the church will need to execute a discipleship plan that includes the equipping of such leaders.
  3. A congregation that knows and loves the gospel – If world evangelism springs from joy in the gospel, then it is critical that the elders of FBC are very engaged in declaring and teaching the gospel. Every member at FBC should not only know the gospel, but also be equipped to speak the gospel to themselves (i.e., knowing the Scripture and claiming it), to one another and to their spheres of influence.
  4. Network & Partner – If we are to do the task of missions well, we will need to partner with like-minded Mission Boards, Church Planting Networks, “Deacon Care” Ministries and Training Schools (i.e., Bible Schools, Seminaries, etc.).
Critical Definitions
  1. Missions: The unique, deliberate gospel mission of the Church to make disciples of all nations. It is evangelism that takes the gospel across ethnic, linguistic, and geographical boundaries, that gathers churches, and teaches them to obey everything Jesus commanded.
  2. Missionary: Someone identified and sent out by local churches to make the gospel known and to gather, serve and strengthen local churches across ethnic, linguistic, and geographic divides. 
Clarification

FBC recognizes that our above definitions could leave out the importance of working towards the planting of churches in Canada, as well as the importance of being engaged in various mercy ministries (e.g., widow, poor, vulnerable). We would suggest that the FBC vision and budget would not ignore the importance of these ministries. Our budget should reflect separate lines for each of these important areas of ministry; for the sake of clarity, we see the wisdom in highlighting these distinctions.

FBC Missionary Assessment Tool

This assessment tool is meant to guide the process of deciding whether an individual or married couple is the right fit to become a missionary candidate with FBC. The following questions assume that FBC has a relationship with the candidate to have answered these questions well. The questions should be given a rating from 1 to 5 (with 5 being a strong affirmation). We would suggest that the elders complete this assessment and give the candidate a green light (an excellent fit with FBC Missions), a yellow light (we see definite potential but have some suggestions for next steps), or a red light (we do not see this candidate as the right fit for FBC; we may or may not encourage the candidate to pursue other churches). 

  1. Is the candidate/couple a Christian? Born-again? Is there evidence of spiritual fruit?
  2. Has the candidate/couple passed a police check?
  3. If married, is this couple’s relationship healthy?
  4. Is the candidate/couple adequately able to fulfill necessary administrative tasks?
  5. Has the candidate/couple (by God’s grace) been able to successfully navigate crisis in their own lives?
  6. Does this candidate/couple affirm the statement of faith at FBC?
  7. Does this candidate/couple agree with the FBC’s ethical statement?
  8. Is this candidate/couple a member at FBC? If not at FBC, then where is the candidate/couple a member in good standing?
  9. Would this candidate/couple be qualified to be an elder or deacon at FBC?
  10. Does this candidate know the Gospel and is this candidate/couple able to articulate the Gospel?
  11. Has this candidate/couple had cross-cultural experience?
  12. Does this candidate/couple have a skill set that would allow them entry into the country of their choosing?
  13. Does this candidate/couple have a track record of evangelism and discipleship in their local context?
  14. Is there a strong relationship with FBC?
  15. Is the spouse of this candidate in agreement with their direction into missions?
  16. What is this candidate’s philosophy of ministry? Plan for discipleship?
  17. Has the candidate/couple been properly equipped for missions? (i.e., language training, cultural awareness, etc.)

Once a candidate has been assessed and given a green light by the elders, the final step would be to have the FBC members vote in agreement with this decision.