What is a "Sending Agency?”
Have you ever wondered...
How does a missionary get to West Papua, Indonesia? (Picture above)
Who takes care of:
- the visas
- finding a place to live
- inter-cultural training
- Bible training
- support raising & accounting
- accountability
- family crisis response
- emergency response, furloughs, missionary reintegration after serving in the field... and the list goes on!
While some churches attempt to supply and support all of these needs for their missionaries internally, many others employ the help of a third-party “Missions Agency” or “Sending Agency”.
These third-party organizations, in most cases, are not meant to replace the church in the sending of missionaries, but rather to augment and walk alongside the local church in the sending process.
One Mission Society
To shed some light on how churches and sending agencies can work together, I asked a good friend, Paul Keller, Mobilization Director from One Mission Society (OMS), Greenwood IN, to share with us a little of what sending agencies like OMS bring to the mix.
From Paul Keller - Mobilization Director, OMS
Sending missionaries to share the hope of the Gospel is a much larger and complex endeavor than most people realize.
Organizations like OMS (established in 1901) exist to bring a depth of experience and understanding to the "Sending Process" which then allows missionaries and churches to concentrate on what they do best - Sharing Jesus.
Missiologist Ralph Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission, once compared the local church to a Soldier’s Family— a soldier's source of indispensable love - while sending or missions agencies are like the Army - providing the functional needs and training that a soldier needs to succeed on a daily basis.
Both roles are essential to fulfill the mission - The Great Commission.
Sending Agency Contributions
At One Mission Society, and other agencies like ours, we provide the practical and strategic support that enables missionaries to thrive:
- Handling HR complexities (visas, taxes, healthcare...)
- Cross-cultural acclimation training
- Coaching missionaries through support raising
- Creating long-term, culturally sensitive strategies for each mission location
- Third-culture support for missionary children
- Accountability for finances
- Accountability for mission execution
- Navigating emergencies on the field
- Furlough planning
- And MORE...
Synergies of the Whole Church
John Stott once wrote:
“Missions is not the responsibility of a few hyperactive enthusiasts in the church, but of the whole church.”
Today, we are witnessing a renewed awakening in the Global Church—a growing conviction that the Great Commission could be completed within our generation IF we all work together as God's people!
Across denominations, there's a fresh clarity around Jesus’ command to reach every people group, and a rising interest in the synergies that result from collaboration with all groups, including sending agencies, who are striving towards that goal...
To read more from Paul about how sending agencies might help your church participate more fully in the Great Commission, CLICK HERE.
Three Strand People
In proverbs 12:14 (NIV) we read:
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
After almost 30 years in missions, we can tell you personally - Missions is tough! When churches or missionaries choose the "one strand cord" approach in the sending of missionaries, they are bringing undue stress and hardship on themselves.
God gave us the body of the Church, rich in resources, so we can be "three strand" people in all we do. Engaging specialist like OMS to give our missionaries the fullest support possible is, in reality, engaging God's gifts to the fullest.
