CBC Missions Policy

Purpose

To follow the command of Jesus Christ to go, making disciples of all peoples by convincing, equipping, sending, and overseeing the body of believers at Camelback Bible Church to minister to those outside the local church.

Clarification of terms used in the purpose statement: Command of Jesus: Live the Gospel, proclaim the Gospel, make disciples.

Peoples: Spiritual harvest fields existing outside the ministries of the local church, including: Individuals and communities within the mainstream American culture (our "Jerusalem"). Individuals and communities in America which are not within the mainstream American culture, especially ethnic minority, poor and dysfunctional populations not within our CBC community or subculture (our "Judea").

Convincing: Informing, teaching, persuading.

Equipping: Discipling, guiding, resourcing.

Sending: Recognizing, commissioning.

Overseeing: Facilitating, supporting, evaluating.

To minister: Love, intercede for, engage, serve, evangelize, disciple.

The local church: Camelback Bible Church.

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 28:18-20: Going in Christ's authority to disciple those in all nations; baptizing and teaching them toward obedience.

Colossians 1:27-29: Presenting every person complete in Christ and working to this end by means of his daily enablement.

Romans 10:13-15: Sending those who are moved by God's spirit to preach Christ.

Matthew 9:35-38: Being compassionate toward the lost and broken world and expressing this by life, word and action.

Luke 4:18-19: Ministering to the need of the whole person through the church, in order that the many faceted wisdom of God may be displayed.

Ephesians 4:12-16: Equipping the saints for service toward the building up of the Body of Christ.

POLICY, POLICY REVISIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

Policy: Policy and revision of policy is recommended as needed by the Missions Committee and approved by the board of Elders of Camelback Bible Church.

Exceptions: It is intended that these policies be followed. However, should it be advisable, exceptions can be made at any time but must be approved by a simple majority of the total number of voting members of the Missions Committee, and must be recorded in the minutes as an exception. Exceptions are subject to review by the Board of Elders via copy of the Missions Committee minutes.

Policy Records: The Secretaries of the Board of Elders and of the Missions Committee will maintain an up-to-date copy of missions policy. Each policy will carry the month and year of adoption or revision.

GOALS/PRIORITIES

Intentionally to link the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel, leading to discipleship. (Concerned with the intentional linkage of evangelism, ministry to physical and social needs, and discipleship.)

To mobilize our members for ministry. (Concerned with seeing all members conscious of and fulfilling their spiritual responsibility toward Missions.)

To develop and send our own people. (Concerned with the development and sending of our own members in preference over supporting missionaries from other congregations.)

To develop within the church body an awareness of the absolute necessity of, the practice, and positive results from, intercessory prayer for the extension of the Kingdom throughout the world, and specifically for our missionaries and members who are engaged in Missions.

To provide adequate support for our own "sent" missionaries and those recognized in lay ministry at home. To maintain reciprocal accountability between CBC and its missionaries. (Concerned about being accountable to and having accountability from those officially supported and/or recognized by CBC).

To support Third World missionaries and Missions efforts. (Concerned with supporting Missions efforts which are based from the Third World, while recognizing potential problems including dependency.)

To build up and work from the local church. (Concerned that our Missions efforts directly enhance the work of local churches.)

To serve through partnerships with other churches. (Concerned with developing partnerships with Third World and/or US urban churches in joint Missions efforts.)

To reach unreached peoples. (Concerned with giving priority to those who have had less exposure to the Gospel, including the unevangelized in our Jerusalem and Samaria.)

To encourage multiplication. (Concerned that new Missions efforts are evaluated on their potential to reproduce, extending the Kingdom.)

To seek geographic and cultural balance. (Concerned that our Missions program be representative of the geographic and cultural diversity of the world's harvest fields.)

MISSIONS COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Chair: The Chair of the Missions Committee is appointed by the Board of Elders for a term of four years.

Members: Members of the Missions Committee are chosen from the church membership by the Chair of the Missions Committee, subject to ratification by the Board of Elders.

Size and Composition: The Missions Committee should be no less than five nor more than twelve members. The Missions Committee shall have one representative from the Board of Elders and should be representative of the CBC membership--college age and above. As we seek to serve our missionaries in the most effective way, it is encouraged that CBC missionaries in residence (temporarily living in the area) are invited to serve as ex-officio members of the Missions Committee - enabling "field experience" to participate in the activities of the Missions Committee. For the same reason, CBC missionaries who are serving locally and fellowship regularly at CBC may also serve as members of the Missions Committee (subject to the same membership selection process as outlined under Members: above). For any case where a personal or organizational conflict of financial interest may arise between a member serving on the Missions Committee and the actions of the Missions Committee, that member is required to remove himself/herself from the pertinent voting privileges of said actions.

Term: The term of committee membership is four years. Members may serve for unlimited successive terms upon request of the Chair.

Meetings: The Missions Committee shall meet the first Tuesday of each month, and at other times as requested by the Chair.

Officers: The officers of the Missions Committee shall be the Chair and the Vice Chair, and other officers as deemed advisable. The Vice Chair and other officers are appointed by the Chair and serve at the request of the Chair. Committees: The Missions Committee shall have standing and auxiliary committees. The nature and members of the committee is determined by the Missions Committee.

Duties of the Missions Committee: The duties of the Missions Committee include the following:

Recommend and implement policy.

Set specific, measurable goals of the Missions/outreach program of CBC.

Provide vision and leadership in the development and implementation of the Missions efforts of CBC.

Oversee, coordinate, administer and evaluate CBC Missions efforts.

Stimulate the CBC members to seek God's will in terms of their direct involvement in the missions endeavor of the church.

Encourage and guide all those within the CBC membership to seek involvement in missionary outreach.

Recommend the annual budget for CBC Missions activities.

Work in coordination with the Finance Committee to monitor support and disbursements for CBC missions activities.

Maintain accountability for our own "sent" missionaries and those recognized in lay ministry at home in relations to their lives and ministries.

Provide reasonable assurance that Missions/outreach projects funded and/or recognized by CBC are consistent with the Goal/Priority Statement.

Duties of the members of the Missions Committee:

Attend committee meetings.

Serve on one or more sub-committees as assigned.

Pray daily for missionaries assigned to respective committee members.

Communicate monthly (by letter, phone, computer, or in person) with assigned missionaries.

Carry out other assigned responsibilities.

Maintain a binder to be brought to each meeting of the Committee, containing updated Missions policies, Committee minutes, and related Committee correspondence and records.

CHURCH/MISSIONARY RELATIONSHIPS

Criteria for selection:

Ministry should comply with the Goal/Priority Statement.

Meet the biblical standards for leadership as described in Titus 1:7-9.

Have a clearly defined call of God on their lives for vocational missionary service that is discernible by the leadership of CBC.

Have evident competence to carry out the stated missionary call.

Term of relationship:

It is the desire of CBC to enter into and maintain long-term relationships with its missionaries.

Terms of relationship with career missionaries are renewable terms of five years, or the period of field assignment plus furlough (with maximum of one year furlough), whichever is shorter.

Any significant change of personal or ministry status and/or type of service for which CBC has undertaken support of a missionary, may precipitate re-evaluation of the relationship (including financial support) irrespective of the length of the existing commitment.

Provision and Accountability--CBC to Missionary:

Maintain consistent level of committed financial support.

Pray daily for missionary.

Communicate monthly with news of CBC (and tapes of Sunday messages as desired by the missionary.)

Supply CBC required forms.

Distribute relevant information from the missionary to the CBC membership for prayer and other appropriate response.

Encourage visits (including work teams) by representative(s) of CBC membership to the field of the missionary at least once per term.

Accountability--Missionary to CBC:

Pray daily for CBC.

Send required Missionary Report and general prayer letters to CBC.

Forward to CBC an annual or term (whichever is more frequent) evaluation of the missionary by his/her field supervisor or other appropriate Missions board person. The CBC request (and missionary's response) will be through the missionary, rather than through his/her board. The missionary shall be responsible to forward the completed report.

Within three months of the close of the missionary's fiscal year, submit a financial report. This report will be requested from the individual missionary or couple, who may complete the report or send it to their Missions for completion. It is the missionary who shall be responsible for the completed report being submitted by the date requested. The report should include the following: (a) Total financial support goals with a breakdown of categories such as salary, benefits, ministry support activities, special projects, etc. (b) Total income from all churches and other institutions (by name) contributing to the missionary's support, with the amount or percentage of support from each. (c) Total combined income from individual donors (but not a listing of individual donors or their contributions). (Total of (b) and (c) should equal 100% of income.)

Notify CBC of home leaves. In the event of non-emergency, or study, home leaves and/or furloughs, be available for ministry at CBC for the percentage of leave time equivalent to the percentage of financial support provided by CBC toward the respective missionary's budget.

In the event of change of status in the field and/or type of service, or of leaving missionary service, the missionary will provide CBC with a timely report of the change.

In the event of a change of status, or of non-emergency home leave and/or furlough, the missionary will be available for a review and evaluation meeting with the Elders and/or Missions Committee of CBC.

MISSIONARY/OUTREACH SPEAKERS OR PRESENTERS AT CBC

Approval:

Prior notice must be given to the Missions Committee of all speakers.

Approved missionaries, ministries, or projects do not need Missions Committee approval, but written notification at least two weeks prior to the presentation is to be made to the Missions Committee.

Non-approved missionaries, ministries, or projects for which any type of participation is requested do need Missions Committee approval before speaking or presenting to any formally organized group of CBC. Request for approval must be received in writing five weeks prior to the proposed date of the presentation. Notices and requests are to be sent to the Missions Committee, attn.: Missions Chair. This may be made by mail or delivered to the Missions Committee mail box in the church office. Criteria for approval:

Agreement with the Doctrinal Statement of CBC.

Written documentation of the nature and philosophy of the requesting ministry. A personal interview, as deemed necessary, by the Missions Committee.

Congruence with the Missions Policy of Camelback Bible Church (especially Policy Goals/Priorities) as determined by the Elders and Missions Committee.

Does not unnecessarily duplicate already approved ministries.

Missionary Education:

The Missions Committee shall coordinate a missions education program for the overall congregation and for each identifiable group, such as an adult education class.

Missionary Recruitment and Training:

CBC is committed to challenging its members to a positive response to the great commission. The methods will include: (a) Challenges through the Missions Education Program of CBC. (b) Encourage and counseling those who respond to the challenge. (c) Discern the nature of the reality of God's call to Missions for those who have responded.

CBC recognizes the opportunity and responsibility to provide local church-based missions training. We are not currently prepared to provide this training, but state our conviction that training should be provided as resources are available.

The Board of Elders may recommend people it deems have been called out by God for missionary service.

Missions Conference/Events:

The missions program of CBC should be sufficiently strong to make traditional annual missions conferences unnecessary. The Missions Committee will, as appropriate, take advantage of opportunities such as furlough visits by the missionaries to hold events that will promote missions awareness and the kingdom outreach of CBC members.

Visiting Missionary Hospitality:

It is the intent of the Missions Committee to extend a high level of hospitality to visiting missionaries which will communicate to them that they and their ministries are valued and respected as representatives of CBC.

Ongoing Education for CBC Financially Supported Missionaries:

In principle, CBC supports the concept of continuing education which enhances the ability of our missionaries to carry out their ministry. When in the view of CBC continuing education requires a significant redirection of ministry time and/or energy from that for which the missionary is supported by CBC, CBC reserves the right to evaluate its relationship to the missionary. Missionaries are requested to keep CBC informed of any plans which include a change of status, including plans for continuing education.

CBC-sponsored Short-term Service:

Short-term is defined as missionary service of two years or less.

CBC-sponsored short-term service is any less-than-two year missionary activity in a field setting at home or abroad, sponsored by CBC or any department of CBC. Such short-term activity is under the direction of the respective sponsoring department. Criteria, terms, financial and other logistical issues are to be worked out at the discretion of the respective departments and communicated to the Missions Committee.

Independently sponsored Short-term Service:

Short-term is defined as missionary service less than one year in length.

Criteria: Criteria for selection of personnel for short-term service include the same criteria listed for long-term missionaries. Since many of those approaching CBC for short-term service will be younger than career missionaries, their youth will be taken into account in the evaluation of their qualification for service.

Additional criteria include but are not limited to regular attendance at CBC six months prior to their application for service, and adequate training for and supervision of the short-term responsibilities.

FINANCIAL POLICIES

Preparation and Approval of Missions Budget:

The Missions Committee will prepare and recommend a missions budget to the Board of Elders in a timely manner to be considered with the annual church budget.

Development of Financial Support for the Missions Budget:

The missions budget is a component of the unified budget of CBC. As the Lord enables, the goal of the missions budget is at least 25% of the General fund by the year 2000. The plan to reach that goal is through incremental increases. The goal for 1997 is 16% of the General fund, 19% in 1998, and 22% in 1999. When that level is reached, the appropriate percentage of the missions portion of the budget will be re-evaluated.

The missionary support portion of the budget will be guaranteed at the same priority level as church staff salaries.

Priorities in the Missions Budget Expenditures:

The order of expenditure priorities is as follows:

Long- and short-term missionary support, including local outreach personnel.

Other budgeted or special project needs, as determined by the Missions Committee.

Process and Criteria of Selection of Missionaries and Projects to be Supported:

The selection of missionaries and projects to be supported is as follows:

Written proposal by the missionary to the Missions Committee.

Recommendation by the Missions Committee to the Board of Elders.

Decision by the Board of Elders.

The criteria for selection will be:

A sense of the positive leadership of the Holy Spirit in regard to this missionary for this ministry, by both the Missions Committee and the Board of Elders.

Concord with the Missions Policy Statement of Goals and Priorities.

Support Levels, Commencement and Termination:

· Support level shall be determined by:

Approval by Missions Committee of the submitting missionary or project budget.

Recommendation by the Missions Committee to the Board of Elders and approval by the Board of Elders for the level of support.

Availability of missions funding.

The goal is that each missionary commissioned by CBC be supported by CBC to 51% of the missionary's total individual budget.

Support can begin after budget approval by the Board of Elders, on or after the initiation date of the approved budget.

Support will terminate:

On the termination of the relationship between the missionary and their sending board or the termination of a project.

On the recommendation of the Missions Committee and decision of the Board of Elders. Note: The Elders maintain discretionary authority in relation to all decisions relating to termination of support. Evaluation and Revision of Support:

Support levels shall be reviewed and/or revised during the missionary evaluation at the end of the missionary term, or, in the case of ongoing projects, at the conclusion of the approved budget period. Support levels may be evaluated at any time at the discretion of the Missions Committee. Missionary Benefit:

The Missions Committee requires that supported missionaries be covered by what the committee deems as adequate health and life insurance.

The Missions Committee recommends that supported missionaries set aside appropriate funds for benefits including education and retirement.

Missionaries Lacking Adequate Support:

As necessary, the Missions Committee will work with missionaries and their sending boards in determining the minimum level of adequate support for each missionary and assist in the meeting of shortfalls. If these efforts fail and the level of support drops below what the Missions Committee determines is the necessary minimum, the Missions Committee reserves the right to recommend to the Board of Elders that the missionary's support be terminated.

Special Projects and Designated Giving:

Designated funds for CBC-supported missionaries, local outreach personnel, and/or their CBC Missions Committee approved ministry are considered support above and beyond the approved budgeted support from CBC.

Funds designated to CBC-supported missionaries which are above the amounts needed to meet needs which are set by the sending agency and/or CBC will be disbursed in a timely manner to the designee up to a cumulative amount of $1,000 during the calendar year. Funds above $1,000 will be disbursed at the discretion of the Missions Committee after discussion with the donor and designee.

Designated missions giving for non-approved missionaries or projects will be returned to the donors. When this is not possible, those funds will be credited to the General fund of CBC.

Honoraria and Expenses:

The Missions Committee will ensure that missionary speakers' approved expenses related to the presentation will be covered and that appropriate honoraria and/or love offering will be given.

Solicitation of Funds:

Any missions project, missionary, or missionary representative seeking funds from CBC and/or its membership must have approval by the Missions Committee and the Board of Elders prior to soliciting funds. Family members and close personal friends within CBC are exempted.

General prayer letter mailings are exceptions to the above guidelines.