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Revised 2009 Missions, as used in this document, and all documents of Waukesha Bible Church, refers to the carrying out of the Mission of God which we believe to be the making, maturing, and assembling of disciples of Jesus Christ by local churches into local churches for the strengthening and building up of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). In each generation, we believe that God has delegated to every individual in the local church the above mission of advancing His kingdom on earth to their generation (Matt. 28:19-20). Practically, this necessitates that we as a church be intentional in corporately proclaiming the message of Christ to every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9), and then continuing the process of advancing God’s kingdom to succeeding generations by making disciples of those who believe and encouraging them to meet together as an assembly or a local church. As a result we will actively be strengthening existing churches and establishing new ones for the glory of God. We believe that a local church, by definition, is: A group of people who by grace believe and trust in the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and salvation from the punishment which would have been poured out on them by the righteous God. This group of believers commit to one body and thus operate in submission to each other by participating in baptism, in meeting together weekly to listen to teaching from God’s Word, in prayer, fellowship, singing of songs, the breaking of bread, and giving (Acts 2:47; Eph. 5:18-21; Col. 3:15-17). They are lead by a local group of elders/shepherds who care for the flock through the teaching of the Word, prayer, and mentoring/discipleship (Titus 1:5-11; Acts 20:28-32). This group of believers recognize Jesus Christ as their head and therefore are corporately involved as his body in the Mission of God (Phil. 1:27; 1 Thess. 1:6-10) and are actively assisting and equipping those within the assembly to go forth in this endeavor (2 Tim. 2:2; Acts 13:1-3). WBC “missionary” personnel: WBC will recognize two distinct yet vital offices in her endeavor to plant churches locally, nationally, and globally, they are as follows (and collectively they will be referred to as CPP -Church Planting Personnel- throughout these documents): 1) Elders. We believe that Church Planters, by their gifting (able to teach, shepherd qualities, spiritual leadership, given to prayer) fall under the category of a Biblical elder. Therefore they will function in the elder role. The qualifications for a Church Planting elder will be the same qualifications we hold elders of this body to. The distinct difference between a local elder of WBC and a church planting elder is that they will require monetary support because the bulk of their time will be spent in ministry. A Church Planting Elder of WBC will therefore directly and immediately engage in proclaiming the gospel with the intention of making and maturing disciples and gathering them into a local church which will duplicate the church-planting process. 2) Deacons. We believe that Church Planting Support Personnel, by their gifting fall under the category of a Biblical deacon. Therefore they will function in the deacon role. The qualifications for off-sight deacons will be the same qualifications we hold deacons of this body to. These deacons will require monetary support because they will directly assist in the church planting process by providing a physical support and/or spiritual encouragement for off-sight WBC elders/church planters. We believe that carrying out the Mission of God is accomplished as a community of believers (Phil. 1:27; Eph. 2:19-22; 4:15-16). Therefore, individual CPP financially supported by WBC are extensions of her missionary responsibility to areas of the world which under normal circumstances are difficult to reach. CPP are not independent entities but extensions of the WBC believing family because CPP are sent through and supported by local churches as stated in the Mission of God. Therefore, all male CP elders should be trained and mentored by existing elders within the context of WBC, function as an elder for a time at WBC, and then be sent out by the WBC body to continue this process. Although there is flexibility in regards to CP Deacons, they likewise will be encouraged to function as a deacon in the context of WBC before being sent out to support primarily WBC CP elders. We do not believe that we have an obligation to financially support deacons whose primary ministry would be to support elders/church planters from another church other than WBC. Areas of missional service: The elders of WBC are endeavoring to ensure that our missional efforts as a church are focused and intentional. Therefore we have specific geographic locations which we are targeting, and we have strategic goals and plans for reaching these geographic areas. As elders, we will endeavor to instill an interest and connection to these geographic areas within our body from youth to adult. As a result, we desire to meet with each individual who feels called to be a CP elder or deacon. Because we believe that an individual’s “call” to vocational ministry comes primarily from God and principally through the local church and her leadership (Acts 13:1ff), the elders believe that where a candidate goes to serve is conditioned upon the direction and response of the local church and her leadership. Therefore the individual from within our congregation who feels the call of God to be a CP elder or deacon will be required to share their vision with the elders of WBC stating how they believe their efforts will help to promote the mission of WBC to these geographic locations. The elders, in a spirit of shepherding and cooperation, will pray and discuss together with the candidate the course of action to be taken and where they believe God would locate the individual in accordance with their passion and gifting while continuing to maintain their focus upon these specific geographic locations. Qualifications for financial support: As elders, we believe that there are many efforts within and without the local church which are commendable, but do not fall under our vision of carrying out the Mission of God in that they are not solely sourced in a local church or are not solely seeking to strengthen local churches or establish new ones. Therefore WBC will be intentional to accommodate both ideals within the stated geographic locations. We do not, however, feel obligated to extend our financial support to those ministries which would be outside the stated geographic locations. Therefore, the elders of WBC, will actively support both financially and spiritually those who have been mentored, qualified as elders, and sent out from our local assembly to geographic areas we have already targeted to accomplish the goals which we have stated. Those from within or without the WBC family who desire to be funded by WBC but do not meet these qualifications will not be accepted. (The elders will also reevaluate existing “missionaries” in light of the mission of WBC and make adjustments to their financial support in accordance with this priority.) The level of financial support will be in accordance with the CPP’s size of family, foreign or domestic location, and ministerial needs. Therefore there will not be a set amount for each elder or for each deacon, but each will be evaluated on an individual basis. With the global structure that exists and due to the difficulty of gaining permanent residence in some countries, we understand that there is a need for mission organizations to assist the local church in the sending of CPP to foreign fields. However, the mission organization should work with and for the local church and not visa versa. Although we encourage believers to be faithful to follow God’s call upon their lives wherever that may be, WBC will only consider funding CPP who are in para-church organizations that fall under the WBC mission statement. Raising of financial support: In the area of raising financial support, since the CPP will be facilitating the goals of the elders of WBC, then the elders feel a responsibility to assist the CPP in raising that financial support. Therefore if the CPP will be short of what is needed to head to their place of service, the elders will contact leaders from other surrounding churches and ask for their assistance. Also, if other elders from other local churches request the assistance of WBC, we will seek to work in a spirit of cooperation with them. We believe that this could lead to a community of churches which work together to accomplish the Mission of God in specific geographic locations. Accountability for WBC family CPP: WBC will continue their shepherding responsibility for the CPP, the decisions they make, and their behavior on and off the field. They will provide Scriptural encouragement through books or sermons, uphold the CPP in regular prayer, keep the CPP current on WBC happenings, and respond to the needs of the CPP. Likewise, the CPP will be responsible to submit to the shepherding of the elders, continue ongoing dialogue with them, send monthly ministry updates, submit year-end financial budgets, and return on home assignment to serve in some capacity within WBC. Accountability for non-WBC family CPP: If WBC is assisting another local church in supporting a CPP who meets our qualifications, then the WBC family will be responsible to keep the CPP current on WBC happenings, uphold the CPP in regular prayer, respond to the needs of the CPP, and encourage them with books and sermons. Likewise, the CPP will be responsible to send monthly ministry updates, submit year-end financial budgets, and upon their return on home assignment will be required to share their ministry to the WBC family. CPP not sent from within the WBC family: If another church with a similar mission statement and similar core values desires the assistance in funding a CPP, the elders would seek to assist that church in this manner. As stated above, our vision to reach specific geographic locations will be the basis from which we will operate in this partnership. We as elders understand that returning CPP need to address various ministry obligations between the different local churches which support them financially. In order to facilitate this network of churches, the CPP and sending church will seek to establish a plan of action which allows the CPP to fully engage in his sending/home church and fulfill the various ministry obligations within the network of supporting churches. Stateside Church Plant: All church plants, whether local or foreign, will be viewed in light of this document. Therefore stateside CPP will need to abide by the same qualifications and adhere to the same standards of accountability. For a local church plant (in the United States) it would be profitable that the church planter be a tent maker in the community in which they hope to plant a church. Being a tent maker encourages involvement in the culture and people they are trying to reach. As a result, this tent making would supplement the monetary support of WBC or subsequent “mother church”. Since there will be a shift in application of this mission statement, there will be a different dispensation to those missionaries who are already apart of the WBC outreach world-wide. Starting in January of 2009 and extending over the course of the next 5 years, we will seek to implement this statement fully and abide by it in all of our decisions. SHORT TERM MISSIONS: WBC funded short term missions trips of shorter than 3 months will be only those trips in which the participant visits and assists or encourages/shepherds a WBC [Missionary]. All other short term missions trips, though good, will not be directly funded by the WBC mission’s budget. Short term mission trips of 3 months or longer in which the participant may or may not be involved in mercy type ministries will be evaluated by the elders on an individual basis to determine whether the short term ministry will assist WBC in reaching her goals as a missional church. What’s the NEXT STEP?
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