Faith Promise—The Right Tools for the Mission Tool Box

 
by Mark Lail
  

Editor’s Note: This article was originally printed in the March 2010 (dot)Stewardship e-newsletter. It is reprinted with permission.
 
Like many men, I am a collector and user of tools. There is no substitute for the right tool, as I have proven on those times when I have hammered with a shovel and shoveled with a hammer. Well beyond those “make-do” situations, the right tool skillfully at use in the hand of an expert artisan is a thing of beauty.

Eric Sloane says, “Like the nails on a beast’s paws, old tools were so much an extension of a man’s hand or an added appendage to his arm that the resulting workmanship seemed to flow directly from the body of the maker and to carry something of himself into the work.” Sloan obviously hadn’t observed me opening a can of soup with a pocket knife. Thankfully, I have outgrown that stage in life where I thought every problem could be solved with a bigger hammer and a cutting torch. Even though I learned some lessons slowly, the lesson is that there is no substitute for the right tool in the tool box.
  
In raising money for the World Evangelism Fund, the local church has a full tool box. The new percentage-based plan, Funding the Mission, opens the door to greater flexibility. All the tools common to the old formula, such as Easter and Thanksgiving offerings and Faith Promise are still in the box. Additionally, Nazarene churches connect with the global mission through a variety of creative new methods, such as partnerships, NCM, Mission Corps, Work & Witness, JESUS Film, and a variety of creative Mission Specials.
 
Some interpret the new tithe-like missional giving goal, 5.5 percent for Nazarene churches across the world, as a “weekly cut” of regular offerings—certainly a tool that some could use, but the variety of tools for raising money for the World Evangelism Fund is far more extensive. The Easter and Thanksgiving offerings and Faith Promise—tools for extending the reach of the local church globally—are a fit with Funding the Mission. Nazarene churches have never been more connected to the global mission of the
Church of the Nazarene than they are today.
 
Connect by subscribing to Engage, an electronic publication rich with current stories of how the Lord is making Christlike disciples around the globe. Use the video resources produced by Global Communications during worship experiences. Explore the teaching and promotional resources offered by Stewardship Ministries and made available at no cost on the Media Library. The toolbox is full, and there is a tool that’s right for your church.
 
Explore the many new ways of getting members to connect with the 600+ commissioned and volunteer missionaries. It is possible that the Wednesday night mission service is no longer a tool in your box. If it is still useful, then use it. If not, then explore some the new tools. Why not challenge every member of your church to find five Nazarene missionaries and subscribe to their electronic newsletters, add them as Facebook* friends, or follow their updates on Twitter? These tools will connect Nazarenes in the pew with the global mission they support in our very effective denomination.
 
There are a lot of tools in the tool box with the new funding plan of the Church of the Nazarene, Funding the Mission. My two-year-old grandson went through a spell when he slept with a 3/8-inch ratchet every night. Although he uses it more like a hammer than a wrench, he does love it. Find a mission tool for your church to love and use it. 
 
Dr. Mark E. Lail has been director of Stewardship Ministries since 2008. Prior to his election as director, he pastored for 22 years in New York and Ohio. He loves to help pastors and church treasurers with the financial tasks of ministry. Dr. Lail created the School of Stewardship to provide practical training in church finances and biblical stewardship. He is a key liaison for the denominational funding plan, Funding the Mission, and serves as a resource to various departments of the Global Ministry Center on matters related to stewardship.
 
*Please be sensitive about posting content (especially “spamming” with games) on missionaries’  Facebook pages and profiles. Certain security risks are a reality for many. Don’t be offended if, for these very concerns, a missionary in a sensitive area does not (or cannot) confirm your friendship.. 
 

  
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