Keys for Missions Committee Operation

Ten essential keys to operating your missions committee smoothly

1. Define your task:

• Define missions for your church
• Draw your boundaries
• Determine your responsibilities

2. Determine what qualities and skills you need:

• Pray for what you need
• Watch for individuals with the right qualities
• Recruit them

3. Keep learning and growing:

• Find out what ways you learn best
• Identify appropriate resources and tools
• Hold yourselves accountable

4. Build community:

• Get to know one another
• Communicate frequently
• Pray for one another
• Have fun

5. Model missions for the congregation:

• Do missions yourself
• Learn and pray
• Give generously

6. Divide up the work for task teams:

• Determine the teams you need
• Find a good leader who has a passion for the area
• Help the leader lay out a plan

7. Develop and use good policies and procedures:

• Find out what policies you already have
• Get input from church leaders and others
• Approve and use the policy by sections

8. Plan ahead and follow your plans:

• Establish a weekend planning time
• Allow each task group to develop their own plans
• Hold groups accountable to their timetables

9. Make your church leaders "heroes":

• Pray for them all the time
• Compliment and encourage them for everything they do right
• Give them the "up-front" parts while you do the details

10. Do it all with excellence:

• Be prepared to carry out your best ideas
• Do it as well as the best thing in the church

Source: How to Operate an Effective Missions Leadership Team in Your Church, David Mays