Mobilizing Your Church through Its Members

They go by many names: Global Outreach teams, missions councils, missions teams, missions committees. But in any case, the result seems to be the same when a church appoints a group of missions-minded people to promote and direct the church’s role in missions—a more proactive approach to missions. 

Since it formalized a number of years ago, the Global Missions team at Willoughby CRC (Langley, BC) has witnessed this effect firsthand.

“Our church has always had an unwritten posture to be a sending church,” said Liz Tolkamp, member of Willoughby’s team.“But now we have formalized the team, we are more intentional about developing that posture.”

While the Willoughby Global Missions team was established in response to the growing number of requests for financial support from volunteer groups or individuals, its role has since grown to include many other important roles.

“What can be a big frustration for churches is when things fall through the gaps,” said Liz. “So much information is coming into churches— having a mechanism in place to process this information is important for assisting the congregation in identifying its global outreach.”

The team from Willoughby took part in a workshop led by CRWM staff, where they were introduced to some of the keys for successful GO Team operation.

“When a church administrator can regularly send information about missions to a place where it is processed in an organized, thoughtful way, that makes a big difference,” added Liz.

Does your church have a Global Outreach team? How does this team help members of your church take ownership of mission work? If you would like help in starting a Global Outreach team or in reviewing your current mandate, CRWM offers resources for your church. Contact Trish DeJong ([email protected]) in Canada or Marcea Holtrop ([email protected]) in the US.