Form and send a missionary team to an neglected people group.

• For career missionaries, cooperate with a mission agency with the same objectives, that recognizes that the primary responsibility for mission work lies with the church (the agency has a servant's role, to help the church do its job).
• Check out a mission agency not only with its home office, but also with the field director (the person to whom the missionary will be immediately accountable).
• Make sure this person wholeheartedly agrees with the missionaries' (or team's) vision, and plans to use each new worker's spiritual gifts to the full, in a needed ministry that corresponds.
• Do not make a long-term commitment to a job for which a frustrated field leader is merely looking for warm bodies to meet an urgent need.
• Short term work is good for temporary projects in fields already reached, but has a poor record for starting indigenous, reproductive national churches in pioneer (neglected) fields. The greatest value of short-term work is enrichment and learning for the missionary. Whether they return as a career worker or not, their life is enriched, and through them the church is also.

• In what ways does this team compare and contrast with the team mentioned in Acts 10:23?
• In what ways does this team compare and contrast with the teams mentioned in Luke 10:1-20?

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T&M Student Activity Guide page 39a

For short-term orientation, short-term Missions, Boom, Michael J. Anthony, Editor.

For sending missionaries, Leadership Handbooks of Practical Theology, 1992, Editor, James D. Berkley, volume 2, Section 10

If you are working cross-culturally or are newly arrived among those of a different religious tradition, then you should let your national co-workers relate the gospel in a way that fits the culture--that flows from friend to friend and reaches entire families.

• Encourage new believers from the beginning to share Christ and relate the historical events of the Gospel in their own culturally relevant way.
• Do not introduce methods from your culture at this stage. Wait a while, if you think you have a method they need.
• Study with the new believers the apostles' methods and messages in the Book of Acts.
• Let the new believers tell you how their people will recognize the Gospel as Good News.

Before committing your personnel to a mission agency, check it out.

• Get its statements of ministry principles regarding (a) the role of sending churches and (b) missionary role assignments on the field.
• At the same time, make clear in your telephone conversations and official letters what you require on both counts.
• Specifically check out the person to whom your workers or team leader will be immediately accountable. Some mission officers will agree with your principles but have no control over field practices. This often happens. Those gifted for evangelism and group multiplication get put in charge of maintaining unproductive activities or institutions.
• Does the person who to whom your team leader will be accountable share the vision that your church has?
• Will this person let them work with a neglected people group?
• Will this person let them aim for a church planting movement?
• Will this person let them use non-Western and non-traditional methods?