Serve in the World

"And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Luke 10:2–3

Central to Grace Simi's task of glorifying God is sending workers into the harvest. Certainly, this happens on a weekly basis, as church members are sent out into the local community to influence those circles which God has given them influence among. However, it is just as important for the local church to remain engaging in the global work of sending as well.

Though the laborers may be few, we are also reminded that our responsibility is to entrust the gospel message to “faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2) — thus Grace Church’s emphasis on equipping and shepherding as full partners in this sending outcome. If the church is going to steward her responsibility well on the global stage, she must be clear on who is being sent, why they are being sent, and by what process they will be sent. This is the manner in which we intend to partner in the global proclamation of the gospel.

MOBILIZATION TEAM

There is a growing complexity in the missions world today as so many missionaries have their support spread among numerous churches, or worse, a wide swath of individuals. Who bears responsibility for this missionary as they head to the field? Who is shepherding them? Holding them accountable in what they’re teaching? Providing encouragement and help in times of need? Providing adequate missionary support is a lengthy and time-consuming venture — it is a great commitment we make as we take our partnership seriously.

Grace's commitment is to offer support on a wide variety of fronts as we do all that is necessary to care and provide for those we are entering into relationship with. There are a number of broad, but tangible ways in which our missionary support plays out. We want to flex and adapt as necessary to meet the particular challenges and opportunities facing each missionary. As for the Missions Mobilization Team, their role is to facilitate communication between the church and the missionaries who are supported by the church. This group provides ongoing support as needs and opportunities arrive and help with the ongoing care of our missionaries. Contact the church office for more info on getting more involved with the mobilization team and/or missions.

VIEW OUR MISSIONARIES

 

AREAS OF SUPPORT

HOME TEAM

We seek to build a team around each missionary we support. This includes prayer support, coordinating logistics at home, and assisting with hosting, etc. when the missionary is on furlough.

FINANCIAL

Grace desires to be generous and wise in stewarding the funds God has entrusted to the church in order to maximize on global missions. 

LOGISTICAL

We want to be a blessing by offering logistical support whenever it is helpful. Guided by the missionary, this can include things like planning trips, organizing fundraisers, handling paperwork, or whatever else is most helpful.

COMMUNICATION

We desire to stay informed of what’s happening on the field, but also to keep the missionary abreast of what’s happening in our midst. Regular communication with someone on the Home Team will provide opportunities to pass along prayer requests, ministry updates, and other important information which is necessary to maintain a strong relationship.

RE-ENTRY

We hope to help our missionaries transition off the field when the time comes for that as well. This can be a rough period for many missionaries and we want to walk through this stage of the support process with them. 

 

PREPARING TO GO

 

RECRUITING & TRAINING IN THE LOCAL CHURCH

Grace Church of Simi Valley is committed to sending as a core value. We believe that as the body of Christ we have been entrusted with a common mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:20). We recognize that the natural outflow of disciple making is releasing disciples to go and make more disciples (2 Timothy 2:2). We understand that the Lord is eager to partner in this undertaking, that there are many He desires to save, but that few will actually be willing to go – we pray that the Lord will continue to raise up the necessary workers (Luke 10:2). 

Within our local context, we believe the appropriate application of this principle is to equip our church members to be sent out into our community on a weekly basis. They are entrusted with the gospel and commissioned as ambassadors for Christ to proclaim the excellences of Christ within the circles of influence which God has uniquely placed them in. As opportunities arise within the community we desire to serve and support the work the Lord is calling them to do through prayer, communication, and appropriate community networking.

On a more global scale, we are committed to providing experiences in short-term mission trips. Short-term trips take on a variety of forms but seek to accomplish a handful of core objectives. First, they are primarily intended to assist and support the long-term missionary — the needs of the missionary are the determining factors. Second, they provide opportunity for strategic cross-cultural experience and leadership development. Third, they set the stage to urge individuals to considering missions as a long-term opportunity. As individuals demonstrate faithfulness at home, are then exposed to cross-cultural opportunities abroad, and express a desire for long-term missions, we will work with them to explore the possibilities related to sending them long-term.

 

PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONS SUPPORT

  1. Grace desires to partner with those who are like-minded theologically. Particularly as this related to soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), which is a non-negotiable starting point, but also extending to general alignment with Grace’s doctrinal statement, a shared ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church), and ideally a similar philosophy of ministry.
  2. Grace desires to partner primarily with church-planting missionaries. This is not an absolute position, but in stewarding the limited funds which have been entrusted to the church, Grace is committed to prioritizing those who are primarily focused on making disciples and integrating them into the local church so that it is established and built up.
  3. Grace desires to partner deeply with a few, rather than facilitate many partners in a more limited capacity. In an era where missionaries are primarily funded by individuals, Grace believes it is valuable to have enough “skin in the game” to encourage a level of significant relationship between the church and those it is supporting. The church is concerned to partner with missionaries with whom she can have relationship, not only theological and philosophical alignment.

The intention of Grace Church is to have enough invested relationally with her missionaries, both financially and inter-personally, that both parties are motivated to maintaining the relationship despite the geographic distance between them. A priority will be placed on supporting those missionaries whose home is near Grace Church. This preference towards those who have a strong base of operations in Southern California provides for natural opportunities to interact when the missionary returns to the States without necessitating additional travel to visit Grace Church. High value is also placed on those opportunities to serve as a missionary’s Sending Church and for the shepherding care and oversight opportunities that relationship provides. If you have further questions about missions support, please email  .