Missions Policy
Washington Heights Baptist Church
Misisonary Support
Summary and Purpose
Washington Heights Baptist Church seeks to honor God by making more disciples for Jesus Christ. Part of its efforts is directed toward those who are culturally or geographically separated from the church. The church fulfills this part of its mission by formally aligning itself with individuals or organizations that minister to these people. This policy seeks to define the criteria for choosing missionaries or organizations for support and defining the level of financial support to be provided. For organizational efficiency, this policy shall deal separately with individuals considered professional (career) missionaries, self-supporting or bi-vocational missionaries, third country nationals, organizations and projects.
Standards
A. Definitions
- Missionary – Missionary shall refer to an individual missionary unit, i.e., a single missionary, a missionary couple, or a missionary family.
- Missionary support – Association with Washington Heights Baptist Church results in support for a missionary. This generally implies the Washington Heights provides a portion of the funding necessary to maintain the missionary’s ministry, but may also imply support in other ways such as formal association, prayer support and assistance in ministry through material or personnel.
- Professional Missionaries – Professional or career missionaries are those missionaries who see their profession as missions, are committed to a multi-year assignment, earn their living via missionary salary or “support funds”. Professional missionaries normally have “technical” training appropriate to their ministry and are generally commissioned by their sending church.
- Self-supporting Missionaries – Self-supporting missionaries are typically referred to as bi-vocational or “tentmakers”. Their financial support requirements are generally lower than professional missionaries due, typically, to outside income, “secular” employment of a limited term of service for which costs are lower. Self-supporting missionaries are often involved in “support” as opposed to front line missions.
- Other Country Nationals – Third-country nationals are non U.S. (or Canadian) citizens who are involved in a ministry where outside financial support is required. These individuals may be serving in their own country or another.
- Organizations – Missions support is generally directed to an “organization.” Though most missionaries are part of an organization, for this policy organization support shall refer to funds that are given to the organization for use in achieving its goals as it deems appropriate rather than the maintenance of a specific missionary.
- Projects – Missions projects shall refer to those missions’ activities which can be defined in terms of specific measurable goals. In addition to a measurable objective, mission’s projects will generally have defined time duration, e.g., plant five new churches in five years.
- Missions Entity – Missions entities may refer to any or all of Professional Missionaries, Self-supporting Missionaries, Third Country Nationals, Organizations or Projects.
B. Missions Criteria for Support
For a mission’s entity to be supported by Washington Heights Baptist Church, it must comply with, at least, the following minimum standards:
- Subscribe to the statement of faith of Washington Heights Baptist.
- be associated with a recognized, publicly accountable (ECFA member) mission’s agency.
- Demonstrate a lifestyle that is in accord with biblical standards for church leaders.
- Be committed to the primacy of the local church in ministry
C. Variable Criteria for Support
Washington Heights Baptist Church seeks to strategically invest its funds in mission’s entities and to rise up missionaries from within its own programs. As a result, priorities for missionary support are established according to the following criteria. Priority is given to:
- Washington Heights members of greater than two year’s duration.
- Candidates aligned with the established missions strategies of Washington Heights Baptist Church.
- Entities associated with Washington Heights’s Kingdom Initiative.
- Entities that have proven records of ministry.
D. Application for Support
The following is the process for approval of missions support through Washington Heights Baptist Church. The church will seek to provide notice within 30 days of application or last contact with the Missions Pastor.
- Initial contact with the Missions Pastor via letter, call, and/or meeting.
- Preliminary review by the Missions Pastor and/or appropriate ministry team resulting in either a rejection of the request of a request for formal application/proposal.
- Application/Proposal submitted to the Missions Pastor.
- Review by the appropriate ministry team resulting in either a rejection or recommendation for final approval.
- Interview and/or review, as appropriate, by the Senior Pastor.
- Recommendation to the Washington Heights Baptist Church staff and deacons either via the annual budget process or special request.
- Final approval/rejection.
E. Support Budgeting
- Annual Budgets - Washington Heights Baptist Church budgets its commitment to missions entities on a calendar basis with a minimal contingency for emergencies and special opportunities that occur within a calendar year. As a result, funds for special needs, e.g., automobiles, computers, travel are not generally given. It is our desire that these items be included in the regular ministry budget of the entity which is assessed annually by the church.
- Special Offerings - Washington Heights Baptist Church does not take special offerings except by approval of the Executive or Senior Pastor.
Missionary Support Agreement
Summary and Purpose
A support association between a missionary and Washington Heights Baptist Church is a partnership arrangement with responsibilities and expectations. The purpose of this policy is to define the mutual expectations between Washington Heights Baptist Church and those missionaries support by the Church.
Standards
The partnership between Washington Heights Baptist Church and a missionary can best be seen as a three legged stool where the three legs are: the missionary, the mission’s agency, and Washington Heights Baptist Church. Financial support for missionaries will be reviewed annually.
A. Commitments by Washington Heights Baptist Church
- To provide financial support as committed via the budgeting and missionary support application processes of Washington Heights Baptist Church. It is the intent of Washington Heights Baptist Church to continue financial support for the duration of a term of service for international missionaries. Financial support for North American missionaries will be reviewed annually.
- To correspond with the missionary regularly seeking ministry plans, objectives, progress in ministry, prayer needs and ministry opportunities for Washington Heights people, etc.
- To review, at least annually, the financial support needs for each missionary as well as the missionary’s progress against stated goals and objectives. This may result in a change in support.
- To provide a supporting and nurturing environment. This includes at least:
a. Prayer support and access to Washington Heights people to solicit prayer support.
b. Regular communication from Washington Heights Baptist Church.
B. Expectations of Washington Heights Baptist Church
- Regular communication from the missionary (at least three times per year). This will include annual updates describing ministry objectives and progress against previous objectives, financial needs, prayer needs and other information enabling the Church to be effective in its supporting role.
- Notification of home-leave plans and participation in Washington Heights Baptist Church activities during home-leave time in proportion to the percent of support provided by the Church/ This will include participation in the Church’s annual missions focus when the missionary is in the U.S.A.
- A meeting with the appropriate ministry team at least annually (local ministries) or once during home leave (foreign ministries).
- Advanced notice of change of ministry assignment. Change of ministry will be the basis for a reassessment of the Church’s support commitment. A support commitment from Washington Heights Baptist Church is for a specific missionary in a specific ministry and a commitment between the church, the missionary and the agency to a ministry plan. Washington Heights Baptist Church does not expect any two parties of this agreement to change the plan independently of the third. Likewise, the Church recognizes that there are times when a change of ministry is advantageous and will support the change.
- Notification of change of marital status. Washington Heights Baptist Church may choose to reassess its support commitment in light of this change.
- A missionary supported by Washington Heights Baptist Church will not actively solicit funds from members and attendees of Washington Heights Baptist Church – outside of relatives and close personal friends.
- A missionary supported by Washington Heights Baptist Church will have high moral standards.
Mission Teams
Summary and Purpose
Washington Heights Baptist Church sees teams of individuals participating in a project that ranges in duration from a few days to a few weeks playing a significant role in its mission’s program. Short term teams can achieve significant ministry objectives as well as increase the mission’s vision of the participants. As a result, it seeks to facilitate teams going from Washington Heights Baptist Church. This policy sets the guidelines for administering these activities.
Standards
Washington Heights sponsored teams shall be administered in such a way that honors God and seeks to fulfill the mission of Washington Heights Baptist Church.
A. Scope
This policy shall apply to all missions’ trips organized for adults by Washington Heights Baptist Church members and promoted as an activity of Washington Heights Baptist Church.
B. Organization
All Washington Heights sponsored teams shall be under the control of an approved ministry team and its supervisory pastor. The ministry team shall set the objectives for the trip, manage the finances for the trip and insure adherence to this policy.
C. Nature of Trips
Mission’s trips may be for the purpose of exposure to present a potential Washington Heights ministry, encouraging Washington Heights Missionaries or performing ministry tasks ranging from direct evangelism to construction. Where possible, ministry directed trips shall be aligned with existing ministries of Washington Heights Baptist Church with priority given to those ministries identified as Kingdom Initiatives.
D. Qualifications
Washington Heights missions trips are primarily for Washington Heights members who have completed an application for the trip and been interviewed by team leaders und/or a member of the pastoral staff.
It is recognized that there may be occasions when it may be desired to invited outsiders to participate in such a trip. These can include family members from outside Washington Heights, those in the process of coming to faith or those with needed skills. In order to protect the integrity of a trip and to not embarrass either trip leaders or a guest, request for exception must be submitted in writing to the Missions Pastor or the pastor coordinating the trip. The non-member request will be evaluated on the basis of reason for not being a member of Washington Heights Baptist Church, the nature of the work being done and the relationship with other team members. A pastoral interview with the prospective non-member may be requested and/or the guest may be asked to attend the Washington Heights membership meeting in order to understand the values of Washington Heights Baptist Church. A non-member would be expected to adhere to the same behavior and ministry guidelines during the trip as Washington Heights Baptist Church members and participate in all preparation and training activities.
E. Preparation
Each team shall set standards of preparation for all trip members. These shall include devotional time together, get-acquainted times, cultural orientation and/or language introduction, health and safety considerations, guidelines for conduct and technical training as appropriate. Teams are strongly encouraged to have times of devotion, reflection and sharing during and immediately following the trip.
F. Financing
Washington Heights Baptist Church recognizes that there are costs associated with missions trips. It does not want finances to eliminate qualified individuals from participating in trips, nor does it want to provide “paid vacations” under the guise of ministry. A budget shall be prepared for mission’s trips that include all essential costs. The team shall then be free to set its own approach to financing within the following guidelines:
- Individual members shall personally be responsible typically for a minimum of one-third of their trip cost.
- Fundraising events, e.g., car washes, bake sales, are not to be used (exception: Student Ministry) without prior approval of the Executive Pastor.
- No more than one-third of the total trip cost is to be raised by solicitation from within Washington Heights Baptist Church.
- Lists of Washington Heights people to be contacted by team members shall be submitted in advance to the ministry team leaders and the Missions Pastor to insure that individuals within the Church do not get an inappropriate number of requests for support for Washington Heights trips.
- Records of giving shall be maintained by the finance department.
- Giving for which donors are expecting tax-deductible receipts shall be done within IRS guidelines and in a manner approved, in advance, by the Executive Pastor. Team members shall provide giving guidelines for donors that have been prepared by or approved by the Executive Pastor.
G. Reporting Back
Washington Heights mission’s trips are “Washington Heights events.” As such, teams are expected to arrange for some form of reporting on the highlights of the trip to individual sponsors as well as the larger church body. The means for doing this shall be at the discretion of the team in consultation with Missions Pastor or pastoral staff member working with the team.
Pastoral Staff Participation in Missions Travel
Summary and Purpose
World Mission, or the sharing of the message of Jesus Christ across cultural boundaries, is one of the core values of Washington Heights Baptist Church. Like any core value, its embracement by the Washington Heights body at large will be a reflection of its ownership by Washington Heights leadership. It is to this end that the church desires its leaders, and specifically, pastoral staff to have opportunity to participate in international mission’s opportunities. One of Washington Heights' mission’s strategies is to assist the development of indigenous church leadership. This will have the effect of generating multiple opportunities for pastoral staff persons to be involved in mission’s ministries.
While mission’s trips are valuable for an individual pastor personally, for the growth of the church in a particular part of the world, and for the enrichment of Washington Heights Baptist Church, they must be viewed in the broader context of the whole mission of Washington Heights Baptist Church. The purpose of this policy is to set guidelines for staff participation in Washington Heights' missions activities in such a way that: provides opportunity for personal spiritual growth, enhances the missions vision of the whole church, disciples lay people in missions vision, minimizes the negative impact on local programs due to the absence of pastoral staff and seeks to equalize the opportunity for ministry between staff members.
There are three types of missions trips in which Washington Heights pastoral staff may be involved. These are: 1) Washington Heights sponsored trips relating to the staff person's individual area of ministry (e.g., summer youth trips) 2) Washington Heights sponsored trips that do not relate directly to the person's area of ministry but for which the staff person is a key leader and its success is dependent upon the pastor, and 3) trips in which the staff person participates simply as a Washington Heights member (i.e., travels on own time and funds the trip in the same manner as other members.) This policy applies primarily to the second type of trip, though it may, in some cases when the trip involves a mission’s focus, apply to the first type of trip.
Standards
A. Philosophy
The goal of staff participation in these trips is enhancement of the program of Washington Heights Baptist Church and advancement of the kingdom of God.
B. Guidelines
- Staff pastors will normally be encouraged to participate in at least one mission’s trip every four years. Spouses of the staff person are encouraged to participate in the trip.
- Staff pastors will normally not make more than two trips in a four year period.
- Return trips to ongoing projects or teaching situations by the same pastor in subsequent years are not to be assumed.
- For teaching situations, where follow-up trips are likely, the staff pastor is encouraged to disciple a lay person, preferably, or another pastor to lead in subsequent years.
- Potential for positive impact on Washington Heights Baptist Church ministries and people must be demonstrated before approval will be given.
- Written requests for missions travel must be made in writing to the pastor's immediate supervisor by at least September 1 prior to the calendar year in which the proposed trip is to take place.
C. Funding
- Washington Heights Baptist Church does not want its pastors soliciting personal support funds. As a result expenses relating to the pastor's expenses should be covered through some combination of trip "overhead" and the staff travel category with the mission’s budget.
- Funding plans must be made and approved by the Missions Trip Team and/or the Missions Pastor prior to authorization for travel.
D. Scheduling
- Scheduling for ministry trips shall be between the individual pastor and his/her immediate supervisor and shall be made far enough in advance to assure minimal negative impact on the church's local ministry.
- Generally, trips will be proposed by the missions department and approved before staff members make requests. Solicitation of pastoral staff members to go on trips should be approved through the Executive Pastor and cleared with the Senior Pastor before being discussed with the individual pastoral staff member.
- Not more than three pastoral staff members, excluding Senior Pastor and Missions Pastor, will be scheduled to travel on mission’s trips in a given year, unless special approval is given. Exceptions will be discussed with Executive Pastor Program Ministry and Senior Pastor, with final decision made by the Senior Pastor. Senior Pastor and Missions Pastor are excluded from this limitation because the nature of both positions assumes frequent ministry/missions travel.
