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Our primary objective is to increasingly reproduce OBC's biblical beliefs and purposes in the Northern Virginia region, other areas of America, and into every part of the world, while raising our congregation's awareness of and participation in these efforts. (Acts 1:6-8)
II. Select Biblical Basis for Missions (NIV)
| Matt 28:19-20 |
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
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| Mark 16:15 |
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."
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| Luke 24:47 |
and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
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| Acts 1:8 |
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
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| Acts 13:2-4 |
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
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| Rom 15:20 |
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.
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| 2 Cor 5:11-6:2 |
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men·. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation·. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us·. |
III. OBC Commitment to Missions
- To plant autonomous, indigenous churches in the U.S.A. and internationally.
- To support domestic, international, and cross-cultural missions.
- To teach, promote, and model to all ages and through all church programs the biblical imperatives underlying missions, the need for missionaries, the international working of God, and other missions-related items.
- To encourage congregants to be actively involved in missionary work through regular prayer, short and long term mission trips, personal evangelism and discipleship, financial backing, visits to our supported missionaries, involvement in our local church plants, and other forms of personal support.
- To carry out Christ’s "Great Commission" (Matt 28:18-20) to the greatest extent possible at home and in the uttermost parts of the earth under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
- To provide support and guidance to other churches considering or involved in church planting by:
- Private, informal meetings between church leadership.
- Open seminars.
- Printed materials to be distributed through a network of churches with similar beliefs.
- Other mutually beneficial forums.
- To provide biblically based theological, leadership, and character training for those who are or may consider vocationally-oriented careers.
- To provide a biblical model of missions, missionaries, and their relationship to the church.
- To seek out and encourage individuals in the congregation who may potentially serve as missionaries in some capacity. (Acts 6:5-7; 13:2-3)
- To consort with like-minded Christian churches when doing so will better enable us to attain our objectives.
IV. Missions Committee (MC)
- The MC will be chaired by the Elder of Outreach and Missions and will be comprised of elders, deacons, and/or lay people interested in advancing missions at and through OBC.
- The MC will meet to formulate strategies to actualize the aforementioned objectives, commitments, and responsibilities.
- The MC will develop an annual budget of missionary support and other expenditures, and submit it to the elder board for approval or readjustment by the posted date (usually October to November).
- The MC will interact with mission agencies, other local churches, potential missionary candidates, and ministries within OBC as appropriate.
- The MC will prioritize and discuss missions candidate requests.
- The MC will carry out the details of supporting current missions efforts.
- The MC will seek to raise awareness of missions, missionary needs, missions-related projects and trips, etc. through regular and creative means.
- The MC will be responsible for drafting and updating missions-related policies to help OBC obey the biblical mandates outlined above. The MC recognizes that its policies and operating procedures must become more detailed and sophisticated as the missions budget and program increases.
- The MC will recognize that missions projects and major policy changes must be approved by the elder board once the MC has made a recommendation.
Note: Although the MC is focused on foreign and domestic missions (including church planting), they will be included in the joint Outreach and Missions council meetings. This does not mean that MC members are also responsible for the responsibilities and events that concern the Outreach personnel. These two groups may meet independently and may eventually divide into two groups as our missions program intensifies.
V. Target Areas for Financial Support (Listed By Priority)
As the budget for missions activity increases, OBC will support the following types of efforts in order of preference. Each candidate and/or organization will be recommended by the MC and approved by the elder board.
- Church planting in various areas.
- Ministry to unreached peoples who have had no or very little missionary contact or other Gospel witness.
- Bible translation into native languages.
- Foreign missions ministries approved by the OBC elders.
- Missionary training institutions (e.g., biblical, accredited Christian seminary).
- Other Christian ministries.
VI. Criteria for Candidates of Financial Support
The candidate who receives corporate financial support from the annual budget of OBC will meet the following criteria. He will briefly discuss each of these items in a written statement addressed to the Elder of Outreach and Missions, who will present it to the committee and, if recommended, to the elder board.
- The candidate is called by the Spirit of God, in coordination with the leadership of a local church.
- The candidate is a member of a local church in good standing (e.g., not under church discipline). Members of OBC receive preference in support, provided they also meet the delineated criteria.
- The candidate meets biblical qualifications for commissioned duties (i.e., elder/deacon qualifications).
- The candidate has an increasingly effective ability to study, communicate, and apply the Word of God.
- The candidate (preferably) has earned a ministry-related degree(s) from a doctrinally conservative school.
- The candidate is (or can become) known and trusted by the people of OBC.
- The candidate is in agreement with the OBC doctrinal statement.
- The candidate expresses a vision and a plan to carry out that vision, including acquiring the tools and skills essential to the plan.
- The candidate is involved with a mission board approved by the OBC Elders.
- The candidate agrees to be accountable to OBC, particularly its elders.
- The candidate meets other criteria determined by the elders.
VII. General Financial Support Policies
- The candidate who meets the aforementioned criteria and is unanimously approved by the elder board will receive financial support for their ministry.
- Support will generally extend for a period of one year.
- In addition to regular updates, prayer requests, etc., the missionary will submit an annual progress report by October of each year. This report may factor into the elders’; determination of continued finacial support or the amount.
- Renewal of support for a calendar year will generally be determined by the end of December of the previous year.
- Three months notice will be given for in the event of support is terminated.
- The elders may immediately terminate support because of a failing of character, rejection of the church’s authority, a departure from OBC’s doctrinal statement, or other serious indiscretion (e.g., a gross abuse of funds). Note: A departure from the agreed upon doctrinal statement of OBC should be immediately reported.
- Most American missionaries have their support spread over too many churches in too wide of a geographical area. This results in personal strain overseas and unnecessary stress during furlough. As OBC grows, it will seek to set a high enough minimal support amount to reduce the number of supporting churches/individuals. In order to benefit the church and missionary (who may minister at OBC during some of his furlough), this amount may increase before additional missionaries are supported at lesser amounts.
- OBC supports and encourages short term mission trips. Due to limited finances, however, the church may not financially fund these trips. This may be altered with elder approval.
VIII. General Domestic Church Planting Guidelines
- OBC will recognize spiritual leaders who can effectively serve as a pastor.
- OBC will, if needed, ordain such individuals according to the constitution.
- OBC will support a regionally local church plant by sending several families from established congregations.
- OBC will support a new plant with as much financial help as the elder board approves.
- OBC will generally begin to establish plans for a new church plant when the current congregation reaches three hundred people.
- OBC will survey the ecclesiastical situation of a new area, including the nature of existing churches, demographics, and the needs for new Gospel preaching, Bible-believing churches.
- OBC will seek to equip men to direct such church planting efforts.
Revised in January 2001
Missions Council Approved:
Pete Theodore, Debbie Mundy, Karen Brown, Kyle Austin
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