One of my favorite things on deputation started at a missions emphasis day at a church we were in. After the service a man came up to me and we started talking. This sort of things happens almost every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Meeting people, hearing their stories, learning how God has worked in their lives, it is one of the greatest things about Deputation. This specific encounter however, was different from any of the rest. This small conversation sparked a friendship. I didn’t know I was meeting the man who would be one of the greatest encouragements in my deputation (and I trust on the mission field as well). His name is Bill. Bill and his wife Betty have continued our friendship. I don’t know why, but this couple loves us. I am not deserving of these two! Bill emails me on a regular basis. He reads the blogs I put out as well as any other email updates and he will often comment on them. He has encouraged me along our way. He has even tried to work it out where he and Mrs. Betty could meet us at another church in Pennsylvania (we both live in Georgia) to support us at a church we were presenting in (it didn’t work out, but they tried). They have been incredibly encouraging. Our oldest daughter’s Lily’s birthday was in February. They sent Lily a birthday present to her through the mail. Lily was ecstatic, Leslie and I were both humbled and felt very loved. Over and over they have encouraged us on.

Why is this one of my favorite things? It is not about the attention or the gifts they send our children. It is really about the love and encouragement they give us. We are underserving of this love. They are examples of “senders”. Our hearts are overwhelmed with love at the very thought of them. We suspect that this relationship will continue into our ministry in Argentina. They pray for us and encourage us on. They are really co-laborers with us in the Gospel. Paul talks about how some plant and others water, but God gives the increase in 1 Corinthians 3. In 1 Corinthians 3:9, Paul says, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” Paul concludes this subject by saying that he and Apollos were laborers together. One planted, one watered, both worked together. Brother Bill and Mrs. Betty are not missionaries to Argentina, but in how they encourage us, they labor together with us. The relationship we have with Bill and Betty is one of my favorite things we have found through our deputation.

This post continues a series on “My Favorite Things” of deputation. We have loved the opportunities we have had to get to see God moving in the churches we have been in. Here is another of my “favorite things”.

Many churches we are in are not large enough to have a staff. I completely understand that. Some of our favorite experiences has been in smaller churches like this. Other churches have a church staff, whether it consists of the Pastor and one other man, or several men. I remember one church specifically. We walked in the church, and it was like the Pastoral staff were gears working and turning exactly in perfect timing. These men were at the right place at the right time. These men each did what they were “assigned to do” with such precision, and with the other men in mind. They worked as a tight fitting team unlike anything I have seen.

We arrived on Saturday before the conference began and one of the Assistant Pastors greeted us. Upon arrival, he led us to the specific area of the church in which we were to setup our display. As we were setting our things up, another Assistant came in and introduced himself, and asked for our video presentation to have it ready to view the following day during the service. We were ushered to a room in the church where coffee and small snacks were waiting on us. From there we were brought up to an office to meet with Pastor. We were no sooner seated when Pastor came in and began the meeting at the appointed time. This sort of precision continued through the whole day and followed into the next day. I could give more examples of this cohesive staff, but I think you get the idea. What made this staff so different? I don’t think I have the specific answer, but here are a few things I noticed…

• The Pastor and staff loved each other. My wife commented about how much the Pastor loved the staff. They had a relationship that went beyond “getting my part of the job done.” Pastor spoke of each man with such love. He wasn’t building his own name, he was building these men. The Pastor didn’t look at his staff as a means to build his kingdom, but as men he loved and poured in to. The Pastor showed more attention toward the individuals on staff, then on the task at hand.
• The staff respected and loved the Pastor. The staff knew that the Pastor loved them. They respected the Pastor and they believed in the purpose of the church. These guys didn’t work for a boss, they worked for a man they admired, a man they wanted to be like. These men had such loyalty to the Pastor and the vision for world evangelism.
• The Pastor and staff were all clear and onboard with the purpose of the church. The church’s mission is to get the Gospel to the world. It was all over the walls, the bulletin’s, the website, etc. This was not the Pastor’s vision that the staff worked under and followed. It was each man’s vision united together.

I am very sure there is much more to it all. It is hard to examine things when you are there for only a short time, but if you keep your eyes open and look for things, you may be surprised at what you notice. Our goal as missionaries is not just church planting, but training men. I don’t want to “build my own kingdom”, I want to build the men around me to advance the Gospel further. When I think about our months on deputation, this is one of my favorite things.

We are continuing a series of posts on deputation. Deputation is the process of selecting missionaries who will be sent as their substitute or agent to preach the Gospel on the foreign field. It is the process in which independent Baptist Churches send missionaries to the nations around the world. To a family sent out from their church, it is the process in which they travel to like-minded churches to share what God has called them to do, to raise support in order to reach the people God has put on their heart.

The past posts have been an introduction to deputation and the importance of making calls. This post will deal with a few of the things to keep in mind at church you are scheduled to be in. There are a lot of things that need to be considered. Here is bullet list of things to keep in mind…

• Arrive early. If church starts at 6:00 PM, be there at 5:00 PM. What if no one is there? Wait. Be there an hour early, no later than 45 minutes early.
• Dress appropriately. You are not there to make fashion statements. You do not want anything, including your attire, to take away from the message you have come to convey. Dress in a dark suit, white shirt, and a conservative tie. Again, wearing something else is not a sin, you are free to wear whatever you like, but remember why you are there.
• Keep good hygiene. Make sure you hair is brushed and clothes don’t look like they were balled up for a week. Keep a pack of mints, not gum, in your pocket and pop them in often. Bad breath is not the memory you want lingering in people’s minds…or noses.
• Talk to people. You are there early, talk to people. Almost always, this will mean that you will have to go up to people and introduce yourself to people. Ask them about the local area, ask them about their salvation. Just enjoy the people and talk with them.
• Whatever time Pastor allows you, stick to it. If Pastor says 5 minutes, do not go 5 minutes and 1 second. You would do much better to go 4 minutes. You called him, you lined up the meeting, you are the guest, be respectful of what Pastor asks you to do. There is much more to consider about the time you have to share your heart, but that will be for another post.
• Be Grateful. If Pastor only allows you to pray for the offering, be grateful. Remember, he didn’t call you, you called him. If you go in with that in mind, it will help you keep the right attitude.
• Stay Late. When the last “Amen” is said, don’t go packing up your stuff and rushing out the door. Stay around for a while and talk to people. If you rush out, it gives the appearance that you don’t care about them.
• Enjoy it. If you are a preacher, going from church, to church, to church, to church and sharing your heart and preaching should be a dream come true. Enjoy it. Support may result from the meeting or it may not, either way try to enjoy it.

More posts are coming, in the mean time, pick up the Deputation Manual by Austin Gardner and Tony Howeth.

We have been blessed to see a lot of great things on the deputation trail. For this post, I am recalling one of my favorite things.

My family and I arrived at the church on Saturday evening for our scheduled Sunday morning service. Pastor and his wife invited us to dinner for that night. We met them at a local restaurant. We were sitting with Pastor and His wife, giving each other the “cliff notes” of our life stories. In the midst of the dinner, our waitress came up, and Pastor began to talk to her. Our waitress was going through a rough time. I don’t remember all of the details she shared with us, she was a single mom, not making a lot of money, her boyfriend may have been having troubles. I cannot remember it all, but I do remember her telling us that she was going through a really rough time. What happened next was something that I call a part of “my favorite things” of deputation. Pastor empathized with her. He told her all that he used to be and how things changed when he heard the Gospel, believed on Jesus, and was saved. He never judged her, he was not harsh with her. She was not saved, she shared some hard things to share, and he answered with love and compassion. Pastor invited her to church. By the end of it all, she was crying, she knew she had just been loved on by this man. She did not believe on Jesus that night, but she did walk away having been loved.

Almost a year had gone by and I was in the area again and stopped by to say hello to the Pastor. Sitting in his office, I recalled the above story to him and told him how much it meant to me. He didn’t remember it. His answer was, “Lost people act like lost people. We shouldn’t expect lost people to act like saved people. When I was lost, I was a fiend.” Pastor showed great love and compassion with this woman because she was lost, and he remembered who he was before He believed on Jesus.

I have seen a lot of great things on deputation. I have been very blessed on deputation. Watching this Pastor’s compassion on a lost, hurting woman is one of my favorite things I have seen on deputation. We are challenged to show love and compassion to those who are without, remembering what we were before we believed on Jesus.