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4 minutes ago, Alan said:

Under the "FAQ" the CMC states:

 3. WHAT IS CMC'S PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONS?
 
Basic to the philosophy of CMC is the concern that a missionary be sent to the field without control by outside organizations of people, other than his home church, his supporting churches and the Holy Spirit. In practice, this means we do not dictate to the missionary how he spends his money, how much money he can receive, or how or where he works. Agreement between CMC policies and the missionary requires certain divisions of income, such as personal support, ministry support and ministry expenses, which are for the missionary's protection. Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men." (2 Cor. 8:21) The missionary's financial arrangements are confidential to us and any information must be given by the missionary, not by our office.
 
 
4. WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR MISSIONARIES?
 

 There are no qualifications such as age limit, health, education, etc. The procedure for using CMC’s services is as follows: A missionary is sponsored by the church where he is a member. He is recommended by his own pastor and commissioned by his home church. In addition, he must have the recommendation of two other fundamental Baptist pastors. These three pastors (that he has chosen) become his “Mission Board.” Each missionary candidate is screened and qualified based upon the recommendation of his sending and sponsoring churches. The integrity and character of every missionary is of vital importance to CMC.

 
 
5. WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF CMC?
 

CMC exists to serve the churches and missionaries by processing funds for missionary endeavor. We receive gifts from the donors, issue tax-deductible receipts, accumulate the funds in each missionary’s account, prepare complete reports for the missionaries and in every way we know, provide information for the missionary that will be helpful in his relationship with the churches. Our ministry includes getting the funds to the missionary by the last business day of the month, using whatever method agreed upon with the missionary. On the missionary’s instructions, we maintain savings accounts, building funds, furlough funds, emergency funds, etc.; we make bill payments, insurance premium payments and keep up hospitalization and retirement programs, as well as making quarterly tax payments. We also provide legal documentation that is necessary on the field in which they serve, as well as verifying the financial information needed by the missionary and validating their income as required in their personal and professional endeavors.

 

A personal Note. Please notice the highlighted red ink portion of their statement.

 

There are some countries that require a "legal" missionary board. The CMC supplies that need.

 

FYI. Our support as missionaries is through our home Church and the CMC.

 

Alan

 

Man alive I am glad I found this site. I believe this site will be an incredible resource to me in the next few months. This is good stuff right here. 

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13 hours ago, HappyChristian said:

Reading a handbook just isn't enough. Talk to the people who are involved in the different boards. Find out WHY "rules" are there  -  you might be surprised to find that some of them are based on biblical principle and not just "lording it over" missionaries (I know for a fact that FBWWM does not "lord over" anybody). Talk to your pastor and see which one(s) he recommends (FBWWM will not take any missionary if their pastor does not recommend them). And then pray about it. If God is calling you to the field, and leading you to use a mission board, He will show you the right one for you, your family, and your field.

Of course they always have “reasons” for their rules. The rule book will tell you something about the board though. I am going to just use facial hair for one example, the bible absolutely is not against facial hair, therefore if a board is going to make a rule about that it tells me they think thats important. If a board is going to tell you that you cant have facial hair what else will they dictate? To me that tells me that they feel strongly about something that is not biblical or significant in the big picture of missions. To me it seems like a bit of a legalistic spirit. I am yet to see any mission board admit that they are controlling. Every mission board says that they are “local church”. But the proof is in the pudding when you get down to the nitty gritty details. Listen, if someones wants to give up some of their autonomy for the help and aid of a mission board then thats fine, I wont condemn anyone for that. But for me personally I would not go with a Board that gives evidence to me that they will try to micromanage my ministry and life. Unfortunately there is definately a legalistic spirit out there amongst Independant Baptists, There is a serious problem with people pushing their own personal preferences on others and I see this with mission boards. I have just watched how one unnamed mission board has tried to destroy a godly missionary and his family and get them kicked out of the country simply because he did not agree with their missions philosophy and he wasnt even under their board. 

I am not against Mission boards, but we need to be honest and realize that many missions boards do restrict the missionaries freedom. You have to realize you are trading some freedom for help from the board.

And of course you can talk to the people from the boards, but realize they are probably not going to tell you the negative consequences of being with their board and they are of course going to have “reasons” for all of their rules.

I am not trying to attack any mission boards or person. I respect Pat Gordon and what he is doing. For me though I looked into them and it wasnt a fit for me. Maybe it is for someone else, but not for me. 

Edited by Jordan Kurecki
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2 hours ago, Alan said:

Under the "FAQ" the CMC states:

 3. WHAT IS CMC'S PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONS?
 
Basic to the philosophy of CMC is the concern that a missionary be sent to the field without control by outside organizations of people, other than his home church, his supporting churches and the Holy Spirit. In practice, this means we do not dictate to the missionary how he spends his money, how much money he can receive, or how or where he works. Agreement between CMC policies and the missionary requires certain divisions of income, such as personal support, ministry support and ministry expenses, which are for the missionary's protection. Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men." (2 Cor. 8:21) The missionary's financial arrangements are confidential to us and any information must be given by the missionary, not by our office.
 
 
4. WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR MISSIONARIES?
 

 There are no qualifications such as age limit, health, education, etc. The procedure for using CMC’s services is as follows: A missionary is sponsored by the church where he is a member. He is recommended by his own pastor and commissioned by his home church. In addition, he must have the recommendation of two other fundamental Baptist pastors. These three pastors (that he has chosen) become his “Mission Board.” Each missionary candidate is screened and qualified based upon the recommendation of his sending and sponsoring churches. The integrity and character of every missionary is of vital importance to CMC.

 
 
5. WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF CMC?
 

CMC exists to serve the churches and missionaries by processing funds for missionary endeavor. We receive gifts from the donors, issue tax-deductible receipts, accumulate the funds in each missionary’s account, prepare complete reports for the missionaries and in every way we know, provide information for the missionary that will be helpful in his relationship with the churches. Our ministry includes getting the funds to the missionary by the last business day of the month, using whatever method agreed upon with the missionary. On the missionary’s instructions, we maintain savings accounts, building funds, furlough funds, emergency funds, etc.; we make bill payments, insurance premium payments and keep up hospitalization and retirement programs, as well as making quarterly tax payments. We also provide legal documentation that is necessary on the field in which they serve, as well as verifying the financial information needed by the missionary and validating their income as required in their personal and professional endeavors.

 

A personal Note. Please notice the highlighted red ink portion of their statement.

 

There are some countries that require a "legal" missionary board. The CMC supplies that need.

 

FYI. Our support as missionaries is through our home Church and the CMC.

 

Alan

 

I believe CMC is a worthy mention for this thread. 

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I didn't address this in my first post, but there is another aspect to going with a mission board that needs to be considered. I will qualify this by saying that I have no idea which or how many boards do this, but some do take a small portion of the missionary funding for something on the order of what they consider the cost of handling the funds and/or missionary. I don't really know what you would call this except to say that the missionary doesn't get the total contributed. This would be a factor in favor of "doing it yourself".

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Problem is, Jordan, you don't know the WHY of certain things. Just like any organization, requirements evolve as people involved do stupid things.  "To you" it might tell you things that you are assuming, without, again, knowing the WHY of it all. That's the reason to TALK to people. Ask the hard questions, like why is this or that in place. It's dangerous to assume that something is wrong simply because you don't agree with it (saying the "you" generically). But this is to you: you are assuming much about FBWWM from some things you read - consigning them to legalistic actions is wrong, because you did not talk to them and find out the WHY of their decisions - and basically assuming they won't be honest about negatives.  I know that many boards claim to be local church and are not. FBWWM is. Again, I know this from personal experience. Not just reading a handbook. ? But, as you said, not every mission board is for every person - nor is every person for every mission board.

I totally agree, Jordan, that many boards have gotten out of hand. Mission work has become a business to many of them, not a ministry. 

Jim, I agree with you about the $ being taken out...most boards do that, as a way of paying their staff. I know of one board that even requires that any properties purchased on the field - any field - are to be put into the mission board's name. Not the church, the board. IMO, that is tantamount to robbery...

That (besides it being the only one our pastor would work with) is one glaring reason we went with FBWWM.

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4 hours ago, Jim_Alaska said:

I didn't address this in my first post, but there is another aspect to going with a mission board that needs to be considered. I will qualify this by saying that I have no idea which or how many boards do this, but some do take a small portion of the missionary funding for something on the order of what they consider the cost of handling the funds and/or missionary. I don't really know what you would call this except to say that the missionary doesn't get the total contributed. This would be a factor in favor of "doing it yourself".

Jim brought up a valid point that I am compelled to add thereunto.

1. Some boards require the missionary to set apart, usually every month, funds for retirement. These funds are usually either kept by the board or in an account set up by the board. Depending on the board, if the missionary leaves the board before his retirement the funds are forfeited.

2. Some boards require the missionaries to set up other funds: housing, furlough, emergency funds, etc. Depending on the rules of the board, the board, or its representative,  has the final say so if the missionary receives these funds when the missionary requests these funds.

3. If the missionary purchases a house on the foreign field, some boards require the missionary to have the house in the name of board, or its legal representative on the field.

For your information. Most boards have a "Field Representative," or some other setup, in order to have personal contact with the missionary. The "Field Representative" is in effect a controlling factor over the missionary. For Taiwan, most boards have a "legal" representative that holds title to the house and not the missionary.

Depending on the board, if the missionary leaves the board than the house is not his. In other words, he loses the house.

4. Insurance. Most boards require the missionary to have Health insurance through the board or a Insurance Company recommended by the board. If the missionary leaves the board than there is a strong possibility that the Health Insurance is forfeited and the missionary may be required to pay for medical expenses out of his own pocket.

5. Most boards have the final say so in any situation not covered by the rules.

Conclusion.

Just about every board has its own rules. The missionary normally learns of these rules at Candidate School. If the board changes in doctrine, integrity, or in organization, than the missionary either changes with the board or he is asked to leave and forfeit his benefits accumulated during his tenure with the board.

Alan

Edited by Alan
doubled word
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8 hours ago, HappyChristian said:

Problem is, Jordan, you don't know the WHY of certain things. Just like any organization, requirements evolve as people involved do stupid things.  "To you" it might tell you things that you are assuming, without, again, knowing the WHY of it all. That's the reason to TALK to people. Ask the hard questions, like why is this or that in place. It's dangerous to assume that something is wrong simply because you don't agree with it (saying the "you" generically). But this is to you: you are assuming much about FBWWM from some things you read - consigning them to legalistic actions is wrong, because you did not talk to them and find out the WHY of their decisions - and basically assuming they won't be honest about negatives.  I know that many boards claim to be local church and are not. FBWWM is. Again, I know this from personal experience. Not just reading a handbook. ? But, as you said, not every mission board is for every person - nor is every person for every mission board.

I totally agree, Jordan, that many boards have gotten out of hand. Mission work has become a business to many of them, not a ministry. 

Jim, I agree with you about the $ being taken out...most boards do that, as a way of paying their staff. I know of one board that even requires that any properties purchased on the field - any field - are to be put into the mission board's name. Not the church, the board. IMO, that is tantamount to robbery...

That (besides it being the only one our pastor would work with) is one glaring reason we went with FBWWM.

The handbooks of boards says a whole lot about them. 

I saw many of the things Alan mentioned already in some handbooks. 

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9 minutes ago, Jordan Kurecki said:

The handbooks of boards says a whole lot about them. 

I saw many of the things Alan mentioned already in some handbooks. 

I would agree to a certain point. MY point is that by just dismissing because of what you read in a handbook is akin to answering a matter before hearing it.  The handbook is simply an introduction to any organization. Dismissing a place as unbiblical before you (again generically) find out WHY something is there is not researching. It is reacting.

An example would be when my husband went to college. The handbook had some rules (I am not sure if they are still there or not) in it that made us scratch our heads. But, believe me, it didn't take long for us to see the why of a number of them. Not all of them - there were some we didn't agree with. But they were not egregious rules, nor did they require students to disobey scripture by obeying them. So there was no issue. 

IF someone doesn't like a standard of no facial hair, or perhaps the requirement that women wear no pants, they have a choice not to go with said group. But calling them legalistic is, again, answering a matter before hearing it if one doesn't know the why. Legalism is adding to salvation. I don't think even the really bad boards do that.

I've seen a lot in handbooks as well. And learned even more from different boards. I know very well that there is much questionable going on with boards. I believe one reason is because many of them don't truly remain local church run. 

There are a lot of pastors who will not even consider a missionary if said missionary is coming from a board. And I'm sure reasons include the things that have been discussed here already. 

You posted while I was writing this - I can tell you that they are a LOT less restrictive than BIMI, although I know a number of good missionaries who are out through BIMI and really like the board. Different strokes for different folks, eh? =D

The missionary family we support (we took our first family on this past July) is sent directly out from their church. So when we send our support check, we know that 100% of what we send goes straight into their bank account. Not every church can handle something like that - at present, I don't think our church could. Maybe one day.

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HC, am am a bit puzzled where you said;  "Not every church can handle something like that". For a sending  church to collect offerings and disperse them to a missionary is not a hardship, it is no different than paying bills like electric and heat. If a church has a treasurer it would be a small thing for them to cut a check for their missionary each month, just like they would do for any missionary they support.

Granted, missionary support should be held in a separate account so there is no co-mingling of monies, but it isn't hard to do. There may even be cases where churches send directly to the missionary, but my experience has been where mission support is sent to the sending church and they disperse it.

Of course I may be misunderstanding what, or why you said that. It's 2:30 am here and I'm probably not at my best.

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15 hours ago, Alan said:

Jim brought up a valid point that I am compelled to add thereunto.

1. Some boards require the missionary to set apart, usually every month, funds for retirement. These funds are usually either kept by the board or in an account set up by the board. Depending on the board, if the missionary leaves the board before his retirement the funds are forfeited.

2. Some boards require the missionaries to set up other funds: housing, furlough, emergency funds, etc. Depending on the rules of the board, the board, or its representative,  has the final say so if the missionary receives these funds when the missionary requests these funds.

3. If the missionary purchases a house on the foreign field, some boards require the missionary to have the house in the name of board, or its legal representative on the field.

For your information. Most boards have a "Field Representative," or some other setup, in order to have personal contact with the missionary. The "Field Representative" is in effect a controlling factor over the missionary. For Taiwan, most boards have a "legal" representative that holds title to the house and not the missionary.

Depending on the board, if the missionary leaves the board than the house is not his. In other words, he loses the house.

4. Insurance. Most boards require the missionary to have Health insurance through the board or a Insurance Company recommended by the board. If the missionary leaves the board than there is a strong possibility that the Health Insurance is forfeited and the missionary may be required to pay for medical expenses out of his own pocket.

5. Most boards have the final say so in any situation not covered by the rules.

Conclusion.

Just about every board has its own rules. The missionary normally learns of these rules at Candidate School. If the board changes in doctrine, integrity, or in organization, than the missionary either changes with the board or he is asked to leave and forfeit his benefits accumulated during his tenure with the board.

Alan

Literally everything you mentioned in your points is reason enough to not use a board. One board I just talked to said their administrative fee is 300 a month. That could be rent on the field. The changing of doctrine scares me most. Also, one consideration in favor of using a board is having that "clout" or vetting while on deputation. I would imagine it would be harder to get support without a board's backing. 

 

I thank the Lord He has given me much over my life. I don't have to worry about insurance (but then it could always change) because after I was wounded by an IED in 2005, I was put on medical hold. I was medically retired years later with Tricare Select. It used to be called Tricare Standard. 

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8 hours ago, Jim_Alaska said:

HC, am am a bit puzzled where you said;  "Not every church can handle something like that". For a sending  church to collect offerings and disperse them to a missionary is not a hardship, it is no different than paying bills like electric and heat. If a church has a treasurer it would be a small thing for them to cut a check for their missionary each month, just like they would do for any missionary they support.

Granted, missionary support should be held in a separate account so there is no co-mingling of monies, but it isn't hard to do. There may even be cases where churches send directly to the missionary, but my experience has been where mission support is sent to the sending church and they disperse it.

Of course I may be misunderstanding what, or why you said that. It's 2:30 am here and I'm probably not at my best.

it's not just cutting a cheque, though. Depending on the country of origin, the country they're heading to, and the missionary/church's own 'standing', for lack of a better word, there may be:

a. income taxes/deductions to be calculated and sent to the government 

b. if the missionary is out of the county, the sending church/board may need to handle the personal tax forms on their behalf as well

c. handling any issues that arise as a result of said deductions (dealing with the taxman is no joke!).

d. maintaining any necessary legal paperwork - what about things like maintaining health coverage for when they're back in country (this even from a Canadian perspective with social medicine - I imagine there would be documentation needed to maintain US health insurance as well)? what legal paperwork might a foreign country want completed from the sending church/board?

e. handling/investing retirement funds on their behalf, if applicable (IMO, it's a good thing for a missionary to save for retirement, just like anyone else)

f. reporting monies received back to donating churches, creating income tax receipts if applicable, handling the charitable status side of things there (man, am I glad our church is not a charity. That's a whole 'nother mess).

These things require time, knowledge and a certain attention to detail. From my experience, even cutting a cheque to pay them can get messed up badly merely from having a poorly-trained church secretary handling them. How many of our churches - especially up here in Canada - have the funds or available persons to pay/find an experienced financial secretary? 

I'm not making a statement for/against boards, just pointing out that there are a lot of legal, financial, and legislative details that can go into properly handling something like this. I personally think very few of our little western Canadian churches would be in a position to properly handle this.

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I took over the Secretary/Treasurer position in our church a couple years ago. Something I can't figure out is - in this day and age of electronic communication, WHY are our churches still sending cheques? It would be so much faster and more efficient to use eTransfers, credit cards, and other forms of electronic payment. It would be especially nice when sending support funds to US-based missionaries. US banks are woefully behind when it comes to handling out-of-country cheques. 

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1 hour ago, Salyan said:

I took over the Secretary/Treasurer position in our church a couple years ago. Something I can't figure out is - in this day and age of electronic communication, WHY are our churches still sending cheques? It would be so much faster and more efficient to use eTransfers, credit cards, and other forms of electronic payment. It would be especially nice when sending support funds to US-based missionaries. US banks are woefully behind when it comes to handling out-of-country cheques. 

Alberta, Canada? If so, I believe the Lord to be possibly calling me there. 

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