Supporting missionaries, Southern Baptist versus Independent Baptist churches

[TheGloryLand]

I have attended Independent Baptist churches, and the Southern Baptist churches. When it comes to supporting missionaries, it’s totally different. The Southern Baptist Church makes general collections they collect millions of dollars a year, and the convention decides who to give and help. On the other side the Independed Baptist Church each supports the missionaries or missions that they want to support, each give an small donations as each missionary has to raise funds. Fundraising by visiting the local church. Both are good ways for them are reaching out for missions. I believe that independent Baptist Church Ways of giving towards missionaries and mission is much better.  I also noticed that missionaries and missions sometimes could be placed on the back burner for some reason. Are you happy with the way your church is reaching out to missionaries or the mission fields? I have personally seen churches with much money, just sitting in the banks, supporting missions doesn’t even cross their minds. On the other side, I have seen Independent Baptist churches doing very much supporting missions. It’s your world. I’m just living in it. Enjoy

[BrotherTony]

1 hour ago, TheGloryLand said:

I have attended Independent Baptist churches, and the Southern Baptist churches. When it comes to supporting missionaries, it’s totally different. The Southern Baptist Church makes general collections they collect millions of dollars a year, and the convention decides who to give and help. On the other side the Independed Baptist Church each supports the missionaries or missions that they want to support, each give an small donations as each missionary has to raise funds. Fundraising by visiting the local church. Both are good ways for them are reaching out for missions. I believe that independent Baptist Church Ways of giving towards missionaries and mission is much better.  I also noticed that missionaries and missions sometimes could be placed on the back burner for some reason. Are you happy with the way your church is reaching out to missionaries or the mission fields? I have personally seen churches with much money, just sitting in the banks, supporting missions doesn’t even cross their minds. On the other side, I have seen Independent Baptist churches doing very much supporting missions. It’s your world. I’m just living in it. Enjoy

You are giving your opinion of how the SBC affiliated churches give to and distribute funds to missionaries. You forget that I, too, have been a member in both systems. In the SBC affiliated churches, each church decides what percentage, if any at all, they will send to the cooperative entities, ie, the North American Missions Board (NAMB) and the International Missions Board (IMB), and others like the Gideon's, etc. Granted, there are starting to be problems with these entities, especially the NAMB. Under the leadership of Kevin Ezell mission start-ups in the USA have dropped dramatically, while a good deal of the funds have been used to line the pockets of Ezell and his cronies, for the attorneys fees used to protect the NAMB from the lawsuit for overstepping their boundaries and trying to make the SBC a TRUE denomination such as the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Catholics, with himself as a "Pope" having the authority to hire and fire missions directors at the state and local levels. He and the ERLC have submitted FALSE information before the SCOTUS, and the Circuit Court of Appeals, misusing funds to this date. That's one reason my wife and I are searching for an IFB church again. But, then, the IFB churches have their own troubles in the area of missions giving when monies go through a missions board like Baptist Mid Missions and others instead of directly to the missionaries. 

So, just to be clear again, Eddie, you're showing a lot of interest in what other churches do as far as giving. Your constant attention to money is disturbing, especially when it's not in your own church. No way of giving is ever going to be perfect or without problems. Let's just be happy that many are still giving and supporting missions.

[TheGloryLand]

I did not know all those things you mentioned above. I have been discouraged in my giving but we still give.

[BrotherTony]

We give as well, but have started giving directly to missionaries instead of letting the church give our tithes and offerings over to the cooperative. 

[HappyChristian]

We are independent Baptist, so we as a congregation decide which missionaries we support and for how much. Hubs invites the missionaries in as God leads him, we hear them teach/preach (and sing if they so desire). Usually the man will go visiting with my hubs (or street preaching). I try to have something for the ladies so they can spend some time with the missionary wife. If possible, we try to schedule the missionaries for a first Sunday of the month. This gives them the opportunity to have a meal after the service and to fellowship with our folks while eating. Our folks enjoy being able to talk to them and get to know them a bit. We, then, will vote at the next business meeting whether or not to take them on. We already have a set amount to start. Since hubs has been pastor, we have never refused to support the missionaries he has presented to the church. As well, he always takes a love offering for them. We are a small church, but our folks are so very generous! 

We currently support 6 missionary families. 

Am I happy with our outreach? Yes. I'm grateful that God has allowed us to support these missionaries and look forward to being able to support more. The first family we took on came for furlough last year. They have been our personal friends for over 30 years, and it's so great to know they are still serving the Lord. We are looking forward to the others coming home on furlough and spending some time with them.

One of our families, the Suttons, is in Chinandega, Nicaragua. Tomorrow (May 19) is their "grand opening" as a church. They've been having services and have seen several saved, but the church is launching tomorrow. They have passed out 4,000 invitations. Please, if you read this before tomorrow morning, please pray that God will abundantly bless.

[BrotherTony]

Praise the Lord for that, @HappyChristian! It's so wonderful to hear about a smaller church that is actively supporting more than 2 missionaries! I know when my wife and I worked with a group of Christians in Augusta Georgia back in the mid 80's to start the Garden City Baptist Church, within the first six months we had taken on support for 11 missionaries. Our church started as a small split off of the West Augusta Baptist Church which supported 41 missionaries.  Both churches have now been absorbed by a couple of larger churches. Our missionaries usually came to give their presentations on the first Sunday of the month, and we did much like you do. In the SBC churches we have been members of we have only had one or two missionaries come to give presentations about their work on the missionfield. That's pretty sad...it seems that in the SBC churches there is very little accountability for what is being taught by many who are being sent out. There's a growing trend towards the "Reformed" teachings of Calvinism, a millennialism, etc. The SBC supported seminaries seem to be leaning that way as well. It's so sad to see the growing indifference.