Current Level

 

DEPUTATION MANUAL

 

Missionary Austin Gardner

 

 

  

 

INTRODUCTION

 

DEPUTATION - That is a scary word for most young Missionaries and one many do not fully understand. The dictionary defines deputation as “the process of being appointed as one’s substitute or agent.” To Independent Baptist churches involved in the Faith Promise movement, this word sums up the process of selecting which Missionaries will be sent as their “substitutes or agents” to preach the Gospel onthe foreign field. During the deputation process, each autonomous local church will decide which Missionary they wish to send as their representative to reach the world with the Gospel. For most Missionaries, the total amount of their personal and ministry expenses will come from the giving of local churches. 

The purpose of this manual is to “give… the young man knowledge and discretion” (Prov. 1:4), and to help take the fear and apprehension out of the deputation process. If God has called you to the Mission field, we want to do what we can to help and to encourage you along the way.

Years ago, when God first called me to the Mission field, the fear of the deputation process almost kept me from becoming a Missionary. I wanted to go, but I did not look forward to raising support. I desperately searched for a way to get to the field without having to travel from church to church “begging” for support. I was a Pastor of a local church and for years, I had seen one Missionary after another come through our church during deputation. I was well aware of the struggles and trials they faced. I did not want to go through that experience, nor did I want to take my wife and family through it. 

However, I finally realized that the only way to get to the field was through the process of deputation. To my surprise, the Lord used that time to teach me many things, and along the way, I found out how gracious the Lord is to His children. “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,” Ps. 111:4. Deputation can actually be a very profitable time in your life. The Lord often uses the deputation process to help young men mature spiritually, to increase their burden for world evangelism, and sometimes, to break their heart for the lost. 

I am sure that after you have completed this study, you will realize (as I did) that deputation is not some big horrible monster. Deputation is a learning experience! You will learn a great deal as you travel from church to church and State to State. You will meet many good pastors and see what the Lord is doing in churches around the country. Your spiritual life will be deepened and strengthened as you learn to trust the Lord with your whole heart. God is going to bless you! 

Read the following material carefully and prayerfully. Most of what you will read is based on Biblical principle. Some is my opinion, based on experience. I believe that you will be encouraged as you read the material. I hope you will see that the deputation experience is one that can bring great joy and a blessing to your life.

  

 

 

 

CONTENTS

 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

1. God will support you!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

2. Call on God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

3. Deputation is hard work!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

4. Gathering materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

5. Information brochure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

6. Introduction letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

7. Conformation letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

8. “Thank you” letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

9. Prayer cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

10. Display boards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

11. Slide presentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

12. Prayer letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

13. E-mailPrayer letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

14. Web site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

15. Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

16. Set a goal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

17. 1,000 churches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

18. Arrive early. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

19.Pass our prayer cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

20. Don’t go home!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

21. Write positive letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

22. An invited guest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

23. Mind your own business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

24. Christ-centered preaching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

25. Don’t major on the minors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

26. Preaching personalities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

27. Be Quiet!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

28. Your attitude matters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

29. Preach the Word!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

30. Open doors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

31. Mission conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

32. Call your friends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

33. Borrow prospects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

34. References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

35. Responding to inquires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

 

 

36. Don’t be a waster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 

37. Missionary questionnaires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

38. Get organized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

39. Plan ahead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

40. Stay on track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

41. 13 meetings a month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

42. Your family testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

43. Caring for your family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

44. Be a giver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

45. Help wherever you can. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

46. Stay focused . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

47. Set up a budget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

48. Yield your life to the Lord’s will. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

49. Recognize pitfalls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

50. Share your burden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

51. Don’t settle for average. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

52. Be ethical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

53. Keep your head up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

54. Policy statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

 

 

 

 

DEPUTATION MANUAL – Austin Gardner

 

1. You must believe that God will support you! 

You must understand that God already knows where and how your support will be raised. What He requires is that you trust Him and go out to collect the harvest, which He has already prepared. “The Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” I Cor. 9:14. God already knows where the money will come from, which churches will support you, and how long it will take to reach your needed level of support. In fact, God is your only means of support. “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus,”Phil. 4:19. He will support you through the means of the local church. God did not wake up one morning and say, “I have called this man to be a missionary, but I am not sure how I can support Him.” Friend, if God has called you, rest assured that He has a ministry for you, a people for you, and He already has the funds already set aside for you. 

You may not know where you will find those funds, how God will provide them, or which churches God will use, but you can still go on deputation with a great deal of confidence. You must realize that God has already worked it all out. Someone once said, “Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurs to God?”In other words, nothing takes God by surprise. God already knows. You have to believe that the God who called you to the ministry will support you in the ministry. He is the “Lord of the harvest.” Jesus called us to be “labourers into his harvest,” and it was Jesus who said that the “labourer is worthy of his hire,” Luke 10:2-7. You must go in faith, believing God will provide for the man He has called. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it,” Phil. 1:6. 

The first time you call a Pastor and he turns you down for a meeting, do not get aggravated or offended! Just say to yourself, “Therefore I will look unto the LORD,” Micah 7:7, and realize that this particular Pastor was not part of God’s plan for your support. If you call a Pastor and say, “Preacher, I would like to know if I could come and present our ministry to your church,” do not be surprised when you hear, “No. We do not have any more money for missions.” You cannot let this discourage you. The man whose confidence is in God “shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD,” Ps. 112:7.

When Thomas Edison was trying to perfect the electric light bulb, some one noted that he had failed in over ten thousand attempts. Mr. Edison replied, “I have not failed. I have successfully eliminated ten thousand wrong ways to build an electric light bulb.” That is the attitude you need! “Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work,” I Chron. 28:20. 

If a Pastor turns you down, you have not failed. You have successfully eliminated another church that was not part of God’s plan for your ministry. Remember, God already knows which church will support you. You are simply eliminating those who are not part of His plan and finding those who are. 

  

 

 

You must not allow yourself to get upset or frustrated when a Pastor says, “I'm sorry, but we can't take you on for support.” You must not react in the flesh and begin to criticize that particular Pastor or his church by calling them carnal or unloving.Remember, your support does not come from churches. Your support comes from God!“God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work,” II Cor. 9:8. 

If God has called you, God will provide for you. “Where God guides, God provides.”If you can adopt this way of thinking and settle this matter in your heart, you can relax and enjoy deputation work. You must trust God to do what He has promised. “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me,” Ps. 56:4. Then you will be able to go to any church, present your burden, pour out your heart, and still praise the Lord when they say, “Sorry brother, we can't help.”

Do not be easily discouraged. “Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged,” Deut. 1:21. Just remind yourself, “This is a good church. That man is a good Pastor and these are good people, but they may not be part of God’s plan for the support of our ministry.” “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you,” I Peter 5:10. Go with confidence, believing God will honor His word.

 

2. Call on God before you call on any church! 

You must begin every day of deputation by calling on God first. “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land,” Ps. 63:1. This is essential. You must maintain a close relationship with the Lord and be right spiritually if you are going to be successful in His service. It is foolish to ask God to provide for your material needs while you neglect your spiritual needs. Every morning make sure you spend time with God. 

“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me,” Prov. 8:17. Pray about every phone call you plan to make. Pray for every Pastor and their churches. Pray for their people and for God’s power in their services. “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power,” II Thess. 1:11. Pray that God will help you to share your burden for the field. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you in all that you say and do. Read your Bible and allow God to speak to you before you speak to others. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not,” Jer. 33:3. This is how you must start your day. Do not get in touch with any Pastor until you first get in touch with God!

 

3. Deputation is hard work. Be diligent!

“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat,” Prov. 13:4. Get ready to work! Determine now, that by God’s grace, you will strive to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness,” Col. 1:10-11. You must purpose in your heart to call at least eight hours a day, five to six days a week.If I were just starting out, I would call twelve, or fourteen hours a day. I would call every fundamental church and every Bible believing Pastor I know. I would call until I was hoarse! 

There is no place for the lazy man in the work of God!“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame,” Prov. 10:4-5. “Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises,” Heb. 6:12.

Make eight hours a day the minimum.If you were working a secular job, you would expect to put in a full days work. Why should the ministry be different? Our job is more important! We should put in longer hours than the world!“Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him,” II Cor. 5:9. We must be willing to labor, but remember, ours is a “labour of love,” I Thess. 1:3, Heb. 6:10.

You can start calling as early as 8:30 in the morning, and call until 9:30-10:00 in the evening. Some Pastors will just be arriving at their office around 8:30 AM. Some will be at home in their study and some of them will still be in bed. Continue to call until about 8:30-9:30 PM. Keep the time zones in mind. You can begin calling Pastors in the Eastern Time Zone early and continue to call Pastors in the Western Time Zones later. However, I would stop calling by nine o clock at night in any particular time zone. 

Start with the churches closest to you. I try to keep everything pretty close to my home base to start out. It will be difficult to schedule meeting close together (in time) if the locations are far apart (in distance). Make it your goal, (at least at first), to book meetings in churches that are within a six-hour radius of your home. If you live anywhere in the south east, you will find that it is possible to be in literally hundreds of churches without leaving a six-hour radius. Almost all of my supporting churches are within six hours of my home. From our house, I can easily drive from Dalton, Georgia to Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Mississippi in six hours or less. You should not have to visit all forty-eight continental states to get your support, (although you should be willing to do that if it becomes necessary). “We were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us,” I Thess 2:8. Over the years, my support base has spread out all over the country and I think yours probably will too.

You must learn to maintain your own schedule. You have no boss or supervisor to keep you on your toes. You are going to have to be man enough to get up, get dressed, and get going without anyone prompting you. Get going early! Lazy men love sleep. “As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed,” Prov. 26:14. You will not get meetings unless you make the calls. 

The harder you work on deputation, the sooner the deputation will be over and the sooner you can be on the field. “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest,” Prov. 6:6-8.

  

If you call sixty to seventy hours every week, you are going to have plenty of meetings. There will be those days when you call six hours straight and no one will answer the phone. There will be those days when they will answer, but no one will be willing to give you a meeting. Again, do not be discouraged! The next hour may produce several meetings. It is a matter of persistence.Remember point one, “Where God guides, God will provide!” “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest,” Joshua 1:9.

NOTE:It is vitally important to get the right telephone plan. I would recommend one that has six-second billing. You will not be able to reach most of the Pastors on the first try. In fact, most of the time, you may only get an answering machine. When a machine answers, I either hang up immediately or leave a quick message and end the call as quickly as possible. By using this method and six-second billing, I only pay a tenth of the price I would have to pay on other plans. If the cost for your plan is four cents per minute, by using six-second billing, you may actually end up paying less than one cent for that call. Take some time to talk with several vendors to make sure you get the right kind of phone plan. 

 

4. Gather the proper materials. 

“Prepare thy work,” Prov. 24:27. Get a road atlas, a two-year calendar, a mini cassette player, a good laptop computer, and some other basic office equipment. 

You will need a good, detailed, up to date road atlas or a software program for your computer to help with directions. Nowadays, you can purchase these type programs in almost any office supply store at very little cost.Such programs can be helpful in providing necessary information as you travel. Most of them can give you driving times and alternate routes. Many have programs to help figure mileage and budget for each trip. Some can even provide updated road conditions via the Internet. 

When you first start accepting meetings, you must be willing to travel almost anywhere, (especially in the first year of deputation). If you call a Pastor, he may say, “I do not have an opening for you until next March.” Tell him, “Thank you. I’ll take it.” It may be two years away, but next March will eventually come, (unless the Lord comes back). Pull out your two-year calendar, put that date on your schedule, and book him. Now you can start to fill in the dates between this year and next March. Some Pastors will want you the same week you call. Others will want you next month or next year. 

You will need to be careful about scheduling meetings that are too far apart in distance. You may look at your calendar and see that you are going to be in Georgia on a particular Sunday morning, but the Pastor you are speaking with wants you to be in his church in Michigan that Sunday night. That is not going to work. You want to schedule as many meeting as possible, but you cannot schedule every meeting due to time and distance restrictions. 

Do not be afraid to turn down a meeting when your schedule just will not allow it, but try to be creative and flexible. Schedule as many meetings as time will allow.“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time,” Col. 4:5.

  

 

 

It is a good idea to keep a mini cassette player handy. Many times during the day, you will not have time to write letters. Use the mini cassette to record notes to yourself. It can be especially handy while you are driving. Record a short note and review it later. Keep messages to yourself short and simple. Something similar to the following:

 

“Send a confirmation letter to PastorWayneCofield, WhitfieldBaptistChurch. P.O box 555, Dalton, GA 12345.Meeting confirmed for March 3, Sunday morning at 10:00am.The Pastor also asked me to teach the Sunday School.” 

 

Later, after reviewing the message, you can send the Pastor a letter of confirmation. I tape information because I can talk faster than I can write. Then, later at night, when I cannot make phone calls, I type out my letters. We must be wise about “redeeming the time because the days are evil,” Eph. 5:16.It is not always possible or even practical to make a call and immediately stop to type out a letter of confirmation.

 

5.Prepare an information brochure about you and your ministry.

Prepare a pamphlet about yourself and your ministry. Have it professionally written and printed. A tri-fold brochure is always nice. Make sure you clearly state your goals, how you plan to achieve those goals, and include some personal information about you and your family. Include your picture (or family picture), your home church, your mission board, your birth date, salvation date, education, and a reference or two for Pastors who know you. 

You may also want to include a short version of your testimony somewhere in the brochure. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,” Ps. 107:2. In just a paragraph or two, tell how you were saved and give a brief account of your call to the ministry. Keep the brochure brief. Print a lot of them and give them out freely at every church and at every opportunity that presents itself. 

 

6. Develop a letter of introduction.

The letter of introduction should be included with the confirmation letter you send to the each Pastor. Sometimes the tri-fold brochure can be used as a letter of introduction. When a Pastor asks me to send some more information, I always send a letter of introduction. I make sure to that somewhere in my letter I include the statement, “this is to confirm our phone conversation of ________ (date) and ________ (time)…” This lets the Pastor know that he is dealing with someone who is detailed and efficient and “not slothful in business,” Rom. 12:11. In my letter of introduction, I might also say something like, “Please find enclosed some of my prayer cards, several brochures about our ministry and a letter of recommendation from Pastor _________________.”If you are unprofessional and unprepared during deputation, many Pastors will assume that is how you will perform on the field!

 

 

 

 

 

7. Create a confirmation form letter.

Write a standard confirmation form letter. Construct the wording in such a way that you can save it on your computer and change only the needed information. You will send out the same body of the letter every time. You will only need to change the name of the church and the Pastor, the date, and the time of the meetings.In the last paragraph or across the bottom of the page, I usually say something like, 

“Remember to pray for the city of Arequipa, a city of over a million people, with one very little fundamental independent Baptist work,” or 

“Evangelizing the world in our generation.”

I want to keep the need and the name of our ministry on their minds and hearts. 

A good format to use in a confirmation letter is as follows:

 

“DearPastorCofield, 

This letter is to confirm our phone conversation of November 21, at 7:41 PM.According to your instruction, I am planning to be with you on March 3, at 10:00 AM.Per your request, I am planning to teach Sunday School, and present our ministry in the Morning Service for ten minutes.I want to thank you for being so kind.I look forward to being with you.Enclosed in this letter you will find some of our prayer cards and a tri-fold brochure about our ministry. I will be adding you to my monthly prayer letter list, so that you can keep up with our ministry. If you would like to contact me for any reason you can reach me at the phone number mentioned below, or write me at my email address.”

 

Every Pastor should receive a confirmation letter! Again, remember Paul’s admonition that we be “Not slothful in business,” Rom. 12:11. 

 

8. Construct a “Thank you” form letter.

You will be using the U.S. Postal Service so much that you may begin to feel like Uncle Sam really is one of your relatives! First, you are going call each Pastor and send them an information letter and packet. Second, you are going to send a confirmation letter to each Pastor who schedules you. Finally, you will need to send a “Thank you” letter to every Pastor and church where you speak or present your ministry. I believe we should be thankful for every meeting we get and every opportunity the Lord gives us to present the Gospel. 

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,” I Tim. 1:12.Almost as soon as I walk out of that Pastors' church, I want to have a letter in the mail thanking him for allowing us to come to his church. The letter should be worded something like this:

  

“Preacher, 

I want to thank you for allowing me to be with you on ____________ (date). I appreciate your concern for world missions and I truly enjoyed being in your service. Thank you for your generous love offering.Please thank your people for all they did for our family.”

 

Make sure you thank them for all they did for you. You ought to say with Paul, “we give thanks to God always for you all,” I Thess. 1:2. Keep notes and write about specific details. Send your “thank you” letters out immediately, (preferably, on the same day or within one day of each meeting).Send out a “thank you” letter for every service you attend. 

9. Have prayer cards professionally printed.

Remember this -every Missionary has prayer cards! Make yours stand out. Some churches support over one hundred missionaries and have the prayer cards of all one hundred hanging on the wall in the back of their auditorium or along the wall in some hallway. You do not want yours to go unnoticed or to have it noticed in the wrong way. Never settle for a black and white card! You need a full color, professionally printed prayer card.Make sure your card is printed clearly and is well written. Have someone check it carefully for grammatical errors before sending it to the printer. The slothful man does not pay attention to detail. Make sure you do!

“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction,” Prov. 24:30-32. 

 

10. Build a sharp display. 

Build the best display you can possibly afford. You want something that makes a good first impression. Get to your meetings early and set up your display before the people start arriving. Ask the Pastor for a table to put your display on and surround it with items from the field you represent. Pay attention at Mission conferences to what other Missionaries are doing and borrow some of the better ideas for your display. 

Do not make a homemade display board unless you have the talent to make it look sharp. You do not want a large, bulky, heavy board, because you are going to be taking it in and out of churches. It will be you constant companion for one or two years. Spend a little extra money to get yourself a professional looking board. I have a section on display boards on my web site at www.world-evangelism.com.

Also, be very careful about everything in your display. Do not inadvertently put anything on your display about heathen gods or idols. People are watching, so be watchful. “Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry,” II Tim. 4:5.

 

11. Keep your slide presentation short.

A good slide presentation should only take eight to ten minutes, maximum.Use as few electronics as you can. Slide projectors and computers have a tendency to break down at the wrong time! We have all been in a church where the poor guy working the sound system is attempting to play the Missionary’s tape, but all you hear is silence. We have all seen the slide presentation that had the slides out of focus or was not synchronized with the sound tract. Be careful, too many things that can go wrong with electronic equipment! I have used slides maybe twice in all my years on the field. I remember using a video once, and just before the service, the “sound man” told me everything was fine. I walked up, began my presentation, and nothing happened. I quickly said, “That’s alright. I’ll just preach.”Any time you use electronics, things can (and often do) go wrong.

 

 

 

12. Develop a monthly prayer letter and address database.

I suggest that you send out prayer at least once a month. Send them to everyone you can. When you are just starting to raise support, you need to keep your ministry in the minds of the Pastors you have contacted. I am sure many Pastors do not read our prayer letters, butevery time it arrives on that Pastor’s desk, he sees my name and my picture one more time. Your prayer letter serves as a constant reminder of your ministry. “That ye have good remembrance of us always,” I Thess. 3:6.

Start keeping a prayer letter database. This database should include every contact you make. Keep a detailed, up to date list. Get the name and address of everyone with whom you speak. If you speak with a Pastor and he informs you that he cannot take you on for support, do not let that bother you. Respond by saying, “Pastor, I understand, but would it be alright if I added your church to our mailing list? I would like you to receive our monthly prayer letter.” 

Some time in the future, God may open the door to that ministry again simply because your prayer letter kept you on the Pastor’s heart. Some men will ask that you do not send them a letter, but the majority will be glad to receive it. I add every Pastor, who will give me his address, to my mailing list. I want to get my information into as many hands as possible.

To get the best rate, you will need a minimum of two hundred addresses. Two hundred addresses will allow you to mail at “bulk rate.”Check with your local Post Office to find out the details of how to send mail through the “bulk rate” system. It takes a little more work, but it can save you a lot of expense. Some Pastors do not like receiving bulk mail. If one of them says something to you, you may want to explain that you are trying to be a good steward and that you are trying to use the Lord’s money wisely. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful,” I Cor. 4:2. Using bulk mail saves money.

Another advantage of using the bulk mail system is the use of “address correction requests.” If you include the phrase “address correction requested” on the outside of your letter, the Post Office will return your letter when you use an incorrect address. You will pay a little extra money for this service when the letters are returned, but you will receive an address correction from the Post Office. This will help to keep your records current and, in the end, save money.

Get your letter out to as many churches, Pastors, and people as possible. If you are supported by sixty churches, your prayer letter should be going out to at least three or four times that many people. There are seven hundred churches and individuals getting our prayer letter, every month without exception. I also have an email prayer letter that goes out every month and sometimes several times a month. Email is the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to send prayer letters. I have over three hundred names on our email letter. 

 

13. Start an Email prayer letter. 

Many more people read email than snail mail (correspondence sent through the Post Office). Send out a few small paragraphs about what God is doing in your ministry on a regular basis (once or twice a month). “They wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren…,” Acts 15:23. 

People read email because it only takes twenty to thirty seconds to scan through a few paragraphs. They may not respond to it. They may just read it and delete it, but they do read it. This will help to keep your name in their minds and on their hearts. It will keep them informed about your ministry on almost a daily basis. Make sure you share your heart with people. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved,” Rom. 10:1. Carefully consider the information you are putting into your email and people will carefully consider you. 

Recently, I sent out an email asking people to pray for my wife’s Father. I was surprised by how many people responded, (many of them within one day). Most of the responses were only one or two lines, but they had read our letter and prayed for us. Most of the answers were short and simple like, “Bro. Gardner, we love you and we’re praying for you and Mrs. Betty.” Each one of them meant a lot to us and they reminded me just how effective emails can be.

 

14. Build your own web site. 

We need to use the tools we have been given. We live in an age of information overload, yet many Missionaries are still information deficient. Today, you can get more information, in front of more people, more effectively, than perhaps any time in history. 

Besides prayer cards and monthly prayer letters, I suggest you build your own personal web page. The vast majority of Americans have access to the Internet and there is a great shortage of good godly material out there. Your web site should include information about your family, your ministry, your schedule, and your messages. This is one of the best ways to give people easy access to information about your work on the mission field. 

 

15. Book every meeting you can.

If a Pastor tells you that he cannot book you until three years from now, take the meeting! You may be thinking, “Brother, I will already have all my support raised and be on the field by then!” You may be right, and if so, you can simply cancel the meeting. However, if you are wrong and it takes you two or three years to raise your total support, you probably will not be able to rebook the meeting you turned down. It is much easier to cancel a meeting, than to try to reschedule a meeting in a church you have turned down.Paul said, “Be instant in season, out of season,” II Tim. 4:2. That simply means, “Be ready to preach, whenever it is convenient and even when it is inconvenient.Do not overlook opportunities!

 

16. Set a goal of 250 to 300 meetings. 

You will need to present your ministry in a minimum of 250 to 300 churches before you can expect to reach your total support level. If you survey Missionaries who have already been on deputation, you will find that the average Missionary had to visit between 200-300 churches to raise his support. Almost everyone who goes on deputation will end up visiting the same number of churches before raising their total support. 

  

 

Some Missionaries take five years to get into 250 to 300 churches and some only take two to three years. A very small percentage of Missionaries take one year of less. You may ask, “If they all went to the same number of churches and they all mailed out the same amount of information, what made the difference?” The difference is that some were diligent and others were lazy. Remember, deputation is work. The harder you work, the shorter the deputation. You will need to book a minimum of 250 to 300 churches. 

“He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster,” Prov. 18:9. 

You can also expect to drive 100,000 to 130,000 miles to get your support. You are going to quite literally, “run the wheels off of your car.” Depending on the location of the churches you visit, you may find it possible to drive fewer miles, but I would not count on it. When I first went to meet with the Mission Board at Macedonia, they gave me some basic instructions on how to raise support. They also told me that their newest Missionary had raised his support in just one year. They said that this particular Missionary drove over 100,000 miles and was in 200 churches in one year.

I thought to myself, “I’m going to do that too!” However, I was only in 150 churches my first year and it took me a little longer to raise my support, but I had the right attitude. I was not afraid to work. “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour,” Prov. 21:25. I still have my old deputation book. I can give you the name of every church I was in, how many miles I drove each month, what the love offering were for each meeting, and what I preached in each service. I wrote it all down. I had a plan and I worked the plan. Make up your mind now! Make the calls. Send the letters. Be willing to drive all over the United States if necessary. Soon, you will have your support. “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work,” John 9:4.

There are 156 services in a year. That averages to 13 services a month. Therefore, it is possible, in just two years, to be in over 300 churches. It is possible, but it will take a great deal of effort and sacrifice to reach that goal. 

 

17. Resolve to call at least 1,000 churches. 

That number may shock you, but there will be days when you will call 25 churches and not one of them will give you a meeting. Do not let that frustrate you. Remember Paul’s admonition, “Brethren, be not weary in well doing,” II Thess. 3:13. Remember what we said earlier, those churches may not be part of God’s plan to provide for you. If you have determined to call 1,000 churches, you still have 975 to go!“So, stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved,”Phil. 4:1. 

When I say 1,000 churches, I am not talking about people who hang up on you. I am not talking about speaking to an answering machine. I am talking about contacting 1,000 Pastors personally. I rarely leave messages on answering machines. The time you spend listening to a long answering message is costing you money. Likewise, I rarely spend much time talking with a church secretary. As much as possible, I want to talk to the Pastor.

  

 

At one time, my phone bill was as high as $300.00 to $400.00 a month. That is why I recommend six-second billing. If you do happen to get an answering machine, you can hang up quickly and you will be charged a lot less. Here is something else to think about. Up to fifty percent of the Pastors that you will be trying to contact do not work at the church on a full time basis. You will find it very difficult to get in touch with some of these men. You will have to call some of them at home. If you do not, you may never reach them. Talk to 1,000 Pastors and you will get into 300 churches. Get into 300 churches and you will get 100 churches to support you.

What time should you call pastors? There is no way to know what day any given Pastor will be in the office. Some preachers take Mondays off. Some pastors take Friday or Saturday off. Some take five days a week off, and some Pastors work a second job. Since over fifty percent of Pastors work a second job, you will have to call many of them at home. Start calling the church office around 8:00 AM. If you do not reach the Pastor at church, then try his home. If they do not answer their home phone, then call their cell phone. You must make contacts if you are going to have meetings! 

Do not worry about offending a Pastor just by calling him. If he is that easily offended, he probably was not going to take you on in the first place. Remember point one. God already knows who will support you. Be kind and have a sweet and respectful attitude when you talk to Pastors. “Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous,” I Peter 3:8. 

“Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits,” Rom. 12:16. 

If the Pastor does not want to talk to you at that moment, ask him, “When would be a better time for me to call?” If he tells you to call him back at his office, then call him back at his office. If he tells you to call him back in an hour, wait exactly sixty minutes and then call him back. 

Men who have never raised support, or who took four years to finish deputation, may tell you that you are being rude by calling a Pastor at his home. They will say that it is proper to call only between the hours of 9:00-11:00 AM, take two hours off for lunch, and then call from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. You can follow their advice or follow mine. I am telling you to call them at home, at church, at work, and anywhere you can. I am telling you to call them before and after church. I am telling you to make contacts from 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM. Yes, eventually, you may offend someone, but you will also be successful in booking many more meeting than the “nine to fivers.” I am not telling you to be rude. I am telling you to be persistent. 

“We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence,” Heb. 6:11. 

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not,” Gal. 6:9. 

The first Pastor I can remember calling was Brother Hayes, who is now with Macedonia. He was a pastor on my list, but I did not know him from Adams’ house cat. It was October 15, 1985, and I had not even resigned my church at that time. I was calling to schedule meeting for the next month. I wanted to start deputation by early November.I said, “This is Austin Gardner with Macedonia World Baptist Missions. I would like to come present my ministry to you and your church.” Brother Hayes said, “Well brother that would be wonderful! Why don’t you come tonight?”I said, “I have something here at my own church tonight. I haven’t even resigned yet.”

He said, “Well can you come Thursday night.” I said, “Yes sir, I can.” I went that Thursday night and I gave a short ten-minute testimony, but they gave me a $50.00 love offering and took me on for support.

I went to a mission conference that year on November 4th, and they gave me $150.00 love offering. Then I went to a friend’s church who had told me I could preach and share our burden. However, when I got there, for one reason or another he had changed his mind. I was a preacher and at first, I was offended. Instead of preaching, he only gave me about fifteen minutes to give my testimony. 

Then he gave me a $150.00 love offering and that church took me on for $50.00 a month support. He has been supporting me since 1985. I am not offended any more.

I went to a church in Summerville, Georgia. It was a large church, but they only gave me a $24.77 love offering and they never did take me on for support. I went to another church and preached three times in their mission conference. They gave me a $200.00 love offering. You never know what the Lord will do until you go. I have been invited to churches who have not given me anything and churches that have become faithful supporters. 

 

18. Always arrive early!

Always make it a practice to arrive at least an hour before the service starts. 

If the Sunday School starts at 10:00 AM, you need to be in the parking lot by 9:00 AM. When I was a Pastor in the States, I used to love to get to church early on Sunday morning, usually between 6:00-6:30 AM. Our daughter, Becky, would go with me and fix my breakfast in the church kitchen. She would bring it to my office and I would eat my Sunday breakfast at the church. It was quiet and peaceful. I could study and pray without interruption. I would often walk around the buildings, lay my hands on different pews, pray for my people and preach to myself. I enjoyed being there. 

“Abraham rose up early in the morning,” Gen. 22:3. “Jacob rose up early,” Gen 28:18. “Moses rose up early,” Ex. 8:20. “Joshua rose up early,” Josh. 3:1. “Gideon rose up early,” Josh. 7:1. “Samuel rose early,” I Sam. 15:12. “David rose up early,” I Sam. 17:20. Maybe you ought to be like these men and say, “I myself will awake early,” Ps. 108:2. 

Bro. Paul Forsythe used to be in the habit of going to church on Sunday morning at 6:00 AM.One Sunday, after arriving at the church around 6:00 AM, Bro. Paul waited and waited for a scheduled Missionary. He finally showed up a little after 9:30 AM. The services started at 10:00 AM.By the time the Missionary got out of his car and into the church, it was already 9:45 AM. He asked Bro. Paul, “Where do you want me to set up my display?I am going to need a table for my display and a table for my slide projector.”Bro. Paul said, “You ain’t gettin´ a table or nothing! It’s 9:45 and I want to greet my people as they arrive. If you think I am going to be running round here looking for a table while my people are coming in, you’re crazy. You can just sit down and sit still. I will give you a love offering, but you ain’t doing didley.” Fortunately, most pastors are not as rough as Bro. Paul.

  

 

 

 

Arriving early can help you avoid some problems or at least give you the opportunity to solve some that may come up. Sooner or later, you will have a flat tire. You will get lost. You will take a wrong turn. You will spill a whole can of Coke on yourself. You will be in a hurry and you'll be pulled over for speeding (probably because you were running late).Remember Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong!” That law also applies to deputation. Make it a point to arrive an hour early. This will give you time to set up your table, review your message, straighten your coat and tie, and make sure the other members of your family are ready. 

 

19. Pass out prayer cards like candy!

Pass out your prayer cards like a politician trying to win an election.Start shaking hands the moment you walk through the door. Greet everyone you see. “All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another…” I Cor. 16:20. Say, “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Austin Gardner, missionary to Peru. Here is one of my prayer cards.I hope you will pray for me.” Give your cards to everybody in the church. Do not ignore the children. If they want a card, give them a card. Momma is watching. Leave a stack of prayer cards when you leave the church. Carry your prayer cards like business cards and give them out as often as possible. I suggest you order at least 10,000 cards on the first printing. You want people praying for you! “Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified,” II Thess 3:1.

  

20. Don’t go HOME!

Never go back to your home church for a Sunday or Wednesday service.

If you do not have a meeting, “drop in” and visit other churches. “Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey,” Rom. 15:14. While you are on deputation, your job is to raise support. There is nothing wrong with the desire to go back to your home church and listen to some good preaching. However, you have support from your home church. They have already done all they are going to do. You are not going to make any new contacts or get any new support there. You are not moving closer to the goal of 100% support by attending your home church.

Deputation is a little like playing football. There will be times when you find it hard to gain much ground. When that happens, don’t be too quick to punt. If you cannot pass, then run. If the run does not work, try the option. If the option is stopped, try a reverse, but do something. If you will try to gain a few yards every day, before long you will score a touchdown. You never know, even a “Hail Mary” pass connects now and then. Try something, but do not go back to your home church. If it is Saturday night and you do not have a meeting scheduled for the next day, what should you do? Look carefully over the database you have created. There will always be churches or Pastors that you have been trying to contact, but have not been able to reach. This would be a good time to try to make the connection in person by “dropping in” during one of their services.

Get there early and shake the Pastor’s hand. “Chew the fat” with him before the service. Stick around after the service and “fellowship” some more (Phil 1:3-5). Remember to give your prayer cards to everybody. 

I still remember the last time I “dropped in” on a church in the States. It had been a long road trip and my wife was tired. She was anxious to get home and rest, but I decided we should stop by one more church. We stopped at a small church and the Preacher let me pray and gave me about 30 seconds in the service. He did not take a love offering or pay us in any way. However, after the service the Pastor decided to take us out to eat. He said, “Why don’t we all go get something to eat?” Before I could answer, my wife said, “I’m sorry Pastor. We’re kind of in a hurry to get home.” That was one time that I did not appreciate her help and I told her so when we got to the car. I said, “Sweetheart, we are going to get home soon enough, but if he had taken us out to eat, I believe I could have got him to support us or give us a meeting.”

I need contacts. You need contacts. If you are invited out to eat, GO! Spend some time talking to the Pastor. Get to know him on a personal level. God may use that time to bring in the support you need. That Pastor may not be able to support you, but while you are fellowshipping around the dinner table, he give you another good contact. At the very least, he will remember you.

Now let’s a talk a little about which churches you should “drop in” on. Never “drop in” on larger churches. Most large churches are going to intentionally ignore you, or simply not notice you at all. You are just another face in the crowd. Smaller churches are more likely to notice you when you “drop in.” 

The average church is a small church. The majority of churches in America run less than eighty people. I have heard it said that to be among the top 50 percent of churches in America you need to average 78 or more in Sunday school. That alone will make you larger than half the churches in America. If you show up at a church of 100 or less, you will stick out like a sore thumb. 

Let me stop here and give you a few examples from my own personal deputation experiences. Several years ago, I was coming back from one of my supporting churches. While we were still on the road, I was scanning my map, trying to determine where to stop for the evening for church. I found this small church and we “dropped in.” 

There were only about 25 people in the church. I walked in with one of my daughters and we sat in the back row (we had arrived late because I had trouble finding the church). I was dressed in a suit and tie, (always wear a suit and tie and try to look as professional as possible) and my daughter was wearing a nice dress. The Pastor noticed us the moment we walked in the service. We were not able to take part in the service because the Pastor was not sure who we were since we came in just after the service started. 

However, when the service was over, the Pastor came back to me and said, “Hi. How are you doing? We are sure glad to have you.” He thought I was a visitor and he was thinking he was about to get a new family in his church. When he asked if I was visiting from around the area, I said, “No sir. I am Missionary Austin Gardner.” We talked a few minutes and he said something like, “Bro. Gardner, why don’t you come back and present your work some time.” Today, that church is one of our faithful supporters.

  

 

 

The tenth church I visited on deputation was one I just “dropped in” on. They let me give a one-minute testimony. Over the years, that church has given me literally thousands and thousands of dollars. Another of those early churches I “dropped in” on was Light House Baptist Church in Anderson, Alabama. They only let me give a five-minute testimony, but they have been supporting me since. 

Two of the first thirteen churches I visited on deputation were “drop ins.” Since then, I have “dropped in” on many churches that are now supporting me and have been since 1985. There were times I “dropped in” at camp meetings, mission meetings, and revival meetings and did not receive a dime, but I kept “dropping in.” Do not go back to your home church. “Drop in” on other churches and be ready to preach when you do. As a rule, you will find a better reception in smaller churches and often you will be given an opportunity to preach or give a testimony on the spot. 

Many of those Pastors work another job all week and may not be as prepared as they would like to be. Quite often, those Pastors will be glad to see you, and many of them will be happy to let you preach. Keep “dropping in.”

 

21. Write positive letters. 

Write positive letters that praise God and are thankful. No one wants to help a whiner. People want to back a winner and they will be quick to jump on his bandwagon. When you write your prayer letter, be careful that you do not say things like, “Pray for us. May God have mercy on us as we go to Peru. Down there the lions, the tigers and the bears will eat you alive. We have not been able to get much support and Preachers just do not care to help us. Times are hard and everything is going wrong.” No matter how bad it looks, or how unsuccessful you think you have been, don’t you dare write such a letter! You had better start counting your blessings and learn to be thankful and positive in your letters. Write like the apostle Paul, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,” Eph. 1:3. Now, that is how to start a prayer letter!

Be positive and be punctual. Make sure you get a letter out every month. Bro. Paul Forsythe used to send a letter to missionaries that were not faithfully sending him prayer letters. In big bold block letters, it would say, “NO REPORT - NO SUPPORT.” That is all it said, just four words, “No report-No support.”

 

22. Remember that you are an invited guest.

Youare an invited guest in another man’s pulpit - Respect it! Respect the amount of time he gives you to the second. “Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake,” I Thess. 5:13. If he tells you, “You have two minutes,” do not take two minutes and ten seconds. Make sure you finish in two minutes or less. Less is better. Occasionally, a Pastor will give me twenty to thirty minutes because I am a veteran Missionary, but don’t expect that much time at every church. 

Once, a Pastor told me that I had exactly twenty minutes and “not a minute more.” I was preaching a message I had preached many times and God was blessing. As I was preaching, I closely watched the time. When my watch was at nineteen minutes and thirty seconds I stopped and said, “Thank you very much.” I turned the service back over to the Pastor and sat down. 

I thought the Pastor was going to preach after me, but he did not. He just gave the invitation and dismissed the church service twenty minutes earlier than normal. He told me twenty minutes. I took twenty minutes, and “not a minute more.”

This is an important point. Stay within the time limit you are given!“Obey them that have the rule over you,” Heb. 13:17. I had a Missionary come to our church when I was a Pastor in Georgia years ago. I gave him some specific instructions before the service began. I told him our service will be over at about 8:30 PM, and asked him to make sure he finished on time. He said, “How much time do I get?” I said, “You have about forty minutes to show your slides and preach.” I made it clear that our services were over around 8:30 PM. 

He started the service by showing his slides. They were long, dry, and boring. He continued to show slides until 8:30 PM. He was talking the whole time he was showing his slides. The man had no self-control. At 8:30 PM, he turned off his slides and headed for the platform. I walked up and met him at the pulpit. 

He placed his Bible on the pulpit, but when he saw me coming he asked, “What are you doing?”I told him I was dismissing the service. He said, “But, I’m about to preach!” I said, “Oh, no you’re not. I told you the service ended at 8:30 PM.”

People are creatures of habit. They know what time they get out of church and expect the service to be over at the same time every week. They know their Pastor lets them out at 12:02 PM. Therefore, out of habit, they stop listening at 12:03 PM. You can keep talking if you want, but in their minds, you are finished. You may think this is ridiculous, but that is exactly the attitude you will find in many churches.

My good friend, Bro. Paul Forsythe, was fond of saying, “Buddy, unless the Shekinah glory of God shines down on this message where I can see it, you are going to have to quit on time.” I wish some Pastors were not so rigid on time constraints, but if they are, you must respect their wishes. They are the particular “overseers” of that flock (Acts. 20:28). A Pastor once said to me, “Brother, I don’t care how long you preach, but at 12:05 we’re leaving for lunch!” I was sure that they would not really get up and leave. However, I knew that while they may still be sitting there physically, they have already left the building mentally. It is always best to stay within the time limit you are given. 

 

23. Mind your own business.

Do not try to fix problems that are not your responsibility. God did not call you to be a meddler. God called you to be a Missionary. You are there to share your burden, not your opinion. It is not your job to try to “straighten out” the Pastor or his people. The standards of a particular local church are between them and God. It is not your place to tell the Pastor that he has a carnal music program or that the women in his church dress improperly. He was given the “oversight” of that flock and he is responsible to God, not you (I Peter 5:2). You dare not tell him how to run his church. You were called to present your burden, to preach on missions, preach on commitment, preach on surrendering to God, and let God raise your support. Stay out of his business.“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters,” I Peter 4:15. 

 

 

24. Keep your preaching centered on Christ.

Your opinion of Jack Hyles does not matter. Do not waste time preaching about Lee Roberson or Clarence Sexton. You should be preaching about “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” I Cor. 2:2. You are on deputation to share your burden for the mission field, not to share your opinion about personalities. Others may or may not agree with your opinion about a man like Bill Gothard. That is not important. It is important that they agree with the Scripture about Christ, about the need to reach the world, and the urgency of the task! “Preach the word,” I Tim. 4:2. You will make a fatal mistake if you focus on anything else. Challenge them to “go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15. 

Do not preach on the subject of Bible versions. It is not your job to convince everyone to use only the King James Bible. I agree, the King James Version should be our standard, but convincing another man’s congregation of that fact is not your responsibility. That is the Pastor’s responsibility.He is the “overseer” (Acts 20:28), of that flock, and he has enough problems without you creating more. 

Beware of controversial subjects. “Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain,” Titus 3:9. Do not be afraid to preach on the fundamental truths of the Scripture, but do not preach on women wearing pants. Do not preach on cigarettes, television, or contemporary Christian music. “Strive not about words to no profit,” II Tim 2:14. When you have your own congregation, you can spend as much time as the Lord allows addressing those subjects, but avoid such issues in another man’s pulpit.

 

25. Do not major on the minors!

Every negative thing you say about the mission field will be multiplied and magnified. Do not exaggerate. Exaggeration is lying. “Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not,” Gal. 1:20. Be careful how you represent the field to your supporting churches. Do not write or talk about the poverty. We are not a social agency. A Missionary is not sent to deal with poverty, but with souls. I constantly hear Missionaries say things like, “Pray for us, our people are so poor!”

There are poor people in Peru. There are poor people in China. There are poor people all over the world. Those poor people need clothes and food, but what they need the most is the Gospel. If you give them clothes, they will die and go to hell warm. If you give them food, they will have a belly full, but perish in the flame. We are not on the field to feed and clothe the needy. We are there to feed needy souls. That does not mean we do nothing about their physical needs, but reaching souls must remain our priority. 

Remember, everything you say about the field will be multiplied and magnified. When I went into Mexico for the first time, I was terrified. I thought they were going to steal the wheels off the car… while it was riding down the road! I can remember opening my first bottle of Coke in Mexico. I took the lid off and was scared to death. I kept thinking the germs on the lid that would kill me. Today, I have been on the field for almost two decades. I have had amoebas. I have had all kinds of sickness. I have had all kinds of trouble on the field. We have gone through labor riots and church splits. However, I rarely talk about those things on deputation. I talk about souls!

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10, and that is what He has called me to do!

Be careful that you do not discourage others from going to the mission field. One year we had a group come to Peru for a visit and I let a fellow Missionary walk the group over to my house. The group had come with Bro. Paul Forsythe to visit me. They did not come to see this other Missionary, but I always try to include all of the Missionaries. I believe in the idea of a team concept. You could say I was, “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” Eph. 4:3. I think men of like faith should all work together. I was trying to help and encourage this other Missionary. “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith,” Eph. 4:12-13. 

On the way over, he got the group together outside and began warning them about the dangers of being robbed on the streets in Peru. He was telling them all kinds of horror stories. Before he finished, the men of the group went to Bro. Paul and told him they wanted to go back to the States.Bro. Paul tried to change their minds, but the damage was already done. He told them, “If you want to change your tickets, it is going to cost you a lot of money.” They did not care. They had the money and they wanted to leave.

Finally, Bro Paul said, “Men, you need to tell me why you want to leave before I go talk to Brother Austin.” They said, “We are scared to be here. We are terrified of what might happen to us.” 

Bro. Paul came to see me and asked me to talk to the men. He said that the other Missionary had gotten them so scared that they wanted to leave the country. When I spoke with them I asked, “Have you men ever been to Atlanta, Georgia?” All of them said that they had. Then I asked them, “Aren’t there some parts of Atlanta that you would be scared to be in at 1:00 AM in the morning?” Again, they all said, “Yes.” Then I explained to them that it is the way here. I told them, “The odds of something happening to you are very slim.” After a few minutes of talking to these men, they were no longer afraid. In fact, just a few days later, they all flew to Cusco and went to Machu Picchu by themselves. They had a great time.

That Missionary had scared them for no reason, (other than his own personal need to feel tough). He wanted them to think he was sacrificing a great deal to be on the field. He wanted the people to feel sorry for him, so he told a bunch of horror stories. Do not tell those kinds of stories. We do not want to scare people away from the field. We want to encourage them to come help us on the field. “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth,” Acts 13:47. 

 

26. Do not preach about personalities. 

“For there is no respect of persons with God,” Rom. 2:11. Be careful about mentioning the names of other Pastors. Be careful on the phone and in the pulpit. It may seem amazing, but you will find that sometimes, even in the same town, two independent Pastors do not like each other. If one Pastor finds out that the church across town supports you, believe it or not, this might be enough reason for him to turn you down. Be careful about giving out too much information. 

 

Unfortunately, some Pastors, even in Independent Baptist churches, are carnal and do not get along with their brothers. If you have to talk about someone, talk about Christ. Be very careful not to talk about other Preachers and other ministries.“For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults,” II Cor 12:20.

 

27. Learn to be quiet.

I hate to say it this way, but “Watch your mouth!” Learn to be quiet and listen more than you speak.“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles,” Prov. 21:23. As I said earlier, do not volunteer a lot of unnecessary information. “Everything you say, can and will be used against you, in a court of law.” Some subjects are best to stay away from completely. I would be very careful that I did not discuss subjects like sports, politics, or music unless I was asked a direct question about the subject. In fact, you might find that you learn more by listening than by speaking. “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise,” Prov. 10:19. 

Think before you speak. “He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit,” Prov. 17:27. Do not talk about movies you have seen. Do not talk about television programs. Do not talk about anything that would offend. You have to remember you are talking to all kinds of people. Watch what you say about music. I believe you should listen to good conservative music, but let’s be honest; there are hundreds of different definitions for what people call “good conservative music.”It should seem no great sacrifice to get rid of something, which is at best, doubtful, and at worst, may hinder you from raising your support. 

“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding,” Prov. 17:28.

 

28. Watch your attitude!

“Keep your heart with all diligence,” Prov. 4:23.Always watch your attitude about the field, your supporting churches, love offerings, and the amount of support you receive. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,”Phil. 2:5. 

Your attitude determines a lot of what happens to you on Deputation. If you begin to think selfish thoughts like, “I do not want to be in these churches. I am tired of traveling. I am tired of preachers treating me like a second class citizen,” you will do nothing but cause trouble for yourself and the churches you visit. Your attitude will begin to come through in your preaching. It will show itself in your praying. It will be evident on your face. It will ruin your ministry. “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things,”Matt. 12:35.

Let me ask you a question. “What reason do you have to be ungrateful?” You have been given a wonderful privilege.“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,” I Tim. 1:12. You have no right to preach in another man’s pulpit. You must be thankful for every opportunity you receive, even if that is only 30 seconds on a Wednesday night! Even that is a privilege. Be thankful. Don’t whine. 

I know how you feel! The last church gave you a $12.50 love offering. You feel unloved and wonder how you will make it to the next church. Remember, the love offerings do not come from the church. They come from God. Trust Him, not the love offering. If this church gives you little or nothing, then the next church will give enough to make it up.

Once, when Chris (my son) was young, we made a trip up north. I let him keep a record of all the money we received on deputation. When we started, I had to take $600.00 out of our account to invest in the trip. I did not have a vehicle, so I rented a truck from a member at Whitfield Baptist Church (our home church). I gave him $300.00 to rent his truck and the remaining $300.00 we used for fuel and food. As we traveled, I had Chris write down the cost every time we stopped to buy gas or food. 

We stopped at the first church and they gave us a $25.00 love offering. They did not take us out to dinner that night even though we had driven thirteen hours to get there. The next day, they did give us breakfast, but not lunch. We got in that car and Chris said, “Daddy, this is not good.” 

We drove a little further, and we had to start paying tolls. (They really like toll roads up north.) Chris kept saying, “Daddy this is getting bad.” I said, “Just wait and see, son. God will take care of us.” We kept traveling and before the trip was over, Chris’ attitude had changed. He started saying, “Wow, Daddy, we are getting rich.”

God is so good to us! Your attitude reveals the depth of your faith in God. Deputation can discourage a weak man, but the man whose trust is in the Lord will be encouraged. He will see God working in so many ways and through so many people. He will say with the psalmist, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him,” Ps. 34:8. One church may not take care of me, but the next one will. God already knows who He is going to use. He is not worried. Why should we be worried? 

God blesses a cheerful giver, and God blesses a cheerful receiver. We are supposed to rejoice in the Lord.When we read Habakkuk 3:17, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olives shall fail, the field shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no heard in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

You should not to be thinking about how you are being mistreated, how things are not going the way you expected, or how you wish people would have more respect for you. That is a proud and selfish attitude. If you think like that, you do not have any right to expect support. Why would anyone want to support a Missionary with that attitude? “Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:5.

Do not be a whiner or a complainer. “Do all things[including deputation] without murmurings and disputings,”Phil 2:14. If you only get $10.00 in a love offering, Praise the Lord. That is ten bucks more than you had before the service. You need to learn to stop measuring God’s provisions by your expectations. Learn to expect nothing and you will be thankful for everything. The smallest offering will be a blessing. The fact is, if any Pastor lets you in the door of his church, you are already ahead. You have already received more than you deserved. You had another opportunity to preach the glorious Gospel of Christ. What could be bad about that? 

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy,” James 3:3-17.

Take care that you do not get cold and carnal on deputation. It is easy to preach the same message so often that you start “performing” instead of preaching. You must daily work on your walk with God. Have your devotions, listen to other messages, yield to the Spirit, go to the altar, and stay close to the Lord. 

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit,” Gal 5:16.

 

29. Preach the Word!. 

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine,” II Tim 4:2. Preach every time you get the opportunity. Use slides sparingly. Preaching is how you share your burden. If you do not preach well, then pray and practice. The more you preach, the bette