Philosophy

At Faith Baptist Church, missions is held in high priority. We believe strongly in the New Testament model of planting churches, and exposing the congregation to the ministry of missionaries around the world. At Faith Baptist Church, we hold an annual Missions Conference in which we promote interaction with missionary families, encourage participation in annual mission trips, and provide opportunities for intercultural ministry in the local community.

Definition of Missions

1. We believe missions is any endeavor outside our local congregation to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ by proclaiming the gospel of Christ; making disciples and relating to the whole need of mankind—spiritual and physical.
2. Missions refers to any ministry extending beyond the congregation, the church facilities, or the local sphere of influence of the church, including the cross-cultural ministry of our church, overseas ministry, or ministry to a subculture within our own country.
3. As a missions-minded church, we believe believe in evangelizing, discipling, planting churches, and aiding in their growth and development both overseas and in various U.S. subcultures.

Scriptural Basis of Missions

1. To fulfill the Great Commission.“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19, 20
2. To minister to the totality of human need. “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Mark 9:41
3. To bring men and women to salvation and to be taught in the knowledge of God. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:13-15“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
4. To obey Christ by confessing Him to the world. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33″Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:41-46

Missions Conference

Missions Conferences Missionaries are those individuals who have answered the call of the Great Commission to leave the comfort of their own home, hometown, and very often their home country and share the Gospel with individuals around the world. Thanks to technological advances such as email, Skype, and even Facebook, those in the supporting churches back in the United States can see and even hear instantaneous updates from these missionaries even though they may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away! Just this morning I was able to see pictures of a missionary friend of mine in Zambia who killed (and proudly displayed) a Gaboon Viper that was on the road, blocking their route. After seeing those pictures, I was able to “chat” with a seminary friend of mine in France in real time. Before signing off the discussion with him, we were interrupted by an individual in Uruguay I had met on a missions trip in 2008 who wanted to know how the church services went at our church the previous Sunday. Truly, technology has brought our missionaries closer to us than ever before.

However, even with all these technological advancements, nothing can compare to the excitement of hosting a Missions Conference at the church and getting to spend time with them, meeting their families, and hearing them preach in real life. It is always an exciting time in our church when the flags get put up on the walls, and plans for the missions banquet are in full swing.

Sometimes we can wonder what exactly our missionaries are doing on a daily basis. We can hear their stories of adventure and ministry when we have them into our church! We often hear of a world where the poor keep getting poorer, and social aggression makes us fall back on stereotypes and hate, and Christians are being called on to be agents of change. Our missionaries are doing just that. They are building bridges, serving the poor, breaking stereotypes, offering hope, all the while sharing the love of Christ with those around them. They know that it is only God who can change the human heart and it is then our privilege is to simply share in their lives by welcoming them into our missions conferences as well as our hearts.

Our recent Missions Conferences have welcomed:

• Paul and Kim Pelletier, missionaries in Laval, Quebec, Canada
• Mike and Amy Lyons, international representatives with UCLA in Monterrey, Mexico
• Mike and Carolyn Davidson, Bible and Ministry Instructors with International Partnership Ministries, Inc.
• Brian and Charity Collins, missionaries in Singapore
• Matias and Kristine Espinel, Missionaries on deputation to Uruguay, South America
• Nathan and Karie Owens, Missionaries in Cameroon, Africa
• Matthew and Michelle Conrad representing their ministry in Hong Kong, China Joel and Deanna Porcher, from Ghana, West Africa
• Jason and Adele Rice, representing their ministry in Slovakia
• Jonathan and Lorena Templeton, representing their ministry to Salamanca, Spain

Missions Trips

We believe that it is important to support missionaries both in our finances and in our prayer. At Faith Baptist Church we also believe that we should assist the missionaries by visiting them on their respective mission fields. Therefore, we are convinced that it is our responsibility to schedule regular missions trips for the members of the church. Our missions trips usually involve working for the missionaries, and participating in their worship services through singing, playing instruments, and even preaching with the help of an interpreter.