Career Missionary Financial Support Policy.pdf

Financial Support Policy for Career Missionaries at Bethlehem

Career missionaries, who the Bethlehem Foreign Missions Committee decides to support, will receive financial support based upon the following guide. In rare cases, for specific reasons, the Committee may depart from this guide. It should also be noted this represents a goal which may or may not be achieved due to extenuating circumstances (such as number of people going out at that time; the financial situation of the church; etc.)

A. Pre-Field Funding

Once a person (or couple) comes under appointment of an approved missions agency they can make application to the Foreign Missions Committee for monthly support and if approved the Committee will make available to them monies which can be used to help them through their deputation period prior to going to the field, as the budget allows.

1. This policy applies only to those being sent out as career missionaries by Bethlehem and who have completed the Nurture Program for Missionary Candidates.
2. We will not begin regular on-going monthly support of a missionary until the month of actual departure to the field assignment.
3. Bethlehem will not assist with "start-up" costs in addition to Pre-field Funds described above.
4. The annual dollar amount of support will not exceed $35,000 per missionary unit per year.

B. Financially supporting a missionary couple when one spouse is not a member of Bethlehem and does not intend to become a member.

Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account: meeting BBC’s qualifications for career missionaries; agreement with Bethlehem’s theology/ philosophy of ministry and missions and attitude of the non-member (for example: genuine like-mindedness rather than viewing us as a source of funds; willingness to spend time at BBC to get to know the church and the people).

We will need to early involvement with the couple (as early as feasibly possible) through meetings with the FMC and Pastor Erik Hyatt.

The ideal situation would be to establish a “working agreement” between us; the other church; and the couple so that we would be “joint sending churches.” Pastor Erik, on our behalf, will contact the other church to initiate discussion regarding the establishment of a working agreement. The working agreement would include: mutual understanding of amount of furlough time spent at each church; commitment to communicate with each other news/prayer requests of the missionaries; teaming to jointly meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the missionaries; etc.

Although completion of the Nurture Program is not required for the non-member spouse, the following would be:

• Reading Desiring God, and Let the Nations Be Glad.
• Completing the Preparedness Questionnaire/Enrich if something similar has not already been done.
• The BBC member spouse must have completed the Nurture Program. The nonmember spouse must have completed requirements of his/her home church and be endorsed by that church.
• The missionary couple must have a Bethlehem-based Barnabas missionary support team.

The specific recommendations (requirements) may vary a bit depending on the particulars of the situation (i.e., we may ask that a couple stay in the area for a specified period of time).

The primary goal is not to rush a missionary to the field or to arbitrarily delay departure to the field, but to allow enough time to start building a foundation of mutual love, encouragement, and respect between the missionaries and the church that will sustain both missionaries for years to come.

Meeting these requirements the missionary couple could be supported a portion of their monthly support.

Pre-field funds in the amount of $2,200* (over a two year period) would be available, as the budget allows.