Sending Church

Pioneers desires to come alongside churches and work together. Partnering with the local church is one of Pioneers’ core values and every Pioneers member needs a sending church. But what does that look like? What does it mean? How can you, your church and Pioneers work together? Each church approaches its role as a sending church a bit differently, and no ministry can tell the church what to do. But this is what we see sending churches do.

Sending churches:

• Identify potential cross-cultural workers in their midst and affirm their character, call, gifting and experience.
• Take responsibility for their missionaries and provide spiritual authority and care.
• Strive to be catalysts in the preparation of their missionaries as they raise funds and pursue training.
• Confirm their missionaries are ready to go, commissioning and releasing them to their fields of service.
• Faithfully pray for their missionaries and those they serve.
• Partner with mission agencies and others who are part of the sending team.

So, what does the mission agency do? Again, this may vary. But here’s our commitment to you.

Pioneers will:

• Provide additional accountability and care for the missionary in financial, personal and spiritual matters.
• Assist the sending church with recruitment, evaluation and preparation of cross-cultural workers.
• Recognize the unique shape God has given each sending church. Assist it to develop and sustain vision for its ministry among the unreached.
• Come alongside the church to pursue pathways to expand its ministry in cross-cultural contexts.
• Faithfully pray for the sending church in their pursuit of God’s heart for the nations.

Flexibility

Since every church is a bit different, so is every partnership. It’s also worth noting that in addition to their sending church, some Pioneers members have a relationship with one or more supporting churches. So finding the best ways to work together is always a learning process.

Q&A videos

A few years back we recorded a series of videos responding to questions candidates and churches often ask about what it means to have or be a sending church. This is what we tell them.

• ‍What are the biblical roots?
• ‍What is a sending church?
• ‍Why require a sending church?
• ‍Who is responsible for what?
• ‍What about our church’s pre-field requirements?
• ‍How much communication can a church expect from Pioneers?
• ‍What if we can’t do all a sending church should?
• ‍What does it mean to sign a pastoral reference?
• ‍What does a sending church commit to do?