Mission question:
Should a missionary be concerned about launching a "ministry" on the field that does not fit with his home church's understanding of mission work?
Example: medical clinic or English speaking school for kids or orphanage.
If a missionary is sent to preach and teach, establish and train, should he ignore the purpose for which he was sent and raise his own funds (however he can from other sources) to accomplish other "compassionate ministries" on the field?
Basically, how much direction do you see the missionary seeking from his home church?
What level of accountability should there be?
I am seeing that the church needs to hold the missionary to his primary purpose, otherwises it seems that it would be very easy for the missionary to get distracted with all the MANY temporal needs surrounding him.
Your thoughts?
My follow up questions: HOw much independance should missionaries have? They are thousands of miles away and must make some hard decisions. Folks back in the midwest of the US sometimes cannot fully grasp the particulars. What sort of home church guidence should there be, and how much guidence? What sort of decisions must be cleared and what sort of decisions should the missionary just make, assuming his home church supports him?
Should a missionary be concerned about launching a "ministry" on the field that does not fit with his home church's understanding of mission work?
Example: medical clinic or English speaking school for kids or orphanage.
If a missionary is sent to preach and teach, establish and train, should he ignore the purpose for which he was sent and raise his own funds (however he can from other sources) to accomplish other "compassionate ministries" on the field?
Basically, how much direction do you see the missionary seeking from his home church?
What level of accountability should there be?
I am seeing that the church needs to hold the missionary to his primary purpose, otherwises it seems that it would be very easy for the missionary to get distracted with all the MANY temporal needs surrounding him.
Your thoughts?
My follow up questions: HOw much independance should missionaries have? They are thousands of miles away and must make some hard decisions. Folks back in the midwest of the US sometimes cannot fully grasp the particulars. What sort of home church guidence should there be, and how much guidence? What sort of decisions must be cleared and what sort of decisions should the missionary just make, assuming his home church supports him?