Planning a mission conference should begin at least one year prior to the date the conference would actually start. Contact should be made with each mission agency or missionary, giving them
the date of the conference, theme of the conference and the part that you would like them to play in the overall program.
Choosing the date of the conference is important. A convenient time of year should be chosen: Fall, Winter or Spring, keeping in mind when the majority of people in your congregation would
be available to attend. Decide the days of the conference, Sunday through Sunday; Sunday through Wednesday; Wednesday through Sunday, etc.
Conference Goals and Objectives
To inform the people of the need for missionaries around the world and to give them specific information about Mission Boards, individual missionaries and individual mission fields.
To see souls saved through the missionary messages given at the conference.
To pray that the Lord of the harvest will raise up missionary candidates and that they will make commitments to the Savior to serve as missionaries in needed areas of the world.
To set a definite financial objective to cover the expenses of the meeting, an honorarium for each missionary who is present and/ or some specific project, such as mission school, a truck,
an airplane, or some project.
To set an overall goal for the congregation to pledge to the Faith Promise Mission Budget for the year. Include in the mission budget a specific amount allotted to take on some new
missionaries.
To challenge the church to a new and deeper prayer commitment for individual missionaries and mission projects.
Committees for the Annual Missions Conference
The Program Committee
Choose a conference theme,
The field is the World
Laborers Together
Go Into All the World and Preach the Gospel
Pray! Give! Go!
A missionary theme song should be chosen in co-operation with the music director or music committee.
Lift Up Your Eyes
Look Unto the Fields
How Shall They Hear
Here Am I, Send Me
Come Over and Help Us
The pastor should prayerfully and carefully select your keynote speaker for the conference. The opening service and the closing service are vital, and of Course, an invitation for commitment
to the mission field should be given as often as appropriate.
The pastor should prayerfully and carefully select your keynote speaker for the conference. The opening service and the closing service are vital, and, of course, an invitation for
commitment to the mission field should be given as often as appropriate.
Implement the Faith Promise Plan of mission giving.
Grant each missionary the opportunity of presenting his field of ministry by message or film in one of the sessions.
If possible, arrange to have the missionaries eat at different homes, permitting as many families as possible to become acquainted with the missionaries. Transportation for each missionary
to and from the conference sessions need to be made if necessary.
If at all possible, give each missionary an envelope containing a letter of welcome to the conference from the pastor of the church, a complete schedule of the conference, map as to how to
get back to the church from where the missionary will be staying. If possible, have some spending money-$50.00 for a single missionary and $100.00 for a family-for them while they are there
with you at the conference. Many missionaries have very little or no money upon arrival at your church.
Have special features, such as luncheons, with Womens Missionary Union, or coffee or tea in the afternoon with special groups of men or women. Plan at least one sightseeing trip for all
the missionaries-Tuesday is usually a good day for this. Plan to be back in plenty of time for the evening meal and the service.
Publicity Committee
The conference program should be printed ahead of time to insert in the church bulletin at least two or three weeks prior to the conference. Posters should be placed about the church
including pictures of the missionaries and some information about their fields of service.
The church marque should carry appropriate advertising of the conference. Articles should be placed in the local newspaper with news releases with pictures of the missionaries.
Contacts should be made to the local radio and television stations for public service announcements and interviews of the missionaries, as possible. Christian schools should be contacted
for missionaries to speak in assemblies and classrooms.
A book table should be provided, with stimulating missionaries biographies and missionary stories, for the people of your church to purchase.
Mission Conference Music
If you have a choir director, you do not need a committee to perform this function. However, if you do not have a choir director, I would suggest: Select a song leader for the conference.
Provide special music or appropriate missionary songs for each conference session.
Choose a missionary theme song for the conference.
Prayer Committee
Organize cottage prayer meetings several weeks before the conference, asking people to sign up and be a part of the effort to pray for the success of the meeting.
Get up-to-date prayer requests from the missionaries or mission board during the conference to give out in writing to different prayer groups, i.e. Women Missions Organizations, Sunday
School classes, etc.
Distribute prayer commitment cards, encouraging each person to commit to pray for one missionary each day for the next year.
Altar Workers
If you do not already have trained Altar Workers, I would suggest you train a special group pf personal workers- teaching them to know how to go to Gods Word and help those who make
decisions during the conference.
Do not feel rushed in helping a person with a decision. If necessary, move to a quiet room while dealing with the person who is making serious commitments to the Lord.
Provide decision cards, getting the name, address, birthday and personal information about the person making a decision. Be sure to get the comments concerning the specific decision they
are making.
Make sure there is personal follow-up on each person making a decision, especially decisions for salvation and commitment to the mission field.
This web site below has info on different things you might need for a missions conference such as faith promise cards.
These websites might have more information.
http://www.bbfimissions.com/
https://www.abwe.org
https://www.bmm.org
https://www.bimi.org
