"You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such ones, that we may be fellow workers with the truth.” 3 John 6b-8Missions Mentoring for Missionary Candidates
As a part of fulfilling the desires of Fellowship Church we are utilizing the Missions Mentoring Program developed by
Great Commission Ministries. This program seeks help a person confirm God’s leading into foreign missions and equip them to serve by the time they are ready to GO.
In regard to preparation for cross-cultural ministry, we have the benefit of learning from both missions history and recent studies on the successes and failures of missionaries. Based upon these, and the mandates of God’s Word, we perceive there are key areas in which the missionary candidate needs to develop with the help of the local church.
Barnabas Support Teams
A Barnabas support team is a small group of committed people from Fellowship Church who come together to care for our missionaries in a variety of ways, striving to help meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. It is a group of people with whom the missionary can be open and honest, allowing them to see his/her needs, and share his/her successes and details.
The name “Barnabas” comes from the character described in Acts 9:27 and 11:22-26. His name literally means “Son of Encouragement.” It was Barnabas who was Paul’s advocate before the church after Paul’s conversion. He was a partner in ministry. He was also John Mark’s advocate when Paul wanted to leave him behind (Acts 15:37-39). Barnabas was the kind of partner in ministry that everyone would want on their team. At Fellowship Church our Barnabas Teams are primarily homegroups based with a team facilitator.