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A case for visiting missionaries
Accredited missionaries should be visited from time to time. These visits are important because the missionaries need to be built up and encouraged by friends and staff from their sending church. And they’re important because they afford church leaders the opportunity to see the field work first hand, meet nationals and visit key indigenous projects involved with the mission. This helps church leaders in their role as fundraisers, prayer leaders and advisors to the team.
It is sometimes appropriate for visitors to the field to take along spouses, children and other workers. There is much profit in exposing them to foreign lands and peoples. We hope to plant seeds in their minds that will grow and flourish in years ahead as they consider the work God is doing throughout the world.
Who should go?
 | It’s preferable for at least one elder to go. |
| It may be strategically important for people directly involved with the mission (the missions director, the home support team leader, the missionary’s personal administrator, or other Evangelism/Missions staff) to go. |
| At times it may be wise for non-missions staff to go. |
| Whenever possible, women should go. They can fellowship with and encourage the women on the field. If an elder goes, for instance, he should think about taking his wife. |
| At times, it may be important for a visitation personnel’s family member to go. |
| Depending on strategic considerations, others may go, if they are able to cover their own expenses. |
How should visitation decisions be made?
| The missions director should draft visitation proposals and present them to the Evangelism/Missions coordinator. Together they should make visitation decisions in consultation with the Management Team. |
| Visitation plan for the coming year should be presented at the annual planning retreat. |
| When conflicts of interest arise, the coordinator can appeal to the elders for a decision. |
| The nature of this work means we can’t promise equality in terms of frequency of visits or the amount of expenses covered, but every effort should be made to be as fair as possible. |
| No team should be left un-visited for an undue period of time. |
Which expenses should we cover?
| All financial decisions should be made according to the availability of visitation funds in the World Ministries--Visitation budget. It is understood that paid expenses do not include personal purchases such as souvenirs and gifts. |
| Generally Xenos should fund the sending of a staff person or an elder. |
| In some cases, a family member could have their way paid. |
| In other cases, Xenos may opt to pay all or part of someone else’s expenses. |
Paid expenses could include money for side trips on the way to or home from the visit.
