Church members often show up with an idea they want to pursue in missions, and such
ideas often include a suggested missions agency. We want to accommodate such ideas,
provided they fit within the doctrinal and strategic boundaries of our own missions
philosophy. We have discovered that the relationship between church and missions agency is
an important one, and will often determine the success or failure of the mission. It
certainly will determine whether we are willing to support a given mission proposal. This
letter and accompanying form is used to gather preliminary information from prospective
partnering agencies.
(date)
(agency address)
Dear Sirs,
(Name) has applied to be a missionary from Xenos Christian Fellowship. As part of the
missions accreditation process within our church, I am seeking information about your
mission board's policies and practices. If you could please complete the enclosed Mission
Agency Information Inventory from ACMC, or send me equivalent material about your
organization, I would deeply appreciate it.
Thank you for your cooperation in considering this candidate for missions service. I
look forward to working with you in the future.
In His Service,
World Ministries Director
Mission Agency Information Inventory
Please print or type your answers to each question. Indicate "N/A" for any
questions not applicable to you. Should you need to continue your answer on a continuation
sheet, please clearly identify the number of the question being continued. Thank you for
your cooperation.
1. What is the official name of your agency?
2. By what name or initials are you commonly known?
3. Has your agency ever had any other name? Yes No
- If your answer to question 3 was "yes," please indicate the other names your
agency has had and the last year in which your agency used them:
Name: Last Year Used:
1.
2.
3.
4.
If more space is required, please attach an additional sheet.
4. In what year was your agency founded?
5. What is your agency's headquarters address?
6. What is your agency's headquarters phone number?
7. Please list, in the appropriate columns below, the members of your agency's
governing board and their occupations or positions. (Include the organizations they work
for in the "Occupation or Position" box.)
Name: Occupation or Position:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
If more space is required, please attach an additional sheet.
8. Please attach a copy of your agency's Statement of Faith.
9. Please list any mission organizations with whom your agency is affiliated:
10. Are you the mission arm of a denomination? Yes No
- If your answer to question 10 was "yes," please give the name of the
denomination:
11. What terms most clearly describe the general doctrinal, and/or ecclesiastical,
and/or historical stance of your agency? (E.g., Baptistic, Ecumenical, Evangelical,
Inter-denominational, Non-denominational, Pentecostal, Reformed, Wesleyan, etc.) List as
many terms as are needed to make this description complete:
12. Please provide a basic Mission Statement which guides the ministry of your
agency:
13. What are the primary tasks, presently undertaken, to which your agency commits a
major portion of its resources? (List no more than five.)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
14. In what ways is your agency directly or indirectly involved in planting
churches?
15. If you plant churches, how are they structured? (Do they become part of national
denominational bodies or associations; do they tend to follow a particular denominational
pattern; etc.?) Situations may vary from field to field; if so, your answer should reflect
this:
16. In the spaces below, list in capital letters the countries in which your agency is
working. After each country, list the people group(s) among whom you are ministering in
that country. Indicate whether your work with each people group consists of or supports
church planting and/or church nurturing by putting the words "planting,"
"nurturing," or "both" in parentheses after the name of each people
group. Include all evangelism work under the church "planting" category. (See
the sample below.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
If more space is required, please attach an additional sheet.
17. As of the end of the last calendar year, how many regular North American
personnel, assigned to cross-cultural work by our agency, were in active service? (Include
those on furlough and those assigned to other agencies. Do not include those assigned to
you from other agencies or short-term workers with assignments of less than four years.)
married men single men
married women single women
18. As of the end of the last calendar year, how many North American short-term
personnel (one to three years), assigned to overseas work by your agency, were serving
overseas? (Include those assigned to other agencies, but not those assigned to your agency
by other agencies.)
19. How many summer workers served with your agency last summer?
20. Do you have non-North Americans who serve with your agency and work in countries
other than their own? Yes No
21. Explain your agency's policy and practice concerning its relationship to, and
financial support of, national churches and national workers:
22. What is your agency's policy and practice concerning the raising and distribution
of support funds for:
Missionaries--
Projects--
Administrative costs--
- Please attach an illustration of a Missionary Support Fund Package. This
illustration should show all items the support package provides for, including
administrative and project allocations.
23. Describe the methods your agency uses to evaluate its missionaries and the
frequency with which they are used:
24. What do you perceive to be the role of a missionary's home church in the pastoral
care of that missionary while he or she is on the field or on furlough?
25. Does your agency publish a periodical? Yes No
- If you answered "yes" to question 25, is the periodical distributed as a
benefit to your supporting public? Yes No
- If you answered "yes" to question 25, what is the name of the periodical?
26. Please list any resources your agency has available which could help the local
church improve its missions ministry. Please list each specific resource by name.
Categorize the resources by kind, if possible (e.g., personnel, printed, tape,
audio-visual, etc.).
27. Are your agency's financial operations regularly audited by an independent
accounting firm? Yes No
- Please attach a copy of your most recent annual financial statement and audit report.
28. What are your agency's present needs for additional personnel?
29. In 100 words or less, give any other information that would be helpful in
describing your agency or clarifying any responses you have made on this form:
30. Please indicate below, the personnel and/or offices/departments which should be
contacted if further information about the following areas is needed: finances, personnel,
church/agency relationships, doctrinal/ecclesiastical issues, ministry, or general
information. (List the address and phone number to be used when making such inquiries, if
this information differs from that given on your answers to questions 5 and 6.)
CONTACTS: Person/Office/Department Address/Phone Number:
:
1. Finances:
2. Personnel:
3. Church/agency
relationships:
4.
Doctrinal/eccl.
issues:
5. Ministry:
6. General
information:
Name of person completing form: __________________________________
Official position with agency: _____________________________________
Date form completed: Signature: __________________________________
Return to the World Ministries page
Return to the Xenos home page
