Note: This book was my very first attempt at writing.  I actually wrote this at the end of my deputation, just before going to the field.  God miraculously blessed us with by allowing us to raise 100% of our support in just 10 months.  Obviously, God intervened in an amazing way to get us to the field to win those precious Africans. However, many missionaries would approach me with the same question - "How did you do it?"  I realized that maybe I had some helpful answers to some of their perplexing questions.  Hopefully, this book will be an encouragement and a help to some new missionary.  Many have already let me know just how much this has helped them.  If this book will hasten one missionary getting to his field, it is worth posting it.  God bless you!!

Brother Shiflett

Deputation

Advice for New Missionaries

 By: M. S. Shiflett

Introduction

          When I first started deputation, I realized that I had somewhat of an advantage. I had been a missionary's kid back during the '80's, and I had seen first-hand the mistakes that missionaries can make starting out. That is not to say that my Dad made a lot of mistakes. We got our support in 18 months, which was pretty good for a family of five. To make it even better, he managed to stay within a 150 mile radius of our home in Greenville, SC. Deputation is a lot like parenting. Once you figure out how you're supposed to go about it, you are about finished. I have seen good missionaries struggle to get their support and drive thousands of miles seemingly in vain. Notice I said "seemingly". We know that as long as you are preaching and being a blessing to the people of God that it is not in vain. However, our primary goal as missionaries is to get support! 

          This booklet will not deal with the importance of the call and the spiritual maturity of the missionary. Those are two very important issues that will many times hinder the missionary's support. If you are not sure of the call, you can be assured that God will not go out of His way to assist you. If you are not walking with the Lord, and your wife and children are not behind you and under your subjection, you will have your work cut out for you in your efforts to get churches to support your ministry.  I will not take the time to deal with these aspects, though I did want to mention their importance. This booklet is primarily for the missionary that has surrendered to go to the mission field, and does not know exactly what to do, or how to go about getting started. This book may also provide insight to some missionaries already on deputation, but feel they are spinning their wheels. After reading this book, they may want to implement a few of these ideas.

          Allow me to acknowledge that these ideas are not anything new. These suggestions have been used by many.  If I had it to do all over again, I would not change one single aspect of deputation. I would do all the same things again simply because they worked for me.  I am not going to say that this book is a magic formula for quick deputation. I will say however that if you incorporate some of these ideas into your ministry, you should see things pick up a bit. There is no reason why it should take missionaries three or four years to get to the field. My personal opinion is that if a missionary has been called of God to go to a place of service, and it takes more than a couple of years to get support, then something is wrong. There are plenty of churches, and plenty of places to present your burden and share what God has laid on your heart.  If you are not aggressive in your deputation, it stands to reason that you will not be aggressive in any other aspect of your ministry. Deputation is hard work, but I loved every minute of it, and you will too if you use some of the suggestions that I will share from my experience on the road.

Chapter 1

Getting Started

          The first few weeks of deputation are seemingly chaotic. I was chomping at the bits to get started, but I realized that I was simply overwhelmed with things that were undone and decisions that had to be made. I had to slow down and realize that I had to get my ducks in a row before just heading out the door, looking for support. There are several important issues that you must deal with before you ever book your first meeting. If you are widely known, and you have a lot of personal friends in the ministry, then you can do what I did.  I called them and told them of our surrender to the field, and explained to them that I was not at that moment ready to begin booking meetings. I told them that I would be ready in a month or so, and I went ahead and booked several meetings in advance. I was nearly finished with Bible College, and so there was no reason why I could not start working on these important issues that must be dealt with. For the first month, there did not seem to be enough hours in a day. The more I got accomplished, the more it seemed I needed to do. Believe me, it will slow down a little bit after the initial preparations are out of the way. We will deal with those absolutely necessary issues in this section.

The Board Issue

          Let me begin by saying that though this may not be an issue with you, it will be with 95% of the pastors you call. I will try to explain from a missionary's perspective the pros and cons, the purpose of the Board, the priorities of a Board, and the participants in the Board. I realize that there is no mention of a Mission Board in the New Testament. Before surrendering into missions, I said for years that I would not go through a Board; instead I would go through my local church. I still think that is the best way to go, and I have no problems with those that do it. I believe that if your church has the manpower, and the capabilities to handle the responsibilities that it must shoulder when working as your Board, then by all means go for it. If you are undecided as to the best way for you, then let's look at it from both angles. 

The Pros and Cons

          You must first of all realize that there are pastors that will not support you if you do not have a Board, as well as those that will not take you on because you do. Just like every other part of the ministry, you will never make everyone happy, so don't let that be the deciding factor for you. Let me clarify the use of the word Board. Though some mission agencies call themselves Boards and they may have a panel of pastors that make up a Board, they are more like a clearinghouse than a Board. Some take the word Board to mean an agency that tells you what to do and how to do it. There are Boards out there like that, and then there are Mission agencies that are just a ministry that is there for your benefit. For the sake of space, I will call them all Boards, and we will deal with their purpose in the next section.  

          One of the first questions a pastor will ask you is what Board you are with. They may not know your pastor, or your church. But many of them are not concerned with that as much as they are what Board you are with. Most pastors have a pretty good idea what most of the more well-known Boards stand for and the kind of missionaries that represent them. This can be beneficial if you are with a good Board. If you are with a Board that does not have such a great reputation, you can feel the negative backlash that comes with that. Baptists are some of the world's worst at stereotyping (see what I mean??!!)  If the last guy that came to their church was a dud, then pity the next man that calls for a meeting. If that dud was with your Board, you can forget getting anywhere with that pastor. You will spend twenty minutes hearing all about his mistakes and trying to convince the pastor that you don't know that guy and you are not like him! On the other hand, if that pastor likes what he has seen representing your Board, you will more than likely have a relatively easy time getting a meeting with him. That is not to say that the Board has anything to do with what transpired, but a Board can only be as good as the missionaries that represent it. 

          When you are looking for a Board, look for names of men you know and admire. You will be associated with these men for years, and you want to make sure that the Board believes like you believe, and stands for what you stand for. You don't want to be in a situation where you are constantly defending your Boards stand on a certain issue. The Bible says not to be unequally yoked, and if a missionary and his Board are not yoked, then I don't know who is! Amos 3:3 says "Can two walk together except they be agreed?"  The simple implied answer to that is "No"!

          Another issue you need to consider is the issue of financial responsibility. Is your church capable of handling the thousands of dollars every month and properly handling all the paperwork involved? There are records to be kept, receipts to be mailed out to every supporter, and deposits, withdrawals, and a thousand other very important details that must be attended to. There are Boards out there that will do all this for no charge. It is their ministry to be a servant for you. I have a very good church, and one that has been an asset to me. I very well could have gotten up my support just as fast using my church as my Board, but after talking it over with my pastor, I realized that to not have a Board would put a tremendous burden on someone in the congregation. I looked at the long term commitment, and realized that the best thing for me was to find a small, godly Mission Agency to handle my finances for me. I do not regret going with my Mission Board, Prayer Baptist Missions International.  I highly recommend them if you are searching for a mission board. However, though they do not charge me for their services, I support them monthly to help them with their expenses. Some Mission Boards charge you, and deduct money from your check. This is frowned upon by most pastors, as well as the missionaries. Just be sure to ask questions and make sure you agree with the answer.   This gives you peace of mind.

The Purpose of the Board

          This is definitely one thing you want to find out before you apply with a Board. What is their primary goal? Are they interested in building a reputation for themselves? Are they stressing missions or Boards? Be leery of the Board that is constantly promoting itself, and not its missionaries. I understand that a Board has to be supported, but the primary purpose of a Board should be to get you to the field just as quickly and as efficiently as possible. They are to be an asset, not a liability. If every missionary would support his Board for at least $50 a month, it would take a great burden off of the Board, and allow them to be more focused on your needs instead of theirs. If your Board serves you, and is there for you, the least you can do is support them monthly which will no doubt be a great blessing to them.

          Let me also mention that it is not the place of the Board to usurp authority over your home church and your pastor. You make sure that the Board you choose realizes that they do not have a Biblical, God-given authority over you. Be careful not to fall into that trap. If you and your pastor agree on a certain method or direction, the Board has no business interfering, unless it is a direct violation to the Scripture. Do not allow a Board to govern your ministry to the point that you are more accountable to them than you are to your local church. Many might disagree with me on this, but this is my personal conviction, and I can back it up with Scripture. Make sure you know where the Board you are looking at stands on pastoral authority. If they do not stress it, beware! 

The Participants in the Board

          This section is not to overlap the comments I made in the last section, but to make an important point. If you have had no missions experience, or have not paid a lot of attention to these things, then you may not have given these issues much thought. I am very particular about who I yoke up with. When I began searching for God's will concerning a Board, I wanted one that I could be proud of. I began to look around at all the Boards out there, (and there are a number of them!) and asked myself " Who are these guys?"  Please understand what I am saying, and don't accuse me of being judgmental and thinking that if I don't know them, that they are not right. I am simply saying that I wanted to be identified with people that I knew, and that were in the same camp as I am. You need to find out who the men are in charge, such as the General Director, Assistant General Director, the President, and the men on the Executive Board. If you agree with their ministries, and you like what you see in their churches, then you will feel much better about joining that Board. Let me also add, if these men don't want you to ask questions, but they want to ask you questions, don't waste your time with them. No one should have any thing to hide, and you should have complete liberty to get everything out on the table during your time of decision. You will want to find out their position on standards, separation, pastoral authority and other issues that are important to you. You do not want to join a Board that is not real particular about who they let be a part of it, both as Board members and missionaries.

The Basic Implements

          We will now look at four of the most important tools you will use on deputation. These tools will describe you and your ministry, and so you should be very particular about how you organize and present them. I am not joking when I say that these basic items will be a direct reflection of you. I have seen good missionaries that I felt would do a good job on the field with some of the junkiest equipment and sloppiest displays. There is nothing that turns people off more than boring, blurry slides. I want to give you a few pointers on how to maximize these seemingly unimportant details that could make all the difference in the world in how you are remembered years after you are gone. 
   

The Prayer Cards

          Your most valuable tool is your prayer card. Long after you are on the field, your prayer card will be on mission boards, refrigerators, and in Bibles. If you have an attractive, professional prayer card, it will stay out in view a lot longer, thus giving you more publicity and prayer. You would be surprised at the church members that post prayer cards up in a prominent place in their home, and look at them for years. Do them a favor, and spend some time on it. Spend a little extra money and get one done in color. Black and white pictures went out with the Civil War!! This is the twenty-first century. Do it right the first time, and you will not regret it. 

The Photo

          We had our pictures made at Olan Mills, and used that for our prayer cards. It is no problem to get their permission to use it.  Most printers will ask for a copyright release, and all it takes is one phone call. Just call them and request it, and they will be more than glad to mail it to you. You may not want to use Olan Mills, but use a professional. Don't use a Polaroid snapshot of you and your family out in the yard if you want to make an impression on pastors. A pastor will assume that if you are slip-shod in your preparations, and that you are prone to short cuts, that you will be slip-shod in your presentation and your preaching. My motto has been  "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right." Take a little time and dress up. I've seen prayer cards with the family in casual dress. That is not very flattering.  Look your best, and you will be glad you did. 

The Particulars

          When you are drawing up your prayer card, you need to take a few things into consideration. Whether you do the layout on the computer or with a pen and pad, you need to put a lot of thought into it. I have seen prayer cards with hardly any information at all on them. You want to include these details on your prayer card:

1. Your complete address and phone numbers
2. Your home church's name, address, and phone number
3. Your Pastor's name and phone number
4. Your Board's name, address, and number
5. The family member's names under the photo
6. Your e-mail and website information

          What you have to remember is that you will not always be present to explain your ministry. I have had many pastors call me for a meeting that I have never met. One of their members picked up our prayer card at a camp meeting or mission conference and went back to their pastor and asked him to have us at their church. You will have pastors get access to your prayer card and they may want to call you to come to their church, but they don t know how to get in touch with you. This is very frustrating for the pastor, and I don't know many that will hire detectives to find you! Be accessible!

          Whether you use a one side or a two-sided prayer card, make your family picture big enough to do your family justice. I've seen pictures on cards that were so small and so disfigured, that you would not know the family if they walked in the door! Be recognizable!

          I used a post card sized prayer card with nothing on the front but a big color picture, the name of our country and our names. I put all the other details on the back and a map of our country. Most print shops can do anything you can do at home on your computer. I designed my prayer card on my computer and e-mailed it to the print shop that printed it. That is the easiest way to do it, and it will look just like you want it to. 

The Printing

          In this section, you will find the name and phone number of a high quality print shop that I used that is equipped to meet any need you have, and they will usually be a lot cheaper than your average printer. The quickest way to get it done, is to e-mail them a proof of your order, and then download an order form off of the Internet. This eliminates postage and a lot of time. They will e-mail you their complete proof to inspect, then you can authorize them to get started. They will usually let you send a check once you have received the product. You may want to think about stationary and envelopes as well. They don't have to be as elaborate as your prayer card, but I went ahead and went the extra mile. Many missionaries letters end up in file thirteen, and a pastor will be more apt to read correspondence that looks professional. 

          If the prayer cards are not completed by the time of your first few scheduled meetings, then just explain it to the people when you present your ministry, and send them some just as soon as you get them for the people to have. I would not wait until I had my prayer cards before I started deputation. I had several problems with my photograph, and this delayed my prayer cards from getting to me on time. I had 25% of my support before I ever received my cards, so don't wait on them. Everyone understood, and it is no problem to mail forty or fifty cards to every church you have been to. Just remember; always keep a prayer card on you when you are off. Keep a stack in your car wrapped in Saran Wrap as an emergency stash. That way, if you are away from home, you will never be without them. Just remember to replenish it if you have to use it. It makes you look awfully unprepared to show up at a church without prayer cards. Be careful not to underestimate how many you will need. Unless you have been to the church before, take plenty of extras. Some church members will not care about them, and the next church you go to will wipe you out! Be prepared!

The Professional Display

          This has got to be one of my favorite topics to talk about. I love missionary displays, and I always have. I love to look at all the things that come from a foreign country and imagine myself there for a few minutes. There is nothing that impresses me any better than a well thought out display that has the character of the country it represents. On the other hand, there is nothing as ugly as an old piece of junk that is thrown up on the table with absolutely no order or scheme to it. I will go so far as to say that a bad display can keep you from getting support, and a good one can clinch a church for you. I am going by experience, and I have heard pastors make remarks to that effect. I want to give you some pointers that will help you make your display designing project fun as well as impressive. 

The Preparedness

          When you design your display, keep a few things in mind. Remember, you have to haul this thing around everywhere you go. I mean everywhere! You do not want to go to any meeting, whether you are scheduled to speak, preach, or anything without your display. What you need is a display board, be it a bi-fold or tri-fold, and a trunk to put all your stuff in. Don't go in a church with a cardboard box full of all kinds of stuff. And don't try the soft suitcase either. You have no idea where all that display is going to go, and all your valuable souvenirs won't last one missions conference. Go to Wal-mart or somewhere and get you a hard-case travel trunk with some locks and latches on it. If you don't have too much stuff, you can put your slide projector in it, and a couple of table cloths, your curios, and an extension cord (for your slides). This is what I did, and it worked perfectly. I also bought (yes, I said bought!) a little collapsible table with fold up legs to take with me. Notice the title of this section. Be prepared! There has been plenty of times that I had a pastor mention how impressed he was with my being prepared, and all I did was brought in my display! You don't need to send the pastor off on a scavenger hunt through all the Sunday School classes looking for something that would have fit in the trunk of your car! Take everything you need with you. All I had was a display board, a trunk, a table and a slide screen, and I was set to go. Act like you know what you are doing, and after a while, you will!!

          Do yourself a favor. Build yourself a display. Notice the word "build." This does not include cardboard with material stretched over it and stapled on the back. I have seen some of the junkiest displays in my time. It looks like they sent their ten year old kids to the dumpsters and told them to do the best with what they had. Spend some time and some money (yes, $$$$) and build a display for the honor and glory of God!! I stained and varnished the wood, and it looked nice, and would not show scratches like painted wood. I know how missionaries are about spending money, but it takes money to make it, so spend some and go first class! They make hinges and clasps and knobs for projects such as this, so there is no reason to use leather hinges and rope handles! Do it right, and you will impress the churches you go to. Also, make it tall enough that an adult does not have to bend over to see it. If you really want to make an impression, you can buy collapsible professional displays that come with a carrying case. Now we are talking BIG $$$, but boy does it look good!!!

The Pictures

          When laying out your display pictures, lay your board down on the table or the floor, and spend some time arranging them in different positions. You want it to be balanced, but it does not have to be symmetrical. Pictures in single file all the way down is boring. You want your display to strike the interest of the viewers. The best place to get pictures of your country is at the bookstore. Find your country in the travel section and buy the book. Take it home, and then find about five or six pictures of the people, the place, the culture or whatever. Just cut the whole page out (if you do this neatly, you can use the book on your display, and no one will ever notice that pages are missing), then cut out the pictures and laminate them. If you don t laminate them, through time, (meaning a few weeks), the pictures will curl up, fade and fall off.                     
 
          Don't do what I have seen many missionaries do. They take photos on their survey trip, and use these for their display pictures. Unless you are a professional, this is not the most attractive way to decorate your display. Trust me, it looks cheap. Get some high gloss, high-quality pictures out of a travel book or a recent issue of National Geographic. Do not even think about one of those 1970's editions, because they look 30 years old (I wonder why!). Also, use glue on the backs, not thumb tacks or push pins. Don't laugh; I have seen this done on more than one occasion. These displays look like they were put together on the way to the meeting in the back seat of the car!! I took a piece of cardboard and cut it smaller than the picture. Then I glued the picture to it. This raised the picture off of the board a little bit, and gave it a 3-D effect. You may think about this too. I put our family picture in a picture frame, and screwed it to the display with some small brass screws. This looked like a million dollars. I used a 8x10 from Olan Mills, and it really stands out. Then I drew up our names on the computer using a font that matched our country, and I put it in a 5x7 picture frame, and put it under our picture.

Then, I put our home church, our board, and our personal addresses on a sheet of paper, and put it in a matching frame. All these were attached with decorative brass screws, and I still had plenty of room for a laminated map of the country (out of the travel book), and a few other pictures. I have received compliments everywhere I have been on our display, and I have less than fifty dollars in everything. Please understand that these are just ideas. You can do whatever you like, just do it right. I just paid attention to detail, because plenty of people who will look at it will too.

The Paraphernalia

          I was fortunate enough, that I had been to South Africa before I started deputation, so I had plenty of souvenirs and curios to decorate my display with. If you have not been to your country, there are a lot of stores here in the States that carry culturally diverse what-nots . I have seen a lot of hand-carved wooden figurines, war shields, and African stuff in various stores. Now you may have to pay a little bit, but it is still cheaper than a plane ticket and a survey trip! If you cannot find curios, you can get some missionaries already on the field to send you some, or you can contact other missionaries that have already been there that may let you buy or borrow some of their stuff. The main thing is, be authentic! Learn what the stuff is, and know what you are talking about. No matter how obvious it seems, somebody is going to ask questions. You may not have ever been there, but you are supposed to know the answer! Study up, and learn as much as you can about your country. 

          A tablecloth is an important asset to your display. Don't use the country flag if you can help it. First of all, it is pretty disrespectful. Secondly, you can't even tell what it is with curios and books laying all over it. You might as well use a blanket off one the kid's bed! Go to the sewing section of Wal-mart or somewhere, and pick out an appropriate design or something thick and attractive. I used leopard skin print afghans. It looked like animal skin, and folded right up in my trunk. In fact, I used it to wrap up my hand carved figurines, and kept them looking new for the entire deputation. I had two that I used. One for the table cloth, and the other for my projector stand. I used the display trunk for my projector stand. I just set up my display, then took the empty trunk into the auditorium and stood it up on its end and used it for my table. I threw the other afghan over it and set my projector up and I was ready to go. No looking around for tables or laying boards on the back of pews. I was self-contained, and did not have to look for anything but a receptacle for my projector. I could enter a church and set up my display and my slides in less than ten minutes. That impresses a pastor when he opens the church, goes into his office to check his answering machine, comes back out and you are finished setting up and greeting the members. He will remember that later on down the road. It also makes it easier on you if you are running a little late. You can relax knowing that you have everything you need for when you arrive. I was once given wrong directions, and got to the church during the first song. I slipped into the foyer and set up my display before they finished the song. Then they walked around and shook hands for a verse or two, and I set up my slides during that time. I was late, but it never affected the service. It pays to be prepared!

          You can really spruce up your display board by screwing a few of the small, flat curios to it and scatter your pictures around it. It kind of breaks up the pattern of just pictures. Remember to balance them, but don't line them up in straight lines. (Just a little something I learned in 2 years of art classes!)

The Presentation of Slides

          There are many missionaries that hate to show their slides. There are about as many church members that hate to see them. I would like to have a dollar for every boring slide presentation I have seen in my life. As a missionary kid, we were constantly in missions conferences and saw some of the worst slides in the world. But even as kids, we could look at the family and the display and tell if the slides would be interesting or not. If they had a neat and impressive display, they usually had an even better slide presentation. Without a doubt, slides can make or break a service. I have seen God be working in a service, and everyone was in a spirit of worship, and a missionary show his slides and kill the service completely. It should not be that way. A slide presentation can and should compliment your message, not drag it down. 

          If you are not much on slides, you are not the only one. However, there are pastors that will put a lot of stock in what he sees during the slides. As I mentioned at the beginning of this booklet, no one thing in this book will cause a dramatic difference in your support. It may be your slides at one church that determines the outcome, and it may be your preaching at another. That is why you want to eliminate any weaknesses in your presentation. A good slide presentation has never hurt anybody. If you have good enough slides, then show them every chance you get. The Bible says that "mine eye affecteth mine heart" Lamentations 3:51.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so remember that. But you don't have to use a thousand words for each slide! Try not to spend more than thirty seconds on any one picture. Also try to keep your slide presentation under fifteen minutes. This is about the normal time allotted to a missionary to show slides during a conference or whatever. Of course, if the pastor turns the service over to you, you can relax a little, but you still do not want it to drag. Keep it flowing, and the people won't die on you.

The Equipment

          The best advice I can give on this topic is simple. Get new equipment. I would not rely on a projector from a yard sale or Salvation Army. A new projector is between $100 and $150, and the peace of mind is worth a whole lot more. I bought a new projector, a new screen (about $125) and a spare bulb. (Believe me, you will need it.) There is nothing as embarrassing as sitting down to show your slides, the lights are off, and your bulb blows. If you do not have a spare, it is really embarrassing. Be prepared!! These spare bulbs are not cheap. In fact they are rather expensive. They will run about $20 or more. But what good are projectors and screens with no bulb? Have an extra one, and keep it in a safe place in the car. Also, don't touch the bulb with your bare hands. The oils on your hand will cause it to blow up when it gets hot. Trust me on this one. Use a tissue or a handkerchief when installing the new bulb. 

          I would recommend a projector with remote control. Most of them have it, and it will allow you to sit down and not block half the congregation's view of the screen. As for the screen, one about five feet tall should do nicely. You will find that some churches have screens, but I have not always used theirs. I like to stay with my routine, and if I can, I do that. Also, always have a 100 foot cord. Don't leave home without one. Most churches don't keep one under the pulpit, and wall receptacles are not always in the most convenient location.

          Last but not least, you need slides. You can use slide film while on your survey trip, or you can get slides made from regular negatives. If you do not have access to first hand pictures, you can either get some from other missionaries, or you can usually contact the Chamber of Commerce in your country, and request a set of slides. They are usually pretty good, and they even come with detailed explanation of each slide. This is not the best method, but it will work. You may even be good enough to take photographs of pictures in books, but be sure you can t tell it. I've seen it, and it is cheap looking!! 

The Educational Aspect

          Part of your job during your slides is to give a brief summary of the country. Notice I said brief. You don t want to give a geography lesson or a crash course in native agriculture, but you do want to mention the exact location on the map and their main occupations, etc. If you are going to a little known country, then you may want to take a picture of a world map with a little paper arrow pointing out the exact location of your country and make a slide out of it. If your country could be easily mistaken for another country, be sure to explain the differences. For example, Samoa and Somalia is often confused, as is Niger and Nigeria, Ghana and New Guinea, etc. Be sure to mention any real peculiar customs and traditions, as you want to contrast the States with your field. Be sure to show the people. This is who God has called you to, and you want to convey your burden in your pictures. Be sure to be honest and straight forward in your presentation. If your country is a very wealthy country, then don't just show the huts and the beggars. Be thorough in your presentation, and don't be lopsided in the facts you give. In my slides, I showed the skyscrapers and BMW's as well as the donkey carts and thatched roofs. You don't have to lie to get support. Be truthful!

The Emotional Aspect

          In the course of your presentation, you must remember your purpose. You not only want to inform the church of your destination, but you want to impress upon them your intentions. You are going to share the gospel with them, and I recommend that you show that as eloquently as you can. Be sure to stress the population and the false religions. Know as much as you can about the cults and the percentages related to them. You don't want to look like you are trying to get the people to feel sorry for you. Your main objective is to present the spiritual needs. I would not let the economic and medical problems in your country overshadow their spiritual problem. I was always careful to let the people know that I did not want their pity, nor did I want them to feel sorry for me. My wife and I were excited about God's will for our life, and we were looking forward to getting on with the business of winning souls for His glory.

The Ending

          Your burden for your people can be very effectively seen in the proper presentation of these facts. Your last slide or two should  wind down your presentation. We learned in English Composition that every paragraph or story has a 'clincher sentence'. You need one as well for your slides. Make your 'clincher' deal with the real reason you are going. Make your final appeal for the souls of the people, and end your slides on a sober and serious note. You must stress the need, and the fact that it is your plans to do something about it, with their help and the help of the Lord. I have never been one to be melodramatic, and you won't have to be either. Just show the pictures, and let God speak to the people. I have seen missionaries act like just because they are willing to go and everyone else in the church isn't, then the church is obligated to help them go. That attitude will turn people off, and rightfully so. You are a servant of the Lord, and if He chooses to use that particular congregation of believers to help you perform His will, so be it. If not, that is between them and God. Just be sure to emphasize your desire for them to pray for you, and if you have a real burden for the field, they will be able to recognize that. 

The Portfolio

          Most missionaries do not bother with this basic implement. However, I had several churches take us on that we had never been to, simply because they liked my portfolio. It is an invaluable tool for correspondence. When you are on the phone trying to get meetings, you will be surprised at how many pastors will ask you to send them some information. They are not asking for a prayer card, or they would have done so. They want you to simply convince them why they should have you in their church. It does not take a long time to assemble a portfolio, and the benefits will more than pay for any time and materials it takes to do so. Keep some with you, and give them to pastors at meetings. I don't think it is too forward or presumptuous. Just hand it to them and say "Here is a little information about our ministry. I would like for you to have this and look over it when you have some time and remember us in your prayers."  They will always thank you and most of them will look at it. If it is done right, you will probably get a call from him later on down the road. Let's look now at the contents of the portfolio.

The Contents

          The portfolio is a lot like the display, in that you can make it as elaborate as you want to. The better and more professional it is, the better the chances are that it will get read. With the computers and technology we have today, it takes little or no effort to build an attractive portfolio that will include all the necessary information. I so desperately wanted to have mine done in color, but I simply could not afford it. Color copies ran about a buck a page, and my portfolio was seven pages long. I made enough copies to give one to every pastor at every meeting I scheduled, plus those that asked for them over the phone. I ended up going with black and white, but I used the computer to make it very easy to read with attractive headings, fonts, and frames. I used a piece of colored card-stock type paper for the cover sheet to spruce it up a bit. My next page was a table of contents to show what all was in there.

My portfolio had a page with a brief history. This included our testimonies, and the call to preach and the mission field. The next page dealt with the country, and gave a brief explanation about its location, weather, languages, etc. Then I had a page that itemized our goals. This covered our plans for language, planting churches, and methods of evangelism. I also had a page that covered our doctrinal statement, and one that explained about our church and board. I ended the portfolio with a letter of recommendation from my pastor. 

The Concerns

          If you have not already, you will learn that most pastors are very skeptical people. If you knew how many 'dud' missionaries they had already dealt with, you would understand why. Not everyone that has a prayer card is a God-called missionary. Just as everyone that names the name of Christ is not a Christian, it is the same way in the ministry. In other words, what I am trying to point out is that it is important to remove all concerns that a pastor might have. You might not be able to answer every question in your portfolio, but you should answer the vital ones. It is quite humorous. One pastor will not ask a single question, and the next one will ask a hundred. Some of them are important ones, and some of them will be simply uncalled for. You can pick which ones you want to answer, and which ones you want to avoid.

Also let me mention that you will not be able to satisfy every pastor. Some have been burned really bad by some un-thoughtful or dishonest missionary, and you would not satisfy him even if you walked on water. The portfolio should deal with pertinent issues, and should leave the pastor with a clear knowledge of where you stand. Whatever you do, don't try to be vague on an issue. If there is something that you had rather not deal with, then don't. But you need to be ready with a firm and definite answer when you are asked. Blurry answers only invites more questions.

          Some people might advise you not to tell them anything if they don't ask. I never had anything to be ashamed of, so I would tell them anyway. Some pastors might not voice their concerns, and if you talk enough, you can settle their mind. I never wanted to leave a church or a pastor with question marks about anything. I wanted them to know me, and if they are going to finance your ministry, then I feel they have a right to know where you stand on certain issues. 

The Commendations

          The approval of your pastor will be one of the most frequent concerns of most pastors. They want to know if you are in subjection to your pastor, and if you are in the will of God. If your pastor has commended you on your decision to go to the mission field, then by all means be sure to include that in your portfolio. If you want to include any recommendations other than your pastor that you feel would open doors, then go ahead. Pastors are really cautious, and rightfully so, of a missionary that is ashamed of his home church and pastor. If your church is that bad, then get out before you get started. I firmly believe that many times a good missionary will take longer to get his support because of his home church. If your pastor is unknown, or has not got an impeccable reputation, you could be the recipient of some negative feedback that you can do nothing about. If your pastor is a real man of God, and he is in agreement that you are in God's will, then tell it. Before a man can be a leader, he must first be a follower. If you go to a place and they have never heard of your pastor, tell them about him. Your home church will be a valuable asset to your family and ministry, and you don't want to be guilty of taking them for granted or being ashamed of them. As far as I am concerned, when I tell people that my church and pastor is behind me 100%, that just adds credibility to my ministry, and I don't take that lightly. 

          If you can get other well known men of God that know you personally to write a word of recommendation that will help open doors as well. This goes back to the questions that pastors have about you if they don't know you. If they can see your name in connection with someone that they know and have confidence in, that in itself will be enough for them to open their pulpit for you. Don't feel like you are name dropping in doing this. You are not trying to get support to consume it upon your own lusts. You are trying to get to the field in order to fulfill God's call in your life. There is no sense in beating out a path through the wilderness with a machete if you can ride down the freeway someone else has paved! Of course, with the recommendation comes a tremendous obligation to remain true to the confidence they have placed in you. 

Chapter 2

Getting Support

          This section will deal with the hardest part of deputation. Up until now, we have dealt with preparations, and that part is tedious and time consuming. However, that was the easy part. Once you have made all the necessary preparations, you feel like a college graduate that has finally received his diploma. You have made all the necessary preparations, but the real work is still ahead. You still have the school of hard knocks to endure, and the actual on-the-job-training can be quite an experience.

          My hope is that I can help you avoid some serious pitfalls and situations that will prove to be simply a waste of time, money and energy. You want your deputation to be as efficient as it can possibly be. If you are not interested in getting to the field in the shortest possible time, that attitude will bleed through in your presentation and conversations with pastors and will ultimately cost you a ton of support. Nobody wants to support a loafer and a deadbeat. If you are wise and have a good game-plan, you can shave literally months, maybe even years off of your deputation. There is nothing glamorous about being on deputation for three or four years. I know very few pastors that do not frown on that. I realize that God is ultimately in control, but we humans can really hinder things if we don t use a little common sense and exercise some discernment. I mentioned at the beginning of this booklet that if it takes you three or four years to get your support, I feel something is wrong. It could be one little thing, or it could be a combination of things.

          I feel that God has a way of keeping some missionaries off the field because they were never called. Some can't get to the field because they need some schooling before they get to the other side of the world and realize that they have bitten off more than they can chew. I realize that there are many different personalities and talents. Some have more abilities than others. But God knows that too, and He enables those that He calls. Even with apparent limitations and liabilities, God will help those that help themselves. No one expects you to know everything, but some things are just plain common sense! Let's talk about a very important part of deputation. If you skip this part, you will pay for it later. This is probably the most critical aspect of getting support. Some might disagree, but I'm the one doing the writing!

Setting Goals

          Once you are settled that you are in the will of God, and you have all these other preparations behind you, you need to sit down and set some goals. This is one thing that I am sure had a major impact in our getting our support up in the short time that we did. I had guidelines that I followed strictly, and that give me a sense of direction and stability. I did not feel like I was shooting in the dark. I learned years ago that if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time! I have always been a competitor. Not with other people as much as with myself. I always enjoyed setting challenging goals and meeting them. Even if I fell short, I was usually further along than I would have been if I had not set any. In school, in my construction business, and in my spiritual life I have set goals, and that has helped me to stay focused on finishing the job. I want to take some time and deal with five goals that need to be dealt with at the beginning of deputation.

The Level of Support

          This is probably something that you can work on during all the other preparations that are involved with getting started. However, you can begin deputation without getting this all figured out. At the same time, you need to know as soon as possible just how much support you need in order to survive on the field. There are several ways to find out what you need to know. If you know a missionary on the field to which you are called, you can just ask his advice. Notice I said a missionary on the field. One that is on deputation has nothing to go on but what someone else has told him. I would ask someone who is there, and knows first-hand the expenses involved. Another way to find out is to ask your Mission Board. Now in my situation, I was the first missionary with our Board to go to South Africa. Therefore, they could only guess, and their advice was to ask someone there. At the same time, there are other Boards, and they could give you the names of some missionaries on your field. Better yet, they would be able to tell you their level of support. This is not classified information. You can call some Boards and ask them how much support a particular missionary receives, and most of the time they will tell you. 

          When trying to settle on your needed level of support, you need to keep several things in mind. Remember your tithes, offerings, faith-promise missions, insurance and taxes all come right off the top. What is left is what you live off of. There will not be opportunities to get love offerings on the field, neither will you be able to do work on the side and make extra money. In rare situations, you might be able to supplement your income, but this is foolish when you can raise it before you go. Don't leave for the field until you have enough support. There will be enough problems to face, and the Devil will have enough trials and tribulations waiting for you to endure without worrying about money on top of all that. Get that problem solved, and you will have peace of mind about that for years to come. Of course, I realize that we still have to live by faith even when we are fully supported, but leaving for the field with 70% or 80% is just asking for trouble.

          Also, you need a work fund.  Find out how much you need to live off of, and then add several hundred dollars for ministry.  Trust me on this one!  You will need it!  Keep in mind that the more work money you have the more work you can do.  That's real profound isn't it??  I could say a lot about that, but you will have expenses that you never imagined such as printing tracts, church brochures, newspaper ads, transporting church people, and a hundred other things.  Until the new converts learn to tithe, you will pay for EVERYTHING!  Remember that.

The Length of Deputation

          One of the most asked question you will be confronted with is  "When are you planning to leave for the field?"  It does not matter if you have 90% or 9%. They want to know your plans, so my advice is to have an answer ready. Of course you can't know the exact week or month, but you can give them a general idea. This will require you to have given it some thought, and to have set a goal to reach. Look at your resources, look at your level of support, and work to plan ahead the length of your deputation. It does not sound very organized when someone asks you when you plan to go and you say, " Well, whenever we get all our support!"  That does not portray an image of someone that knows what they are doing. I will admit, that getting all your support in less than two years will take a tremendous amount of work, energy, phone calls, and prayers! But it has been done, and you can do it if you want to bad enough. Like I said in the previous section, your intensity to get to the field will rub off on the churches you go to, and they will want to help you get there as fast as possible. As I have always said,  "Be driven, and you will do less driving!"

          Now I could get real spiritual, and tell you to just claim a date by faith, and trust God to honor it. I know that sounds like some super-spiritual giant, but not really. Our Bible does tell us that the just shall live by their faith. It also says that whatsoever is not of faith is sin. So I could make a strong case on this behalf. At the same time, I realize that everyone's faith is different, and there is a thin line between faith and foolishness. I will tell you this though, no matter how strange or foolish it may sound, I do believe that God honors child-like faith in Him. 

          When I began deputation, I felt strongly impressed of the Lord to claim a date just 12 months away for our departure to the field. At first, I felt foolish and presumptuous. I felt like a naive wishful thinker that was in for a major letdown. I talked with several men of God, and they told me that if God told me to set that goal, that no matter how impossible or foolish it appeared in man's eyes, I should claim it by faith. I agreed, and got peace on it. God honored that faith in an unbelievable way, and there was no doubt that He did it. All I am saying is to pray, get in touch with God, and set some goals concerning the length of your deputation.

The Label You Will Carry

          I realize that this might seem slightly out of context with what we are studying here, but I don't feel that it is. If you don't set some goals about how you want to be known, and the label that you will wear, then there is no telling what people will think of you before it is over with. I am as serious as a heart attack about this issue. Let me show you a verse that reinforces what I am saying. Proverbs 4:26,27 says, "Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."  In other words, you need to figure out what you are, where you stand, where God wants you to be, and don't change. After you have pondered your path, and are settled on it, don't deviate from it. There is nothing that is more sickening than a chameleon missionary. What I mean by that is they believe one thing at one church, and they believe another thing at the next church. The Bible says to be steadfast and unmovable. Whatever you are, be that. If you have to change your stand on doctrines, separation standards and other important issues to get support, then you don't need their money! You need to decide what label you want to carry, and believe me, you will be labeled. It does not make any difference how ecumenical or inconspicuous you try to be, you will be labeled one way or another. Those missionaries that try to take the high road to avoid any controversy will usually encounter more controversy than the missionary that is steadfast and unmovable. Another thing to remember is that the opposition on the field is MUCH greater than what you encounter on deputation.  If you change on deputation, you will MELT on the field.  Make up your mind what you believe and drop anchor!!

          I set some goals about what kind of churches I wanted to yoke up with. The last time we talked about yoking up was concerning the Board you chose. The same applies with your supporting churches. You are forming a partnership with them when you accept their financial assistance to do the work of God. If you are not particular about who supports you, then go ahead and call any preacher and go to any church, but mark my words, that will hurt you in the long run. It is in your best interest, even if you have no particular conviction about it, to choose which side of the fence you want to stay on. If you straddle the fence long enough, you will experience some serious discomfort! I determined that I would set up some guidelines to go by, and I did. I believe that God honored my efforts a  to prove what was that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God  (Rom.12:2). I was not trying to be difficult, or appear more spiritual than other missionaries. In fact, I am sure that some will read this and feel that I am being judgmental. However, I am thoroughly convinced that ecclesiastical separation is not only rewarded, but commanded.

          I am very particular about who supports me. I am an Independent Baptist, therefore I only went to Independent Baptist for financial support. I have never fit in with the Southern Baptist. In fact, I have preached against the Convention and a lot of the faults and failures of the Southern Baptist. I felt that it would be a double-standard to preach against something and then turn right around and ask them to support me. If you choose to go to those churches, then you can rest assured that it will hurt you getting support in some Independent churches. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. I have talked with many pastors that have voiced their disdain of those missionaries that go anywhere and everywhere for support. They consider that to be compromising. I am not trying to be narrow minded; I am trying to help you get your support up. These are issues that you need to get settled on at the very outset, and it will help you eliminate a lot of problems. You will have no control over what the church does 15 years from now. But you can help who you go to right now. If they change while you are on the field, then what you do at that time will be between you and the Lord.

          Another issue you need to make a decision about is whether or not you will preach for a pastor that is double-married. That simply means that he has more than one living wife. This was not an issue 20 years ago, but now it is an extremely explosive problem. If you think preaching at Southern Baptist churches can hurt you, try preaching for a man that has been divorced and re-married. You have committed the sin unto death in some parts of the country!  What am I saying?   I am simply pointing out some problems you can avoid if you set some guidelines early on. Another problem that can arise is over this issue of the Bible. If you preach for a church that does not use the KJV, then you will offend many pastors. I would not even think about it. If we did not use the same Book, then we were not on the same page! Choose your label carefully, and wear it for all to see. Some will like it and some won't, but you need to be the same everywhere you go.

The Laws You Will Follow

          This section might sound like a repeat of the last one, but it isn't. I wanted to stress the importance of not changing what you believe just to get support. As a word of encouragement, you don't have to compromise your convictions. If you have a problem eating in a restaurant that sells alcoholic beverages, then don't eat at them. Make a point to tell whoever is offering to take you out that you and your family are flexible, and that you will eat anywhere they want to take you, as long as they don't sell beer. This is not rude, and this is not ungrateful. This is called taking a stand according to Ephesians 6. If you failed to mention it prior to getting to the restaurant, and you find out that they sell it, but your host does not have a problem with it, then you are faced with a decision. Will you give in to peer pressure and compromise in front of your wife and kids, or will you graciously apologize to the host for not telling him beforehand of your preference? If the host has any spirituality at all, they will understand, and offer to go someplace else. If they are offended, it is better to offend them than to offend your family and to grieve the Holy Spirit. We're talking about following laws and guidelines previously established. I'm just using the alcohol issue to illustrate my point.  If you don't have a problem eating with wine bibbers, then help yourself.  The point is: Make up your mind!

          My family and I did something that many said could not be done. We managed to get up all our support without eating out on the Lord's Day. This may not be an issue with you, but it was with us. Furthermore, we found out that over half of the pastors we visited on Sundays did not eat out on the Lord's Day either. I believe that our conviction on this issue helped us get support from several churches. On the other hand, I believe that we would have offended some if we had done otherwise. You might wonder how we did it.  It is actually very simple. It is called an Igloo cooler! My wife would pack a picnic lunch fit for a king, and we would find a park on the side of the road or we would eat going down the road. We have marveled at how delicious a ham sandwich can be when eaten in the will of God!  Some of the best times we had as a family was during those times that we honored the Lord in our desire to please Him, and make His day a special day. Where there is a will, there is a way. Make up some laws, and follow them. God will honor it.

The Leadership of the Holy Spirit

          This is a very important aspect of deputation. If you rely completely on yourself and your abilities, you will be on deputation forever. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and you will find that God still speaks to those that listen. One of the greatest blessings that you will experience during this time is when you feel impressed of God to do something, and it works out just perfect. 

          The first few weeks of deputation are extremely volatile for a missionary. It is of utmost importance that you keep an ear bent to the soft, still voice of the Holy Spirit. He will impress you to do things that you will not understand and things you have never done before. When God tells you to go full-time, then do it. You may not can see how you will be able to make it, but if you could, you would not need God to tell you, would you? If you could understand it, it would not be faith.  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Heb. 11:1. Trusting God is more than a Biblical concept. It is a lifestyle.  As a missionary, you need to get prepared for a life of faith.  It will be the only life you know from now on!  Without it you will be lost and in total darkness. Be sensitive to his promptings and act accordingly, and He will continue to guide you and prepare your paths. 

I could fill pages with personal illustrations, but I do not want to tarry on this point that long. However, I can assure you that God has asked us to do some pretty outrageous things, and He has come through every single time. Let Him control every aspect of your ministry, and He will take care of your support. If you get up to preach and He impresses you to preach something specific, you be sure to mind God. He knows what they need better than you do, and you need to concentrate on being used of God and not on getting support. Don't get in a rut with your presentation. Try to find the mind of God and let Him direct you. You will like the results a whole lot better, I promise you.

Seeking Good Churches

          I am sure that this is the section that you were waiting to get to! This is one of the most challenging areas of deputation. In fact, you will find that it can get almost competitive, (in a friendly kind of way.)  When you have found a church that is really doing something for missions, word spreads like wildfire, and every person with a prayer card in five surrounding states will be calling that pastor! The bad part about that is you have to get in line, or either God has to intervene. But don't let the fact that everyone else is calling a particular pastor stop you from calling him. If you are prayed up, God can make a way for you to get in the door in spite of the barrage of phone calls he may be getting. How you fare in this aspect will ultimately determine how long you are on deputation. I know missionaries that spend a lot of time at churches that have never done anything for missions, and never will. If you don't mind driving 4 or 5 hours to a little old country church and educating them on the area of missions for the first time, then I advise you to get ready to be here awhile. I realize that is an important job, and someone has to do it. But I was ready to get to the field, and I heard that the normal missionary goes to 8 churches to pick up 1 supporting church. Isn't that a pleasant statistic! I am not too keen on math, but I sat down and did some ciphering. Let's just say that the average church takes you on for $40 dollars a month, and that average is a little high. But if that is the average, then it would take 100 supporting churches to raise $4000 a month support. According to the statistic above, you would have to go to 800 churches on deputation. That is staggering! At 3 churches every week, it would take you 5 years to get your support! So we see that you can waste a lot of valuable time at churches that are simply not going to help you get to the field. When I say waste, I hope you understand what I am trying to say. We really aren't wasting time, but I can't think of a more appropriate word at the moment! So how do you know which ones to call, and which ones to let somebody else call? That is a good question!! Let me see if I can shed some light on some techniques that worked real well for me. We raised our support in about 11 months and went to less than 100 churches. Here is what I did. 

Getting References

          This is not as hard as it may sound. If you know any pastors at all, this can be an invaluable tool. Simply ask your pastor friend if he knows any churches in his area that you could call. In my case, I would always inform the pastor of the guideline that I had set for the churches that I would go to. He will be glad to give you as many as he can. It may only be one, or you may hit pay-dirt with a whole list of names. What you need to do is to call these pastors that you have been told about, and tell them that Brother So-and-so gave you their number, and told you to call them. If they have any respect at all for that pastor you named, then they will be more than glad to help you in any way they can. They may not know you, but they will book you by going completely on their pastor friend's recommendation.

          Another thing you can do, is ask for the local Preacher's Fellowship listing. If you are at a particular church, and you really feel a kindred spirit there, just ask the pastor point blank if there are any other churches like his that would be a good place to get support. If you have been used of the Lord, and you made a positive impression on his people, that pastor will naturally want to help you all that he can. The best thing a pastor can say about you to a pastor friend is that you were a blessing to his church. He will not refer any duds to his preacher buddies! So if a pastor is not too enthused about giving you any names, then you more than likely have not enthused him. That is just the way it is, plain and simple. 

          Another way to find good churches by recommendation is through other missionaries. I have given several of my closest missionary friends names of some of my supporting churches. I have been in churches and found out that they had just had a faith-promise increase, and I knew that they were looking for good missionaries. I would give my friend the pastor's name, and tell him to tell the pastor that I told him to call. This is pretty sobering, considering that this missionary will be judged before he even meets the pastor on what they thought of our family. If we blessed them, and they really like us, nine times out of ten they will book my recommendation. Just get in the habit of asking your missionary friends if they can give you any references.

Getting Names

          There are a millions of ways to get names. You can get names out of phone books, out of fellowship listings, off the Internet, and monthly publications in their advertising sections. But I did not do this, and here is why. You have no earthly idea what you are getting into by calling these preachers. I was very particular about who I called, and I still went to some disappointing churches. When I say disappointing, I meant I had known the pastor, and was a more than a little surprised at what I saw there. However, I have no nightmares or sad stories to tell. That in itself is a miracle. Most missionaries have stories to share that are seemingly unbelievable. Ours would be unbelievable in the positive nature. If you aren't careful, you will spend a lot of time at churches that have no intentions of taking you on, but they don't tell you that until you arrive there. So just because you have a big pile of names on your desk does not prove anything, unless you enjoy playing Russian roulette! That is about what it adds up to. Just getting names will not prove beneficial to you. It is where you got the names, or who gave them to you that could make all the difference in the world. Here again, if you are not real particular about where you go, of course your options will be much broader, but so will be your chances of support.

Getting Meetings
         

Phone Calls

          This is without a doubt a very frustrating part of deputation. This can also be both a lot of fun and a very encouraging time. I have spent 5 or 6 hours on the phone and come up empty, and then I have booked 6 or 7 meetings in a row in less than an hour. Your most discouraging obstacle will be answering machines. I hardly ever left messages. My experience is that even though the answering machine recording says that they will call you back, that usually means everybody but missionaries! You can leave your name and a message if you like, but most of the time, it will give you a false hope. When I did leave a message, I would usually just go ahead and tell them that I would call them back, or they could call me if they wanted too. That way, I did not wait on their call, and that would let them know that I would keep trying until I got someone. There are some pastors that I tried to call for 8 months and never got them on the phone. Some pastors are simply impossible to reach. 

          Another fun obstacle is secretaries. Their job description is to screen calls, especially from missionaries. I am not being cynical, but I am a realist. I have never had a secretary to be excited that I was looking for the pastor. This is when you have to be on your toes. Don't introduce yourself as a missionary. I would always say,   "Yes, this is Bro. Stacey Shiflett, and Bro. So-and-so asked me to call the Pastor and ask him about something important."  That was perfectly fine with her, and I did not have to lie or be deceitful. I would get the pastor on the phone, tell him who I was, that his pastor friend had told me to call him and ask him if I could come and share my burden with his church. There was not much he could do with that, but maybe fire his secretary!! If a church has a secretary, that does not always mean that it is a big church. It usually does, but not always. I know some small churches that have schools; therefore they will have someone to answer the phone. And the truth is that most of the time, the pastor will not be in. If that is the case, do the same thing you did with the answering machine. Leave your name and number, but tell them that if you do not hear from them, that you will call them back. That way you don't get on their nerves calling back over and over.

          Most secretaries are accustomed to being caught in the middle of phone tag, and they deal with it pretty good. But remember, the secretary usually is only as aggressive as she was instructed to be. That is an indication of the pastor's attitude toward missionaries. When the secretary is nice and outgoing, and she knows that you are a missionary, then you are probably in friendly territory!! And this goes without saying; don't ever be curt or rude to a secretary. That will end any chances of you getting a meeting in that church, and maybe in that town! Don't let your voice portray your discouragement or lack of sleep or frustration. I am going to spend some time on this point because of its importance. Without meetings, you are going nowhere fast. The key to successful and speedy deputation is the quantity of quality meetings. I don't mean to over-simplify the issue. I know you are thinking. No kidding!!  Seriously, it is important that you fill as many dates as you possibly can. There are Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and mid-week prayer meetings. There are also mission conferences, and revivals. If you can get at least 3 meetings a week in a good church, your support will come in much faster. You would think that this is unnecessary advice, but I know missionaries that like to be at their home church a lot, and that is fine, but you won't get support from your home church but once! Every service that you are not in a meeting that is one possible support check you missed. Stay busy. 

          While I am on this matter of staying busy, let me share something that you might want to hear. I was never in any mission conference for more than 3 days. I know that some churches have their missions conference all week, and they will let you stay there all week long, but you don't have to in order to get support. Most of the time, if you tell the pastor ahead of time that you can only be there a day or two, you will not hear any complaints from him. That is just more money he saves on motels and expenses. If you can present your work, and you have a shot at sharing your burden, if it is done right, the fact that you were not there all week will not hurt your chances of support. I found it impossible to stay at one church for a week, knowing that I could be in 3 churches in the same amount of time. I would just tell the pastor that I could not be there all week, and if he did not like it, I would not book the meeting. I could not see the logic in forfeiting three meetings for one. I only had one pastor insist that we be there from the beginning to the end, but it was only for 2 days. Come to think of it, they never took us on for support. So staying does not mean support is guaranteed, and leaving early does not mean they won't take you on. A pastor usually will understand if he realizes that you are busy, and not willing to just loaf around all week.

          Another important piece of advice in the area of getting meetings is to book them close together! I have seen missionaries be in North Carolina on Sunday morning and book the Sunday night service in Florida. If you love your wife and you love your kids, and if you love yourself, don't do that!! It is not hard to be in the same town all day on Sunday, or in churches at the most two hours apart. When you are booking a meeting, if you are skillful enough, you can persuade the pastor into having you on a date that works out best for you. If you are not skillful enough, then just come right out and let him know when you are going to be in the area. If he can, he will have you. If he can't, and he throws out a date that would be hard for you to work with, keep flipping pages in the date book until you can agree on a date that is mutually convenient. You don't have to take the first date he offers. Remember, you are doing the driving, so you should have a little say in the matter!

          There is something else you need to keep in mind. You are going to have to visit these churches again on furlough. If you have churches in California and Maine and Texas and Florida, you are going to need a furlough after your furlough! Try to stay as close to home as possible, and one day you will be glad you did. There are enough churches in the Bible belt to get all the support you need without going to the other side of the world. I managed to get 95% of our support within five hours of our home in Augusta, Georgia.

          I don't want to be misunderstood about this. If you just want to travel and go all over, there would be nothing wrong with that. But if it makes you feel better, you can find plenty of good churches within driving distance of your home. Now if you live out West, or way up North, it may be a little harder for you. In those situations, I would advise you to take a few months and fill up those dates all in one area, and the money you save on gas can go toward meals etc. You should be able to find a church with a mission house or a prophet's chamber for you to use for that time. 

Personal Contact

          If you think that phone calls are difficult, then you will probably feel real uncomfortable trying to get a meeting through personal confrontation. It is a little awkward, and if you are not careful, it will show. You must remain confident, not cocky, but look the pastor in the eye and act like he will be interested in what you have to say. If you don't know the man, then introduce yourself, at the same time handing him a prayer card. While he is looking at the prayer card, take that opportunity to ask him if it would be possible to present your work with his people. More than likely, he will commence to ask you some questions that are important to him. If you are a good listener, you will pick up on what he values, and you will be able to know what he is looking for. This would be a good time to give him a portfolio, and tell him what all is covered in it. Let him know that you realize that he has some important questions, and that you tried your best to cover everything in it. Let him know that if he has any questions to please let you know. Again, I encourage you to look him in the eye and be truthful and maintain an air of confidence. It is easy for a pastor to tell you no if you are looking at your shoes! 

          If the pastor doesn't book you for a meeting, either because he is booked up, or he is simply not interested, then don't lose hope. Ask him for his address, and let him know that you would like to add him to your monthly prayer letter mailing list. He will be more than glad to give it to you, and you may hear from him later.

Getting Directions

          Can I give you some very simple but sound advice? Don't take directions from a woman! Now I know that the E.R.A. wouldn't like that, but every time a pastor's wife gave me directions, I got lost. And it wasn't because I couldn't follow directions; it was because I did! Invariably they would admit that their husband usually gave directions, but he was not there. They would do the best they could, but would always forget a major intersection, red-light, or exit number and leave me touring the country while trying to beat the clock!

          Seriously, they do have computer programs that will do all this for you. You just key in your address, and the address of your destination, and it will give you a detailed and accurate map. If you have one of these, you will be fine. However, you may not have your computer with you when you are out of town for extended periods of time. 

          I always tried to kill two birds with one stone. I would call the pastor a few days before the meeting to confirm it with him. That is when I usually got directions. I never mailed one single letter of confirmation. They sometimes get misplaced without being read, or they end up in the trash can along with prayer letters, and the end result is simple. You never confirmed the meeting. I was not interested in being able to pull copies of letters out of my file and prove that I did send one. I simply wanted him to know I was coming, and to be expecting me. I had at least 8 or 9 meetings postponed or canceled when I called for confirmation. If I had just gone without calling, I might have been wasting my time. You do whatever you want to do, but I did not want to leave the house wondering if the pastor read my letter or not.

          I want to mention one last thing concerning directions. Make sure the pastor knows which direction you are coming from. I know this sounds silly, but this happened to me several times, in spite of my trying to avoid it. It makes all the difference in the world where you are coming from. The left turns and right turns are nothing but confusion, and will cause you to be late. I was late one night because of this very thing. I told the pastor that I would be coming in from the Interstate, and little did I know that there were two Interstates, one on either side of the church.  Be specific, and receive specific directions. Ask for landmarks, and read your directions back to him before you hang up. There is nothing as frustrating as following the directions and getting lost!

Getting There

          One of the critical things about getting there is getting there early. Notice I did not say get there on time. If a missionary gets there on time, he is late! You have to set up your display, you may have to set up your slides, and the pastor may want to talk to you before the service. Some missionaries try to get to their meeting an hour early. Getting there about 30 minutes before the service started worked out real well for me. You just want to make sure when you confirmed the meeting that you let the pastor know so that someone will be there to let you in. I could set up my display and my slides in less than 10 minutes. That left time to fellowship with the people and I could make it to the prayer room or whatever. I usually asked the pastor on the phone when I was confirming the meeting just what he wanted us to do in the service. If he did not ask me if I had slides, I would tell him I did, and I let him make the decision of whether or not I showed them. If he let me make that decision, I would show them. I wanted to burden the hearts of the people for the need in South Africa, and my slides did that better than anything else. I never one time asked to preach, but I can count on two hands the times I did not. If you or your family sings, then be sure to mention that, without asking to sing. Just let him know that you are available to do whatever you can to be a blessing in the service. Don't be pushy, or try to ramrod the show. A pastor will resent you dictating to him what you want to do. Remember, he is the pastor, and you are to submit to his leadership while you are in his church. 

          If he asks you to preach, ask him how long he wants you to take. If he sets a time limit, by all means honour that, and stay within your time. If he tells you to mind God, and he turns the service over to you and tells you to take as long as you want, then go at it. But remember to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be conscience of the time. They might invite you back if you don't tell them everything you know the first time you are there!! Be sure to ask the pastor where he wants you to set up your display. It would be embarrassing for you to set it up in the wrong place, and have to move it. Get clearance from him about the location of your slides as well. We missionaries know how we want to do it, and we know what will work for us, but we have to be careful not to give the impression that we are just taking over. Be flexible, and everything will work out. 

Sharing God's Call

          This is the most serious and critical part of deputation. What you do during the few hours ahead of you will determine whether or not you get support. This is very critical, because more than likely, this will be the first and last time you have the opportunity. This is the very opportunity that you called and asked the pastor to give you. This is the reason you drove all those miles and incurred all the expenses that go along with it. If you want to get support from this church, then the bulk of the weight will be on your shoulders. Isn't that an awesome thought!

The First Impression

          As the old saying goes,  "A first impression is a lasting impression."  How true this is for missionaries. You will be scrutinized and will be the center of attention the entire time you are at the church. They will watch your children, your wife's attitude, your attitude, and how you all get along. They will notice your clothes, your hair, your vehicle, everything. I am telling you this to emphasize the importance of the first impression. If your kids are demons, you can forget it. If your wife has a stinking attitude, you can forget it. These are things that are hard to hide, and impossible to fake. This is problems that need to be dealt with before you go any further. In fact this is one of the qualifications of the man of God. He must have his family in order according to I Tim. 3:4,5. We know that we are human, and we know that we make mistakes. But you must keep them to a minimum when you are trying to get support.

          People will judge you by the few hours that you are with them. If you do not make a favorable impression on them, that is not their fault. Be friendly, outgoing, and be sure to introduce yourself to everyone. I always stood in the foyer and greeted everyone as they came in with a smile and a handshake. The Bible says that a man that hath friends must show himself friendly. This applies to the wife and kids as well! Always be sure to thank the pastor and the people for the opportunity to come, and let them know how glad you are to be there. Wear a smile. This is not the time to be in a bad mood. There is nothing spiritual about being under the circumstances. If you are tired, then fake it and go on. Your children's manners or lack of them will have an impact on the pastor and his people. Make sure that they do not hurt your chances of support by their lack of training. That is your responsibility, and that begins a long time before you get to the meeting!

          Another important factor in the area of first impressions is your appearance. I have seen missionaries that thought that if they dressed real poor and shabby that people would feel sorry for them and help them out. That is not true. In fact, people are more apt to not give money to someone that cannot manage their money enough to buy decent clothes. My God is not broke. He is not even low on funds. Our family dressed up in the best we had, and we were as well dressed as the most well dressed people in the church. We always had our clothes ironed, and had our hair fixed, and our kid's nose was always clean. (Well, almost always!). I ran up quite a dry-cleaning bill on deputation, but my wife's dresses and my suits always looked brand new. I can t stand someone to act like they have to suffer for Jesus when you can get nice, name-brand clothes at Salvation Army, Goodwill and other thrift stores. There are plenty of good deals out there, and there is no excuse in looking like something the cat drug in!  And another thing -- wash your car please! Just because you are going to the Amazon rainforest doesn't mean you have to look like you just drove in from there!!

          Personal hygiene is another important detail. You would think that this went without saying, but you would be surprised at the missionaries that do not own a hairbrush, or at least it appears that way. Bad breath and dandruff is far worse than a bad slide presentation! Cologne is not a sin, and neither is deodorant. Be clean and look your best. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that this is absolutely the biggest waste of paper and ink. But I know some missionaries that have spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness because of this very thing!  No one had the courage to tell them, so I am now. 

          Speaking of first impressions, your first initial meeting with the pastor is very important. Try to always stay in an upbeat, positive frame of mind. No one likes whiners and complainers. Always refer to the pastor in a respectful way, and never call him by his first name. Be sure to conduct yourself in a manner becoming a man of God. 

The Family's Importance

          My attitude concerning my family was this: without them, I am nothing. I never went to a single church alone. If my wife was sick, I would re-schedule the meeting. We went everywhere as a family, and if the pastor did not like it, that was just too bad. I am not going to South Africa by myself, and my family will play a vital role in our ministry over there. I also realized that my family was an asset to me, and if anything, they would help us raise support when I had done everything I could. I wanted everyone to meet my wife and kids, and I personally believe that my family had a great part in our support coming in like it did. Your wife can relate to the women in the church much better than you can, and your kids can relate to the entire church in ways that you can't. People will fall in love with your wife and kids before they will you! Always emphasize your family in your presentation and in your testimony. Don't treat them like tag-alongs. 

          One way you can show your family's importance to you is to always introduce each one of them by name. I found out that everyone seemingly were interested in the children, and wanted to know their name and age. I am a strong believer in the family, and I wanted that to show in our ministry. I know some missionaries that travel alone, and if you will look at their support level and the time they have been on the road, you will see the point I am trying to make. When you leave your family at home, it raises some questions in people's mind. I always felt that they were hiding something. Another question that is raised is the wife's attitude and submission to the call of God in her husband's life. That is something you definitely don t want to give the impression of. A pastor will be hesitant to take on a man if he thinks that the wife is less than excited about it. When the wife is not with you, it appears that she had rather be with her family or at her home church, and that is not good.  If she's sick, that's one thing.  But many times they just don't want to go.  If that is the case, you have problems with your marriage and you need to deal with it. 

          As for the children's schooling keeping them at home, I feel that deputation is more important than school anyway. I can say that, because my wife and I both were home schooled. We never got left out of our Dad s ministry because of school. We arranged our schedule for school around whatever was going on at the time. If you have your kids in Christian school, then you might want to think about learning how to home school while you are still in the States. There won't be a Christian school where you are going, more than likely. 

The Fact of God's Influence

          One of the weightier matters you need to address in your presentation is the fact of God s call in your life. You need to assure the people of God that this is not some wild-goose chase you are on, and that this is not some fantasy that you are trying to live out. If God called you to preach, and He specifically called you to the mission field, then by all means underline this to the people. I would never be going to the field if God had not called me, and I am as sure that God wants me in South Africa as I am that I am breathing. If you can convey the call of God in your life properly, you will ease many unspoken fears in people. There has been so many missionaries go to the field, then six months later, they are back home saying that they missed God s will. This is not only sad and discouraging, I feel that is plain out dishonest. If you say God called you, you had better be telling the truth. If God did not call you, then now is the time to get out and get a real job. The mission field is no place for hirelings. On the other hand, if God has called you, then you don't let anybody or any circumstance get in the way of you fulfilling God's perfect will for your life.

The Focus of Your Intentions

          When you are at a church presenting your burden, be sure to explain your goals and purpose. You want to make sure that the pastor and the church have a good understanding of what they are going to be supporting. If your intentions are to start radio stations, then by all means let that be known. You don't want to get support under false pretenses. If you are a church planter, then you will probably be better received than most other ministries. However, if you are not going to be planting churches, then you do not want to give that impression. You will find that many churches only want to support those that are involved in church planting. Some churches do not focus on this particular ministry. If your ministry is something other than church planting, I would advise you to make this clear when you are on the phone with a pastor. This could save you a lot of time, and money. Like I said at the beginning of this booklet, you are out to get support. If you don t mind riding all over the country and taking a chance that after you get to the church, that they will be in favor of what you are doing, then go ahead. But it is my experience that many pastors have various ideas of what constitutes a New Testament missionary and what does not. I am not knocking non-church planters, please understand. I am only sharing with you my personal experience, and trying to help you save time and effort. Just be sure to make known up front your intentions, and you will not regret it.
 

The Fervency of Your Ideology

          The word 'ideology' is another word for doctrine. Whatever you do, you do not want to give the impression that you are unstable and unsettled in your beliefs. If you give off that impression, you can forget raising any support. No one will be compelled to assist a confused and unsettled novice. I have been told on more than one occasion that I was outspoken, which is true. My opinion is that if you believe something, that you ought not to be ashamed of it. If you are unsure of your doctrine, then you need to put your deputation on hold until you get grounded in what you believe. I can assure you that you will be bombarded with opinions, beliefs, theories and all kinds of different philosophies. If you do not have a firm foundation, you will be as confused as a woodpecker in a rock quarry!! I have sit for hours and listened to preachers voice their pet peeves and their convictions, and they are very fervent and persuasive in their efforts. If I had not been ready when I set out on deputation, I would have emerged with a conglomeration of ideas and doctrines that would have had a devastating effect on me and my family. This is one reason why I stressed the importance of staying with 'your crowd'. If I faced these situations, and I stayed among those of like faith and beliefs, then how much more of it will you face if you go anywhere and everywhere? Be steadfast and unmovable!!

          If you are given the opportunity to preach, let me give you some advice. For just a few minutes, forget that you are a missionary seeking support.  Just rare back and PREACH! That's right. If God has called you to preach, then you ought to have something to say. One statement that I heard literally dozens of times is "We love preaching missionaries!"  Pastors and church people are getting burned out on missionaries coming in and they can't preach their way out of a wet paper bag. Take your coat off and let 'er rip!! One pastor introduced my by saying, "Well, we have a missionary here tonight.  Now we have preachers, and then we've got missionaries.  I want to see if this missionary can preach!"  I hollered from my pew, "And I want to see if ya'll can take it!!"  Needless to say, we had a great time that night.  I preached like a wild man and the altar was filled after the message.  They took us on and gave us a generous love offering.  If God called you to preach, then preach!!

          And it doesn't have to be on the Great Commission either! I'm sure that there will be times that the pastor will ask you to challenge his people in missions, but my experience was the exact opposite. The pastor and the people were already involved in missions, and they had a map on the back wall surrounded by prayer cards and prayer letters. That is a pretty good indication that they have heard a message on the Great Commission once already! Just be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and be obedient to Him. You cannot go wrong by doing that. I encourage you to continue to get up new messages while on deputation.

You can preach the same one everywhere you go, and they won't know it, but your wife and kids might like to hear something different! It is always a blessing to a church when you can tell them that you are about to preach a new message. They realize that you want to be a blessing to them. This will do more for your cause than your slides, display or anything else you say. Your ability to preach may not be as polished or as developed as you would like it to be. Nevertheless, you need to preach the Word of God with authority and with power every time you preach. God will reward your efforts, and he will open countless doors for you if you will let Him speak through you. 

To prove my point, in our one year of deputation, God allowed me to preach 3 full revivals during that time. These were not mission's conferences; they were just church revivals. That's the kind of doors I'm talking about.

Systematic General Correspondence

          One last thing I want to share with you is the importance of your written communication. You must understand one thing. Your prayer letter is your lifeline! I have seen more missionaries dropped because of their lack of communication than any other reason. Let me assure you that it will be disappointing and frustrating at the number of churches and pastors that will not even read your prayer letter. However, you still need to send them. The churches that support you deserve to know what you are doing with their money, and the least you can do is let them know on a regular basis. It will also give you an opportunity to acknowledge their support. I strongly encourage you to send a prayer letter out every month while you are on deputation. It will keep you before the people, and it will give you more prayer supporters while you are on your deputation. Once you get to the field, you may want to go to bi-monthly newsletters. Some only write every three months, but I feel that four letters a year is asking to be forgotten and dropped. I want everyone involved in our ministry to remember us. There is an old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind". You can avoid that from happening by regular correspondence. I have gotten support from churches I have not even been to simply because I sent them a prayer letter every month. People that read them can have a major impact on your ministry. Don't fail to use this very powerful tool on a consistent basis. 

          Lastly, be sure to always send thank you notes to every church you have been to. Even if they did not give you an offering or did not put you up for the night, send them a thank you note. If you were able to present your burden for God's call on your life, then you should be very thankful for that opportunity. You can design a personal thank you card on your computer with your country, flag, family picture etc., and be sure to itemize every little thing they did for you. Or you can just simply write a note. People will be more inclined to do something for you again if you are thankful and appreciative. 

          Let me add one last comment.  If it is at all possible, get yourself a website and keep it updated.  You will reap more benefits from having a website than you can image.  People will visit it and see your family, see your work and they will get involved.  The expense and the effort that goes into a website is simply an investment.  Remember the old saying: Out of sight, out of mind??  I like to say "Out of site, out of mind!!"   A website might not be all that important while you are on deputation, but when you get to the field, it will be.  You will have news bits you would like to share and special prayer requests.  If people are familiar with your website, then they will check back periodically to find out what's new.  If you are faithful to keep it updated, they will stay in touch with your needs and you will find that when you have a financial need, people will respond much quicker. 

          Use your website to post as many pictures of your family and field as you can.  People simply LOVE pictures.  If you can get a website early on in your deputation, you can put the website address on your prayer cards and letterhead and people will be able to keep up with you early on.  Take all that info that is in your portfolio and make pages out of it on your website.