The Baptist Bible Fellowship Mission Office has been serving the missionaries, pastors, and churches of the BBFI for 56 years. The first year we served 19 missionaries on four fields, processing a little over $107,000. Since then we have served a total of 1,702 missionaries and processed more than $737 million for global evangelization.
As you might expect, the Mission Office’s most vital function is serving as a clearinghouse for monies sent to support your missionaries. All missionaries receive 100 percent of the support sent for them. We also offer many other key services to all our churches and their missionaries. Every day we handle financial transactions for missionaries around the world, provide letters of guarantee to international banks, assist with meeting foreign government requirements, pay stateside bills, keep careful and accurate records for the missionaries, and provide a self-funded medical program for them. We work to assist sending and supporting churches in putting what we believe is the finest independent Baptist missionary force into more than 112 countries around the world.
In 1970, our office of 20 people served 336 missionaries and 1,577 affiliated churches processing just over $3 million. More than 35 years later, we now serve nearly 900 missionaries and 3,000 affiliated churches processing over $40 million with the same number of office personnel as in 1970. It has often been said, “Look at all we do with only 20 people.” However, what could the Mission Office do with 25? Each associate director has his respective responsibilities in the office, and they are also out preaching at mission conferences and speaking and teaching at colleges. We have 15 additional support personnel who are vitally important to making our office work like a smooth-running machine. My vision is also that the mission office be a resource center to come alongside churches assisting them with fulfilling the Great Commission. Using our new websites www.connectionpoint.net and www.bbfimissions.com, we strive to communicate needs and opportunities in clear and efficient ways. I want to see fresh new initiatives using our website to help inform pastors and their people of opportunities to go and to support those who have gone. We want to continue to help pastors by providing information and direction for them and their church members so when someone surrenders to serve as full-time or short-term missionaries, no matter what age, they will know what steps to take all the way to their approval and beyond.
Unfortunately, we can’t stretch our current personnel any further. We receive requests for mission conference helps, PowerPoint backgrounds, more missionary info and other things that we could provide through the website — but right now we have no one to develop them. What we have done is about all we really can do and maintain.
Our office has recently become the connection point for churches and individuals who want to go on mission trips and our missionaries who have needs that can be met through those trips. We are keenly aware that most of those who are called to the mission field and ultimately surrender have been impacted by a trip to a mission field. Check out the current list of opportunities at www.connectionpointtrips.net. Unfortunately, the number of trips we can facilitate is limited by what we can with our current staff.
With the rise in operational costs (like our recent utility increase of 34 percent), the need to hire a few more specialized personnel, the growing mission force, and the need to maintain a high level of technology, we need the help of all of the churches whose mission efforts are benefited by sending support through our office. We are asking you to help us raise additional monthly support.
We do not take a percentage of the missionaries’ funds for the Mission Office budget as some mission organizations do. We are dependent upon the support of those who use our services and recognize their value to keep us going. Yet only 40 percent of churches that use our office as part of their missionary endeavors support the Mission Office financially.
It costs our office $3.50 per missionary per transaction each month. Imagine what could happen if every church picked up that expense. For example – if a church supported 10 missionaries, they could provide the $35 to cover those transactions each month. Those that supported 100 missionaries could provide the $350 to cover their transactions.
We certainly understand that such a commitment may not be immediately possible in some instances. But if the churches that cannot afford the $3.50 per missionary would start supporting the Mission Office at even $25 a month, we could begin to hire the personnel and expand our ministries for you and your missionaries in the near future.
The BBFI Mission Office is not a missionary sending organization. Our mission statement says that, “The BBFI Mission Office exists to serve churches and THEIR missionaries as they endeavor to fulfill the Great Commission.” We are a helping hand for YOUR local church ministry to help YOU do the work of missions. Would you consider supporting the office if you do not already do so? If you are a current monthly supporter, would you consider increasing your gift to help us do the things for which God has given a vision and an opportunity? We look forward to hearing from you!