As the missions team matures in its roles and as the church grows both in size and in missions involvement, the functions of the missions team will grow as well.
Consider these primary areas of function:
- prayer coordination
- missions education
- financial management of missions funds
- promotion of missions, involvement, and missions events
- missions emphasis events
- communication with and hospitality for missionaries and representatives of supported missions ministries
- short-term missions promotion, training, management, and debriefing
- missionary care
- local cross-cultural ministries
- recruitment, orientation, and ongoing training for missions team members
- communication and interface with church leadership and other ministries of the church
- develop long-range planning and strategic focus goals
- recruitment and church-based training and guidance for missionary candidates from your local church
In addition to the primary areas listed above your church missions opportunities and giftedness might lend itself to development along these secondary areas:
- children's missions education
- missionary or missions project fund development
- counseling for troubled missionaries or conflict on the field
- sharing your churches missions principles and process with other churches
- developing resources for ethnomusicology, literature production, media implementation.
- technology support and services, security training and support, logistical equipment or supplies acquisition and shipping
- guidance and placement for second career or retiree "finishers" in the missions workforce
These are simply suggestions. You certainly don't need to do them all at once from the start. Prayerfully, along with others who have an interest or a part in the process, select those functions are areas which are most fitting to your situation.