Baptist Mid-Missions does not send out missionaries. Churches do. One of our core values is “The Centrality of the Local Church.” We believe “the local church affirms, appoints, and commissions the missionary—not Baptist Mid-Missions.” So, like Paul and Barnabus in Acts 13:1-3, each of our missionaries is sent out by a local church.

Dr. Odle’s article, “Priorities of Servant-Sending Churches” describes seven priorities of local churches that see their members respond to God’s call to missionary service. Missionary life can be difficult, and the interaction of missionaries with their sending church greatly influences their success on the field. Below, a few of our missionaries share some of the encouraging ways their sending churches have supported their ministries.

Cornerstone Baptist Church
Greenville, SC

Our senior pastor was always the first person I contacted when dealing with a change or major hinderance. We were so grateful for the stability of our church leadership. They helped us with “outfit and passage” three times in nine years! Personal letters from members encourage us and help us stay connected, often meeting new members for the first time! The pastors of our church personally visit all their supported missionaries, a significant commitment that the church has built into the budget. Our pastor can present trip reports which are extremely beneficial to inform and challenge the church with a very real perspective of missions.

Joel & Sarah W.—Bibles International, Thailand

Grace Baptist Church
Winston-Salem, NC

The church covered the entire cost and mileage and meals for us to attend Candidate Seminar. During our Doctrinal exam, we had at least three staff members from our church present. They confirmed that they had observed our gifting of discipleship and hospitality that will be so important in college ministry. They immediately began supporting us for 6% of our monthly support needs which was a tremendous encouragement. They have also promised to be active in the college ministry once we are on the field.

Brian & Eva Seymour—Campus Bible Fellowship

Canton Baptist Temple
Canton, OH

Our home church prepped us for deputation during my internship, especially with a communications seminar that helped us prepare our presentation. They introduced me to the pastors of their local fellowship and encouraged them to support us. They provided housing and a vehicle for our deputation and extra financial support during the first six months until other churches began to help.

The church got behind our Olympics outreach project for the 2024 games in Paris, greatly funding the project, providing participants and staff, and giving advice and assistance in the organization and planning of the outreach.

Jonathan & Priscilla Laase—France

Grace Baptist Church
Winston-Salem, SC

Grace’s history with BMM and missions in general is deep. Twenty percent of the weekly offering goes to the missions budget which supports missionaries, but also allows funds for special gifts and projects. They knew that I would be quitting my full-time job and giving up my company-owned computer at the end of my tenure. When we were featured at our missions conference, Grace made sure that Mandy and I had a new laptop so that we could research and call churches and have the tools we needed.

Jeff & Mandy Butler—Editorial Bautista Independiente (EBI)

Needham Grove Baptist Church
Seagrove, NC

Over the years, NGBC has sent special offerings to help with the construction of the Bethesda Baptist Church in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, along with the camp ministry and Bible Institute. For our ministry in Spain, they contributed to the purchase of property for the Azuqueca Baptist Church that now has a national pastor, owns their buildings, and is involved in supporting missionaries in Spain and in four other countries. The present pastor, his wife, and youngest daughter visited us last November to help with our Thanksgiving evangelistic outreach. I keep telling them and everyone else that I wish every missionary had a sending church like ours.

Tim & Pam Darling—Spain

Fundamental Baptist Church
Saint John, NB

Fundamental Baptist Church in Saint John, NB, sent the youth group to visit us in July. The church spent a great deal of money on this trip, and we pray that God used the experience in the lives of the young people who came. They feature Josh Burrill (BMM to Malta) or us every week in the bulletin so that people can pray more intelligently for us. Pastor Keith Boss and I try to have a video call once a week to keep up to date and to pray for one another.

Herb & Janet Hunter—South Africa

Trinity Baptist Church
Grand Rapids, MI

Their focus has always been supporting fewer missionaries for more financial support and personal participation. For most of our time in Brazil, they have supported us for about 1/5 of our support. They have sent mission groups every three years for the past eighteen years to help us. I have monthly video contact with one of the elders, bimonthly with one of the pastors, and regular contact with the other pastors. I count the pastors and many others as not only church family and spiritual family but almost like “normal” family.

Kel & Deb McMaster—Brazil

Liberty Baptist Church
Eden Prairie, MN

Our church, Liberty Baptist Church, has retained me as one of the pastoral staff. The current pastors meet with me every week, and we talk through ministry, pray, and read books together. Both pastors have come over to visit, and the church sent a group last year to pilot a new ministry opportunity on the Camino de Santiago, an Intensive Worldview Training while walking from Valença, Portugal, to Santiago, Spain.

Seth & Crystal Grotzke—Spain

Kingsway Baptist Church
Lake Wylie, SC

Our pastor and assistant pastor are both highly intentional with discipleship and accountability, and our church people follow suit. There is always someone reaching out to encourage us or check in while we are away; and while we are home, we often get together with brothers and sisters in Christ.

JB family—Southeast Asia

Grace Baptist Church
Winston-Salem, NC

The church embraced my calling to missions and licensed, ordained, commissioned, and sent me out to the field of Brazil even when I was single. That level of trust meant so much to me and, I am sure, to the Mission and other supporting churches. My wife Ivana and I continue to feel supported by our church family and our pastors. Our home church sent two work teams over the years to assist us in construction and ministry and has been very supportive as we have felt the Lord leading us from one mission project to the next through the years.

Jeff & Ivanna Reiner—Brazil

Kingsway Baptist Church
Lake Wylie, SC

Four months after we arrived on the field, we had a baby. All of our coworkers were scheduled to be at the Pause Conference in Spain. At the last minute, my best friend decided to come for two weeks to help with the other kids so that Russ could be with me in the hospital when the baby came. When our sending church found out she was coming, they paid for her airfare.

Within our first year of being on the field, our pastor and his wife came to encourage us and make sure we were doing well and meet the team here in Neumarkt, and, of course, spoil our children. Our senior pastor and Russ have weekly text exchanges, and they are in constant communication regarding events or outreaches or opportunities for prayer in Germany. Our associate pastor does a virtual meeting once a month with us to connect and pray with us. He ends each call with, “Are you guys okay? Do you need anything?” This summer they came to help us with VBS and some other projects.

Russ and Biance McCrocklin—Germany

Missionary responses have been edited and, in some cases, paraphrased.