Tie featuring flags from around the worldTL;DR:
Faith Promise giving is a spiritually formative commitment in which believers trust God to supply what they pledge, enabling ongoing support of missionaries and global ministries. Successful Faith Promise missions conferences rely on advance preparation, broad involvement, and a year-round emphasis on world missions. The page includes sermon ideas, poems about Faith Promise giving, bulletin insert samples, and resource suggestions.
"Faith that is not generous is not genuine!" -- anonymous
Three elements typify the planning behind successful Faith Promise Conventions and Missions Conferences:
Tie featuring flags from around the worldWear a silk tie with images of flags of countries from around the world.
Oswald J. Smith (1889-1986) was a Canadian pastor and evangelist who enthusiastically supported world missions. Although he pastored congregations in Chicago and Los Angeles, he is best known as the founding pastor of The Peoples' Church, a large congregation in greater Toronto. Smith's vision in Toronto was to raise up a church whose central commitment would be spreading the good news of the gospel around the world. To that end, the historic vision statement of The Peoples' Church says, "Taking Christ to the Nations," a statement that is very close to the mission statement of the Church of the Nazarene: "Making Christlike disciples in the nations."
Early in his ministry, Smith was captivated by a missions fundraising concept developed by A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Calling his idea "Faith Promise," Simpson wanted to move churches away from taking occasional big offerings for missions and get people to commit to weekly or monthly gifts to world evangelism. Oswald Smith took that concept to The Peoples' Church and made that congregation a leading example of what could be accomplished in one local church through such systematic giving to world evangelism.
Oswald Smith was also a poet, hymn lyricist, and author. Among his best-known songs are "The Glory of His Presence," "The Song of a Soul Set Free," and "Then Jesus Came."
"Why should anyone hear the gospel twice before everyone has heard it once?" is a question Oswald Smith often asked as he spoke of his passion for world evangelism. As he urged people to give money to missions, he was fond of saying: "You must go or send a substitute." [ more missions slogans ]
Ideas for a faith promise sermon or even a sermon series on missions
FAITH PROMISE -- you asked for. I'll give what I can,
But I must make a living -- I'm only one man!
You know all the pressures that come upon me?
The utilities and taxes and rent, don't you see?
Then there's clothing and food and upkeep on the car;
As a father and husband, I must be "up-to-par."
-----------------------
These were my thoughts in church last Sunday,
And I said, "No more than my tithe can I
pay."
But then it seemed Jesus sat
down beside me,
And spoke ever so softly and helped me to see
The word Faith before Promise -- what a difference it made!
It's believing He will supply the amount to be paid.
So I'll make that FAITH PROMISE, knowing He'll make a way
I feel better already -- what a wonderful day!
-- R. Eagle
Not for adventure,
Treasure,
Or fame
Faith Promise
Travels the world,
But the adventure
of journeying
with God
begins,
The treasure
of God's
love and mercy and grace
is
found.
The fame
of God's
majesty and power and greatness
spreads.
As churches
And schools
And clinics rise,
The treasure
Of God's kingdom
Is freely given
To all,
And hour by hour,
Day by day,
Month by month,
Year by year,
Faith Promise
Journeys on
Around the world.
All because
Of promises
Made
And kept
By faith.
-- Linda June Gifford, Shreveport, Louisiana
Our local church uses legal-size paper (8 1/2 by 14 inches) for Sunday morning worship bulletins or folders. Those sheets are folded into three panels approximately 8 1/2 by 4 5/8 inches.
Using materials from the global office of Nazarene Missions International, I created a series of missions informational inserts to fit into those bulletins. These could also be used as missions posters or even as starting points for missions bulletin boards.
Click on any image to open a full-sized PDF of that insert.
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
View a sample Faith Promise commitment card
"I'm not sure we fully grasp how missional God's will always is." -- Lisa D., Northwest Nazarene University student
Faith Promise giving invites believers to prayerfully commit to regular support for world missions, trusting God to provide. Those commitments can help a church plan its missions budget while encouraging personal participation in global outreach.
Partnering with God in fulfilling the Great Commission can encourage spiritual growth and involvement in something of eternal significance. Through their Faith Promise giving, believers support missionaries and cross-cultural ministries worldwide.
