A SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS PROGRAM
FOR THE LOCAL CHURCH
BY NORMAN LEWIS

COMMON WAYS

Christians often ask, “How can my church have a better missionary program?” Pastors ask themselves the question. It is a vast and vital issue. Every church must be effectively missionary. But how? What is
the answer?

Many churches have a missionary program of some sort. Several methods are commonly employed. Let us notice a few of them.

Come-Get-It Plan

The church under this plan simply waits for the visit of a missionary. Then an appeal is made, “Give a good offering to the missionary.” This embarrasses the missionary. People are caused to think whenever a missionary is seen, “Now we will be asked for more money for missions.” Results are disappointing.

Percentage Plan

Under this plan all church income is divided in a predetermined way. Missionary work receives its fixed percentage. All is done on a mathematical basis. But the plan involves regimentation. And percentages do not inspire people. This method misses blessings found in other methods of missionary support.

Day-A-Month Plan

One Sunday a month is designated as missionary Sunday. It is a day of missionary emphasis. Offerings are received for missions. They may include both church and Sunday school offerings. Bad weather
hampers this plan. Resulting poor attendance on several missionary Sundays can seriously affect income. This method does not produce results achieved by giving for missionary work every Lord’s Day.

Personal Plan

In some churches “Foreign Missions” is merely indicated on the offering envelopes. Each donor is permitted to designate to missions if he so desires. The matter is left entirely to the individual. This
method is weak in motivation. It does not inspire strong missionary giving. Nor does it marshal the forces to be found in a united church effort.

Another Way

There is a plan which units the best elements of these already mentioned. It is not theory. Results have been solidly established. The plan is described in the pages which follow.

THE BEST WAY

There is a way to make the missionary ministry of your church effective. Be assured of this. God has made world evangelization the very aim and reason for being of the local church. To “preach the
gospel to every creature” is the purpose for which God has left His people in the world.

No true understanding of the New Testament is possible without recognizing the primacy of missions. God has commanded us to preach the gospel to every living person. The whole attention of the local church must be focused on this responsibility. Toward this objective each church must press. To the accomplishing of this task every effort must be bent.

This Is Our Work

“The evangelization of the world in our generation” is no wild-eyed fanatic’s slogan. It neatly sums up God’s aim. Every generation of men must evangelize its own generation. Unreached men are doomed men. If we fail to evangelize our generation, we fail completely. “David . . . by the will of God served his own generation” (Acts 13: 36). That was the only generation David could serve. So with us. We
must evangelize our generation. If not, we fail men and God. The Church is in the world to do this work for God. Let this be the passion of every Christian: to finish the task God has given us to do.

This truth is tremendous. It should shape the whole ministry of the local church. We see how each thing around us is suited to its particular purpose. A knife has a keen edge for cutting. A washing machine is built to clean clothes. A glove fits and protects the hand. A car is powered and streamlined to transport people. And the local church must adapt itself to its supreme purpose: world evangelization.

How? There are three essentials:

1. Have an Annual Missionary Conference

Make this the most significant event of the entire church calendar. Plan it well. Obtain qualified speakers. Show men God’s meaning in missions. Build on the Bible. Pray for a true spiritual visitation.

2. Set a Missionary Goal Each Year

To aim at nothing is to hit it. Many churches suffer from tragic aimlessness. Even a missionary conference, if it has no goal, is pointless. The church can be like a car with motor running but standing
still. It is going nowhere. Sunday after Sunday the same routine unfolds. But set a missionary goal! All is changed. People are lifted, challenged. This is one secret of a victorious church program.

3. Use the Faith-Promise Plan

This plan is not based on money people have. It encourages each giver to exercise faith for the amount he believes God will enable him to give week by week for world evangelization. Faith is its dynamic.
The plan involves no pledge to the church. No individual solicitation is practiced. The Faith-Promise Plan is spiritual. It is scriptural. It embarrasses no one. It encourages systematic giving for world
evangelization. Faith is put to work. The church knows a year in advance the amount available for missions. (For further information see page 105.)

ANNUAL MISSIONARY CONFERENCE

This can be a splendid event. There is nothing nobler in the church’s activities. The missionary conference is a direct projection of the Bible’s central emphasis. World evangelization is what the whole
New Testament is about. Is the atonement of Christ essential? It is. Is it less essential to make known Christ’s atonement to the world? Surely not.

The annual missionary conference emphasizes world evangelization. It declares the primacy of missions. It puts Gods’ first things for our age into first place in the church program.

Sets Goal

A basic aim of the annual missionary conference is to fix a goal for the coming year in missionary giving. This responsibility is both thrilling and solemn. So much depends upon this decision! To determine this goal demands an exercise of real faith. Prayer is necessary. Some shoals can only be crossed at high tide. The missionary conference lifts people spiritually and makes them want to give. The Faith-Promise Plan aids in this. It helps people decide to give to missions week by week through the whole year. (For a fuller discussion of setting the missionary goal see page 98.)

Personalizes Missionaries

The missionary conferences personalizes missionaries. Those supported by the church do not remain mere names. They become real, flesh and blood people to members of the congregation. When they leave for the foreign field, prayer for them continues because people know and love them. This is the New Testament way. (See Acts 13.)

Missionaries on furlough attend the missionary conference of their supporting churches. This is a grand opportunity for personal fellowship. Missionaries not supported by the church are also invited
to the conference. The congregation becomes personally acquainted with men and women who are pressing the battle for souls in the regions beyond. Local missionary vision ever widens. This is good and right. “God so loved the world.” Church members must broaden their missionary horizons. They must have a true global outlook. “The field is the world.”

Recruits Lives

“The cream” of Christian youth is needed. Thousands of lives are required for foreign service. God still asks, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us.” Reaching the world for Christ is life’s noblest
aim. Youth can be enlisted for this cause. Young lives respond to challenge. But world evangelization, more than a challenge, is Christ’s command. Will we obey? Let the clarion call to obedience sound through every missionary conference. This is a medium God has mightily used to get lives committed to Himself.

Adults too must commit themselves to Christ. World evangelization is not for youth alone. All believers are to present themselves to God. (See Romans 12:1,2.) Some meetings should have this special aim. People should be asked to publicly commit themselves to Christ. Let them manifest their desire to be living sacrifices for Him to use wherever He wills in the world. This is a noble appeal. Those planning a
conference should ever be mindful of this purpose.

When and How Long?

When should the annual missionary conference be held? Remember, this is to be the outstanding event of the church calendar. Maximum attendance is essential. The conference should be held in a season when weather is favorable. Local employment situations affecting availability of church members should be considered. When experience has demonstrated which time is best, it should be maintained from year to year.

How long shall the missionary conference be? No single answer will suit all cases. The longer a well-managed conference runs, the more it emphasizes missions. Small churches may begin with a conference from Tuesday to Sunday. But the conference should soon be extended from Sunday to Sunday. To begin on a Sunday increases attendance. And a conference well begun means the battle half won. The conference should close on a Sunday.

Many churches hold an eight-day missionary conference. Such churches may wisely consider a fifteen-day conference to include three Sundays. The effort is greater, so too is the impact. Bear in mind that
this is the chief business for which God left His Church in the world. At the judgment no church will be charged with having overemphasized missions.

Arrangements

Make arrangements well in advance. Able speakers must be secured with anticipation. Otherwise, they are not likely to be available. It is well to plan a year ahead. One man should direct the conference.
This greatly aids unity and focus. The conference director may be the pastor or a man invited for the purpose. It is well to have a mission executive or deputation secretary. Include missionary candidates and those on furlough. Slides or movies, curios from far fields, and literature displays are attractive and meaningful.

Missionaries will usually be asked to speak about their own fields. An able speaker should present the Bible basis of missions throughout the conference. Only convictions rooted in the Word of God will last. Do not attempt to pack too many speakers into a conference. Seek qualified men.

Then give each man adequate time for his message.

Publicity

Announce annual missionary conference dates well in advance. Get pictures and news articles about invited speakers to local newspapers prior to the conference. Use radio spot announcements. Secure daily radio time for speakers throughout conference if possible.

Be sure a large, attractive sign in front of the church announces the conference. Use regular church bulletin or a special edition to advertise.

The use of informational posters and inspirational mottos on the walls of the church auditorium is heartily recommended. Make them large enough to be easily read from a distance. Turn people’s thoughts to world evangelization from the moment they enter the church.

Music

Missionary songs and choruses should be used throughout the conference. Songs grip hearts. They can have tremendous influence. This fact is often overlooked in missionary conferences. Many times I have
been disappointed by the poor selections of songs. If the church hymnal does not have a good selection of missionary hymns and choruses, secure “such songs. Missionary can be secured at low cost from the Broadcast. Or words of hymns and choruses for congregational use can be printed.

Introduce missionary hymns and choruses several weeks before annual conference. The choir should rehearse missionary numbers. Solos, duets, trios, and quartets with missionary themes should be prepared. A missionary cantata in book form or on a LP record can be obtained from the Broadcast. Music plays a vital part in the missionary conference.

Be Clear About Money

Financial arrangements with speakers should be definite. Correspond clearly about these matters. Exact financial setup of the conference should be made plain. Carelessness here may cause misunderstanding.

Faith missionary societies usually require missionaries to enlist their own support. Missionaries appreciate knowing whether the church to which they are invited is considering the possibility of helping with their support. They are glad to minister even if this is not the case. But it is courteous to let them know the financial basis before the conference. Be specific. Write plainly. Clearness need not curb courtesy or generosity.

MISSIONARY MOTTOS

Exercise your faith and watch it grow.

Jesus said, “The field is the world.” We must turn earth’s virgin soil with the gospel plow.

Christ accepted makes you a Christian; Christ obeyed makes you a missionary.

It is as necessary for men to hear the gospel, As it was for Christ to die.

Changing heathendom must hear the unchanging gospel.

Christ alone can save the world; Christ cannot save the world alone.

“Why should anyone hear the gospel twice Before everyone has heard it once?”

– Oswald J. Smith

“Delayed obedience is disobedience;And disobedience is sin.”-Don Hillis

Give according to your income, Lest God make your income like your giving.

Millions dying there have never heard, Millions living here have never cared.

A giving church is a living church.

Obey Christ’s “Go,” no way is better, The truth is, God will be no man’s debtor.

The Church’s goal will not be reached, Until the unreached have been reached.

Personalize God’s commands As well as His promises.

“Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair.”-David Livingstone

One-half of the world’s souls have never heard the name of Jesus.

“Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God.”-William Carey

“Battles are won by teaching soldiers how to die, Not how to avoid dying.”-Marshal Foch

Your first business as a Christian. Is to give the gospel, To those who have it not.

“I must go. If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”-C. T. Studd
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, And under a just God they cannot long retain it.”-Abraham Lincoln

Let the Church speak little of home missions, Till she is at home in all earth’s mission fields.

The unreached must be reached for Christ, though thousands fall.

The heathen do not know the horror of a lost eternity.

You do not know. God alone knows, and He commands, “You go.”

God commands, $end missionaries.

Take away the $, end missionaries.

“Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry?

Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?

Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?

Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you DAMNED?”-Leonard Ravenhill

Two kinds of people dwell on earth: Those who can hear the gospel, And those who cannot.

We must remove the “cannot.”

MISSIONARY GOAL

Dare to set a goal for missionary giving. This requires faith and courage. The clearer the objective, the more certainty there is of reaching it. Serious giving for world evangelization cannot be achieved
without sacrifice. Think for a moment of our global responsibility. World evangelization demands huge expenditure. It is no accident that there are hundreds of verses on giving in the New Testament. Define
your goal for missionary giving and determine to reach it.

Setting the Goal

The pastor is chiefly responsible for fixing the goal for missionary giving. Congregations are dependent upon their pastor’s vision. Blessed is the man who constantly lifts his people to new heights of practical consecration.

The wise pastor and church board study the church’s missionary commitments before the annual missionary conference. They consider which projects are to continue. They evaluate possible advances. New missionary supports and projects are weighed. Faith is exercised. The question is, how much shall the church do in the light of Christ’s command and the world’s deep need? The new goal for missionary giving stems from the consecration and faith of the pastor and church board.

This goal is presented to the church. It may be done shortly before the missionary conference or at its first meeting. It is well to present the figures on a large poster. Show the previous year’s total for missions and the new goa1.

Thermometer

I know no better way to dramatize the new goal for missionary giving. A large thermometer is represented on a wall chart. The movable center column may be made of wide red ribbon. The new goal is shown at the top of the thermometer in figures larger than the rest. That figure is a constant challenge throughout the missionary conference. The column stands at zero.

As Faith-Promise cards are handed in on the final day sub-totals are announced and the red column is made to rise accordingly. The thermometer is the center of attention throughout the day. The aim is
to “break the thermometer.” It is a thrilling experience, which no one can fully appreciate who has not seen it occur.

Not a Cash Offering

The Faith-Promise Plan is not based on cash offerings. Offerings are usually received during the missionary conference for necessary expenses. This is well and good. But a Faith-Promise is not a cash
offering. The aim of the Faith-Promise is other and higher. What is it? The aim is that each person should determine the amount he dares trust God to enable him to give for missions each week for one year. The Faith-Promise cards are gathered. Their totals are summed up. This grand total is the church’s goal for missionary giving for the year.

Reaching the Goal

But will the goal be reached? This question is often asked by people unfamiliar with the Faith

Promise Plan. Experience provides an encouraging answer. It is true some Faith-Promises are not 1 fully paid. But others are overpaid. The total amount promised is generally received.

Use every right means to reach the goal. Pray. “We are ambassadors for Christ.” World evangelization is God’s business. It is for His glory. Let prayer be made throughout the year for the fulfillment of every
Faith-Promise.

Preaching on missions is also vital. Strong missionary sermons should be given frequently. People must be convinced from the Word of God that world evangelization is earth’s greatest enterprise. Let every
Christian be taught that, whatever his job may be, missions is his true vocation.

Keep Missions Present

Publicity is an aid to reaching the goal. Keep missions vividly present. A large poster can be displayed to register progress in the payment of Faith-Promises week by week. The poster may show what part
of the Faith-Promise total for missions should have been paid by a certain date, usually the previous Sunday. It may also show amount received. A closing word exhorts to praise or prayer. Such a poster
reveals at a glance how the church is progressing toward its goal for giving.

The church bulletin is a useful ally in this matter. Amount needed and amount received can be indicated frequently. These figures tell every reader whether proper proportion of Faith-Promise has been paid.

Make your prayer meetings count. Let someone with a sense of fitness read brief portions of letters received from missionaries. Use a world map. Relate letters to place on map from which they come. Be
definite. Pray for the missionaries by name. Pinpoint their needs when known.

It is good to display a large picture of each missionary or missionary family supported by the church. A project to obtain and maintain such pictures is worth while.

Some churches send tapes to missionaries. The tapes are returned to the church with a message about missionary activities, problems and triumphs. Every legitimate means should be used to make world
evangelization more real and personal to people. Keep attention focused on missionary activity. Do not let foreign work remain vague and ambiguous. What is being done in far fields must be brought near. Money for missions is vital. That the church should reach its financial goal for missions is of high priority. Trust God. Press earnestly toward the goal.

FAITH-PROMISE PLAN

This plan is not new. It has been used by the Christian and Missionary Alliance for many, many years in annual missionary conferences celebrated in their churches. Perhaps the plan goes back to Dr. A. B. Simpson and the missionary conferences held at Old Orchard Beach in Main, seventy years ago. I asked Dr. A. W. Tozer what he could tell me about the origin of the Faith-Promise Plan. He wrote, “As far
as I know the idea originated with Dr. Simpson. Of course Simpson thought it originated with Paul!” Dr. Oswald J. Smith has used the plan with enormous success and promoted it widely. Other men have done likewise.

This is probably the very best plan for the support of missionary work. It has produced amazing results. Please read this section carefully. Be sure you understand just what is meant by the Faith-Promise Plan. Do not confuse the Faith-Promise with a pledge made to an organization. This plan involves no individual solicitation of gifts.

The Faith-Promise Plan is explained to the public during the annual missionary conference. People are not asked to give cash. They are urged to trust God. Faith is called for. This explains the power of
the plan. People are told to ask God what they should trust Him for, the amount He will enable them to give each week for missions during the coming year. The basis of the Faith-Promise is a relation between a person and God.

Cards are distributed on which each person is invited to write his Faith-Promise along with his name and address. Participation is wholly voluntary. The plan is decorous. It is spiritual. “Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give” (II Cor. 9:7). No individual is embarrassed. People are told that if for any reason they cannot pay their Faith-Promise, the reason should be explained to God. That is all. No letter of reminder is sent from the church. Nor is any personal approach made. The matter is between the individual and the Lord.

How Plan Works

The Faith-Promise Plan is a part of the annual missionary conference. An abundant supply of cards is printed. Cards are preferable to envelopes. An envelope suggests a single offering. If a person receives an envelope he may give a cash offering and dismiss the matter from his mind. This is not desirable. The card helps people realize that a Faith-Promise is entirely different. This distinction is important.

In an early meeting of the missionary conference the cards are distributed. This is done quickly. Their use is explained briefly. The procedure is repeated at intervals during the conference. Each time it is done rapidly. The Faith-Promise Plan is presented with enthusiasm. When so done it is not offensive.

Cards are also placed in the pews. They are made available on the literature table. Why such publicity? It is to encourage people from the very beginning of the conference to consider what God would have
them trust Him for each week to aid world evangelization during the next year.

Faith-Promise Day

Each service of the final conference day is climaxed by gathering the Faith-Promise cards. This is done after the message. Cards are placed rapidly in the hands of the entire congregation. A final word of
explanation and appeal is made. Prayer is offered. The people are invited to fill in the cards and pass them to the ushers who are posted at strategic intervals in the aisles. Ushers are carefully instructed
to bring cards forward quickly, a few at a time, as received. Offering plates are not used. The ushers give the cards to a person seated at a table near the pulpit. He quickly writes on each card the amount it represents per year. A man at his side totals the cards. Cards are then taken to the pulpit. The conference leader reads the amount of each Faith-Promise. No names are given. From time to time partial totals are sent to the pulpit and announced. At the same time the column of the thermometer (see page 99) is moved upward. Choruses are sung.

This continues until the last Faith-Promise has been made.

The final service of the missionary conference is always climactic. It is a time of tremendous anticipation. Interest is intense. This is the high point of the missionary conference. Deep emotion often accompanies the final service. People who have already turned in a card frequently decide to increase their Faith-Promise. They use a second card. The leader may encourage this practice. When
the grand total is reached and the thermometer “broken,” the congregation may rise and be led in the singing of the doxology.

Organization Faith-Promises

Every organization in the church is encouraged to make a Faith-Promise. This includes adult groups, Sunday school classes, young people’s societies, choirs, etc. This causes some duplications, but the
inconvenience is far outweighed by the benefits. Each organization is assisted by its leader in making the Faith-Promise. This may be done on the closing day of the conference or in the last meeting prior to that date.

It is well to remember the purpose of the Faith-Promise Plan. The aim is not to glorify individuals or organizations. The sole purpose of the Faith-Promise Plan is to support adequately the work of world
evangelization.

Why So Successful?

The Faith-Promise Plan has produced almost incredible results in many churches that have used it. Why? Several reasons may be given. Faith is put to work. God delights to be trusted. The plan challenges every Christian to systematic and increasing participation in world evangelization. All can have a part, young or old, male or female, even down to the little tots. A person’s first Faith-Promise is often modest. But he observes God’s blessing in his life. He notes the good results of the plan in his church. The second year he is almost sure to increase his Faith-Promise.

The plan treats giving as a spiritual activity. Each person is encouraged to seek God alone about his Faith-Promise. No individual is approached personally. No one is asked how much he will give. No names are made public. Nor is any one embarrassed about an unpaid Faith-Promise. The obligation is spiritual.

A Bible-Based Plan

The Faith-Promise is in accord with the spirit of the New Testament. “Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give.” Purpose, then give. As Williams puts it: “Each must give what he
has purposed in his heart to give.” Giving is a spiritual exercise. Consecration is its only valid basis. The giving of the Macedonian Christians is worthy of imitation. Paul records that they “first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (II Cor. 8:4,5).

The New Testament norm is that Christians should give every Lord’s day. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (I Cor. 16:2). The great work
God has left us in the world to do should be supported each Lord’s day. Proper offering envelopes encourage this practice.

Our Lord spoke plainly and often about stewardship. Apart from sacrificial giving the world cannot be evangelized. Let every Christian face this fact. The Faith-Promise Plan inspires systematic, increasing,
New Testament giving for world evangelization.

The Plan is Good

The Faith-Promise Plan is good for the church. It does away with the offensive pledge system. It encourages united effort. It gives a basis for planning missionary commitments a year ahead. This assists mission boards to map their future work.

This plan is good for the individual Christian. It does not merely ask him to give what he has. That may not involve faith. The plan challenges him to trust God to permit him to do something for world evangelization each week. A little child can participate in the plan. Yet it tests the faith of mature Christians. The plan aids clear thinking. It fosters solid stewardship. At the close of the year each
person knows exactly what he has given for missions.

The plan is good for the missionary. It permits him to know that a church has committed itself to help him in a definite way. He knows that many people will be thinking of him week by week as they trust God for their part in his support. To know this is a tremendous encouragement to the missionary.

MISSIONARY ADMINISTRATION

Administration will vary in different churches. But practice should always agree with principle. World evangelization is the church’s work. Therefore the church board should administer missionary matters. This responsibility belongs to the main administrative group of the church.

To have a special missionary organization in the church fosters the idea that missions is simply a section of the church’s work. This has often occurred in churches having a women’s missionary society. The intention is good. But what occurs? People are unconsciously taught to believe that the work of missions is for women. This is wrong. Missions is the work of the whole church. It is the church’s big business. Make the church board responsible for the missionary program of the church. Put missions first.

It may be objected that some board members are not interested in missions. Then change them. How can a man lead the church if he is not wholly committed to the purpose for which the church exists?

Missionary Treasurer

The church that has a good missionary program will need a separate missionary treasurer.

He should be a member of the church board. There is considerable work in the proper recording and disbursing of missionary funds.

Prior to the annual missionary conference the pastor and board usually determine approximately how and where anticipated missionary funds will be used. Faith-Promise offerings are afterward channeled to missionaries and missionary projects designated by the church.

It should be stated publicly that any donor is at perfect liberty to designate the purpose for which his gift is to be used. He should be assured that his wish will be honored. If some special motive should
hinder, the donor must be consulted. Keep faith in this matter. It is important.

Faith-Promise Memo

A simple, practical method aids payment of Faith-Promises. A Faith-Promise memo tree is mailed to each person who makes a Faith-Promise.

Each memo bears the number of donor to whom it corresponds. The missionary treasurer retains a duplicate memo. The donor is instructed to return his memo with each payment he makes. The missionary treasurer marks the amount received and the date on both memos. -He then returns donor’s memo to him.

This enables each person making a Faith-Promise to know at any time just how much he has given. If he should lose his memo, the treasurer can easily provide another by copying duplicate memo which he
retains.

Faith-Promise memo made of card stock size shown (3 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches, will fit ordinary envelopes for mailing.

Church Year

It is helpful to terminate the church year shortly before the annual conference. Why? Because this assists in keeping proper records. The mission of the church is missions. This is its big business. More
should be given for world evangelization than for local expenses. Logic demands this. If the church year terminates before the annual missionary conference, the total given for world evangelization is
known at this time. Such information proves of real value in making plans for the new year.

Missionary Visits

Missionaries will speak in the church at times other than during the missionary conference. This is good. Such visits focus attention on the Church’s main objective, world evangelization. If, however, the
congregation expects to be asked to make special offerings to such missionaries, people cannot commit themselves fully through a Faith-Promise. Therefore, churches that give most to missions follow the
policy of not taking special offerings for missionaries during the year. Let people be taught clearly that the annual Faith-Promise is the channel for missionary giving. It is well not to take other offerings
for missionary work. People appreciate this consideration.

Visiting missionaries can be adequately cared for from missionary funds. Consider this need when determining how anticipated missionary funds are to be used.

However, if people desire to give to visiting missionaries, well and good. Encourage the congregation to give such gifts through the church, designated for the missionary. In this way each gift will be recorded as a part of the church’s total missionary giving for the year.

Abundant Blessings

Nothing succeeds like success. The methods presented in this booklet have been applied with overwhelming results. They have been used for years by the greatest missionary churches in the world. The annual missionary conference, the goal for missionary giving each year, and the Faith-Promise Plan are a wonderful trio. Where these practices have been introduced with faith and zeal, missionary giving has mounted up and up far beyond all previous levels.

Nor is this all. Lives have been yielded to Christ for missionary service. In almost every case the whole missionary program of the church has been literally and gloriously transformed. So startling and
unexpected has been the impact and growth of the missionary program that people have talked of miracles.

Other things being equal, the use of these methods in dependence upon God will produce similar results in any church. Is not this the hour to dare for God? Put faith to the test. Revival in churches across the land can enable us to finish the God given task. The church has men and means enough to evangelize the world. Revival can “loose them and let them go.”

God grant this book its part in producing these results. Oh, for a mighty moving of God upon us! Oh, that revived churches by scores and hundreds might hasten to completion the task our Lord committed to us! “Ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

“God is working His purpose out
As year succeeds to year:
God is working His purpose out,
And the time is drawing near;
Nearer, nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.”

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