I. Introduction

A. Scope: The team seeks to fulfill the great commission in those areas outside the direct impact of CCC.

B. Scriptural Motivation: According to scripture, missions:

1. Will ultimately succeed. "All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord." (Ps 86:9)

2. Has high priority in the Christian faith. "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem , in all Judea and Samaria , and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8) are the last words Jesus spoke on earth.

3. Is intentional. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19).

C. Purpose of the Missions Policy:

1.  To help achieve a clear sense of direction.

2.  To avoid making emotional or arbitrary decisions.

3.  To ensure that missions dollars are spent as God would have them spent.

4.  To promote continuity in the missions team as team members change.

5.  To develop loving accountability.

6.  To work in harmony with CCC leadership.

7.  To ensure that decisions are made in accordance with CCC theology and philosophy of missions and ministry.

D.  Goal Setting: Each year the team will prayerfully set goals and develop strategies to reach them. Previous goals shall be monitored and reviewed.

E.  Policy Authority and Revisions: The policy is authoritative for missions team functioning. Revisions are made by consensus of the team and approval of the elder overseer. The policy shall be reviewed periodically and revised as necessary

II.  Missions Team Structure  A.  Membership: The team shall have a leader who is selected according to normal practices at CCC. Team members are volunteers who have a heart for missions.  B.  Size: There is no size limit. It is expected that some team members will have a narrower focus of ministry than the team as a whole.  C.  Team Member's Responsibility: Regular attendance at team meetings and events; regular prayer and contact with our missionaries; continuing education; familiarity with the policy; and possible participation in short term missions.  D.  Meetings: The full team meets monthly. Minutes will be taken at the meetings and distributed to all team members. III.  Missions Team Responsibilities A.  Prayer : The team shall obtain prayer needs from each supported missionary at least quarterly. Prayer requests will be prayed for by the team and distributed to the church body. B.  Education : The team will encourage the CE department to have a missions emphasis in its curriculum, and will seek other means such as bulletin boards, teaching, newsletters, etc. to provide continuing missions education to CCC. C.  Recruitment : The team will seek to identify and encourage those called to missions within CCC, and strive to involve people of all ages in activities and service. D.  Care of Missionaries in the Field : The team will seek to encourage each missionary family through personal and church communication, annual Christmas gifts, lodging and transportation when visiting CCC, and other creative means. E.  Missions Events : The team will seek to promote missions at CCC through a variety of events such as conferences, speakers, presentations, and missions emphasis Sundays throughout the year. F.  Visiting Missionaries in the Field : The team will seek to send a representative for a field visit as needed for encouragement and evaluation, and facilitate visits by others from CCC. Any visit will be with the agreement of the missionary, abide by security requirements, and in all ways strive to be a blessing and not a burden. IV.  Missionaries' Interaction with CCC A.  The missionary will be allowed to communicate with the church body regarding financial matters. B. Each missionary must communicate with us on at least a quarterly basis regarding ministry, family, and prayer needs. We believe this regular communication is vital and repeated failure to communicate may result in the loss of support. C. The missionary should spend time at CCC on furloughs in proportion to the amount of support they receive from us. D. Short-Term Missions : The team will encourage those at CCC to participate in short-term missions. Candidates and programs will be evaluated before providing sponsorship or funding. Candidates for Short-Term Missions: 1. Shall demonstrate a desire for missions. 2. Shall show an appropriate maturity level for the project. 3. Shall demonstrate a desire for ministry as opposed to travel or fun. 4. Will be expected to report to the team or church body after returning. 5. Must have parental approval if they are under 18 years old. E. Doctrinal Statement : All missionaries supported must agree with our statement of faith without reservation. V. Financial Policies A. Budget : CCC gives a portion of its budget to missions each year, as determined by the elder board. The missions team shall prepare a yearly budget request and submit it to the elders for approval. B. Budget Priorities : The budget will be prioritized by the team, in accordance with this policy. It is intended that giving to foreign missions will constitute at least 50% of the missions budget. C. Missions Agencies: 1. The team will only work with agencies we consider trustworthy. However, in addition to agency accountability, we also consider that each supported missionary is accountable to CCC. 2. The team will normally work with agencies that are members of the Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies (EFMA), International Foreign Missions Association (IFMA), and/or the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Agencies who are not members will have additional evaluations on the basis of doctrine and objectives. 3. We will only work with agencies that are willing to disclose their statement of faith, objectives, and financial statements. D. Missionary Support: 1. Selection of Candidates: Normally candidates will be required to submit a missions team questionnaire, resume', and references. An interview may also be required. The missionaries goals and methods will be evaluated. Candidates will be granted support if there is the consensus of the team. The team will make decisions with prayer and fasting. 2. Criteria for Considering Support : People who come from the CCC family will be given priority. Their life must show evidence of consistent commitment and dedication to following God's will. 3. Criteria for Level of Financial Support: All of the following will be considered: a. Alternative sources of support b. Strength of connection to CCC c. Total need d. Location and type of work that will be done 4. Beginning of Support: Support will begin when the criteria for beginning service has been met, and the church budget allows. 5. Ending of Support : The team reserves the right to evaluate and/or end support at any time. Evaluation may be on the basis of doctrine, morality, performance, communication with the church, or other issues considered important by the team. 6. Missionary Retirement : Missionaries are encouraged to set up a retirement plan. We will consider continued support for missionaries who are required to leave their work for reasons of health or age. 7. Yearly Evaluation of Support: Within the constraints of the CCC budget we will annually consider whether to terminate, decrease, maintain, or increase the level of support for each missionary, based on their work, their reports, and their need. 8. Missionaries Lacking Adequate Support: We will consider increased support, especially for those sent by CCC, and may also ask the congregation for a one time gift. 9. Outgoing Missionary Expenses: a. We will only contribute toward outgoing expenses for a CCC member. b. For members, we will facilitate a commissioning service. The missionary may ask for funds for outgoing expenses at that time. c. The missionary will be allowed and encouraged to solicit support from the CCC body. 10. Students Preparing for Missionary Service : We will only provide funding for education of the missionary if their agency requires specialized training. 11. Short-Term Missions and Projects: Consideration will be given to individuals needs, with priority given to CCC members. The team will consider case by case whether individuals may be allowed to solicit funds from the CCC body. Records will be kept for giving to short term missions. 12. Designated Giving: The team will try to honor one time requests of designated gifts to an approved agency for an individual. The giver will then be asked to give directly to the agency or missionary. 13. Church Funds Shortage : Shortfalls will be covered by reducing funding of travel, conferences, short term trips, prior to reducing support of missionary families. If necessary, support to missionaries will be reduced proportionally. We will also ask the church body for extra support and prayer. 14. Church Funds Surplus : Surplus funds may be spent for special projects at the discretion of the team. 15. Conferences Expenses: As funds permit the team may choose to send individuals to conferences, particularly if there is a clear reason to attend. 16. Honorarium for visiting Missions Speakers: Visiting speakers will be given an honorarium. (Revision 1) September 7, 2002