“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2)
Since 2016, and most recently at the Country Review and Budget Meeting held in February, MMS has annually reviewed its strategies and ministry plans for its seven mission fields.
Recent improvements include a better understanding of the stages of our field ministries based on the “4 Ps: Pioneering, Parenting, Partnership and Participation”. These stages guide MMS in optimally managing resources and allocating financial support for ministries and fields with the greatest needs.
As the mission agency for The Methodist Church in Singapore, the mandate for MMS is to partner local churches to promote service opportunities and needs in each mission field, and to ensure the welfare of our missionaries. Additionally, we serve as a valuable resource for local churches in areas that impact missions, such as finance, governance, compliance, and interfacing with government authorities.
Going forward, MMS will focus on three key areas:
- Intentional church engagement that builds on the callings of local churches,
- Expansion of our intercessory network to pray for and with MMS regularly,
- Identification and training of more missionary candidates.
Our church engagement team will be visiting local churches to share about the ministries and plans of each mission field, highlight areas of need, and garner support. We welcome feedback on how MMS can best support the churches.
Our mission fields have become more challenging and complex, requiring MMS to look into new and creative approaches for bringing the gospel to unreached people groups, whilst remaining sensitive to the safety our field staff. To achieve our ministry objectives, we need the collaborative participation, partnership and prayers of ALL our churches.
The cornerstone of overseas ministry will be staying true to our Father’s heartbeat and remaining faithful to the One, True and Sovereign God!
Noel Tam is the Home Director and Area Director with the Methodist Missions Society (MMS). He worships at Pentecost Methodist Church and loves spending time with his grandsons.
Based on Isaiah 54:2, the MMS’ Vision 2023 will seek to:
Extend the scope of our mission fields by country or people group
Nurture a vibrant network of prayer intercessors
Launch an aggressive initiative to enlist more Methodists to serve overseas
Adopt a clear and contextualised Discipleship Framework for every field
Ramp up training /equipping for all missionaries and short-term trippers
Glean towards sustainability of ministries governed by sound financial processes
Engage more local churches in collaborative partnerships
Please pray for:
- greater partnerships and collaboration with our local churches
- more missionaries to be sent to the mission field
- MMS leadership and the Home Team
- our missionaries and national workers in the field
Photo courtesy of The Methodist Missions Society