Past and new quadrennium
The Methodist Missions Society (MMS) was established in 1991 as the mission agency of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS). MMS seeks to establish indigenous churches supported by mission endeavours in our region. We are committed towards encouraging, enlisting, engaging and empowering Methodists to serve in missions by partnering, praying for and participating with MMS to reach those who Jesus died to redeem. We believe God has called us to help rebuild, restore and reconcile people to Christ.
MMS provides opportunities in the harvest fields in terms of evangelising, equipping and nurturing new believers; making disciples; planting churches and expressing love through social concerns, healthcare, education, livelihood projects and practical assistance. As at 30 Nov 2020, we have 34 missionaries serving in seven countries and four home-based missionaries.
In the past quadrennium, MMS embarked on the following priority areas:
- A Governance Framework was developed for the purposes of enhancing and providing assurance over governance of our field entities and ministries.
- A Field Strategy & Funding Policy is an articulation of where MMS is along the mission journey, and hence ministry focus, in each of our seven fields. It addressed the prioritisation of ministry initiatives, and the budget planning process for the purpose of ensuring sustainability in the funding of ongoing ministries, capacity for new initiatives and new geography outreach.
- Church Engagement is an important initiative to engage, excite, encourage, equip and establish mission interest, involvement and partnerships in all our Methodist churches. We believe there is great value in strengthening and expanding the collaboration and partnership with our local churches and Annual Conferences in reaching unreached peoples in our region. A Church Engagement Roadmap was developed.
- Appropriate Training Contextualized to each field to empower building capacity and self- sustainability through engaging with relevant stakeholders was ramped up both in Singapore and across the seas for missionaries and national leaders alike, whether clergy or laity, so that MMS can better fulfill her call and purpose.
- Missions Manual serves to document all MMS policies and operational guidelines and provides a reference to all members, present and future.
- Succession Planning underscores the notion that while we remained thankful to God and appreciate the Exco and the various sub-committees for their labour of love, we are constantly engaged in regular conversations about raising new leaders for missions.
MMS VISION 2025 serves as the framework for the new quadrennium. The thrust is “Enlarge the Tent, O Lord” (cf. www.mms.org.sg). MMS Vision 2025 seeks to:
- Enlarge the scope of mission. We envisioned the expansion of our capacities beyond our current commitments in the seven countries. We shall focus primarily on the vast unreached people groups in our region.
- Engage churches, individuals and Annual Conferences to fulfil the prophetic call to “fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters covers the sea” (Isaiah 11:9, NIV). It includes raising missionaries, developing strategic partnerships with local churches, enlarging the pool of prayer intercessors and increasing the financial resources and support.
We praise God that local churches, individuals and Annual Conferences continue to provide the much-needed prayer and financial support for our office and field operations. Major fund-raising events such as the biennial banquet are nevertheless necessary for funding field projects (especially new projects) and for replenishing our General Fund.
Come and serve the Missio Dei together! To God be the glory!
Excerpted from General Conference Executive Council (GCEC) Report presented in Nov 2020
The Rev Derrick Lau serves as the Executive Director of Methodist Missions Society (www.mms.org.sg).