Tag Archives: Mission Point

Scott Sistrunk: Leadership Moments

April 5, 2014 By in Blog, People Tags: , , Leave a comment

The Old Expression…

“Lyghtly whan one wynneth, an other loseth*” is an old English expression from the 16th century that you have likely never heard before, although you’d know it’s modern equivalent:

“One man’s loss is another man’s gain”

That was the case on the last Sunday of March when yet another late-winter (technically early-Spring) storm buffeted the province of New Brunswick, dumping some 45cm of snow in the Perth-Andover area. For this reason, career church-planter Scott Sistrunk, rather than heading north, remained storm-stayed in Saint John after a planned morning service and lunch-learn with local church leadership.

Planned Ministry:

Source: my Instagram Feed: MikeLongSJ

Source: my Instagram Feed: MikeLongSJ

During the morning service Sis. Sistrunk sang and Bro. Sistrunk preached on the 5 people that you will find in every great church.

  1. an Andrew: whose first thought is to introduce Jesus to someone else.
  2. an Aquila & Priscilla:  who take time to disciple others… showing them “the way more perfectly”.
  3. a Widow-woman: not literally – but one who gives sacrificially.
  4. an Agabus: who operates in the gifts of the Spirit.
  5. a Dorcas:  who exudes kindness & good works.

Following an incredible morning service and time at the altar, he shared with our leaders, “The Engine of Church Growth”. Discussing key points and processes that are absolutely in place in every church where growth is occurring (when an organism is healthy… growth occurs naturally), including potential fail points and what some of those processes look like in churches of differing sizes.

Unexpected Ministry:

Given the fact that the Sistrunks would be in town for an extra evening and we were not having service that night, we had the opportunity to have supper together, and by the time we wound down, we were about 15 minutes shy of 3 hours! Where had the time gone?

Bro. & Sis. Sistrunk had been AIMers in South Africa during the mid-1990’s so they could appreciate some of the planning that we were in the midst of as well as some of the questions we had… yet by the same token, they could also relate to the eager anticipation that we feel as well… the desire to lift up the name of the LORD in the land to which we are called, for the time appointed.

sistrunk2

September 2013. Source: Instagram, MikeLongSJ

We discussed AIM in general, preparation for such undertakings (spiritually, financially and family-wise), VISION and execution of that vision. There were a couple of “God-moments” during the discussion and doors opened for future connection.

It blows me away that, because of a series of decisions to follow the Lord and His will, I get to rub shoulders with the incredible people that I do on a regular basis (beginning with the local church and it’s leadership).

“Lord, make and mold us after your image so that we can take what you and others have invested in us, and be profitable for your Kingdom.”

Footnote on Rev Scott Sistrunk:

The first time I’d ever heard of the Sistrunks, they were being interviewed by Rev. Carlton Coon on HMLive.  (a webcast which has since been renamed Mission North America Podcast). They have spent twenty-seven years in the Metro Detroit area and have planted six churches to-date with a seventh to begin later this month.

If you’ve never heard or seen Bro. Sistrunk minister, check out a few of these links:

  1. North American Missions’ Director’s Communiqué, March-April 2013 issue (.PDF).
  2. Podcast on “Change”, from the Westchester Church Podcast, May 2009.
  3. North American Missions 2009 video (then: HMLive) 11/10/2009.
  4. Several videos can be found at the here… at the Apostolic Leaders Network, discussing various aspects of Church Planting.

 

* [c 1527 T. Berthelet tr. Erasmus’ Sayings of Wise Men D1V]

March in Review

April 2, 2014 By in Blog, Process Tags: , , 2 Comments

Welcome to April!

March was kind of a different month here on the AIMLong blog, featuring posts that had nothing to do with our upcoming short-term mission per sé, but rather simply with how to experience a little bit of France in everyday life.  It was also an attempt to expose the blog to a wider audience than to those who already know us or know of our project.

For this first post of April, I want to give you a quick run-down of some of the things that happened in March, which are more directly connected to our AIM term.

Looking back…

packets_comp_b

Here are some of the highlights of the month that was:

  • We mailed out information/support packets to 210 pastors throughout North America, all of which contained
        • a pair of our bookmarks to serve as prayer reminders.
        • a letter introducing us as a family.
        • a PIM form.
        • a handwritten note to alleviate the “impersonal form-letter syndrome” which is necessary, but by itself is not quite me.
  • We’re grateful to have had 13 of services scheduled: mostly around the Atlantic District, but also in the Quebec, Alabama, Texas and, tentatively, in the Michigan Districts.
    For up-to-date details, please see our schedule.
    (During the month of May, we will be driving through the Alabama, Florida, Texas & Michigan Districts. If you would like to have us come to your church or know of someone who might like to have us come, please fill out the form below.)
  • We are extremely grateful for the several pastors who, even without having had us come for a service, have expressed their desire to support us financially and/or support us prayerfully (my next couple of posts will talk about the importance of prayer in laying a foundation for revival).

Our efforts… God’s credit

We are trying to be diligent in our attempts to raise financial and prayer support. We realize however that for whatever comes in, the credit belongs to God. This principle is portrayed in Proverbs 21.31:

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. (KJV)
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. (NIV)

The assurance that “victory rests with the Lord” does not alleviate the necessity of the horsemen to prepare or make ready their horses for the battle. In the words of Duncan Campbell (about whom you’ll read more in the next two posts):

“…while God is sovereign in the affairs of men,
His sovereignty does not relieve men of responsibility.”

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Thank you for your support. Yes. You are showing support simply by the fact that you are coming back time and again to stay informed about our project and preparations. Let it inform your prayer time and be part of the work of God in France.

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…on becoming #AIMkids

February 12, 2014 By in People, Process Tags: , , , , 8 Comments

It wasn’t always easy to keep our plan from the kids, but it was necessary.

Kept in the Dark

Although Liz & I have mentally been “in process” for over a year now, our kids found out about our “new adventure” on December 31, 2013… New Year’s Eve.

Why we waited? …to maintain a tight reign on who knew about our plan until it was announced to our church family at MissionPoint. We didn’t want any other churches or groups to know about it first and then have it filter back to our home church second hand… via social media or in conversation.

At the same time, it wouldn’t be fair for our kids to find out only on January 5th, at the same time as everyone else. So, for a couple of reasons, we decided to tell them on New Year’s Eve:

  • Given the holiday break in the church schedule, it would give them a few days to “digest” the news, without seeing their church friends (again, protecting the flow of information).
  • New Year’s provides a natural opportunity to talk about new projects, new ideas, new plans and a new direction. 2014 would definitely be all of that for us.

Given the fact that we are a homeschooling family and therefore together nearly all the time, it wasn’t easy to be discreet about our plans… but thankfully it worked.

Unveiling the Plan

It was important to us to root the plan in the Word of God, so after our New Year’s Eve company had left, I opened the Bible to Joshua chapter 1 (the passage that began this process) and read verses 1-9: highlighting the following:

  • As Joshua’s life was taking on a new role and a new direction… God met with and talked to Joshua.
  • 3 times, God says to Joshua “Be strong and of good courage” (vv. 6, 7 & 9).
  • 2 times, God says to Joshua that if he wants to have success, he needs to take in, meditate on and observe the law of God or, God’s word. (vv. 7 & 8).
  • Kids' JournalsGod would be with Joshua, wherever he went (v.9)

I also gave each of the kids their own personal travel journal inscribed as follows:

“Sophie / Dominic / Timo …  Here is a place to write down your thoughts, questions and yes, perhaps even your fears, concerning the next great adventure that God is about to take our family on. Write them down and you will see that God will answer your questions, honor your thoughts and calm every fear. He’ll do it because he loves you and wants to do something incredible both in and through your life.

Love, Mom & Dad”

We then let them know that within a year or so, we would be moving to France, possibly for as long as 2 years, to replace Bro. & Sis. Brochu as missionaries, under the AIM program.  Following our discussion, we prayed together as a family.

The Reaction

They were very surprised, but also very, very excited. There were a barrage of questions, some of which we didn’t yet have answers for (including…. “Can we get a dog?”).

They were quite excited about the idea that they may need to be involved in music in the church after the Brochu’s leave, kidsjournalTimo_sm440because they both look after music (our kids have varying degrees of piano skills, Dominic is learning guitar already and Timo dreams of playing drums).

Two things sum up well their reaction.

  • First, Timo’s first journal entry
    (see pic)    .
  • Second, Timo’s prayer:
    “God, fill the people of France with the Holy Ghost.”
    (talk about melt a parent’s heart!)

Summing it up:

Without question, we believe that the Lord has been preparing the hearts and desires of our kids in the same way that he’s been preparing us. They are now… #AIMkids.

Other posts on how patience has played a key role in the process to date: 
Patience is a Virtue
Controlled Burn

10 reasons to keep your Pastor in the Loop

January 29, 2014 By in Churches, People, Process Tags: 6 Comments

In my Sensing God’s Direction post, I suggested that one of the first steps your should take, after God has birthed a dream in your spirit, concerning short term missions (or any ministry involvement for that matter), is to talk about it with your pastor.

My Experience:

I can’t express how much of a benefit it has been, to have my pastor both completely informed of and involved in, the application process, the progress of preparations and the communication of my burden. In my mind, the value of your pastor’s role cannot be underestimated.

10 Reasons to involve your pastor:

  1. His Responsibility: Your pastor is accountable to God for the way he takes care of you, one of the sheep that God has entrusted to his care.  For this reason, no major ministry-related decisions of any kind should be made without consulting him. If your desire is truly from God, chances are your pastor will not be surprised and will be glad to help you put feet to the dream.
  2. Objective 3rd party: Your pastor is a great person to identify errors or omissions that could weaken your application.  In my case, there was a contextual issue which, had I not qualified it, could’ve incited doubts or led to unnecessary questions in the minds of the men evaluating my application. He brought it to my attention and with the addition of a single  paragraph, the occasion for confusion was alleviated.
  3. Points of doctrine: Sometimes statements can be made which can come across to someone who doesn’t know you well, as representing an error in doctrine. In 1989, while still in the Baptist church, I was being interviewed for a missions opportunity and responded something along the lines that “the Holy Ghost was a tool through which God…..”  I forget the rest, but a poor choice of words raised a major red flag, which, in the absence of clarification, could’ve killed my interview.
  4. Organizational knowledge: Your pastor can provide insight into the normal workings of the departments or individuals on an organizational level: what things need to happen before something else can occur for example.
  5. Pitfall experience: If your pastor has been around for any amount of time, he has likely seen applications (whether for short term missions, district appointments, or others) that have done very well and others that have fallen flat on their face…. or even fell on “deaf ears” because evaluators were missing key details. He can help you to not be another case of pitfall.
  6. Approaching other ministers: Whether you have a formal ministry position or not, your pastor can be a great help in leveraging support, and/or contact, with other ministers, both in and beyond your district. Some pastors, because of ministerial ethics, will not be comfortable approaching you directly (or being approached by you), without first going through your pastor. They want to make sure everything is OK and above board – and this is a wonderful safe-guard.  See this note from my pastor, which went out to all ministers in my district before I even thought about contacting them. It establishes that we have worked hand in hand on this project and invites them to contact me directly or to go through him.
  7. Impact on the local church: Whatever the outcome of your application, there will be implications on the local church, moreso of course, if you end up going on short term missions for a time. No pastor wants to be surprised about personnel or staffing changes, nor do they want to be surprised about the timeline.  They have to work with remaining staff to ensure the smoothest possible transition and minimize any void left by your absence.
  8. No lone rangers: There have been, in the past, somewhere between the north and south poles, lone rangers. These are people who, to escape a negative situation – whether personally, interpersonally or at a church level – take off to the mission field.  Perhaps they feel they will “finally” be able to “have a (recognized) ministry”. far away, where no one knows them. In the long run… lone rangers generally do not benefit the foreign field, nor do they represent the home church or the kingdom of God well.  You do not want to risk being associated with, or perceived to be, a lone ranger. Work with your pastor!
  9. Home church advantage: You want to benefit from the full support of your home church in the following areas and your pastor is key to them all:
      1. financial support: unforeseen circumstances may require extra funding. If you have worked with your pastor throughout the process, he will be more inclined to bail you out with a cheerful and willing heart.
      2. prayer support: No one knows your strengths (and weaknesses) like your home church. They are among the most equipped and the most inclined to stand by you in prayer.
      3. moral support: There will be days when a care-package from home will be a welcomed treat. Chances are that someone in your home church spearheaded that effort.
      4. ministry support: Times will arise when a word of advice or insight will make the difference in a make-or-break situation. Keep the line of communication open with those who know you best.
  10. He’s still your pastor: Just because you may find yourself on the other side of the world, does not mean that a father in the faith ceases to be your pastor. Your leadership structure may change, but your pastor should always be able to speak into your life or ministry.

In Short:

If you begin your short term missions journey walking in step with your pastor, there’s a good chance that you’ll benefit from his wisdom and resources throughout the entire process. Your overall experience will be greatly improved and the kingdom of God (both in your life and in your missions experience) will be advanced.

Can you think of other ways in which you’d benefit from including your pastor in the process right from the get-go?  I’d love to hear them.

Letter from my Pastor

January 11, 2014 By in Churches, People, Process Tags: , 6 Comments

This note was sent from my pastor, Rev. Brent Carter, to the other ministers of the Atlantic Carter_bust_bw flipDistrict, on Friday, January 10th, 2013. I have his permission to share it in here as well.

Good Afternoon Brethren,

The Lord has opened the door for Bro. and Sis Long, and their family, to be involved in AIM in the country of France. Bro. Long has felt the burden for a number of years and under our direction as Pastor, we support fully their desire to see this come to pass.

During our vision service for 2014 and beyond, this past Sunday, Bro. Long announced to our congregation what we, as a team, have worked towards for their future. This will be a great loss for Mission Point but a great blessing to the Missionaries of France. Their primary purpose will be to take care of things while the Bro. and Sis. Brochu are on deputation.

All approvals have been given by WEC and the budget has been set. The timeline for the Long’s to be in France would be by January 2015. Bro. and Sis. Long are fully versed in the Language and are very capable of accomplishing what God has laid on their heart to do, immediately upon their arrival.

Mission Point will be very involved in helping them financially fulfill this term. If any individuals could assist them financially or if any church would be willing for them to come and share their burden for France, it would be much appreciated as well.

You can either contact myself or Bro. Long by phone or email (633-0010, pastorcarter@missionpoint.ca or mike@missionpoint.ca ) to schedule a service, or, a donation can be sent to the church on their behalf.

Thank You for being an incredible Missions minded District. I thank you in advance for your sacrifice towards this awesome family. They are a wonderful couple and have three awesome children.
 
Thank You,
Pastor B Carter

I can honestly say that this note is very representative of the level of support that I have received from Bro. Carter from the time we began working together, in September 2012.

As I’ve already written a post on the importance of your spouse being on board with the vision that God gives you, I urge you to take a look at another post:

10 Reasons it’s important to keep your pastor in the loop.

 

Welcome MissionPoint Family!

January 5, 2014 By in Churches, Events Tags: Leave a comment

long_famJust a short note to welcome members of an incredible church family…. MissionPoint!

As the first Sunday of 2014 draws to a close, we have had quite a day!  We heard what has been stirring in Pastor’s heart concerning the direction of this great church during the next couple of years, and you have heard what has been stirring in my heart – in our hearts – looking ahead to 2015-2016.  You, MissionPoint family, will undoubtedly be the first to discover AIMLong.ca as nothing about our plans had been made public prior to sharing them with you.

Let me give you a quick tour of the site so you’ll know what to expect.

This site will be central hub of communication for our AIM appointment and information is primarily divided into two types:

  1. Pages (information that will not change frequently)
    …describing the basic details such as where we’ll be, who we’ll be working with, budget targets etc. can be found in the following categories (also visible on top menu).

    1. The Destination
    2. The Dream
    3. The Team 
    4. The Need 

      Who? These pages will serve as a general introduction, for those who are just discovering the project.

  1. Blog Posts (information that changes regularly or blog updates)
    … this will, for the most part, be shared in The Blog section and will be sorted out by date. This section also includes some of my thoughts on Short-Term Missions Involvement in general.Who? This section will be of interest to those already aware of the project and wanting to stay up to date: with the progress of preparations prior to departure and with happenings on the field.

In terms of navigating the site there are also a few tips that can help:

  • There is a search function in the top-left corner of the site. If you are looking for certain key words, this may help.
  • On the blog section, you can look for hints in the right-hand margin of the page that will help. There is a calendar of blog posts (allowing you to search posts by date) and there is a list of recent posts immediately beneath.
  • If you want to Follow the Blog (or get updates automatically delivered to you):
    Worpress Users: There is a “follow AIMLong“ button
    Want to follow via email? Scroll to the bottom and look in the left corner for the option of following via email. (This option allows new posts to be sent to you directly via email)
  • They say that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so Our France at a Glance (in the right margin) will give you a quick look at our experiences there to-date, through photos.

MissionPoint… You are, without question, part of who I am today… who we are as a family. Thank you for teaching me, in word and through example, what it is to be apostolic. This AIM appointment is as much about you as it is about me. I have said it before and I’ll say it again.

Our involvement in France is not about “MY/OUR ministry” but about being an extension of the ministry of this church. Our church… it’s YOUR ministry also.
 
So Let’s minister… let’s impact France… Together!
We love you MissionPoint!

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God said “Missions”… now what?

November 27, 2013 By in Process Tags: , Leave a comment

Your friends figured it would happen. Your parents feared it would happen. Even you are not surprised… God spoke, and now it’s your move. What do you do now? This post is kicking off a series on the “Process” of embracing God’s call to missions and moving forward in that calling.

Depending on your age, you may or may not be surprised that God is inviting you to take part in this aspect of ministry, it all depends on when the call comes. The very first time I knew that short term missions would be part of my future came when I was sixteen and on a summer youth mission tour in Monterrey, Mexico. That wasn’t my first time on such a tour, but it was the furthest away (Prior to that we’d been in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Burlington, Ontario and Narragansett, Rhode Island) and it was my first time on an airplane. We more or less knew the drill, as the process was similar each year: prepare vacation bible school material, practice puppet skits, get together a musical that would be interspersed with various testimonies and be prepared to have your comfort zone stretched. I don’t remember what it was about that trip in particular, perhaps just the fact that it was outside of North America, but coming back I knew that short-term missions would be part of my future.

Fast-forward a couple of year to 1988 when I began attending a Christian liberal arts college in Moncton, New Brunswick. I  heard about an opportunity to spend two months the following summer volunteering in either Belgium or Bolivia. Since I spoke French well and spoke no Spanish at all, the choice was clear: Belgium.

In 1989 I was one of six or seven young people from across Canada who would spend two months working with two missionary families and three 2-year volunteers. Our goal was to help establish a new daughter work as well as lend a hand with youth meetings, camps and services organized by the two mother-churches and the national work. The setting was new, but the task list was not.  During that summer, as had been the case in Mexico, I came home knowing that God was calling me to an even greater involvement. I knew that I would come back to be one of those 2-year volunteers and in 1990 that’s just what happened. I spent from 1990-1992 living in the southern Belgian city of Liège, working with career missionaries in the establishment and growth of a new church.

Active participation in my youth group, led to summer mission trips, which led to 2-month and 2-year mission projects, which led, 14 years later, to a full-time staff position at Mission Point, in my home town of Saint John, NB, Canada. Then, once again, God said “Missions”, which has led to what appears to be another 15-24 month assignment, this time in France.

This is so typical of God. He does not ask us to jump in the deep end head-first, with no experience or preparation, rather, he takes each area of involvement and builds on it, ever working toward his ultimate plan for our lives. Doesn’t it remind you of Matthew 25.21

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things.”

If you’re reading this as a young person, don’t think that your faithfulness is of little value right now. God sees it and is taking note. You are in training for something bigger.

How about you… what has God spoken and how have you answered?