HOW IT BEGAN
Soon after the founding of The Woodlands Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. Ed Robb recognized the importance of supporting missionaries and ministries around the world for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. About that same time, the Methodist Women’s Circle began a Craft Circle to raise funding for missions. Dr. Robb’s conviction, still shared by the pastoral and lay leadership of the church today, was that the true heartbeat of a church is revealed in how it reaches others for Jesus Christ, both in communities surrounding the church and across the globe.
What began as a small group of faithful members organizing support for a handful of missionaries has grown into a thriving Missions Ministry overseen by a full-time pastor and staff, guided by a dedicated governance committee, supported by annual congregational faith promises, and impacting over 125 partners locally and globally. Still today, an expanded Craft Circle gives of their time, talent, and treasure to support the Missions Ministry.
WHO OVERSEES OUR MISSIONS MINISTRY?
The Woodlands Methodist Church’s Missions Ministry is governed by a Missions Committee of ten volunteers designated through the church’s formal governance committee nominations process. The Committee includes a chairperson and nine at-large members who serve three-year terms, providing continuity and fresh perspective through rotating membership.
Our Missions Ministry is guided through prayerful discernment, spiritual accountability, and careful stewardship. The Committee is the formal voting body which faithfully discerns the vision and strategy for TWMC’s Missions Ministry, selects effective ministry partners, and determines how available missions funds are distributed to those partners. The Committee meets at least bi-monthly to accomplish those objectives with additional meetings during annual planning periods.
The Committee is supported by a Missions Advisory Board composed of former Committee members who offer wisdom and insight regarding ministry partners. This Board works in an advisory capacity only with no voting privileges.
The chairperson serves as a member of the Church Council to engage with other church leadership for information sharing and overall church governance and also as a member of the Finance Committee to remain apprised of and contribute to church financial management.
Daily operations of the Missions Ministry are carried out by Missions Staff consisting of the Missions Pastor, a Director of Local Missions, and administrative support staff. The Missions Pastor provides spiritual leadership, nurtures relationships with ministry partners, and helps guide the church in living out its missional calling. Staff and Committee work together to ensure wise stewardship of resources and faithful engagement in God’s mission.
HOW DO YOU DO ALL THIS?
Funding for missions programs is obtained from three primary sources:
- Annual faith promises from church members dedicated specifically for Missions activities,
- An annual craft boutique and auction held in conjunction with a gala coordinated by the Craft Circle and Missions Ministry staff, and
- Other non-pledged contributions received throughout the year from church members or others desiring to support our Missions Ministry.
All of these sources of Missions funding are separate and distinct from the annual stewardship and occasional capital campaigns of the church. The missions budget is managed independently from the church’s general operating expenses, ensuring that designated contributions are faithfully directed toward mission partnerships and initiatives.
While Capital Campaigns have traditionally designated some portion of total campaign pledges to specific missional partners or projects, those are typically managed separately from general Missions Ministry activities.
VISION
The Missions Ministry of The Woodlands Methodist Church prayerfully discerns where God is moving locally and globally and joins Him through building Christ-centered, mutually beneficial partnerships that proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and embody the love of Christ through word and deed.
MISSION STATEMENTS
- Cultivate deep, covenant-based relationships with individuals, churches, and ministries who are faithfully and effectively proclaiming Christ and serving in His name while walking together in humility and mutual learning as co-laborers in God’s mission.
- Equip and encourage members of The Woodlands Methodist Church to live as witnesses of Jesus through listening, learning, and serving alongside our partners across the street and around the world.
- Engage the whole congregation in God’s mission through prayer, generosity, and service so that the kingdom of God is made visible “until the whole world knows.”
The Missions Committee has also developed a set of specific criteria designed to evaluate and strengthen our partnerships in a spirit of mutuality, prayer, and shared mission. These criteria guide both the selection of new partners and the ongoing review of existing partnerships and include the following:
- Mission Alignment
- Impact & Effectiveness
- Sustainability & Leadership
- Financial Stewardship
- Congregational Engagement
- Spiritual Discernment & Relationship Health
Each partner is evaluated at least once every three years, typically following their request for renewal of financial support, to discern whether the partnership with this missionary or ministry effectively meets the goals of our Missions Ministry as outlined in our Vision and Mission Statements, as measured using the criteria listed above.
Funding decisions for each partner consider spiritual and practical impact, strategic priorities, evaluation outcomes, and available resources. Certainly, the total available funding from the Missions Ministry funding sources described earlier is a key factor impacting the amount of support which can be provided to any and all partners.
Hands-on mission work gives our congregation practical ways to serve alongside neighbors and ministry partners.
SO HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Paul’s prayer for Philemon continues to shape us:
“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ” (Philemon 1:6).
Every member of The Woodlands Methodist Church is invited and encouraged to participate in God’s mission. Whether through prayer for our staff, committee, and ministry partners, participation in local missions activities or global mission trips, or financial support, your participation is a blessing that sustains our Missions Ministry.
Missions partners of The Woodlands Methodist Church enter into a covenant relationship with us as we share in the partnership for the Gospel. We invite our congregation to join in this same commitment:
- Abide in Christ, remaining connected to the Vine who gives life.
- Walk as co-laborers in the gospel, strengthening one another through faithful friendship.
- Honor the dignity and calling of every person through listening, presence, and mutual respect.
- Encourage one another in prayer, presence, and love.
- Steward God’s resources with integrity and purpose.
- Seek first the Kingdom of God, bearing fruit that will last, “until the whole world knows.”
We go because Christ sends us, and we remain because Christ abides in us.