June 01, 1982 by

Because of the great interest today in Frontier Missions (which means missionary outreach directed toward one of the world's 16,750 people groups where no indigenous church movement yet exists), many congregations have asked: "How can we create a Frontier Mission emphasis in our church?"

We have decided to establish a clear cut goal to shoot for, so that your congregation can become a "Frontier Mission Congregation." Five easy exciting steps:

1. Establish a Frontier Mission Fund. Ask your church's treasurer or mission treasurer to establish a special Frontier Mission fund to which money can be designated, and from which funds are disbursed only for specific Frontier Missionary outreach and projects. These projects may in part already be in your present mission budget.
2. Begin a Frontier Fellowship. Over 150 congregations across the nation have already started one of these groups. Those who choose to join will commit themselves to pray each day for the establishment of a church among each of the world's remaining people groups without any indigenous Christian witness. To assist their daily prayer, they also rear! about the groups and the missionary outreach to them in the Frontier Fellowship Daily Prayer Guide. The Frontier Fellowship devotional discipline reminds them to pray and read by inviting them to set aside their loose change at the end of each day. Each month these coins are collected and provide basic funding for the congregation's Frontier Mission Fund.
3. Provide opportunities for further study and training.Provide essential books on Frontier Missions in your church's library. (Write for a list of current books from the Frontier Mission Book Service at the U.S. Center.) Feature the Center's new 12 week Sunday School elective course on the world Christian movement (available later this year). Set up a small class that would go through the Center's full college course on the World Christian Movement. (Write IIS Extension, 1539 Howard Street, Pasadena, CA 91104.) Provide scholarship funds for church members to attend the Pasadena World Christian Movement course (an intensive five week experience in mission perspective).
4. Adopt a Frontier People group for long term congregational emphasis. Contact your denominational or interdenominational mission headquarters for information on several projects they are launching (or proposing) in order to penetrate a Frontier People Group for the first time. Make this group a special people topeople concern for your own congregation with focused prayer and study to see them reached with the gospel of Christ, and a church established. It may be that God would use this kind of emphasis to lead the church's own young people in a crosscultural ministry to reach this group. (Note: Any giving should go through a mission agency that has chosen to reach that group.)
5. Share your frontier vision with individuals and churches outside your congregation. After your church begins to experience the excitement and blessing that comes from an effective program of outreach beyond the local community, you will naturally want to share the insights you have gainer! with others. The Frontier Fellowship National Coordinating Office (Box 9, Pasadena, CA 91104) is developing a packet which you can use to plan a "sharing workshop" to share your church's ministry with other churches and organizations.

Each month, on this page in Mission Frontiers we will feature ideas from other churches, and the latest developments in the Frontier Missions movement relating to local congregations in order to help your congregation play its vital role in establishing "A CHURCH FOR EVERY PEOPLE (GROUP) BY THE YEAR 20001" We need to hear what your church is doing in order to share the ideas with others. Let us hear from you.

Write: Church Relations Office, USCWM, 1605 Elizabeth street, Pasadena, CA 91104.