CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 Besides being the place where the potential global


partner may get that tap on the shoulder or nudge in the heart, the church provides the place for growth in differ- ent dimensions that are valuable for a partner represent- ing God’s Church in another culture. Those dimensions involve growing in maturity — spiritually, emotionally, and relationally; growing in commitment to Body Life — being involved in the workings and ministries of the local church; growing in knowledge — taking advantage of Bible studies offered by the local church and various opportunities in the community to learn practical things that would help in a cross cultural situation; growing in ministry involvement — being trained to become a leader in different areas of the church and also learning to follow leadership in the church; and growing in rela- tionships with members of the church — building and sustaining healthy relationships with those who will be sending partners for that person as a global partner.


“The most critical piece of the missionary mobilization pipeline is the church.” -David J. Wilson


The FEBC "Global Partner Preparation Handbook"


(GPPH) goes into detail as to what is involved in all the dimensions listed above. It also provides forms to use and checklists to help keep a person on track. We encourage the potential candidate to work together with a mentor to work through the various aspects of this training. Along the way, the candidate will discover their strengths and inventory their personality characteristics. Married


couples will discover characteristics of their marriage that are strong and find things that need to be strength- ened to survive in a completely different setting. The candidate will also discover his or her spiritual gifts and how they can be used in the local church and on the mis- sion field. The local church is the perfect place to learn Biblical truths and a place to gain experience in teaching and leading and following. From the local church the candidate can become involved in cross-cultural min- istries within the local setting with the benefit of wiser, more mature counsel to help in challenging situations.


The GPPH provides a timeline and guidance for


the candidate and the mentor to efficiently prepare for application to a sending agency. If at the end of the prepa- ration time the candidate decides cross-cultural ministry is not for him or her, the time has not been wasted. The church will have one more Christian ready and willing to serve as a knowledgeable sender.


The "Global Partner Preparation Handbook" was re-


leased in 2019 and made available as a hardcopy and online. To obtain a copy, contact the FEBC International Office.


Marilynn Lester, and her husband, Doyle, sit on the


Commission for Global Partnerships and are members of Community Bible Church, Omaha. Marilynn edited and adapted the Global Partner Preparation Handbook to be used in the FEBC church setting. She loves to write blogs and short stories in her spare time. You may read more from her at www.marilynninthemaking.wordpress.com.


For more information on the history of the FEBC men- tioned in this article, visit www.fellowshipforward.org/ history.html.


FELLOWSHIPFORWARD.ORG 15


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