Mission Guidelines

** Last updated from the 2021 Minute Book.

Disclaimer

These Mission Guidelines are provided for reference only and are not official or binding. For the official Mission Guidelines please refer to the current Minute book of the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma.

Article I - Name

Section 1: This department shall be known as the Department of Missions.

Article II - Purpose

Section 1: The purpose of this department shall be to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the salvation fo souls and the establishment of New Testament Churches.

Section 2: To promote this purpose among the churches that compose the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma.

Section 3: To cooperate with other departments of the BMA of Oklahoma and work with local associations and the Baptist Missionary Association of America in fostering this purpose.

Article III - Advisory Committee

Section 1: An Advisory Committee, as a subcommittee of the Missionary Committee, shall consist of nine (9) men elected to serve three (3) year terms on staggered basis, one-third being elected each year. Consideration should be given that these committeemen would represent a reasonable and equitable balance from the local associations of the BMA of Oklahoma. The Director of Missions shall be an ex-officio member of this committee.

Section 2: The officers of the Advisory Committee. The officers of this committee shall be a chairman, secretary, and assistant secretary. The officers of this committee shall be elected annually by this committee.

Section 3: The duties of the Advisory Committee:

• The Secretary of the Advisory Committee provide the churches with any recommendations to be offered two weeks prior to the State Association Meeting or any called meeting in which the recommendation is to be considered.
• The Advisory Committee shall act, when necessary, in council along with the Director of Missions in matters pertaining to the missionary personnel.
• The Advisory Committee shall investigate the qualifications of each prospective missions applicant.
• The Advisory Committee shall examine the salary schedule for the department of missions yearly.
• The Advisory Committee shall make investigations when a missionary’s work becomes unsatisfactory, his doctrinal beliefs, or his moral character becomes questionable.

Article IV - Director of Missions

Section 1: The duties of the Director of Missions shall be:

• Promotion of all phases of the associated work.

Section 2: It shall be the responsibility of the Director of Missions, the Treasurer of Missions, and the Advisory Committee to formulate and implement a yearly missions emphasis month, as needed.

Article V - Missionaries

Section 1: The person who shall make application during the associational year, desiring to serve as a missionary for the BMA of Oklahoma shall submit an application to the Director of Missions, furnishing all required information on an application form which the secretary shall furnish, and allowing adequate time for investigation before he be considered. Every prospective missionary shall supply a formal letter of endorsement from the church where he holds membership before his application will be considered.

Section 2: Missionaries shall be limited to four revival meetings each year away from their mission congregations and shall be permitted to retain the proceeds from these meetings. Missionaries will be allowed two weeks paid vacation each year. The mission congregation shall be considered financially responsible for pulpit supply during the missionary’s vacation. Pulpit supply during revivals will be the financial responsibility of the missionary.

Section 3: The missionary’s expenses to the annual meeting of the BMA of Oklahoma will be paid from the general fund of the BMA of Oklahoma if the mission congregation is unable to pay them.

Section 4: Upon investigation, if the Advisory Committee shall find any missionary’s work to be unsatisfactory, a full report shall be given at the session of the Missionary Committee meeting and a vote shall be taken to retain or dismiss the missionary. In the event of a vote to dismiss the missionary, he shall be given the option of a hearing before the missionary committee.

Section 5: At each annual meeting the BMA of Oklahoma each missionary of the association shall be considered for re-election only if the sponsoring church and the Missionary Committee both re-affirms their endorsement of the Missionary.

Section 6: Moving expense of the missionaries shall be paid while under actual employment of the BMA of Oklahoma and shall be under the supervision of the Director of Missions.

Section 7: Missionaries shall send a monthly report to the Director of Missions at the end of each month. The report shall include personal activities, mission plans, progress and changes made concerning any agreed upon plans or policies.

Section 8: A full-time missionary’s salary shall consist of the average of Arkansas and Texas Missionaries, or as adjusted by the Missionary Committee.

Article VI - Mission Congregation

Section 1: The mission congregation is expected to assume self-support after the fifth year. In the event of a necessity, the mission congregation may suspend this plan for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days and if additional time is needed, they shall counsel with the Director of Missions concerning their future plans. If conditions warrant such action, the missionary committee may recommend the extension of support beyond five years.

Section 2: Mission congregations securing 100% financing for property purchase and building through the Revolving Loan Fund shall not organize into a church until such time as they are able to assume full financial responsibilities for their building program unless specially authorized by the Missionary Committee. Mission congregations are expected to finance their indebtedness by conventional means in not more than five years from the date of the loan in order to release the Revolving Loan Fund money for other mission endeavors.

Section 3: In the event a missionary resigns after a mission organized into a church and the church desires to elect their pastor, the action will be considered as a request for the associational financial support to cease. Should a church, after calling a pastor, find it necessary to seek further financial assistance from the BMA of Oklahoma, an application for financial help must be made in writing to the Director of Missions outlining their needs. The application for assistance will be submitted to the Advisory Committee who will in turn submit this request along with a recommendation to the Missionary Committee. Such a request for associational assistance will be considered as a moral and ethical responsibility of the church to recognize the Missionary Committee in an “advise and consent” role as long as financial assistance is received from the BMA of Oklahoma.

Section 4: Mission congregations shall be required to submit an itemized financial report to the Director of Missions for all expenditures made with money on loan from the Revolving Loan Fund to their mission congregation.

Article VII - Land Gift Fund

Section 1: The Director of Missions shall be the administrator of the Land Gift Fund. The Missions Advisory Committee shall serve as trustees for the Land Gift Fund. The officers of the Missionary Advisory Committee shall server as the officers for the trustees of the Land Gift Fund.

Section 2: The purpose of the Land Gift Fund is to receive funds from churches and individuals with the goal of providing debt-free property for missions to build upon.

Section 3: Undesignated funds sent to the Land Gift Fund shall be accumulated until the messengers of the churches of the BMA of Oklahoma shall direct the administrator to apply the funds to specified projects.

Section 4: Designated funds shall be received, recorded, and forwarded to the projects specified by the contributor.

Section 5: No funds received through the Land Gift Fund shall in any way be used in the payment of any interest relating to property purchases and gifts.

Article VIII - The 25-50 Program

Section 1: The Director of Missions shall serve as the administrator of the 25-50 program. The Missions Advisory Committee shall serve as trustees for the 25-50 program. The officers of the Missions Advisory Committee shall serve as officers of the 25-50 program.

Section 2: Participation in this program is strictly voluntary.

Section 3: Participants volunteer to commit themselves to a financial contribution of their own determination when a call for funds is issued by the Director of Missions.

Section 4: This call shall come only when state mission projects have been approved by the association to receive these funds.

Section 5: It is recommended that all contributions be made through the participant's local church.

Section 6: No participant shall be requested to contribute more than once in each calendar year.

Section 7: Designated gifts will go to the specified project even after the property is paid for.

Section 8: Undesignated gifts will be applied to the property debt of the current project until the land is paid for. Thereafter, undesignated gifts will be considered as undesignated gifts to the Land Gift Fund.

Section 9: No funds received through the 25-50 Program shall in any way be used in the payment of any interest relating to property purchases and gifts.

Article IX - The BMA of Oklahoma Missions Memorial Fund

Section 1: The Director of Missions shall server as administrator of the Memorial Fund. The Missions Advisory Committee shall server as the trustees for the Memorial Fund. The officers of the Advisory Committee shall serve as officers for the trustees of the Memorial Fund.

Section 2: The purpose of the Memorial Fund is to receive funds with the goal of purchasing land and building buildings for new missions in the state of Oklahoma.

Section 3: The funds given to the Memorial Fund will be placed into an irrevocable trust in which the principle will remain in the trust while the interest will be available.

Section 4: Missions Congregations may send a request for funds to the Director of Missions. The request will be evaluated by the trustees for the Memorial Fund.

Article X - Education Scholarship Fund

Section 1: The Director of Missions shall serve as administrator of the Education Scholarship Fund. The Missions Advisory Committee shall server as trustees of the Education Scholarship Fund. The officers of the Advisory Committee shall serve as the officers of the trustees of the Education Scholarship Fund.

Section 2: The funds for the Education Scholarship Fund shall be invested in an irrevocable trust with the interest earned being available for distribution as scholarships after the interest account has reached a minimum balance of $5,000.

Section 3: Applications for a scholarship may be obtained from the Director of Missions. Grants will be made on the basis of financial needs and academic ability. The applicant must be a member in good standing of a church affiliated with the BMAA. First consideration will be given to the applicant which is affiliated with a church of the BMA of Oklahoma. Applications must be received by the Director of Missions three (3) months prior to the beginning of the semester for which financial assistance is requested.

Section 4: The scholarship shall include financial assistance equal to, but not exceeding, the expense of tuition, fees, and required textbooks. The grantee is expected to provide room and board. A scholarship shall be renewable until the grantee receives appropriate degree or terminates full-time status, as long as academic work is satisfactory.

Section 5: A full-time ministry major may make application for financial assistance to attend Central Baptist College, Conway, Arkansas; Jacksonville College, Jacksonville, Texas; Southeastern Baptist College, Laurel, Mississippi; BMA Theological Seminary, Jacksonville, Texas; or other Bible colleges or seminaries which are approved by the trustees of the Education Scholarship Fund.

Article XI - Amendments

Section 1: Amendments of these guidelines may be made by a two-thirds (2/3rds) majority vote of the missionary committeemen present in a given Missionary Committee meeting and by a majority vote of the messengers represented in any regular or special meeting of the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma.

Section 2: Upon adoption of these guidelines of the Missions Department, they shall appear annually in the printed minutes of the association.