In his book Missions in the 21st Century: Getting Your Church into the Game, Telford lists nine elements for a top-flight program: an outward focus; 30 percent or more of the budget going to missions; a training program for candidates; missions education throughout the church's programs; sending its own people; concern and prayer for the lost; a pastor who leads in missions; assistance to other churches in missions; and a strong local evangelism program.

The role of agencies

After reading the above list, one mission agency executive pointed out that working with sending organizations was conspicuously absent. For some churches, that omission is no oversight. Citing what they see as the high costs and ossified thinking of traditional missions agencies, a sizable bloc of churches, sometimes called megachurches for their size and clout, has decided to go it alone. In effect, they, either by themselves or as members of a larger association of like-minded churches, have decided to become their own agencies. Churches such as those that are members of the Willow Creek Association are now strategizing, training, deploying, and evaluating the success or failure of workers largely without the input of agencies. Of course, they risk making the same mistakes and relearning the very same lessons the agencies have over the decades - worst of all, needlessly.

Some churches refuse to send missionaries through outside agencies, in order to cut out the "middleman." Others, less radical, support only their own people, usually in part because of budgetary constraints. These churches don't like the high costs agencies say it takes to send missionaries these days and believe they can do it more cheaply. However, they will still sometimes avail themselves of mission-founded schools for missionary kids or other resources, paid for by somebody else. Irritatingly, to the agencies, some of the high costs churches complain about are caused by things they demanded agencies provide for their people - such as pension funds and medical insurance.

"Another reason for the estrangement of these long-term partners is theological. Some in the church-only movement see the church, either locally or through denominational boards, as the only legitimate sender of missionaries. "4 Independent boards are seen as, at best, necessary evils, because the church hasn't got its missions act together. They are not given the same status as the church.

Most churches, however, are willing to dance with their longtime agency partners, who know the ropes when it comes to cross-cultural ministry, obtaining visas, and the thousand-andone details associated with missions. Bethlehem Baptist is one that has chosen not to re-invent the wheel. Missions Pastor Tom Steller says, "I don't feel we have the time or expertise to do what a well-run agency can do."

However, even the many congregations that choose to work with mission agencies now ask tougher, more probing questions of their long-time ministry partners than they did. Fading is the old paradigm of agencies simply harvesting the money and manpower of supportive and compliant churches. Agencies, so much a force in the modern missions movement since William Carey's day, are being forced to justify everything they do. Agencies have discovered that he who pays the piper calls the tune, even in missions.