Our Processes
Cherrydale seeks to communicate clearly about our global missions policies and procedures. If you’re seeking to partner with Cherrydale Baptist Church in global missions or simply want to learn more about our processes, this page is your next step!
Cherrydale’s Statement of Faith Our Constitution
Organizational Structure
- The Global Missions ministry vision, goals, philosophy are led by our Elder Council.
- The budget allocation is led by our Missions Committee.
- Defining roles, and appointing people to those roles, is led by our Elder Council and highly influenced by our Missions Committee.
- The implementation plan is led by our elders and highly influenced by our Missions Committee.
- Sending missionaries is led by our Elder Council, while parts are delegated to our Missions Committee.
- Caring (pastoring, counseling, overseeing) for missionaries is led by the elders at the missionary’s local church.
- Supporting (resources, prayer, check-ins) missionaries is led by our Missions Committee.
- Reviewing the missionary’s work is largely led by our Missions Committee.
Missionary Candidate Application
To apply to be a supported overseas worker, please complete our Missionary Candidate Application. PLEASE NOTE: With over 20 missionaries already, we are full for the foreseeable future and not accepting new applications.
Missions Partner Organization
To apply to be a supported partner organization, please fill out our Missions Partner Organization Application. PLEASE NOTE: With over five overseas partners already, we are full for the foreseeable future and not accepting new applications.
Caring for Missionaries: Church
Cherrydale fosters partnerships in which the new local church provides primary care of CBC’s supported missionary when reasonably possible. If there is no local church that the overseas worker can become a member of and reasonably thrive in, then we build a tailored care plan with the parties involved.
Since Cherrydale’s aim is to send workers to unreached people groups where there is no church yet, there are some other church membership scenarios to explore:
- SCENARIO 1: Join an existing local church on the field. Though we strives to send workers to unreached people groups where there is no church yet, most of CBC’s workers are located among unreached people groups where there is already at least one local evangelical, gospel-centered church that the worker could join. This is this most commonly the case.
- SCENARIO 2: If there is no local church where the worker is going that they can reasonably thrive in, then the team (Cherrydale, the worker, the worker’s agency, the team leader, etc.) might form a small church with the workers who are in the same location on the field, who are not in a church yet. Sometimes this could involve bringing in a pastor to lead the new church for a season until local leaders are raised up to lead.
- SCENARIO 3: If there is no local church where the worker is going that they can reasonably thrive, Cherrydale serves as the worker’s church until a local church can be established. In this case, Cherrydale remains the spiritual shepherd and spiritual authority over the worker.
Regardless of which scenario the worker falls into, our aim is to make disciples and plant churches led by local indigenous converts where there is no church yet.
A big part of the preparation and sending process is forming a strong working relationship between the worker, the sending church, the worker’s agency, and the team leader.
Caring for Missionaries: Roles
The following describes the roles of churches who are involved in the missionary partnership. All of these principles are not prescribed in Scripture. Rather, Cherrydale is attempting to help the worker and other parties to consider the expectations that each party has.
The New Local Church
The new local church provides primary care for physical, spiritual, relational needs for Cherrydale overseas workers.
- The new local church elders are the spiritual authority in the worker’s life.
- The new local church elders give an account to God for the care, growth, and ministry of that missionary.
- The worker is called by God to submit to their new local church/elders.
- The worker’s membership transfers to their new local church.
- The new local church strives to be a valued partner with the worker in reaching the unreached and serves that role in varying ways.
- An elder (or representative) at the new local church will likely communicate with the sending church’s elder (or representative/ambassador).
The Sending Church
The “sending church” provides second-level care for CBC missionaries.
- Highly involved in affirming the character, gifting, calling, and readiness of the missionary
- Highly involved in assessing the new local church’s health before the worker is sent and even to lesser degree throughout the life of the partnership
- Highly involved in encouraging the worker to be living meaningful membership in their new local church
- Highly involved in supporting the worker as they assimilate to their new home and way of life
- Highly involved in providing for the worker if unexpected financial needs arise
- Highly involved in following the worker’s newsletters
- Highly involved in praying for the worker
- Highly involved in showing hospitality when the worker is in Arlington/DMV
- Provides second-level care for worker’s physical, spiritual, relational needs, because that is the role and calling of their new local church and their elders
- Strives to be a valued partner with the worker in reaching the unreached and serves that role in varying ways
- An elder (or representative) at the new local church will likely communicate periodically with the sending church’s elder (or representative/Ambassador), when possible.
The Supporting Churches
The supporting churches provides third-level care for our missionaries.
- Highly involved in following newsletters
- Highly involved in praying
- Highly involved in showing hospitality when missionary is in Arlington/DMV
- Involved in the partnership to reach the unreached
- Provides third-level care for physical, spiritual, relational needs
- Provides third-level support for unexpected financial needs related to care/wellness
- If the missionary’s sending church lacks enough resources for urgent needs, then Cherrydale can serve as a “special partner” to provide additional resources.
- Strives to be a valued partner with the worker in reaching the unreached and serves that role in varying ways
- An elder (or representative) at the new local church will likely communicate with the supporting church’s elder (or representative/Ambassador).
The Missions Agency
The missions agency typically provides leadership, support, and accountability for activities related to ministry, personal financial budget, and logistics.
The Strategic Partner
Cherrydale enters into strategic partnerships as the Spirit leads as affirmed by Cherrydale’s Missions Committee through votes. We aspire to identify approximately six strategic partners by 2027.For strategic partners, Cherrydale provides:
- Additional resources (funding, tools, leadership, workers, short-term mission trips, etc.) for outreaches and mercy ministry (food, hospitals, schools, programs for people with special needs, etc.)
- And/or spiritual infrastructure (Bible translation, seminary, training, literature, etc.)
- And/or church planting support
Church Membership for Workers
When a Cherrydale worker moves to a new location (sent to the mission field), we approach the situation similarly as when a Cherrydale member moves to a new location; Cherrydale asks the member to become a member of a new local church as quickly as reasonably possible and resign their membership at CBC.
Similarly, Cherrydale asks the worker to become a member of a new local church as quickly as reasonably possible and resign their membership with Cherrydale. In addition, we do everything can to help that worker to “leave and cleave” to a new church, encouraging them be open to thriving in a wide variety of local church contexts.
That said, there are unique challenges on the mission field, so Cherrydale typically stays relationally-connected with the worker to help them thrive in their new local church and mission. We plan to rarely send a worker without a new local church that is reasonably healthy, or committed to becoming healthy, unless it is a frontier situation.
Cherrydale Missions Ambassador
Cherrydale Missions Ambassadors maintain a strong relationship between Cherrydale and the worker aligned with Cherrydale’s church partnership role.
Historically, this work was done only by our Missions Pastor; now it is responsibly delegated to CBC Ambassadors who work alongside the CBC Missions Committee and CBC Elders to fulfill that role.
Cherrydale Missions Ambassadors:
- Participate in Cherrydale’s Global Missions training, typically required before serving as an Ambassador, and meet with a leader to process the content from the videos
- Ensure the worker’s physical, spiritual, and relational needs are being met and strive to be a blessing to them, including through prayer
- Lead a small team (when applicable) who help to provide for physical, spiritual, and relational needs of the worker and strives to be a blessing to them, including through prayer
- Watch the work being done
- Report up to the authority of the Cherrydale Missions Committee
Adopting a Worker
On occasions, a Cherrydale Life Group might adopt a Cherrydale worker to serve as a support group. In those situations, we ask the Life Group to consider the length of time they plan to stay together as a group in the interest of continuity for the worker. Having at least 30 percent of the group members remain constant is helpful.
Life Groups coordinate with the Cherrydale Missions Ambassador and the Life Group follows the Cherrydale Missions Ambassador’s lead.
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