Mission Initiatives Program
 The
Gospel of Jesus Christ is advanced, when, as Christians, we reach beyond
ourselves; when we dream dreams and act on visions; when we, with hope, and the
sure conviction that God will guide us, venture into new areas of mission for
the poor, the forgotten, those who may not have heard the Gospel message, or
those for whom it has lost its meaning.
The Mission Initiative Programs is for churches and parishes in the
Presbytery of the Northern Plains to begin new mission programs with the aid of
Presbytery funds. Application must be made for these funds annually. Therefore,
local communities are expected to gradually fund sources to continue funding.
These funds are not for maintenance of ministry. Although paying a
preacher/pulpit supply, the heating bills, or fixing the roof are significant
ministries of the local church, they are not NEW mission goals. Consult with the
Committee on Ministry if these are your primary concerns.
CRITERIA FOR FUNDING
1. MISSION
Must be a new initiative by the applicant with the approval of the appropriate
governing body (e.g. session approval for an individual congregation; cluster
approval for a cluster proposal, etc.).
Must be related to the public witness of the church.
Must represent an effort to assist others' basic needs (food, clothing, shelter)
or represent an effort in evangelism (e.g. parish nurse, neighborhood tutorial
center, ecumenical youth group, radio ministry, respite care, ecumenical
ministries, etc.)
2. MONEY
No more than $3,000 of the funds will go to any one applicant, except by action of
the Presbytery.
Proposal can not represent more than 50% of the total funding for a project.
Proposal may be submitted each year for ongoing support.
3. METHOD
The application will consist of an outline of what the project is and how goals
will be accomplished, expected outcomes, and explanation of how this will
promote the mission of the church.
The project must be able to demonstrate how congregational members will be
involved in the implementation: the more involvement, the better.
A method of evaluation must be included for the conclusion of the project, or,
in case of continuing projects, a yearly evaluation will be reported to
Presbytery.
Application forms can be obtained from below or the Presbytery office.
The Mission Advocacy Committee will review applications quarterly.
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