Please select the branch you would like to give to. This refers to the CMS branch that will process your donation.
NSW & ACT
QNNSW
SANT
TAS
VIC
WA
Please select the branch you would like to give to. This refers to the CMS branch that will process your donation.
NSW & ACT
QNNSW
SANT
TAS
VIC
WA
Please select the branch you would like to give to. This refers to the CMS branch that will process your donation.
NSW & ACT
QNNSW
SANT
TAS
VIC
WA
CMS is a fellowship of Christian people and churches committed to global mission. We work with churches like yours to set apart, send and support godly men and women as long-term cross-cultural gospel workers. Our missionaries rely on the support of individuals and their link churches to perform this vital gospel ministry.
You can play a part in God’s world mission by becoming an Advocate for a CMS missionary at your local church.
Your role as an Advocate is to help your church members to be active supporters of your link missionaries and see the part they play in God’s mission. Churches displaying healthy mission partnership work to stay in touch with their missionaries as they pray for them, care for them, and give financially to support their gospel work.
Church members are more likely to be actively praying and caring for their link missionaries when they are part of your regular church communications. Here are some suggestions as to how you can help to keep your missionary visible to your church.
A great way to remind your church about your missionaries is to set up a missionary bulletin board or table, which you can update with resources as they become available. Below are some suggestions for what you could include in this display.
You can help your church stay updated on the ministries your missionaries are involved in by regularly including them in your church newsletter. This could mean printing their most recent prayer points, sharing updates from their location, and including a larger feature every so often reintroducing their name, location and ministry. You may need to work with your church administrator to include missionary updates in your newsletter.
A great way to help your church connect to your missionaries is to regularly talk about them at the front of church. This could be done as an announcement or mission segment, and given by you, your minister, the service leader or someone else. Remember that there may be new members at your church who will not know your missionaries, so you may need to give a short introduction when you are up the front.
Some missionaries serve in secure locations, meaning that they are unable to widely share details of their ministries. Please do not communicate any details online about their work or forward and circulate their prayer newsletters. You can help your church to stay updated about your missionaries by encouraging them to sign up individually for their prayer points.
There are three main ways a church partners with their missionaries: through prayer, financial support, and showing regular care.
Every missionary needs a team of people committed to praying for them. There are a number of ways you can encourage your church members to spend time in prayer for your link missionaries.
Weekly church services provide a great opportunity for your church to pray together for your missionaries. You could send an updated prayer newsletter to the person who will be praying up front at church, and then encourage your missionaries by letting them know that your church has prayed. You could also organise a prayer night or monthly missionary spot where all the link missionaries your church supports are highlighted and prayed for.
Help your church members to keep praying individually for your missionaries by encouraging them to sign up and receive regular updates and prayer points from them. They can do this through their Prayer Cards, by visiting our missionaries page, or by contacting the CMS office at nswact@cms.org.au or (02) 9267 3711.
CMS relies on the ongoing financial partnership of both individuals and churches, who sacrificially give to see a world that knows Jesus. Many churches allocate funds in their budget to give to CMS, and there are many individuals who choose to give over and above this budgeted amount. More than two-thirds of our giving comes directly from individuals.
You will need to get in touch with your minister to find out how your church financially supports CMS. Knowing how your church supports mission will help you understand how you can encourage church members to keep giving. This must be done with the approval of your senior minister.
A great way to encourage church members to give individually is through making regular or one-off financial gifts direct to CMS. These gifts can be made at give.cms.org.au.
Missionaries also need the love and support of those who send them. When link churches and supporters get in touch with missionaries and show care in tangible ways, it can help to spur missionaries on and encourage them to keep persevering.
Appropriate ways to care for your link missionary include:
You may find it helpful to coordinate letter writing within your church so that missionaries have a steady stream of people writing to them throughout the year. If applicable, you can also encourage the youth and children at your church to get involved in writing letters to the children of your missionaries.
Each missionary is different, so ask your missionaries how you and your church can actively care for them. Contact details for your missionaries can be found on their Prayer Card by visiting our missionaries page.
Your church is part of a fellowship of believers in NSW & ACT who send and support over 150 missionaries as they proclaim the gospel to the nations. While your church will generally focus on the ministry of your link missionaries, it is valuable for members to be engaged with world mission alongside the wider CMS family. Below you will find some ways for you and your church to continue to connect with God’s mission and CMS.
Our monthly email includes stories, news and resources to help supporters keep engaging with world mission. Each month you’ll find a link to our regular publications, as well as receive information about upcoming CMS events. You can encourage your church to sign up to these updates here:
CMS sends out prayer diaries each year to help fuel your prayers for world mission. The Prayer Diary contains information about each of our missionaries and the locations they serve in. CMS also produces Pray Around The World, a children’s resource with activities and stories to help excite kids about world mission. To order copies of either of these resources for you and your church, email nswact@cms.org.au.
CMS also publishes up to date prayer points each month to help you pray informed prayers for each CMS missionary. These prayer points are available in our monthly email, or you can contact nswact@cms.org.au to request a physical copy. You can also subscribe to these prayer points through the PrayerMate app.
Each year, thousands of adults and children attend CMS Summer School, a week-long conference in Katoomba. CMS Summer School is a chance to hear challenging Bible teaching from world-renowned speakers, listen to unplugged stories from CMS missionaries, and enjoy refreshment with fellow believers.
CMS runs a number of events throughout the year to help supporters meet together and be encouraged to engage with God’s mission to the nations. These events can be advertised in church announcements and newsletters or featured on your missionary display board. Visit our events page for up to date information about upcoming events.
Mission Up Close is a free online resource for CMS supporters. It offers a great chance for your church members to engage in global mission as they hear from CMS missionaries and explore mission topics in each episode. Mission Up Close is released regularly via our Vimeo platform and resources page. Mission Up Close episodes can be found on our resources page.
CMS runs great camps for youth and children throughout the year! CMS camps help students see the part they can play in God’s mission as they get involved in amazing activities and hear from God’s word. CMS Camps MMM are for students in years 7–8, 9-10 and 11–12 and run over separate weeks throughout the year. CMS Camp Milimani is a four-day camp in April and is for primary school students in years 3–6.
CMS camps are also a great chance for leaders to grow their heart for mission as they disciple children and youth. For members of your church who are interested in leading on a CMS camp, they can contact yandc@cms.org.au.
Missionaries periodically return to Australia for Home Assignment, where they meet with churches and supporters, build and strengthen partnerships, and share how God has been working in their location. Your senior minister will likely be the main contact person for your link missionary and will help to plan their church visit, including speaking at church services and various groups throughout the week. Your role is to work alongside your minister to help promote events during their church visit.
A great way churches can help care for missionaries during Home Assignment is to volunteer to help with the logistics of their stay. Each missionary family will have a primary link church, who is asked to take the main responsibility for caring for them.
If your church is not the primary link church, your minister will receive an email with the contact details of the primary church so that your church can offer assistance. If your church is the primary link church, you will receive an email with ideas as to how you can care for them during this time. Below are some suggested ways to care for missionaries during Home Assignment.
If you have any questions about Home Assignment, or how to look after missionaries while they are home, please contact the CMS Deputations team at deputations@cms.org.au.
The CMS Mission Partnership team helps individuals and churches to build strong partnerships with CMS missionaries. Members of this team are available to speak at your church services or other events about CMS and global mission. To find out more, or for any questions related to your role as an Advocate, please get in touch with the team at partnership@cms.org.au.