Call it what you like, it’s great to have a time where the church can specifically focus in on mission for a while. Many churches do this annually. They can be a lot of work but they reap huge rewards in terms of motivating people for mission and planting a heart for mission in the lives of church members. The following is an outline of an actual weekend mission event. They called it, “Where do I Fit?” Perhaps your church could use it as a starting point for your own mission occasion.

The basic outline:

Nine events were planned over three days (Friday evening through until Sunday evening). This included the morning and evening Sunday services. The other seven events appealed to different sectors of the church. The hope was that each member would attend one worship service and at least one other event according to their interests.

The attendance at each meeting was, therefore, less than what might have been expected at a one-off mission gathering. However, the narrower focus of each meeting meant it was easier to concentrate on specific aspects of mission within the overall theme.

The full programme:

Event 1: “Fish ‘n’ mission” for families – children looked after, Friday 6–7:30pm. People brought their takeaway tea. There was a crowd breaker and a visiting speaker who spoke on challenges to global mission. An email from a church missionary family was read with a time of prayer for them and other church missionaries.

Event 2: “Break-thru” (for pray-ers), Friday 8–9:15pm. Some input on the value of praying for mission workers and a time of creatively thought-out prayer.

Event 3: “Not for me, man!” men’s breakfast, Saturday 8–9:15am. A breakfast with input from interesting mission speakers. One talked about his mission experiences, the other gave challenging input on “what part could I play in global mission?”

Event 4: “New around here” for newcomers to the church in the last year or so, Saturday 5:45–7:30pm. Potluck dinner. Pastor gave input on the church’s vision for world mission. There were video messages from church members doing mission overseas.

Event 5: “Crossroads cafe,” 20s – 30s age group, Saturday 8–9:30pm. A coffee and cake evening and a challenge to be involved in mission. Someone from this age group shared a mission experience they’d had overseas.

Event 6: Morning worship service. Based around the mission theme, with displays and a mission speaker who spoke motivationally about the call to mission.

Event 7: Church Overseas Mission Committee. Sunday 12–1:30pm. Light lunch. Some input on the role of a mission committee within the church with some brainstorming on the committee’s vision for mission within the church.

Event 8: Evening service with a youth emphasis. A speaker gave a “youthful” challenge to mission.

Of course all of this needs to be modified according to your church’s need and where you are on the pathway of developing a vibrant mission programme within your church fellowship. What it really shows is that a mission weekend can be organised with relatively little effort. The impact can be immense.