Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones

by Ryan Martin, David McWhite (Editor)

William Carey famously stated to his contemporary Andrew Fuller, “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the rope.” Carey knew he would need this kind of support from faithful missionary senders, as he would face many challenges—physical, emotional, relational, and, of course, spiritual. We see the fruit of that faithful rope-holding today, as generations of believers in India and beyond can trace their spiritual lineage back to Carey’s ministry. His impact as a missionary would not have been possible without senders who were willing to sacrifice in prayer, possessions, and presence on his behalf. Throughout mission history, though, the local church has often taken a “backseat” approach to missionary care by outsourcing its responsibilities to a missions sending agency. This abdication of responsibility has no doubt led to many missionaries returning from the field prematurely and, in many cases, because of issues that could have been prevented. Could these laborers have continued serving if the church had understood its role in caring for them and been equipped with tools to develop a plan for doing so? Although the mission agency has a role to play and valuable resources to offer in caring for missionaries, the church is the primary means through which laborers are sent forth into the harvest fields and encouraged and equipped to persevere in their labor. From Paul and Barnabas in Antioch to Epaphroditus in Philippi, from Carey to the church today, the need for faithful sending churches is essential to the completion of the missionary task, and local churches must regain a proper understanding of their responsibility to hold the rope for their sent ones. Holding the Helping the Local Church Care for Its Sent Ones lays out a biblical framework for missionary care; helps reestablish the local church’s place in sending and supporting; gives valuable insight from the field, the agency, and the church on how to partner well together; and provides practical application for developing a pre-field, on-field, and post-field missionary care strategy. Sending doesn’t stop at the commissioning service—it is fostered and continues through faithful missionary care. The church must hold the rope and not let go!

131 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2022

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful as I prepare to go. What I most appreciated were the practical examples the author gave of pre-field, on the field, and post-field missionary care.

[ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A resource needed for the sending church

There are so many nuggets of gold within this book. Every Christian should read this book to better understand how to care for and love on your sent ones.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holding the Rope is a valuable resource for any churches and ministries involved in missionary sending. This book provides theological reasons that local churches should care for the missionaries and then provides practical ways churches and mission agencies can work together. The author received input from missionaries, sending churches, and some agencies, although I wish the breadth of the research had been broader (he talked to three churches, all affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention). The book is is brief and serves as a good overview but people already experienced in missionary sending and care may want a deeper resource (several are listed in the footnotes and bibliography). I recommend this to anyone who wants a greater understanding of how to send and care will for missionaries.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful overview of the responsibilities of a sending church to its sent missionaries. I think this would be a helpful framework for church members or missionary committee members, especially those without prior exposure to what missions is. This book focuses heavily on the SBC, IMB, and NAMB as positive examples, which is okay but I would have liked a broader scope of including biblically solid missions agencies, even if they aren’t Baptist.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good content (on the priority of the local church in missions and how the local church should partner with missionaries and sending agencies). I found the writing and arrangement a bit difficult to read.

[Joshua Hutchens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, quick intro to missionary care that also connects readers with other resources for further study.

[Natalie Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

This book is very informative and the appendices are especially useful. I appreciate the strategy presented in the book and plan to share it with my church.

[Christine Gustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful little book on missionary care! I loved the Biblical examples.

[Courtney Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise book on missionary care for the sending church and agencies. There’s practical advice with helpful appendices in the back. A must-read for churches with a missional heart!

[Heather Niswonger · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a biblical way, as a church, to support overseas missionaries this is an easy short concise book of how to do that.