In the church and on the mission field, the selection and oversight of ministers is of utmost importance. Upon these two things, a work will stand or fall. This leads us to two very important questions:

— “How can we know that the missionaries supported by HeartCry are biblically qualified?”

— “How can HeartCry hold missionaries accountable once they are on the field?”

The answers to these two questions are the same whether we are working at home or abroad. The primary means to ensure that only qualified missionaries are on the field and that they remain faithful is through the oversight of the local church that has appointed and sent them. All of us who labor at HeartCry’s central office are members of a local church, are known personally by our pastors, and are subject to our church’s teaching, counsel, and discipline. This same relationship between the local church and the missionary is what we strive to maintain on the field.

Missionary Selection

No matter how diligent a missionary society seeks to be, it cannot maintain a qualified missionary force by selecting missionary applicants by mail, through the internet, or even by making periodic visits to the field. However, if those missionaries are working under the supervision of biblical local churches and their pastors, there can be great confidence that they are serving with scriptural integrity and that the kingdom of God is advancing through them.

Before HeartCry even considers working in a specific region or with a specific people group, there must be—within that people group or closely related to it—a sending church or a fellowship of sending churches of like faith and practice with which HeartCry may confidently partner. Before such a partnership is formed, the sending church must qualify in the following areas:

• The Reputation of the Sending Church and Its Pastors. HeartCry supports missionaries in association with indigenous churches and leaders around the world that have gained a national or international reputation among confessional Baptists for their doctrine and practice. For more than three decades, we have developed a large network of such churches, and most of our expansion on the field is the result of our time-tested partnership with them.

• The Doctrine and Character of the Pastors of the Sending Church. The pastors must hold to the same doctrinal position as HeartCry (see pages ??-??), they must meet the biblical qualifications of a pastor (I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), and they must hold to the sufficiency of Scripture in their personal lives, church, family, and missionary labors.

• The Doctrine and Practice of the Sending Church in General. The teaching and example of the pastors must be reflected in the doctrine, government, and ministry of the church that they shepherd. In other words, the church must actually practice what it confesses, especially in the following matters: expository preaching, biblical theology, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, discipleship, church leadership, church membership, and church discipline.

The Doctrine and Practice of the Sending Church Regarding Missions. The church and its pastors must agree with our Core Convictions regarding missions (see pages ??-??). This includes the requirement of sending to the field only those missionaries who meet the qualifications of an elder (I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). The sending church must fully recognize the tremendous responsibility of ordaining missionaries and holding them accountable on the field, knowing that God will hold the church accountable for their sins and/or doctrinal error (I Timothy 5:22). The church must also be willing and able to supervise and care for their missionaries, to remove them from the field if they prove to be unqualified, and to practice church discipline in matters of unrepentant sin.

Once HeartCry has approved a partnership with an indigenous sending church, we begin to work with its pastors to map out a strategy for sending their missionaries to the field. Our partnership with a sending church will always begin with only a few missionaries and a great deal of caution. If the requirements of doctrinal and ethical faithfulness, accountability, and transparency are met, we will proceed with greater expansion as the Lord raises up qualified laborers.

Missionary Oversight and Accountability

To ensure accountability, it is the responsibility of HeartCry’s team of mission coordinators in the home office to cultivate relationships and communicate regularly with the missionaries on the field and with their overseeing churches. We affirm the autonomy of each local church and recognize that we have no formal biblical authority over the indigenous churches with which we work However, we do reserve the right to withdraw fellowship and cease association with any church or missionary that has compromised either theologically or ethically. Thus, the nature of the accountability which exists between HeartCry and the indigenous church does not go beyond the fundamental accountability that all churches and believers have with one another.

It might be argued that our methodology is too restrictive and protractive. Nevertheless, we believe that it is the only way to support indigenous missionaries while maintaining biblical accountability. It might also be asked, “What about the areas of the world where there are no strong indigenous sending churches with which HeartCry may partner?” In such cases, we believe that cross-cultural missionaries must be sent from churches that are biblically mature.