It’s a decades long tradition in my church. Every year in December, our auditorium gets decked out with an array of flags from all over the world. It’s an awesome thing that I really enjoy, especially as it gives us a chance to explain to visitors and newcomers what they represent while we remind ourselves.
Those of us steeped in Southern Baptist culture know that December means the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. It is a season where many of us pastors or missions leaders urge our churches to give a special offering where every penny goes to support those we send to the mission field through the International Mission Board.
The offering is something that I have a great heart for. First, because as a Christian, I want to see disciples made from every people group just as Jesus commanded. What an awesome thought to think about eternity when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be celebrating the goodness and love of our Eternal Father! Second, despite the fact that no system is perfect, the Cooperative Program and the LMCO allow thousands of churches to band together and send out missionaries. Many of our churches couldn’t even support one missionary family on our own, but together we can send out thousands. Third, my family has benefited from Lottie. My wife served a stint with the International Mission Board. Like other missionaries, that was funded by the churches of the SBC.
As a pastor, I am happy to say that over the last three years we have seen our giving to Lottie Moon increase. In 2015, the year the IMB’s financial crisis was made known and SBC churches gave record amounts, we gave 17% more than we did in 2014. Then in 2016, the year where many churches’ LMCO giving stabilized back to prior norms, we gave 47% more than we had in 2015. And we have set our goal this year even higher.
So, then, back to the flags: Why do we put out flags and what do they mean?
We put them out to remind us of the global need of the gospel and our call to give. Each flag represents a country where our Mission Board has missionaries in place. We even have flags set near the front where people in the church have personally gone to do mission work.
But we also have one flag that is different than the rest. It is a black flag that always stands at the front. This flag represents the places that are closed to the gospel; those places that have no missionary representation. The black flag reminds us that the task is far from over and that there are still many in this world who have never heard about Jesus or the good news that he brings.
So, pastors and others, however you choose to remind your people to give for the sake of the gospel, do indeed remind them. Let us pray for those still in spiritual darkness and let us give so others can go with the gospel where we cannot.
Great work in increasing your church Lottie Moon offering. I love my church but since they divide a “missions offering” among several worthy causes of which LM is one, I give to my old church which does the LMCO and all goes to IMB.
My wife and I were missionaries for 26 years, then served on staff at the Richmond, VA home office before retiring (36 yrs with IMB). We are so grateful to S Baptists for the support. The flags are powerful reminders of our Lord’s command to take the Gospel to every nation. I was always moved to tears as missionary candidates carried those flags in procession to their appointment ceremony. I presently serve a church as interim pastor, and we’ve doubled the Lottie Moon goal from the previous year–and are almost there! We’ve A Story to Tell to the Nations! May the Lord help and bless you as you lead your church in the Lord’s work!
Thank you Mike. I love the use of the flags. It excites me to hear of a church that is giving more and more to LMCO.
I grew up in a church that focused on Lottie from Thanksgiving to New Year. I figured all SBC churches did the same. After living in NorCal and now NC, where I was looking for a church home last year I have encountered other ways. I dislike all of them but love the flags. One church budgeted a LMCO and never talked about it or asked for an offering. That was in CA. Our small church went old school. It was my job. We had a weekly story, video, offering envelopes, increasing goal each year, bulletin inserts, banners and posters. Then here in NC I encountered what Mr Thornton’s church does. I think the Lottie story and the yearly cooperative support is a story worth telling and should be told and stand alone.
I liked having a different person share each week so it was not all me. Of course the videos are often excellent as well. Thanks again brother.
Brother Mike,
Thanks for all you do to promote giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Our church has a unified Missions Fund, and the Lottie Moon Offering is just a part of that fund. However, my wife and I give a designated gift specifically for Lottie Moon. You might be interested to know that the IMB missionaries give generously to the Lottie Moon Offering. When they have a regional meeting for the missionaries, there is always an opportunity for the missionaries to give to the LMCO. In some regions there is a Lottie Moon Offering auction. The volunteers who come from the USA to help facilitate the missionaries’ meeting bring goodies in their bags. For example, when we had our meetings in Asia, the volunteers brought Velveeta cheese and Dr. Pepper. The goodies would be arranged in baskets and then auctioned off. All the money raised went to the LMCO. The auction was lots of fun, and it raised a lot of money for Lottie.
Thank you for sharing this Mike. I was glad to hear from my friend Al Hodges. He and his wife were appointed with my wife and I many years ago. My experience has been similar to Al’s and Mark Terry’s in that I grew up hearing about and supporting the Lottie Moon Christmas offering.
I spoke in a church last week for their Lottie Moon emphasis and was asked to share the story of Lottie Moon since many did not know anything about who the offering was named for. I had visited her home in Ping Du, China years ago and had a piece of tile from the roof that had fallen on the ground and allowed them to see and hold it. I understand that home has been moved to Southwestern Seminary now.
Many churches now either do not use the name Lottie Moon for their Christmas offering or as Mark said lump it in with other mission offerings. That is okay if they feel that is their best method of supporting missions. In fact, besides my LMCO offering, I support an OMF missionary we served with at one time, an independent missionary who was my student years ago and an IMB colleague who took the VRI and remained on the field. However, my primary mission offering is given to the IMB’s LMCO because it was instrumental in supporting me for over 30 years and I want to support those currently serving.
I am thankful I was allowed to serve with the FMB/IMB and with the missionaries supported by the LMCO. Everything I observed in my years with the board led me to believe that there is not better source for our mission dollars on the basis of mission methods, theology, or personnel than the IMB.