2014-2015 Itineration*
*Helping Get the Boyds Back to Panama
By Rod and Sherry Boyd

We returned back to Seattle the end of September for itineration.  One dictionary defines itineration as “journeying from place to place preaching or lecturing.”1 Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) establishes a monthly budget and one-time cash budget for each of its missionaries. Missionaries journey from church to church, raising cash offerings and securing commitments for monthly support in order to meet their established budgets before they are allowed to leave for the field.

Missionary budgets are established for each four-year term of service. Typically, a missionary spends four years on the field and one year itinerating in the States to raise their budgets. Missionaries contact churches months in advance of returning the States to schedule missions services to present their ministry and need. Visiting supporting churches often requires extended travel, most of it by car.  Traditionally, an offering is received to help with the missionary’s cash budget. The missionary requests that the church make a commitment for monthly support or to increase their commitment. In addition, returning missionaries are required to identify inactive monthly commitments that are removed from their support list at the beginning of the itineration period.

Even though itineration is disruptive to a missionary’s work on the field, we believe it is essential! Itineration helps both the missionary and the local church. In addition to financial support, it is likely that for every church or individual that gives to a missionary, there are 10, 20 or even 100 people that will be praying for that missionary!  For these missionaries, itineration also means more time with the grandkids! 

Traditionally, a church will have a different missionary every month to challenge the church to pray, to give and to go. This symbiotic relationship helps us maintain a missionary focus in our movement! We are now journeying from place to place preaching, reminding God’s people that the church still has the same mission: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We affirm our partnership with the local church: the local church sends us, we are an extension of their ministry in Panama and Latin America, and that we need their help!

We had a shortened itineration five years ago due to pressing ministry on the field and the unfavorable economic climate during the recession. We deferred reporting inactive commitments hoping that they would become active as the economy recovered. In 2010 our average monthly support declined by more than $1,500. In the nearly four years since, we have recovered about $300 of the 2010 loss. Our support base dropped from 151 to 132, having lost 12 churches and 7 individuals as monthly supporters. In addition, many of our churches have had to reduce their monthly commitment.

We are grateful for generous offerings received since beginning itineration.  These offerings will help us meet our cash budget. However, we do need additional monthly support commitments to make full budget. After removing inactive commitments and with small work budget increases, we need to raise more than $1,200 in monthly support.

We are grateful for the 99 churches and 33 individuals that make up our monthly commitment support base. But more is needed to help get the Boyds back to Panama before July 2015! Would you consider helping us? Please complete the online commitment form or download and return the pdf version of the form. If you are already helping, would you consider increasing your monthly commitment?

Thank you for praying and for giving! We look forward to hearing from you.

 1  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/itineration