Florida’s LMR Ministry
I first became aware of the value of a local missions representative (LMR) in the local church when I pastored the Troy, Michigan Church of God in the 1970s. In our church was a lovely lady, Violet Slaght, who had a passion for missions and missionaries.
Violet Slaght was very valuable to our church. As a part of our local ministries, she kept missions before the congregation. Violet would give regular reports, and each year she would contact members and friends of the church and personally encourage them to become missions supporters. Supporting national missionaries was then an important ministry, so our church partially supported 55 of them with their pictures on a large bulletin board in the foyer. Because of Violet’s zeal for missions, the Troy Church often led the State of Michigan in missions giving.
I was asked by the World Missions Department to take the position of editor of missions publications following the 1980 General Assembly. Supervising the existing LMR ministry was also in my portfolio. The Missions Department then decided to make a stronger effort to get local churches more involved in missions. We produced a “Pastor’s Resource Manual on World Missions,” with 28 people contributing materials. It was such a valuable publication that several other denominations asked our permission to adapt it for their congregations. This initiative led to the production of audio, video, and written materials for enhanced missions awareness in local churches.
Following these developments, Bishop Keith Ivester, administrative bishop of Florida, Tampa Office, and the State World Missions Board realized that the LMR ministry was valuable to our Florida churches. The State decided to establish a State LMR program to support LMRs and provide resources for them.
The State Missions Board appointed a supervising committee for the LMR program. Dwight Allen serves as the chairman with David Smoot, John Hayes, and Christopher Moree as members. David Smoot, a missionary evangelist and long-time missions pastor, was appointed as the director of Florida’s LMR Ministry.
David Smoot established a master list of Florida LMRs with contact information for each. About one-fourth of Florida churches now have active LMRs with that number continuing to increase as local churches learn that we have the program.
During the 2015-16 church year, the State Office promoted and financed five LMR regional seminars across Florida for the training and encouragement of pastors, LMRs, and members of local missions committees. These one-day (Saturday) seminars were successful and the State Office and State Missions Board decided to repeat them in this 2016-17 church year, only in different areas of the state.
Florida printed its own LMR brochure. This brochure is distributed to Florida churches and answers the following questions:
• What is an LMR?
• How do I become an LMR?
• How can I be successful?
• Where can I find resources for LMRs?
The brochure also has contact information for the director, David Smoot, who can assist others in establishing a LMR program in the local church or in the State Office. You can contact him at:
David Smoot, Director of LMRs for the Church of God in Florida
Phone: 352-812-3988
[email protected]
***Christopher Moree served for 20 years in various positions in the World Missions Department. Since retiring from the office in 2000, he has remained active in missions work, presently serving as an associate field representative and as a member of the Florida State World Missions Board.
(Source: Church of God World Missions)
