Bro. Jones is excited to reach out to a church that seems like a perfect fit for his ministry. He spends ten minutes psyching himself up for the call, rehearsing his introduction, and finally hits “dial.” The pastor answers, but before Bro. Jones can get through his first sentence, the pastor cuts him off: “Hey brother, did you not see on our website that we only handle missionary inquiries through the form on our site? Please go online and fill that out and we will get back in touch with you.” Bro. Jones feels embarrassed, the pastor is annoyed, and a potential door is now likely closed because he didn’t know the “unwritten rules” of that specific church.
But what if Bro. Jones had IFBMT?! Instead of calling blindly, Bro. Jones checks the church’s profile within the IFBMT Public Notes section.
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Shared Insight: He sees a note left by a missionary three weeks ago: “Pastor is wonderful but very busy. He asks all missionaries to use the ‘Contact’ form on their website first; he will call you if he’s interested.”
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Proactive Preparation: Another note mentions: “They have a Missions Conference every October—call in January to get on the radar for the following year.”
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A Fellow-Laborer’s Advice: Because missionaries are constantly updating these tags and notes, Bro. Jones has the “inside scoop” before he ever picks up the phone.
Bro. Jones avoids the rejected cold call by using IFBMT. He follows the church’s preferred process perfectly, sending a professional email instead. Two weeks later, the pastor calls him because he respected the church’s boundaries. Bro. Jones didn’t just save a phone call; he built rapport with a potential supporting pastor.