GFM Blog

What Are Unreached People Groups? A Biblical and Global Perspective

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:00:17 GMT

More than 3 billion people live among unreached people groups — communities with little or no access to the gospel.

But what exactly does “unreached” mean? And why does it matter so deeply in global missions?

Understanding unreached people groups is essential for anyone exploring cross-cultural missions or missionary training.

What Is an Unreached People Group?

An unreached people group (UPG) is typically defined as a distinct ethnic or cultural group with:

Less than 2% evangelical believers
Little to no indigenous church presence
Limited access to Scripture or gospel witness

Unlike regions that may have churches but low attendance, unreached groups often have no sustainable Christian community at all.

They cannot reach themselves without outside help.

The Biblical Foundation

The concept of unreached people groups is rooted in Scripture.

Jesus commanded His followers to:

“Make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)

The word “nations” comes from the Greek ethnos, meaning ethnic groups or people groups — not political borders.

Revelation 7:9 describes a future where people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worship Christ.

The mission of God has always been ethnically focused.

Why Unreached People Groups Matter

They Lack Access
Many have never met a Christian or seen a Bible.
They Have Limited Witness
There is often no local church capable of sustained evangelism.
They Face Cultural Barriers
Language, religion, and social structures may restrict gospel exposure.

Reaching the unreached requires intentional cross-cultural missions and well-trained missionaries.

The Role of Missionary Training

Effective engagement with unreached people groups requires:

Cultural intelligence
Language acquisition
Contextualized evangelism
Discipleship multiplication strategies

Missionary training programs prepare believers to navigate these complexities with wisdom and humility.

Final Thoughts

Unreached people groups are not statistics — they are communities waiting for access to hope.

Understanding their reality fuels prayer, generosity, and obedience.

The Great Commission is unfinished — and reaching the unreached remains one of the greatest needs in global missions today.

How to Know If You Are Called to Be a Missionary

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:00:08 GMT

Many believers wrestle with a deeply personal question: How do I know if I am called to missions?

The idea of leaving familiarity to serve in cross-cultural missions can feel both inspiring and overwhelming. Some experience a dramatic moment of clarity. Others sense a gradual stirring in their hearts.

Being called to missions is not reserved for a spiritual elite. It is a response to God’s global purpose — and understanding that calling often unfolds through prayer, confirmation, and preparation.

Here are biblical and practical signs that may indicate God is leading you toward missionary service.

1. A Growing Burden for the Nations

One of the clearest signs you may be called to missions is an increasing burden for unreached people groups.

You may find yourself:

Praying regularly for specific nations
Grieving over spiritual lostness
Feeling deeply moved by global evangelism efforts
Desiring to see the gospel proclaimed where Christ is not yet known

Psalm 67 and Matthew 28 remind us that God’s heart has always been for the nations. When your heart begins to align with His global purpose, it may be an invitation to step forward.

2. Confirmation Through Scripture and Prayer

God often confirms a calling through His Word.

Verses about:

The Great Commission
The harvest being plentiful
Christ being proclaimed among all people may resonate with unusual clarity.

Persistent prayer often accompanies a genuine call. Rather than fading over time, the desire strengthens as you seek God.

If you are called to missions, Scripture will anchor that conviction.

3. Affirmation From Spiritual Leaders

God rarely calls individuals into isolation.

Pastors, mentors, and mature believers may affirm gifts in:

Evangelism
Teaching
Cross-cultural adaptability
Leadership
Discipleship

When spiritual authority confirms what you are sensing internally, it adds weight to your calling.

4. Willingness to Leave Comfort

Missionary calling often includes a readiness to surrender comfort.

Ask yourself:

Am I willing to relocate?
Am I open to learning a new language?
Can I embrace unfamiliar cultures?

Being called to missions does not mean fear disappears. It means obedience becomes greater than comfort.

5. The Next Step: Preparation

Even if you believe you are called to missions, preparation is essential.

Missionary training programs refine calling, develop spiritual maturity, and build cross-cultural competency. Many discover clarity about their long-term direction during structured discipleship and hands-on mission exposure.

If you sense God stirring your heart, begin with preparation — not departure.

Final Thoughts

Being called to missions is less about a dramatic moment and more about faithful obedience.

If your heart burns for the unreached, if Scripture continually confirms your burden, and if trusted leaders affirm your gifting, God may be inviting you into global mission work.

The nations are waiting. The question is not simply whether you are called — but whether you are willing to prepare.

Spiritual Resilience – Thriving Amid Challenges on the Mission Field

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:02:32 GMT

Serving on the mission field requires more than skills or knowledge—it demands spiritual resilience. Global Frontier Missions (GFM) trains missionaries to maintain faith, hope, and perseverance while navigating cultural, emotional, and spiritual challenges. This blog explores practical strategies for developing resilience and sustaining long-term ministry impact.

1. Building a Strong Spiritual Foundation

A missionary’s strength begins with a deep relationship with God. Daily prayer, Scripture study, worship, and reflection form the cornerstone of spiritual resilience.

GFM emphasizes grounding missionaries in biblical truth to provide stability amid uncertainty, opposition, or cultural challenges. A strong spiritual foundation enables missionaries to respond with wisdom and faith under pressure.

2. Practicing Resilience Through Real-World Training

GFM’s hands-on programs simulate real-life mission scenarios to help missionaries develop endurance and adaptability. By facing practical challenges in controlled settings, trainees learn to persevere when encountering cultural barriers, language difficulties, or unexpected obstacles.

These experiences build confidence, enhance problem-solving skills, and prepare missionaries for sustainable ministry impact.

3. Mentorship and Community Support

No missionary thrives alone. GFM fosters mentorship and community networks to provide guidance, encouragement, and accountability.

Experienced missionaries share insights, coach trainees through challenges, and model spiritual and emotional resilience. Peer support helps missionaries navigate the stresses of fieldwork while maintaining focus on their calling.

4. Adapting to Cultural and Global Changes

The mission field is dynamic. Social, political, and cultural shifts can impact ministry strategies. GFM equips missionaries to remain flexible while staying grounded in God’s calling.

Adaptive missionaries can adjust plans, innovate outreach approaches, and respond faithfully to evolving needs of communities, ensuring that ministry remains relevant and effective.

5. Maintaining Long-Term Spiritual Health

Sustaining ministry requires intentional care for emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. GFM trains missionaries in self-care, reflective practices, and accountability structures to prevent burnout.

Long-term spiritual health ensures missionaries remain effective in discipleship, evangelism, and mentoring indigenous leaders over years of service.

6. Legacy of Resilience and Multiplication

Spiritual resilience fosters lasting impact. Missionaries who endure challenges with faith and perseverance can mentor others, raise disciples, and multiply leaders who continue ministry work independently.

By prioritizing resilience, missionaries contribute to sustainable growth and a multiplying effect in cross-cultural missions.

Final Thoughts

Spiritual resilience is a critical component of missionary effectiveness. Global Frontier Missions equips missionaries to thrive amid challenges, maintain long-term spiritual health, and mentor future leaders. By cultivating endurance, adaptability, and faithfulness, missionaries leave a multiplying legacy, ensuring the gospel continues to flourish across the globe.

Equipping Leaders – Mentorship and Sustainable Missionary Development

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:55:45 GMT

Long-term missionary impact depends on strong leadership and intentional mentorship. Global Frontier Missions (GFM) equips missionaries to develop local leaders, establish reproducible discipleship systems, and nurture sustainable ministry practices. This blog highlights the importance of mentorship and leadership development in effective cross-cultural missions.

1. The Role of Mentorship in Missions

Mentorship provides guidance, support, and accountability for missionaries entering the field. GFM pairs trainees with experienced missionaries who share practical insights, model best practices, and provide feedback.

Mentorship fosters confidence, reduces trial-and-error mistakes, and equips missionaries to lead effectively while maintaining spiritual resilience.

2. Identifying and Training Indigenous Leaders

Empowering local leaders ensures sustainable ministry. Missionaries trained at GFM learn to identify, mentor, and develop indigenous leaders capable of continuing church planting, discipleship, and outreach independently.

Local leaders bring cultural insight and relational trust, enabling ministries to thrive long-term without reliance on external missionaries.

3. Designing Reproducible Discipleship Systems

Sustainable growth requires systems that can be replicated. GFM teaches missionaries to create discipleship frameworks, Bible study models, and leadership programs that local leaders can adopt and reproduce.

This approach ensures consistent, high-quality discipleship while expanding the reach of gospel outreach efforts.

4. Integrating Relational Leadership

Multiplying disciples requires relational investment. Missionaries mentor emerging leaders through ongoing guidance, encouragement, and accountability.

By walking alongside local leaders, missionaries cultivate holistic growth, spiritual maturity, and a multiplying impact across communities.

5. Planning for Long-Term Kingdom Impact

Sustainable ministry requires forward-thinking strategies. Missionaries are trained to set long-term goals, develop reproducible programs, and measure ministry effectiveness beyond immediate results.

This strategic planning ensures that every disciple, leader, and church contributes to lasting spiritual transformation.

6. Lifelong Growth and Adaptive Learning

Effective missionaries embrace continuous learning. GFM encourages ongoing reflection, training, and adaptation to meet changing cultural, social, and spiritual contexts.

This lifelong commitment strengthens leadership capacity, discipleship effectiveness, and overall mission impact.

Final Thoughts

Mentorship and leadership development are cornerstones of sustainable missions. Global Frontier Missions equips missionaries to mentor local leaders, build reproducible discipleship systems, and strategize for long-term impact. By prioritizing relational leadership and continuous growth, missionaries leave a multiplying legacy, ensuring the gospel thrives across generations.

Building Bridges – Effective Cross-Cultural Engagement for Missionaries

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:37:51 GMT

Missionaries must engage diverse communities with humility, cultural sensitivity, and practical understanding. Global Frontier Missions (GFM) trains missionaries to bridge cultural divides while effectively communicating the gospel, fostering discipleship, and empowering indigenous leaders. This blog explores how cross-cultural engagement strengthens ministry impact and prepares missionaries for long-term service.

1. Observing and Listening First

Effective cross-cultural engagement begins with learning. Missionaries are trained to observe local customs, listen carefully, and ask questions before initiating ministry activities.

This approach fosters trust, reduces misunderstandings, and opens doors for authentic discipleship and sustainable gospel outreach.

2. Humility and Cultural Sensitivity

Humility is essential in cross-cultural ministry. Missionaries must set aside preconceived notions and approach each community as learners rather than authorities.

Through role-playing exercises, field simulations, and mentorship, trainees develop humility, enabling them to build authentic relationships with local believers and leaders.

3. Language and Communication Skills

Language is a gateway to culture and understanding. GFM emphasizes the importance of learning local languages and culturally relevant communication methods.

Effective communication also includes storytelling, non-verbal cues, and context-appropriate teaching techniques. Mastery of language and culture allows missionaries to connect deeply and mentor new believers effectively.

4. Adaptability and Problem Solving

Every mission field presents unique challenges. Missionaries face cultural misunderstandings, logistical issues, and social differences that require creative problem-solving.

GFM trains missionaries to be adaptable, resilient, and solution-oriented, maintaining spiritual focus while adjusting strategies to meet local needs.

5. Empowering Indigenous Leaders

Sustainable ministry requires local leadership. GFM emphasizes collaboration with indigenous leaders, mentoring them to continue church planting, discipleship, and outreach initiatives.

By empowering local leaders, missionaries ensure continuity, culturally relevant ministry, and long-term kingdom impact.

6. Continuous Reflection and Learning

Cultural engagement is an ongoing learning process. Missionaries are encouraged to reflect, seek feedback, and refine their methods continually.

GFM promotes post-field debriefings, mentorship, and ongoing education to ensure missionaries remain effective, respectful, and impactful in dynamic cultural environments.

Final Thoughts

Cross-cultural engagement is critical for missionaries seeking lasting impact. Global Frontier Missions equips trainees with the skills, humility, and cultural awareness needed to foster discipleship, build trust, and empower local leaders. By bridging cultural divides, missionaries can communicate the gospel effectively and cultivate sustainable ministry in any context.

Bridging Cultures with Compassion – Effective Cross-Cultural Missions

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:00:01 GMT

In today’s globalized world, the mission field is culturally and linguistically diverse. Every people group has its own worldview, traditions, and values, which influence how the gospel is received.

Effective missionaries recognize that cross-cultural sensitivity is essential for lasting impact. Global Frontier Missions (GFM) equips missionaries to bridge cultural divides with humility, respect, and practical understanding, ensuring that Christ’s message resonates across all contexts.

1. Understanding Before Acting

This is paragraph text. Click it or hit the Manage Text button to change the font, color, size, format, and more. To set up site-wide paragraph and title styles, go to Site Theme.

2. Humility as a Gateway to Trust

Humility is a cornerstone of cross-cultural missions. Missionaries must approach communities as learners, not as authoritative outsiders.

Through role-playing exercises, field simulations, and mentorship, trainees practice humility in realistic scenarios. This builds authentic relationships with local leaders and believers, paving the way for sustainable ministry impact.

3. Language and Communication Skills

Language is more than a communication tool—it’s a window into culture and worldview. Missionaries trained at GFM develop language proficiency and culturally relevant communication strategies to convey the gospel effectively.

By mastering local expressions, storytelling, and non-verbal communication, missionaries can foster understanding, mentor new believers, and support discipleship and church growth.

4. Cultural Adaptability and Problem Solving

Every mission field presents unique challenges. Misunderstandings, logistical obstacles, and social norms can create unforeseen hurdles.

GFM teaches missionaries to be adaptable problem-solvers. Experiential exercises and real-world engagement help trainees navigate complex situations with creativity, respect, and spiritual discernment.

5. Collaboration and Indigenous Leadership

The goal of cross-cultural missions is sustainable discipleship and local leadership. GFM emphasizes partnering with indigenous leaders, empowering them to lead churches, ministries, and outreach initiatives.

Missionaries who invest in local leadership avoid dependency, ensuring long-term impact and culturally relevant ministry.

6. Reflection and Continuous Learning

Cultural engagement is a lifelong learning process. Missionaries must continually reflect, seek feedback, and adapt.

GFM encourages post-field debriefing, mentoring, and ongoing education to refine strategies and improve effectiveness. This ensures missionaries remain impactful, respectful, and adaptable in dynamic environments.

Final Thoughts:

Cross-cultural missions require more than skill—they require compassion, humility, and a willingness to learn and adapt. Missionaries trained with GFM are equipped to bridge cultural divides, communicate the gospel clearly, and foster discipleship in ways that honor the communities they serve.

By prioritizing understanding, adaptability, and collaboration, missionaries create meaningful, sustainable impact and bring hope to unreached communities worldwide.

From Classroom to Mission Field – Practical Training for Effective Ministry

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Entering the mission field requires more than a calling—it demands preparation, hands-on experience, and spiritual formation. While passion ignites a missionary’s heart, practical training transforms that passion into effective ministry.

Global Frontier Missions (GFM) bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, equipping missionaries to thrive amid cultural, linguistic, and spiritual challenges while making a lasting impact among unreached people groups.

1. Experiential Learning Builds Confidence

Classroom instruction alone is insufficient; missionaries must apply knowledge in realistic scenarios. GFM integrates hands-on exercises—evangelism outreach, teaching sessions, and cultural simulations—to prepare trainees for unpredictable field conditions.

Practical experience fosters confidence, helping missionaries navigate cultural nuances, language barriers, and relational dynamics with wisdom and respect.

2. Mentorship and Guided Practice

Mentorship is central to effective missionary development. Experienced missionaries provide guidance, share field insights, and model best practices for discipleship and gospel outreach.

Structured mentorship allows trainees to receive constructive feedback, build relationships, and develop leadership skills in a supportive environment, reducing trial-and-error in actual fieldwork.

3. Real-World Cultural Engagement

Understanding the communities one serves is essential. GFM emphasizes cross-cultural engagement, teaching missionaries to observe, listen, and learn from local communities.

Field simulations, language immersion, and community projects cultivate cultural sensitivity, enabling missionaries to communicate the gospel effectively and build authentic relationships.

4. Spiritual Preparation in Practice

Missionaries face emotional, spiritual, and social challenges. GFM incorporates spiritual formation throughout training, including daily devotions, prayer exercises, and guided reflections.

Trainees learn to maintain faith and composure under pressure while mentoring and leading others toward Christ.

5. Teamwork and Collaborative Ministry

Fieldwork often requires working in diverse teams. GFM trains missionaries in collaboration, conflict resolution, and relational dynamics to ensure effective team ministry.

By experiencing real-life challenges together, trainees develop communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills crucial for long-term missionary success.

6. Lifelong Learning and Adaptive Skills

The mission field is dynamic, requiring continuous adaptation. GFM encourages missionaries to embrace lifelong learning, assessing strategies, and remaining flexible while staying obedient to God’s call.

Practical training fosters problem-solving, innovative thinking, and cultural awareness, ensuring missionaries are prepared for evolving challenges.

Final Thoughts:

Practical training transforms passionate believers into competent missionaries, ready for global impact. GFM’s immersive programs cultivate spiritual resilience, cultural awareness, and leadership skills, preparing trainees to thrive among unreached people groups.

Global Frontier Missions equips missionaries to move from classroom instruction to real-world ministry, ensuring their service is meaningful, effective, and faithful to God’s call.

Forged for the Frontlines – Essential Traits of a Modern Missionary

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:52:17 GMT

In a world that is increasingly connected yet spiritually divided, missionaries serve as bridges of hope, bringing the light of Christ to unreached people groups. Stepping onto the mission field requires more than passion—it calls for character forged through faith, endurance, and practical preparation.

Global Frontier Missions (GFM) equips believers not just to go but to thrive amid cultural, linguistic, and spiritual challenges. Through immersive missionary training, discipleship programs, and real-world field experiences, GFM prepares missionaries to face global evangelism with confidence, wisdom, and resilience.

1. Unshakable Faith and Biblical Foundation

At the heart of every missionary’s journey is an unwavering trust in God’s Word. Missionary work isn’t sustained by strategy or skill alone—it’s anchored in Scripture.

Missionaries grounded in Scripture find stability in every circumstance. Daily devotion, prayer, and reflection cultivate spiritual resilience, helping believers remain steadfast even in difficult environments.

2. Cultural Humility and Adaptability

Today’s missionaries approach each people group with humility and sensitivity, understanding that culture is the lens through which the gospel is received.

Learning local languages, observing traditions, and respecting community values allow missionaries to build trust and foster authentic discipleship. These intentional acts create bridges of understanding that allow spiritual truths to take root.

3. Spiritual Resilience and Endurance

Isolation, homesickness, opposition, and spiritual challenges are real on the mission field. Daily spiritual disciplines, mentorship, and team support strengthen missionaries’ resilience.

Through reliance on God, missionaries develop endurance that enables them to persevere in both short-term and long-term ministry assignments.

4. Teamwork and Community Living

Missionary work is rarely a solo effort. Collaborative evangelism and partnerships are essential for effective ministry.

GFM’s programs teach conflict resolution, relational health, and team dynamics, equipping missionaries to navigate communal living and collaborative ministry across cultures.

5. Vision for Multiplication

True missionary impact is measured by the ability to raise disciples who disciple others. Missionaries focus on empowering indigenous leaders, planting sustainable churches, and developing discipleship programs that create long-term kingdom growth.

6. Continuous Learning and Obedience

Even seasoned missionaries must remain learners—students of God’s Word, local culture, and the Spirit’s leading. Continuous growth keeps mission work vibrant, adaptive, and effective.

GFM emphasizes lifelong discipleship, helping missionaries refine skills, stay spiritually sharp, and remain aligned with God’s global purposes.

Final Thoughts:

Being forged for the frontlines means allowing God to shape your character as profoundly as He directs your calling. The mission field is not for the faint-hearted—but for those rooted in faith, humility, and perseverance, it is the greatest adventure of obedience.

Global Frontier Missions prepares missionaries with hands-on training and mentorship to carry the gospel to unreached people groups worldwide.

Lifelong Growth and Spiritual Resilience: Sustaining the Missionary Journey

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 20:49:32 GMT

Being a missionary is more than a temporary assignment—it is a lifelong calling. Sustaining effectiveness over years of ministry requires continual spiritual growth, resilience, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Missionaries face evolving challenges, including cultural shifts, unexpected opposition, personal fatigue, and shifting social landscapes.

Global Frontier Missions (GFM) prepares missionaries to navigate these realities with a holistic approach, combining practical training, spiritual formation, and mentorship to cultivate enduring impact in cross-cultural missions.

1. Spiritual Formation as the Core

A missionary’s foundation is spiritual. GFM emphasizes daily disciplines, including prayer, Scripture study, worship, and reflection. These habits nurture spiritual resilience , enabling missionaries to remain steadfast amid trials.

Spiritual formation is not simply a personal pursuit; it equips missionaries to lead, mentor, and disciple others effectively. By fostering a deep relationship with God, missionaries can draw strength and wisdom for long-term ministry.

2. Continuous Learning and Development

The world is constantly changing, and mission strategies must evolve alongside it. GFM encourages missionaries to embrace lifelong learning , from theological education to cultural studies, language acquisition, and fieldwork training.

Learning continuously ensures missionaries remain effective, adaptable, and culturally sensitive, allowing them to meet the needs of new communities and respond faithfully to God’s guidance.

3. Building Resilience Through Experience

Missionaries face emotional, mental, and spiritual challenges. GFM’s programs simulate real-life mission scenarios and provide mentorship to help missionaries develop resilience .

Through intentional reflection and peer accountability, missionaries learn to cope with adversity, maintain composure, and sustain motivation. This resilience is critical for both personal well-being and long-term ministry effectiveness.

4. Mentorship and Support Networks

No missionary thrives in isolation. GFM emphasizes community and mentorship , fostering supportive networks that offer guidance, encouragement, and accountability.

Mentorship allows experienced missionaries to share lessons learned, while new missionaries benefit from practical advice and emotional support. These networks create a safety net, ensuring missionaries remain spiritually, emotionally, and mentally healthy.

Disciples Who Make Disciples: The Multiplying Mission Mindset

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:33:34 GMT

The true measure of missionary impact is not only in conversions but in the ability to raise disciples who themselves disciple others. Multiplication is at the heart of Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20) and remains the cornerstone of sustainable mission work.

Global Frontier Missions (GFM) trains missionaries to adopt a multiplying mindset, equipping them to plant churches, mentor indigenous leaders, and create discipleship programs that produce lasting spiritual growth. This approach ensures that mission efforts extend far beyond individual interactions to create long-term kingdom impact.

1. Embracing the Great Commission

Every missionary is called to more than personal ministry—they are called to teach, train, and empower others . GFM emphasizes this foundational principle by incorporating training in disciple-making, leadership development, and mentorship strategies.

By instilling a multiplying mindset early, missionaries learn to measure success not only by immediate results but by the spiritual maturity of the leaders and disciples they equip.

2. Training Indigenous Leaders

Sustainable ministry requires empowering local leadership. GFM trains missionaries to identify, mentor, and equip indigenous leaders who can continue ministry long after the missionary leaves.

Indigenous leaders bring cultural insight, relational trust, and continuity that missionaries alone cannot provide. This ensures churches and communities grow in a way that is both locally relevant and spiritually strong.

3. Creating Reproducible Discipleship Systems

A key component of multiplication is developing systems that can be replicated across communities . GFM teaches missionaries to design discipleship programs, Bible study models, and leadership training frameworks that can be reproduced by local believers.

These systems allow churches and ministries to flourish independently, spreading the gospel efficiently while maintaining theological and practical consistency.

4. Mentorship and Relational Leadership

Multiplication requires relational investment. Missionaries are trained to mentor others, walking alongside them as they grow spiritually and practically.

Through ongoing guidance, encouragement, and accountability, mentors help emerging leaders navigate challenges, develop confidence, and step into their God-given calling. This relational approach ensures that discipleship is holistic and sustainable.

5. Focus on Long-Term Impact

The multiplying mindset shifts the focus from short-term results to long-term kingdom impact . Missionaries are encouraged to think strategically, plan for continuity, and prioritize mentorship over mere conversion numbers.

GFM’s programs provide tools for goal-setting, assessment, and iterative improvement, enabling missionaries to maximize their influence while planting seeds that will bear fruit for generations to come.

6. Lifelong Commitment to Discipleship

Multiplication is not a one-time effort—it’s a lifelong commitment. Missionaries trained at GFM embrace continuous growth, continually refining their methods, expanding their knowledge, and deepening their obedience to God’s calling.

This mindset ensures that missionaries remain effective in planting, mentoring, and multiplying disciples no matter where or when they serve.

Final Thoughts

Missionaries who embrace a multiplying mindset invest in people, not programs. By equipping indigenous leaders, designing reproducible discipleship systems, and mentoring others with intentionality, missionaries can create lasting spiritual impact.

Through Global Frontier Missions’ training , missionaries are prepared to raise disciples who make disciples, ensuring that the gospel reaches new communities and thrives across generations

Bridging Cultures with Compassion: How GFM Prepares Missionaries for Cross-Cultural Impact

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:28:45 GMT

In today’s globalized world, the mission field is richly diverse. Every people group has its own culture, language, and worldview, which shapes how the gospel is understood and received. Effective missionaries recognize that cross-cultural sensitivity is not optional—it is essential for lasting impact.

Global Frontier Missions (GFM) equips missionaries to bridge cultural divides with humility, respect, and practical understanding, ensuring that the message of Christ resonates across contexts. This blog explores the key principles of cross-cultural engagement and how GFM’s training fosters compassionate, culturally-aware missionaries.

1. Understanding Before Acting

Missionaries often enter environments where cultural norms, social structures, and spiritual beliefs differ significantly from their own. Jumping in without understanding can lead to misunderstandings or resistance.

GFM emphasizes learning first, acting second . Missionaries are trained to observe, listen, and ask questions before attempting ministry initiatives. This approach fosters trust and creates opportunities for genuine discipleship and effective gospel outreach.

2. Humility as a Gateway to Trust

Humility is the cornerstone of cross-cultural missions. Missionaries must set aside pride and preconceived notions, approaching each community as learners rather than authoritative outsiders.

Through role-playing exercises, field simulations, and mentorship, GFM trainees practice humility in real-world scenarios. This enables them to build authentic relationships with local leaders, families, and believers, laying the foundation for long-term ministry impact.

3. Language and Communication Skills

Language is more than a means of communication—it is a window into culture and worldview. Missionaries trained at GFM learn local languages or culturally relevant expressions to effectively convey the gospel.

Effective communication also includes non-verbal cues, storytelling, and culturally appropriate teaching methods. By mastering language and context, missionaries are able to connect deeply , foster understanding, and mentor new believers for discipleship and church growth.

4. Cultural Adaptability and Problem Solving

Every mission field presents unique challenges. Cultural misunderstandings, logistical obstacles, and social norms can create unforeseen hurdles.

GFM trains missionaries to be adaptable, problem-solving leaders . Through experiential exercises and real-world engagement, trainees learn to navigate complex situations with creativity, respect, and discernment. Adaptable missionaries can maintain spiritual focus while adjusting strategies to meet local needs.

5. Collaboration and Indigenous Leadership

The ultimate goal of cross-cultural missions is sustainable discipleship and local leadership . GFM emphasizes collaboration with indigenous leaders, empowering them to lead churches, ministries, and outreach initiatives.

Missionaries who cultivate local leadership avoid dependency and create a multiplying impact. Working alongside indigenous leaders ensures that ministry efforts are culturally relevant, spiritually grounded, and enduring.

6. Reflection and Continuous Learning

Cultural engagement is a lifelong learning process. Missionaries must continually reflect on their experiences, seek feedback, and adapt their approach. GFM encourages post-field debriefing, mentoring, and ongoing education to refine cross-cultural strategies and enhance effectiveness.

This mindset ensures that missionaries remain effective, respectful, and impactful, regardless of changing cultural or social contexts.

Final Thoughts

Cross-cultural missions demand more than skill—they require compassion, humility, and a willingness to learn and adapt . Missionaries trained with GFM are equipped to bridge cultural divides, communicate the gospel clearly, and foster discipleship in a way that honors the people they serve.

By prioritizing understanding, adaptability, and collaboration, missionaries can create a meaningful and sustainable impact across the globe, bringing hope to unreached communities with sensitivity and love.

From Classroom to Mission Field: How Practical Training Prepares Missionaries for Real-World Impact

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:26:48 GMT

Entering the mission field is more than a calling—it’s a journey that requires preparation, practical skills, and spiritual formation. While passion fuels a missionary’s heart, hands-on training transforms that passion into effective action. Global Frontier Missions (GFM) bridges the gap between theory and practice, preparing missionaries to thrive in the complexities of cross-cultural ministry.

Through immersive training programs, real-world field exercises, and structured mentorship, GFM ensures that every missionary is equipped not just to serve but to make a lasting impact among unreached people groups.

1. Experiential Learning Builds Confidence

This is paragraph text. Click it or hit the Manage Text button to change the font, color, size, format, and more. To set up site-wide paragraph and title styles, go to Site Theme.

2. Mentorship and Guided Practice

Mentorship is a core component of GFM’s training approach. Experienced missionaries provide guidance, share insights from their fieldwork, and model best practices for discipleship and evangelism.

Structured mentorship enables trainees to receive constructive feedback, build relationships, and develop leadership skills in a supportive environment. By learning from seasoned missionaries, new trainees gain invaluable wisdom, reducing trial-and-error mistakes in actual fieldwork.

3. Real-World Cultural Engagement

Understanding the communities one serves is essential for effective ministry. GFM emphasizes cross-cultural training, teaching missionaries to observe, listen, and learn from the people they serve.

Field simulations, local community projects, and language immersion cultivate cultural sensitivity, enabling missionaries to build trust and foster meaningful relationships. Cultural engagement ensures that the gospel message is communicated with clarity and relevance.

4. Spiritual Preparation in Practice

Missionaries face both spiritual and emotional challenges. GFM incorporates spiritual formation into every aspect of training. Daily devotions, guided prayer sessions, and reflection exercises strengthen resilience, teach reliance on God, and cultivate perseverance.

Trainees practice spiritual disciplines in realistic scenarios, preparing them to maintain faith and composure under pressure while leading others to Christ.

5. Teamwork and Collaborative Ministry

Fieldwork often involves working in teams across diverse backgrounds. GFM’s training emphasizes collaboration, conflict resolution, and team dynamics. Missionaries learn to integrate their gifts and talents with those of others, fostering unity and effectiveness in ministry.

Collaborative exercises help trainees experience real-life challenges, building the communication and relational skills required for long-term missionary success.

6. Lifelong Learning and Adaptive Skills

The mission field is dynamic; cultural, social, and spiritual landscapes constantly evolve. GFM trains missionaries to be lifelong learners, continually assessing and adapting strategies while remaining obedient to God’s call.

Practical training teaches flexibility, problem-solving, and innovative thinking, ensuring missionaries can respond effectively to new challenges.

Final Thoughts

Practical training transforms passionate believers into competent and confident missionaries, ready for global impact. GFM’s hands-on programs cultivate spiritual resilience, cultural awareness, and leadership skills, preparing trainees to thrive among unreached people groups.

If you feel called to serve, GFM’s immersive training equips you to move from classroom instruction to real-world impact, ensuring your mission work is meaningful, sustainable, and faithful to God’s call.

Forged for the Frontlines: Essential Traits of a Modern Missionary

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:29:56 GMT

In a world more connected than ever, yet spiritually divided, missionaries serve as bridges of hope, bringing the light of Christ to unreached people groups. Stepping onto the mission field today requires more than passion—it calls for character forged through faith, endurance, and disciplined preparation.

Global Frontier Missions (GFM) equips believers not just to go, but to thrive amid cultural, linguistic, and spiritual challenges. Through hands-on missionary training, discipleship programs, and immersive field experiences , GFM prepares missionaries to face the realities of global evangelism with confidence, wisdom, and resilience.

This article explores the essential traits every modern missionary must cultivate , showing how GFM’s programs nurture faith, character, and practical skills for impactful ministry.

1. Unshakable Faith and Biblical Foundation

At the heart of every missionary’s journey is an unwavering trust in God’s Word. Missionary work isn’t sustained by strategy or skill alone—it’s anchored in Scripture.

Those entering GFM’s training programs quickly learn that without deep biblical roots, it’s easy to burn out when confronted with uncertainty, cultural differences, or spiritual opposition. A strong biblical foundation provides clarity, direction, and resilience.

Missionaries grounded in Scripture find stability in every circumstance. As 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” This Word equips missionaries to face challenges with discernment, courage, and wisdom.

2. Cultural Humility and Adaptability

Gone are the days when missions were about exporting one culture’s version of Christianity. Today’s missionaries must approach each people group with humility and sensitivity , understanding that culture is the lens through which the gospel is received.

Cultural adaptability begins with listening and learning: studying local languages, observing traditions, and showing respect for community values. Missionaries who approach others as learners rather than leaders often gain trust more quickly, opening doors for authentic discipleship and gospel outreach.

For example, a missionary serving in Southeast Asia might adopt local customs in daily life to build rapport, while still teaching the gospel in ways that resonate culturally. These small, intentional acts create bridges of trust that allow spiritual truths to take root.

3. Spiritual Resilience and Endurance

Spiritual challenges on the mission field are real and persistent. Isolation, homesickness, opposition, and spiritual warfare can discourage even the most passionate believers.

GFM emphasizes daily disciplines —prayer, worship, community accountability—as lifelines to maintain spiritual strength. Resilience also grows through mentorship and team support, helping missionaries navigate difficulties without losing focus on their calling.

Missionaries learn that their strength does not come from personal willpower but from Christ, who sustains them in every trial (Philippians 4:13). Over time, spiritual endurance becomes a hallmark of effective ministry, allowing missionaries to persevere in both short-term and long-term missions.

4. Teamwork and Community Living

Missionary work is rarely a solo effort. From collaborative evangelism to church partnerships, teamwork is essential for effective ministry.

Healthy missionary teams embrace diversity—different backgrounds, gifts, and perspectives all working toward one goal: advancing God’s kingdom. Community living offers both accountability and encouragement, ensuring missionaries remain spiritually and emotionally healthy while serving abroad.

GFM’s training programs include lessons in relational health, conflict resolution, and team dynamics, equipping missionaries to navigate both the joys and challenges of communal living in cross-cultural contexts.

5. Vision for Multiplication

True missionary impact is measured not by immediate results but by lasting multiplication—disciples who make disciples.

Jesus’ Great Commission calls us to teach others to obey everything He commanded (Matthew 28:19–20). Missionaries must think beyond short-term conversions, empowering indigenous leaders , planting churches that thrive independently, and equipping local believers to carry the gospel forward.

When mission work prioritizes empowerment over dependency, it transforms entire communities for generations, creating sustainable growth and spiritual maturity.

6. Continuous Learning and Obedience

Even seasoned missionaries must remain learners—students of God’s Word, local culture, and the Spirit’s leading. Continuous growth keeps mission work vibrant, responsive, and effective.

GFM emphasizes lifelong discipleship , helping missionaries refine their skills, stay spiritually sharp, and remain aligned with God’s global purposes. Obedience to God’s calling, combined with continual learning, ensures missionaries remain adaptable and impactful in changing contexts.

Final Thoughts

Every missionary’s journey is unique, but the refining process is universal. To be forged for the frontlines means allowing God to shape our character as profoundly as He directs our calling. The mission field is not for the faint of heart—but for those rooted in faith, humility, and perseverance, it is the greatest adventure of obedience.

Consider beginning your journey with Global Frontier Missions , where hands-on training and mentorship prepare believers to carry the light of Christ to unreached people groups worldwide.

William Carey: The Father of Modern Missions and His Legacy in India

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:27:52 GMT

When we think of pioneers who forever changed the course of global missions, one name stands above many—William Carey, often called “The Father of Modern Missions.” His journey from a humble cobbler in England to a groundbreaking missionary in India reshaped how the Church views obedience, calling, and preparation for the nations.

At Global Frontier Missions (GFM), we see Carey’s story as more than history—it’s a timeless reminder that ordinary believers, when equipped and faithful, can spark extraordinary movements of God.

A Humble Beginning and a Relentless Calling

William Carey wasn’t born into privilege or prominence. A self-taught scholar and bivocational pastor, he spent his early years repairing shoes while dreaming about the world beyond England’s borders. His heart was ignited by a simple but radical conviction: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

In the late 1700s, many churches believed the Great Commission had already been fulfilled. Carey challenged that mindset. Despite being told by leaders to “sit down, young man,” his passion for the unreached only grew.

His perseverance birthed the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792 , setting in motion a global missions movement that continues today.

Faith That Endured Through Trials

Carey’s life in India was anything but easy. He faced disease, personal loss, and years of slow progress before seeing spiritual fruit. He spent decades mastering local languages, translating the Bible into Bengali and other dialects, and promoting literacy and education.

What’s remarkable is not just his success—but his endurance. Carey’s story teaches that calling is not measured by speed or comfort, but by faithfulness over time.

For GFM and the missionaries we train, this lesson is central. True impact in missions comes when preparation meets perseverance—when the call is rooted in obedience rather than excitement alone.

Legacy That Still Inspires

William Carey didn’t just bring the gospel to India—he changed how the Church thought about missions. His legacy includes:

Founding Serampore College , one of India’s earliest centers for Christian education.
Translating the Bible into over 30 languages and dialects.
Advocating for social reforms , including education for women and the end of practices like sati (widow burning).

More importantly, Carey modeled a holistic mission approach—combining spiritual conviction, practical training, and cultural understanding .

This same approach fuels GFM’s Missionary Training School (MTS) and Online Missionary Training School (OMTS) , where we equip future missionaries to serve with wisdom, humility, and endurance in diverse cultures.

Carrying the Torch Forward

William Carey’s story isn’t just a piece of history—it’s a mirror for every believer sensing the call of God today. His example shows that missions aren’t reserved for the elite or the fearless. It’s for those willing to trust God deeply, prepare thoroughly, and persevere faithfully.

At GFM, we believe that what Carey began—the movement to train, send, and sustain missionaries among the unreached—continues through every student we equip and every life they touch.

So, if God has placed the nations on your heart, don’t wait for perfect circumstances. Begin where you are, prepare with excellence, and step forward in faith—just as William Carey did.

Spiritual Resilience: The Hidden Key to Thriving on the Mission Field

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:34:07 GMT

The Challenge: Burnout in the Midst of Calling

Many missionaries step onto the field with hearts full of passion, vision, and a deep desire to see the gospel take root among the unreached. Yet, months or even years into their service, that fire can begin to flicker—not because their calling has changed, but because the unseen battles of spiritual warfare, isolation, and emotional fatigue have worn them down.

Without intentional spiritual rhythms and a resilient inner life, even the most gifted and well-intentioned missionaries can find themselves spiritually dry, emotionally overwhelmed, and questioning their purpose.

The truth is, long-term fruitfulness on the mission field isn’t just about strategy, language skills, or cultural adaptation—it’s deeply rooted in spiritual resilience.

The Answer: Cultivating a Life That Endures

At Global Frontier Missions (GFM), we’ve seen firsthand that missionaries who thrive long-term are those who’ve been equipped not only to do ministry—but to sustain it from a place of deep spiritual health. That’s why our training goes beyond logistics and theology to nurture the soul of the missionary.

Here’s how GFM helps future missionaries build the spiritual resilience they need to flourish—even in the hardest places.

1. Training That Feeds the Soul, Not Just the Mind

GFM’s Missionary Training School (MTS) and Online Missionary Training School (OMTS) prioritize spiritual formation alongside practical preparation. Trainees don’t just learn about missions—they learn how to abide in Christ amid uncertainty, pressure, and spiritual opposition.

Through guided prayer, Scripture meditation, and accountability in community, students develop habits that anchor their identity in Christ—not in their productivity or success metrics.

2. Preparing for the Invisible Battle

Spiritual warfare isn’t theoretical—it’s daily. Missionaries face opposition not only from logistical challenges but from forces that seek to undermine their joy, unity, and faith.

GFM trains missionaries to recognize and resist these attacks through:

A biblical understanding of spiritual warfare
Practices of discernment and dependence on the Holy Spirit
Team-based spiritual covering and intercession

When missionaries know how to stand firm, they’re far less likely to retreat when the pressure mounts.

3. Building Rhythms That Sustain for the Long Haul

Short bursts of spiritual intensity won’t carry a missionary through ten years in a hard place. What’s needed are sustainable rhythms—daily, weekly, and seasonal practices that replenish the soul.

In GFM training, students learn to:

Establish consistent times of prayer and Scripture
Practice Sabbath and rest as acts of worship
Navigate seasons of spiritual dryness with honesty and hope
These rhythms become lifelines when ministry feels overwhelming or fruitless.

4. Community as a Spiritual Safeguard

Isolation is one of the fastest paths to burnout. That’s why GFM emphasizes life-on-life discipleship and team-based training from day one.

Whether in our five-month residential MTS or the flexible OMTS, trainees are embedded in a community where they’re known, prayed for, and challenged to grow. These relationships often become the very networks that sustain them on the field years later.

5. From Survival to Flourishing

We don’t just want missionaries to survive overseas—we want them to thrive. And thriving begins with a resilient spiritual core.

GFM graduates aren’t just sent with a plan—they’re sent with peace. Not just with strategies—but with steadfast faith. They carry with them the quiet confidence that comes from knowing God deeply and walking with Him daily.

Conclusion: Your Calling Is Worth Protecting

God’s call on your life is precious—and it’s worth protecting with intentional spiritual preparation. Passion may launch you into missions, but spiritual resilience is what will keep you there.

If you sense God drawing you toward long-term, cross-cultural work among the unreached, don’t go unprepared. Let GFM walk with you to build a foundation that lasts.

Because when your soul is rooted in Christ, your ministry can weather any storm.

Missionary Attrition: Why So Many Leave the Field—And How Preparation Changes Everything

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:14:19 GMT

Entering the mission field is one of the most courageous and faith-driven steps a believer can take. Yet statistics reveal a sobering truth: many missionaries return home within just a few years.

The leading causes aren’t a lack of passion or calling—but insufficient preparation, unresolved conflict, and cross-cultural stress.

The Problem: Missionary Attrition

Missionary attrition refers to the premature return of missionaries from the field. Studies show that the majority of early departures stem from preventable issues such as:

Poor conflict resolution or team dynamics
Financial instability or support fatigue
Culture shock and emotional exhaustion
Lack of spiritual and practical preparation

The good news is that missionary attrition can be dramatically reduced with the right kind of training—training that prepares workers spiritually, emotionally, and practically before they ever step onto the field.

The Solution: Equipping for Longevity Through Global Frontier Missions

For more than two decades, Global Frontier Missions (GFM) has been helping missionaries not only go—but stay—through biblically grounded, field-tested training programs.

Here’s how GFM tackles the very challenges that cause most missionaries to leave.

1. Proven Training That Builds Staying Power

GFM’s Missionary Training School (MTS) and Online Missionary Training School (OMTS) are designed from over 20 years of cross-cultural experience.

Graduates now serve among unreached people groups around the world, planting churches and building long-term ministries that last.

Unlike short-term mission trips, GFM’s programs equip participants for the realities of life and ministry overseas—spiritual warfare, language learning, teamwork, and sustainability.

2. A Biblical Foundation Combined with Real-World Practice

At GFM, training integrates theology and practice so that missionaries are equipped to thrive in every dimension of ministry. Students learn how to:

Communicate the gospel effectively across cultures
Work through conflict and diversity on international teams
Develop rhythms of prayer, rest, and resilience
Create long-term strategies for sustainable impact

This holistic approach transforms passion into perseverance.

3. Tackling the Root Causes of Attrition Head-On

Instead of reacting to crises on the field, GFM prepares missionaries to avoid them through proactive training in:

Conflict resolution and teamwork – minimizing burnout and division
Support-raising and stewardship – ensuring financial stability
Cross-cultural immersion – helping trainees adapt in a safe environment before deployment

When missionaries understand what to expect and how to respond, they’re far more likely to stay long-term.

4. Flexible Pathways for Every Season of Life

Not everyone can pause their life for months of residential training. That’s why GFM offers two flexible pathways:

Missionary Training School (MTS): A five-month, in-person community experience designed for deep growth and discipleship.
Online Missionary Training School (OMTS): A fully remote option that allows you to prepare from anywhere in the world.

Whether you’re a student, parent, or working professional, there’s a program that fits your situation.

5. From Training to Sending: A Complete Missions Movement

GFM is more than a school—it’s a launching platform.

Graduates are connected with sending agencies, churches, and partner organizations ready to mobilize them into long-term cross-cultural ministry.

The mission doesn’t end with training—it begins there.

Conclusion: Passion Sends You. Preparation Sustains You.

Missionary zeal is powerful, but preparation is what sustains it.

If God is stirring your heart for the nations, don’t let lack of preparation cut your journey short.

Through Global Frontier Missions , you’ll be trained, supported, and connected for lasting impact among the unreached.

Why Missionary Training is Essential for Long-Term Impact

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:35:06 GMT

Embarking on the journey of missions is one of the most significant callings a believer can receive. However, stepping into the mission field without proper preparation can often lead to discouragement, burnout, or limited impact. That’s why missionary training isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Training equips missionaries with the spiritual, cultural, and practical tools they need to serve effectively and make a lasting difference for the Kingdom.

1 – Builds a Strong Biblical Foundation

Before crossing cultural boundaries, missionaries must be firmly grounded in God’s Word. Missionary training provides deep discipleship, helping believers understand Scripture, theology, and how to communicate the Gospel in various contexts. A strong biblical foundation ensures missionaries remain rooted in truth even when facing challenges or spiritual opposition.

When missionaries are well-trained in Scripture, they are better equipped to address complex questions, disciple new believers, and teach in ways that resonate across different cultures. Without this foundation, relying on personal strength instead of God’s truth can be easy, which may weaken long-term impact.

2 – Prepares You for Cross-Cultural Living

Living and serving in a different culture requires more than passion—it involves adaptability and understanding. Missionary training introduces concepts like cultural sensitivity, language learning, and worldview differences. This preparation helps missionaries avoid unintentional misunderstandings and build meaningful, lasting relationships with the people they serve.

For example, something considered respectful in one culture might be offensive in another. Training helps future missionaries navigate these cultural nuances with wisdom and humility, showing Christ’s love in ways that truly connect with local communities.

3 – Equips You with Practical Skills

Missions often involve navigating practical challenges—whether it’s managing resources, working in teams, or addressing community needs. Training programs cover vital skills such as leadership, conflict resolution, and contextual evangelism. These skills empower missionaries to thrive, not just survive, in cross-cultural environments.

In addition, many training schools provide hands-on opportunities to practice ministry in real-world settings. This experience gives missionaries the confidence to face challenges with resilience and flexibility once they arrive on the field.

4 – Helps Prevent Burnout

Many missionaries leave the field prematurely due to exhaustion, culture shock, or lack of support. Missionary training emphasizes holistic preparation—spiritual health, emotional resilience, and practical sustainability—so that missionaries can serve long-term without burning out.

By learning rhythms of prayer, accountability, and rest during training, missionaries develop healthy patterns that sustain them for years. Preventing burnout is important for the individual missionaries and the people and communities, depending on their presence.

5 – Multiplies Kingdom Impact

Well-prepared missionaries are better positioned to disciple others, plant churches, and raise local leaders. In the long run, missionary training doesn’t just prepare one person—it multiplies impact by equipping others to carry the Gospel forward.

When missionaries model Christ-like leadership and invest in locals, they create a ripple effect of discipleship and transformation that lasts far beyond their own time on the field. Training is what makes this multiplication possible.

Conclusion

Missionary training is more than a step before going; it’s the foundation for long-term effectiveness. If you feel called to missions, take time to prepare well so you can make the most significant Kingdom impact possible.

Am I Ready for Missions? 5 Signs You Might Be Called to Go

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 19:32:04 GMT

Introduction

Many Christians feel a stirring in their hearts for missions, but aren’t sure if they’re truly ready. Questions like “How do I know if God is calling me?” or “What if I’m not prepared enough?” are typical. Discerning a missionary calling is exciting and challenging, but biblical principles and practical signs can help you know whether you’re being called to go.

In this blog, we’ll explore five signs that may indicate God is leading you toward cross-cultural missions.

#1 – You Feel a Deep Burden for the Nations

God often calls His people by giving them a heart that breaks for the lost. If you find yourself moved to tears when hearing about unreached people groups, or you can’t stop thinking about those who have never heard the name of Jesus, this may be a sign of His calling.

Scripture shows us that God often stirs passion before He gives direction. Just as Paul was compelled to preach the Gospel where Christ was not yet known (Romans 15:20), you may sense an inner drive that can’t be ignored.

Ask yourself: Do I feel an unshakable burden for the nations? If the answer is yes, it could be the Holy Spirit preparing your heart for missions.

#2 – You’re Actively Involved in Local Ministry

Missionary readiness doesn’t start overseas; it begins at home. Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”

If you’re already serving faithfully in your local church, discipling others, or sharing the Gospel with neighbors, you’re building the foundation needed for cross-cultural work. Missions require faithfulness in the small things before stepping into larger responsibilities.

So, look at your current involvement. Are you practicing evangelism, discipleship, and serving others where you are? If so, you’re on the right track.

#3 – Others Affirm Your Calling

Calling isn’t discerned in isolation. God often uses the church community to confirm what He’s already speaking to your heart. If pastors, mentors, or trusted friends have encouraged you toward missions, their affirmation may signify God’s direction.

Proverbs 11:14 reminds us, “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Your readiness is not just about what you feel, but also how others see God working in your life. Take note when people affirm your spiritual gifts, leadership qualities, or cross-cultural passion.

#4 – You’re Willing to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Missions require surrender, sacrifice, and sometimes suffering. Are you open to leaving familiar places, foods, or lifestyles to serve God among people who think, speak, and live differently?

A willingness to embrace discomfort is a significant sign of readiness. This doesn’t mean you won’t feel nervous. It means you’re willing to obey despite the nerves. Just like Abraham left his homeland without knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8), readiness often looks like trusting God more than your comfort.

#5 – You’re Seeking Training and Preparation

Missionary work is both spiritual and practical. Beyond passion, you’ll need cross-cultural training, theological grounding, and real-world ministry experience. If you find yourself searching for training opportunities, this is a strong sign of readiness.

At Global Frontier Missions, our Missionary Training School (MTS) equips believers with the tools needed to serve effectively among the unreached. By pursuing training, you show humility and a desire to be equipped for long-term impact.

Conclusion

If you recognize these five signs: a deep burden for the nations, active ministry involvement, affirmation from others, willingness to leave your comfort zone, and a pursuit of training, you may be ready for missions.

The next step is prayerfully asking God where He leads and seeking preparation to serve well. If He is stirring your heart, consider taking the next step through training with Global Frontier Missions.

�� Learn more about our Missionary Training School and discover how you can be equipped to make a lasting impact among the unreached.

Language Learning Tips for New Missionaries

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 14:42:16 GMT

Stepping into a new country as a missionary is both thrilling and challenging. Among the most significant hurdles you’ll face is learning a new language. Communicating effectively isn’t just a skill—it’s a bridge to building relationships and sharing the Gospel in a meaningful way. Here are some practical tips for new missionaries to navigate the language-learning journey with confidence.

1. Embrace a Humble Attitude

The first step in language learning is humility. You will make mistakes—lots of them—and that’s okay. Laugh at yourself, learn from errors, and stay teachable. Locals will appreciate your effort, even when your words are imperfect. A humble learner earns trust and friendships much faster than a proud perfectionist.

2. Immerse Yourself in Daily Life

Textbooks and apps are helpful, but nothing compares to real-life immersion. Shop at local markets, take public transportation, attend community events, and practice greetings with neighbors. Immersing yourself in daily life accelerates language acquisition and helps you grasp cultural nuances that can’t be learned in a classroom.

3. Prioritize Listening Before Speaking

Listening is the foundation of language learning. Spend time simply hearing how locals speak—the rhythm, tone, and vocabulary they use. Even if you’re eager to talk, active listening improves pronunciation, comprehension, and cultural understanding. Consider watching local TV shows, listening to radio programs, or attending events in the local language.

4. Learn Key Phrases and Use Them Often

Start with phrases you will use daily, such as greetings, expressions of gratitude, and basic questions. These “survival phrases” allow you to engage quickly and build confidence. As you expand your vocabulary, use new words in real conversations as soon as possible to reinforce retention.

5. Build Relationships Through Conversation

Language is best learned in the context of relationships. Seek out conversation partners—neighbors, shopkeepers, or church members—who are willing to engage with you. Even simple conversations can help you connect with the people, not just their words. Many missionaries find that sharing meals or participating in local hobbies provides natural language-learning opportunities.

6. Leverage Technology Wisely

Apps like Duolingo, Anki, or Memrise can help with vocabulary and grammar, but they should complement—not replace—real-world interaction. Recording new words and reviewing them regularly strengthens memory, while translation tools can offer quick support in a pinch.

7. Be Patient and Celebrate Progress

Language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. Celebrate small victories: understanding a sermon, completing a transaction at the market, or making a local friend laugh. Progress often feels slow, but consistency and persistence pay off over time.

Learning a new language as a missionary is about more than words—it’s about love and connection. When locals see your commitment to speaking their language, it communicates humility, respect, and a genuine desire to know them. Embrace the journey with patience, and you’ll find that language opens doors for the Gospel that no translation app ever could.

Looking for more resources on language and cross-cultural training for missionaries? Just click the link below!

Why Missions Training Still Matters in 2025

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:17:33 GMT

In an age of rapid technological advancement, instant communication, and global access to information, some may wonder: Is formal missions training still necessary? With Bible apps in seemingly every language and translation tools at our fingertips, the idea of preparing for years before going to the mission field can feel outdated. But the truth is, missions training in 2025 is more essential than ever. Here’s why.

1. Cultural Complexity Has Increased

The world isn’t becoming simpler—it’s becoming more complex. With globalization, urbanization, and mass migration, missionaries now face multi-layered cultures shaped by history, religion, politics, and modern ideologies. A one-size-fits-all approach to missions no longer works. Missions training equips believers to understand worldview differences, navigate cultural nuances, and avoid common mistakes that hinder ministry.

Whether you're engaging with a Muslim-background community in France or a tribal group in Southeast Asia, proper training helps you contextualize the Gospel without compromising its message.

2. Theological Foundations Are More Critical Than Ever

The rise of secularism, pluralism, and syncretism means that missionaries must be grounded in sound theology. In many parts of the world, the Christian message is met with skepticism, relativism, and fierce opposition. Without a solid biblical foundation, it’s easy to dilute the Gospel or fall into error.

Missions training helps believers understand the core tenets of the Christian faith, articulate the Gospel clearly, and defend it graciously. It also prepares missionaries to disciple new believers, plant healthy churches, and guard against false teaching. In a world full of noise and misinformation, clarity and conviction matter deeply.

3. Spiritual Warfare Is Real

Missionaries often enter spiritually dark territories where the powers of darkness are active and entrenched. No amount of strategy, tech, or enthusiasm can substitute for spiritual preparedness. Missions training helps future workers understand the reality of spiritual warfare, learn how to discern it, and how to respond with prayer, authority, and wisdom.

As the global Church presses into unreached and resistant regions, spiritual resilience is paramount. Training provides the tools and support systems necessary to thrive on the frontlines of the Great Commission.

4. Long-Term Impact Requires Preparation

Missions isn’t just about going—it’s about staying, serving, and multiplying. Burnout, culture shock, and relational breakdowns are real threats to long-term effectiveness. Missions training covers vital areas like cross-cultural communication, team dynamics, conflict resolution, and emotional health.

Those who are well-prepared are more likely to stay the course and bear lasting fruit. In 2025, where missionary attrition is still a significant issue, preparation remains the key to long-term success.

Final Thoughts

The mission field may be changing, but the need for training remains the same. As Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” In this critical hour of global opportunity, we need laborers who are not only willing but ready. Missions training in 2025 isn’t outdated—it’s strategic, biblical, and vital for reaching the world with the Good News of the Gospel.

Want to see how Global Frontier Missions can help you prepare for the field? Check out our Online Missionary Training School below!

Spiritual Warfare on the Field: What Every Missionary Should Know

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:25:28 GMT

When missionaries step into cross-cultural ministry, they’re not just entering a new geographic region or language group—they’re often stepping directly into spiritual battlegrounds. The reality of spiritual warfare is something every missionary must acknowledge, prepare for, and face with biblical clarity and spiritual resilience.

Recognizing the Battle

Missionaries serve on the frontlines of the Great Commission. As they bring the Gospel to unreached or resistant areas, they often encounter opposition that goes beyond mere cultural or logistical challenges. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Whether it’s increased division in relationships, sudden health issues, or unusual obstacles in ministry, spiritual warfare can manifest in various ways.

Common Forms of Spiritual Attack

Missionaries may experience:

Discouragement and doubt: Feelings of inadequacy or questioning their calling.
Isolation: Being cut off from their support system, leading to loneliness or burnout.
Cultural hostility or resistance to the Gospel: Which may stem not just from social norms but from deep spiritual strongholds.
Temptation: Areas once under control can become vulnerable under spiritual pressure.
Nightmares, fear, or oppression: Especially in areas with strong occult or animistic practices.

Understanding that these struggles often have a spiritual dimension doesn’t mean missionaries should ignore practical solutions, but rather that they should respond with both spiritual and physical awareness.

Tools for Spiritual Victory

Missionaries must be equipped not only with training in culture and language but also with spiritual disciplines that sustain them in the fight.

Daily Prayer and Scripture: These are not just spiritual habits—they are lifelines. Prayer and time in God’s Word build spiritual stamina and align your heart with God’s.
Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18): Missionaries should regularly pray through and put on the full armor of God, trusting Him to equip us for the good works He has planned.
Accountability and Fellowship: Isolation is a breeding ground for attack. Missionaries need ongoing connection with other believers, mentors, and prayer partners. This includes regular check-ins with their sending church or team.
Intercession from the Sending Church: Churches play a vital role in spiritual warfare by covering their missionaries in constant prayer. Missionaries should be open about their needs and struggles so supporters can pray with focus and discernment.

Prepared, Not Paralyzed

Spiritual warfare is real, but it’s not something to fear. Jesus has already won the ultimate victory (Colossians 2:15). Missionaries don’t need to be paranoid, but they must be prepared. The enemy may resist, but greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

When missionaries walk in their spiritual authority, stay grounded in the Word, and are supported by the Body of Christ, they can face warfare with confidence. Recognizing the battle allows them to fight strategically, press forward with courage, and ultimately bring light to the darkest places on earth.

Want to be equipped for the mission field? Our Online Missionary Training School has you covered. Experience long-distance mentoring and cross-cultural training at your own pace and in your own space through our flexible online missionary training platform. Click the link below to get started!

Understanding Honor-Shame Cultures in Missions

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:42:37 GMT

When sharing the Gospel across cultures , one of the most overlooked—but vital—factors is how different societies perceive right and wrong, identity, and relationships. Western cultures tend to be guilt-innocence oriented, emphasizing individual responsibility and legal categories of right and wrong.

In contrast, many non-Western societies operate within what’s known as honor-shame cultures . Understanding this framework is essential for missionaries seeking to communicate the message of Christ in a way that truly resonates.

What Are Honor-Shame Cultures?

In honor-shame cultures, a person’s identity and value are closely tied to their community and how they are perceived by others. Honor is gained by meeting social expectations, fulfilling roles, and maintaining family or group dignity. Shame, on the other hand, is not just an internal feeling but a public loss of status that impacts one’s entire group.

These cultures are common in parts of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In these contexts, public perception often matters more than private conscience. Wrongdoing isn’t simply a matter of breaking a rule—it’s about dishonoring one’s family, tribe, or nation.

Why This Matters in Missions

Western missionaries, shaped by guilt-innocence paradigms, often present the Gospel in legal terms: “You broke God’s law; Jesus paid your penalty.” While biblically true, this framing may not fully connect in honor-shame contexts where the deeper concern is not guilt but disgrace and relational alienation.

Instead, missionaries should learn to present the Gospel through honor-restoration lenses . The Bible is filled with themes that resonate with honor-shame cultures: being adopted into God’s family, receiving a new name, being covered from shame, and restored to rightful relationship. Jesus not only removes our guilt but also restores our honor , covering our shame through His own sacrifice.

Practical Applications

Language and Stories : Missionaries should use biblical stories that emphasize honor and shame—like the Prodigal Son, the woman caught in adultery, or Jesus healing the bleeding woman. These accounts highlight public disgrace, restoration, and acceptance in powerful ways.

Community Engagement : In honor-shame cultures, decisions are made communally. Evangelism that focuses solely on individual choice may be ineffective. Instead, working with group leaders or elders and demonstrating how faith brings honor to the whole community can be far more fruitful.

Public Testimony : In some cultures, public confession of faith carries enormous shame. Sensitive approaches that affirm a new believer’s honor in Christ—without exposing them to undue public disgrace—are critical.

The Gospel for All Cultures

The beauty of the Gospel is its ability to speak to every culture. Jesus bore not only our guilt but also our shame (Hebrews 12:2). As we step into cross-cultural missions, we must understand that while truth is universal, the path to communicating it effectively must be culturally informed.

By understanding and respecting honor-shame dynamics, missionaries can build bridges instead of barriers. In doing so, they offer the Gospel not just as a legal pardon—but as a restoration of dignity, identity, and belonging in the family of God.

Want to learn more about how to be an effective cross-cultural missionary? Check out the link below for loads of FREE resources!

How Your Church Can Better Support Missionaries: 5 Key Strategies for Lasting Impact

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:07:46 GMT

Missionaries are on the front lines of the Great Commission , bringing the Gospel to unreached places and meeting spiritual and physical needs around the world. But their success depends largely on the support they receive from their sending churches. If you’re wondering how your church can better support missionaries, here are five practical ways to deepen your impact and encourage long-term faithfulness in the mission field.

1. Commit to Consistent Communication

One of the most powerful ways to support missionaries is simply by staying in touch. Too often, missionaries feel forgotten after they leave for the field. Regular communication—through email, video calls, or handwritten letters—reminds them they are not alone. Assign someone on your missions committee to be their point of contact and check in monthly. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and ministry milestones to keep relationships strong and personal.

2. Prioritize Financial Support

Missionary work requires steady financial backing. Instead of occasional love offerings, consider building missionary support into your church budget. Set up recurring monthly gifts and encourage members to give toward specific needs such as housing, education, travel, or emergency funds. Hosting missions-focused fundraisers or partnering with small groups can also create a long-term giving culture within the congregation.

3. Offer Emotional and Spiritual Care

Life on the mission field can be lonely, isolating, and spiritually taxing. Churches can offer care by providing pastoral counseling, prayer partnerships, and seasonal retreats for rest and renewal. Form prayer teams that intercede regularly for each missionary and their family. Spiritual warfare is real and your consistent prayer can be a lifeline during dark and discouraging seasons.

4. Equip Before They Go

Preparation is crucial. Before sending missionaries, ensure they receive theological training, cultural orientation, and cross-cultural communication skills. Host commissioning services where the congregation can bless, pray over, and send missionaries with intentionality. Ongoing education is also key—encourage missionaries to attend conferences, access online resources, and grow in their calling even while abroad.

5. Welcome Them Home Well

Reentry after a term abroad can be jarring. Many missionaries experience reverse culture shock, feeling disconnected from the church they left. Create a plan for their return that includes temporary housing, opportunities to share their story, and space to rest. Offer debriefing sessions where they can process their experiences, joys, and wounds. Be intentional about reintegrating them into church life and leadership.

Final Thoughts

Supporting missionaries isn’t just about writing checks—it’s about relational investment, spiritual partnership, and long-term commitment. When your church takes proactive steps to care for and walk alongside its missionaries, it reflects God’s heart for the nations and ensures that the mission continues with strength and joy.

Want to make a bigger impact globally? Start by supporting your missionaries more intentionally. The Gospel goes further when we send well, pray hard, and love deeply.

Looking for some resources to support your church in missions-minded discipleship? We have you covered. Just click the link below!

10 Essential Skills Every Missionary Should Develop Before Going Abroad

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 17:00:14 GMT

Preparing to go into the mission field is an exciting and weighty journey. But it’s also a practical one. While a calling from God is the foundation, developing the right skills can make the difference between a fruitful, sustainable ministry and avoidable burnout. Whether you’re headed for a short-term trip or a long-term assignment, here are 10 essential skills every missionary should develop before going abroad.

1. Cross-Cultural Communication

Understanding and respecting cultural norms is vital for building trust and avoiding misunderstandings. Learn to communicate in ways that are culturally sensitive, and be aware of things like body language, tone, and social customs. Cross-cultural awareness can open doors that words alone cannot.

2. Basic Language Acquisition

You don’t need to be fluent before you go, but a strong foundation in the local language can dramatically impact your effectiveness. Even learning key phrases shows respect and a willingness to engage with the local community.

3. Adaptability

Missionary life rarely goes according to plan. Flexibility is more than a personality trait—it’s a survival skill. Whether it's dealing with unexpected delays, learning to live with less, or navigating unfamiliar systems, being adaptable will help you thrive under pressure and in the midst of change.

4. Teamwork and Conflict Resolution

You’ll likely serve alongside a team—whether it's locals, other missionaries, or a sending church. Learning how to collaborate and resolve conflict biblically and constructively is essential for maintaining unity and avoiding distract ions.

5. Fundraising and Financial Ste wardship

Raising support can feel daunting and sometimes uncomfortable, but it’s a crucial part of preparation. More than asking for money, it’s about building a team of partners in ministry. Once on the field, good stewardship ensures that resources are used wisely and sustainably.

6. Spiritual Resilience

Missionary work will be spiritually intense. Develop disciplines like daily prayer, Bible study, and accountability now. A deep walk with the Lord is your most important preparation—and your most reliable anchor during the hard times.

7. Basic Health and First Aid

In many parts of the world, access to medical care is limited. Knowing basic first aid, hygiene, and self-care techniques can be life-saving—both for you and for those you serve.

8. Storytelling and Testimony Sharing

You are a witness. Learning how to clearly and authentically share your testimony and the Gospel in a way that resonates within someone’s cultural context is crucial.

9. Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

Beyond communication, cultural intelligence includes empathy, awareness of worldview differences, and the ability to see life through another lens. CQ helps you move from simply being present in a culture to becoming an effective communicator of the Gospel.

10. Time and Stress Management

Mission work is demanding, often in emotionally and physically draining environments. Learning how to rest, set boundaries, and manage your time wisely is key to long-term sustainability.

Final Thoughts

No one arrives on the field fully prepared—but intentional training can go a long way. These skills are not just tools for survival; they’re pathways to deeper connection, lasting impact.

Looking for somewhere to start? Check out our Online Missionary Training School below! The first module is FREE!

The Church’s Role in Sending and Caring for Missionaries

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 18:28:57 GMT

Missions isn’t just the responsibility of individuals who go—it’s the calling of the whole Church . Every missionary on the field should be a reflection of a sending church behind them: praying, supporting, encouraging, and walking with them every step of the way.

Sending missionaries is more than commissioning a person or writing a check. It’s a sacred partnership . Just as Paul had the church at Antioch, missionaries today need sending churches that are deeply invested in both their sending and their sustaining .

1. Sending: More Than a One-Time Event

Many churches celebrate a missionary during a commissioning service, but the work of sending starts long before that and continues long after.

How the Church Can Send Well:

Identify and affirm callings early. Be a place where young people and adults can explore a call to missions with guidance, mentorship, and encouragement.
Provide theological and practical training. Partner with training organizations or offer in-house discipleship to prepare future missionaries spiritually and practically.
Offer logistical support. Help with fundraising, networking, communication tools, and even visa research.
Commission with intentionality. A commissioning service is more than symbolic—it’s a public declaration of responsibility. Be clear about what your church commits to in supporting this missionary.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”

Acts 13:2

2. Sustaining: Long-Term Care for Long-Term Impact

Missionaries often face spiritual warfare, isolation, culture shock, and exhaustion. Without ongoing support from their sending churches, even the most passionate workers can burn out or feel forgotten.

Ways to Care for Missionaries Effectively:

Prayer Support
Organize regular intercessory prayer teams.
Share updated prayer needs in small groups, newsletters, or Sunday services.
Use messaging apps or email to check in and let missionaries know they’re being covered in prayer.

Relational Support
Assign a care team or point person who checks in regularly.
Schedule virtual calls just to chat—not always about ministry.
Remember birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays with messages or small gifts.
Financial Support
Offer consistent monthly support and include missionaries in the church’s annual budget.
Be proactive in communicating about changes in giving or upcoming needs.
Provide emergency funds or medical support when unexpected issues arise.
Reentry and Debriefing
Welcome them home well. Culture shock doesn’t just happen overseas—it happens upon return too.
Offer a platform to share their experiences, joys, and struggles.
Give space for rest, therapy, or debriefing after difficult seasons.
Ongoing Partnership
Stay updated on what they’re doing and include their ministry in your church’s mission updates.
Send short-term teams, interns, or visitors (as appropriate) to strengthen the partnership.
Include them in decision-making when it impacts their region or demographic.

3. Shaping a Missions Culture in Your Church

Caring for missionaries well comes from having a healthy missions culture at home. It means creating an atmosphere where global vision is local priority .

Ways to Build a Missions-Sending Culture:

Teach about missions regularly from the pulpit.
Share stories and updates from the field often.
Celebrate milestones and victories in missionary work.
Raise up the next generation through youth involvement, mission trips, and mentoring.

Final Thoughts

The Great Commission wasn’t given to individuals alone—it was given to the Church. When churches take ownership of their role in missions, missionaries thrive, the Gospel goes further, and the global Church is strengthened.

Missionaries may be the ones who go—but they don’t go alone. They go with the prayers, love, and partnership of their spiritual family.

“And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” — Romans 10:15

Let’s be churches that send well and care deeply —not just for the mission, but for the missionaries who carry it forward.

Want more resources to help equip your church to not just support missionaries, but to send and sustain? Click the link below!

Practicing Sabbath and Rest in a Missions Context

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 14:14:52 GMT

In the world of missions , where the needs are overwhelming and the work is never finished, rest can feel like a luxury—or even a sign of weakness. Many missionaries live under the pressure to always be available, always be productive, and always be sacrificing. But the truth is, neglecting rest is not a sign of dedication—it’s a sign of disconnection.

God never designed His people to run on empty. From the very beginning, rest has been part of the rhythm of creation, calling us not to idleness, but to dependence. For missionaries, practicing Sabbath and cultivating rest isn’t optional—it’s essential for longevity, fruitfulness, and spiritual health.

What Is Sabbath Rest?

Sabbath isn’t just about taking a day off. It’s a spiritual discipline that roots us in the truth that God is God, and we are not. Sabbath is a declaration that our worth is not in what we produce, but in who we are—God’s beloved. It’s a weekly reminder that the world keeps turning even when we stop.

Jesus practiced rest. He withdrew from the crowds. He spent time alone with the Father. He told His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). If Jesus modeled rhythms of rest, how much more should we?

Why Rest Feels Difficult in Missions

Missionaries often serve in high-pressure, high-need environments where the lines between ministry and life blur constantly. Here’s why rest often feels out of reach:

Constant urgency: When people are hurting or unreached, taking a break can feel selfish or irresponsible.
Limited boundaries: Especially in remote or communal living situations, private time is rare.
Supporter expectations: Missionaries may feel the pressure to “earn” the support they’ve raised by staying busy.
Internal drive: Many missionaries are high-capacity, self-sacrificing individuals who struggle to slow down.

But rest isn’t a break from ministry—it’s part of it. Sabbath allows missionaries to minister from a place of fullness rather than depletion.

How to Practice Rest on the Field

Here are practical ways to integrate Sabbath and rest into your life—even in demanding cross-cultural settings:

1. Set a Weekly Sabbath Day

Pick one day a week to step away from your normal ministry responsibilities. It may not be Sunday, and it may look different from a Western-style Sabbath, but protect this time for worship, rest, and renewal.

2. Create Daily Moments of Stillness

Even 15–30 minutes of quiet reflection, prayer, or reading can restore your soul. Don’t underestimate the power of small rhythms done consistently.

3. Practice “Restful Presence”

Sometimes you can’t get away—but you can slow down. Approach activities with a spirit of rest: eating slowly, walking without your phone, or being fully present in conversation.

4. Honor Cultural Norms, But Set Boundaries

In some cultures, the idea of “alone time” may be foreign. Be respectful, but communicate your needs. Rest isn’t selfish—it’s stewardship.

5. Include Your Team or Family

Sabbath can be communal. Share meals, worship, or take walks together in a restful, non-task-oriented way.

6. Disconnect from Tech

Constant communication can drain you. On your Sabbath, try disconnecting from email, social media, and ministry texts. Give yourself permission to be unavailable.

The Fruit of Sabbath

Practicing rest in a missions context:

Deepens dependence on God : Sabbath is a weekly confession that ministry is ultimately His work, not ours.
Prevents burnout : Regular rest renews physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.
Models the Gospel : Rest reflects the finished work of Christ. You’re not working for identity—you’re working from it.
Creates margin for joy : Play, laughter, and creativity are part of a healthy missionary life. Sabbath gives space for delight.

Final Thoughts

The mission field doesn’t need more exhausted heroes. It needs deeply rooted servants who reflect the rhythms of the Kingdom—where work is holy, but so is rest.

Sabbath is not about legalism. It’s about trust. Trusting that God is at work, even when we are not. Trusting that our value doesn’t come from output. And trusting that rest is not a detour from ministry—it’s the soil in which lasting fruit grows.

Want to learn more about how to partake in sustainable ministry on the mission field? Check out our Online Missionary Training School and get the first module on us!

Preparing Spiritually for the Mission Field: Daily Habits That Matter

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:08:04 GMT

The call to missions isn’t just about going—it’s about becoming. Before a missionary boards a plane or learns a new language, the most important preparation happens in the heart. Spiritual readiness is the foundation that sustains missionaries through culture shock, spiritual warfare, and the day-to-day challenges of cross-cultural ministry.

Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen overnight. It grows through consistent, intentional habits that create space for God to shape and strengthen you. Here are seven daily habits that truly matter as you prepare for life on the mission field.

1. Daily Time in God’s Word

God’s Word is your compass. Regular, unhurried time in Scripture helps you know God’s character, discern His voice, and stay anchored in truth. Read, absolutely! But also meditate deeply. Ask: What is God teaching me today? How does this apply to where He’s calling me?

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

2. Intentional Prayer

Prayer isn’t a box to check—it’s your lifeline. Cultivate a rhythm of talking and listening to God throughout the day. Pray not just for your future ministry, but for the people you’ll serve, your teammates, and your own spiritual growth. Develop the habit of intercession now—it will carry you when words are hard to find on the field.

3. Practicing Silence and Stillness

Missionary life can be loud—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Begin now to make space for silence and solitude. In a world of noise and activity, these quiet moments become sacred ground where God shapes identity, renews vision, and reminds you that your worth is found in Him, not in what you do.

4. Journaling Your Journey

Writing down what God is teaching you can help you process emotions, track growth, and remember His faithfulness. It’s also a powerful way to build a habit of reflection—something that’s vital when you're navigating cultural transitions and spiritual highs and lows.

5. Regular Worship

Worship shifts your perspective from your circumstances to who God is and what He has done. Make it a daily habit to worship—whether through music, prayer, Scripture, or gratitude. Worship prepares your heart to serve with joy and humility, even when the path gets hard.

6. Scripture Memorization

When you’re tired, discouraged, or facing spiritual warfare, having God’s Word hidden in your heart gives strength and clarity. Memorized Scripture becomes fuel for prayer, guidance in decision-making, and comfort in isolation. Start small—one verse at a time—and be consistent. Let this not only be an academic exercise, but a worshipful one as well.

7. Living on Mission Today

Don’t wait until you’re overseas to live missionally. Ask God how He wants to use you right now—in your workplace, your neighborhood, or your church. Learning to see people through God’s eyes and respond in obedience each day is excellent preparation for cross-cultural service.

Final Thoughts

The mission field will stretch and challenge you in ways you can’t even imagine. But if your roots are deepened now, you’ll be ready to withstand the storms—and bear fruit in season. These daily spiritual habits aren’t just preparation for the field—they are the lifestyle of someone deeply rooted in Christ.

So start where you are. Build rhythms of faithfulness. And trust that God is shaping you every day for the work He’s prepared in advance for you to do.

“Remain in Me, and I in you... the one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” — John 15:4-5

Looking for more resources to prepare for the field? Check out our FREE Missions 101 course linked below.

God’s Heart for the Nations: A Story of Redemption and Glory

Thu, 29 May 2025 17:47:58 GMT

From Genesis to Revelation , the Bible tells a story of a God who passionately loves all people, from every tribe, tongue, and nation. God’s heart for the nations is not a subplot in the biblical narrative—it is the main storyline. It is the unfolding plan of redemption for the whole world, and it reveals a God who is relentlessly committed to drawing all people to Himself for His glory and our good.

1. A Global Vision from the Beginning

God’s mission to the nations begins not in the New Testament, but in the very first book of the Bible. When God called Abraham in Genesis 12, He made a bold and far-reaching promise:

“I will make you into a great nation… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:2–3

From the beginning, God’s covenant with His people had a global purpose. Israel was chosen not as an exclusive club, but as a light to the nations—a people set apart to reflect God's character and extend His blessings to the world.

2. God’s Glory Among All Peoples

God’s passion for the nations is ultimately about His glory. The Psalms are full of declarations that all the earth should worship the Lord:

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” – Psalm 96:3

“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” – Psalm 67:4

God desires worship from every corner of the earth. He is not a tribal god or a local deity—He is the Creator and King of all. His worth demands global praise, and His heart aches for those who have not yet heard.

3. Jesus: The Fulfillment of the Global Promise

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God's global promise. His life, death, and resurrection were not just for one nation, but for all people.

“For God so loved the world…” – John 3:16

Throughout His ministry, Jesus reached out to Gentiles, healed Roman servants, spoke with Samaritans, and praised the faith of foreigners. And before ascending to heaven, He gave His disciples a clear commission:

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” – Matthew 28:19

The Great Commission is not a suggestion—it is the heartbeat of God expressed through the mission of the Church.

4. The Holy Spirit and the Church’s Global Call

In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His disciples:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was a multicultural miracle—people from every nation heard the Gospel in their own languages. It was a foretaste of what God is doing through His Church today: calling people from every nation into a new family of faith.

Missions, evangelism, church planting—these are not just church programs; they are expressions of God's unchanging desire to reach the world.

5. Revelation: The Nations Redeemed

The Bible ends with a breathtaking vision that reveals the full scope of God’s redemptive plan:

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” – Revelation 7:9

God’s heart for the nations will be fulfilled. The nations will not just be reached—they will rejoice. The diversity of God’s creation will be preserved, redeemed, and celebrated in perfect unity before the throne of Christ.

6. Our Role in God’s Global Purpose

As followers of Jesus, we are invited to participate in God’s global mission. This can take many forms:

Going to the nations, whether short-term or long-term.
Sending and supporting missionaries financially and through prayer.
Welcoming the nations among us—refugees, international students, immigrants.
Praying for unreached peoples and global movements of the Gospel.

Every believer has a part to play. Missions is not just for a few—it is the calling of the whole Church.

Joining God in His Global Mission

God’s heart has always beat for the nations. His mission is not limited by geography, language, or culture. It is expansive, inclusive, and unstoppable. As we align our hearts with His, we begin to see the world not as a collection of distant places, but as a field ripe for harvest.

To love God is to love what He loves—and He loves the nations. May the Church rise with renewed passion to make His name known across the earth, until that day when all peoples will worship Him together in glory.

Want to learn more about how to reach the nations? Check out the link below!

The Importance of Building Relationships in Missions

Fri, 23 May 2025 13:28:55 GMT

In the realm of missions , whether local or global, relationship-building is not just a strategy—it is the foundation. Missions, at its core, is about people. It involves reaching out across cultures, languages, and worldviews to share the love of Christ and foster transformation in individuals and communities. Without genuine relationships, the message risks becoming mechanical or may even feel intrusive. But when grounded in trust and compassion, missions become a conduit for deep and lasting change.

1. Reflecting the Heart of the Gospel

The Gospel is inherently relational. Jesus’s ministry on earth was marked by intimate relationships—He walked with His disciples, ate with sinners, healed the hurting, and wept with friends. His mission was not only to proclaim truth but to embody love in a personal, tangible way. In the same way, missionaries are called to do more than deliver a message; they are called to live among, listen to, and walk with the people they serve. Relationships make the Gospel real and relatable.

2. Cultural Understanding and Sensitivity

Missions work often crosses cultural boundaries. Building authentic relationships allows missionaries to better understand the cultural contexts in which they serve. Without relationship, there is a higher risk of misunderstanding or imposing outside values. But through relationship, mutual respect is fostered, and the message of the Gospel can be communicated in ways that resonate deeply within a local context.

3. Sustainable Ministry

Short-term impact is rarely enough. True transformation—spiritual, social, or economic—takes time. Relationships help enable long-term engagement and commitment. When missionaries invest in people’s lives consistently and authentically, they become trusted members of the community. This trust lays the groundwork for sustainable ministry and enduring change. Programs may come and go, but relationships have the power to outlast projects and buildings.

4. Mutual Growth

Building relationships in missions is not a one-way street. Missionaries are not the only ones who give; they also receive. Through relationships, missionaries often find their own faith stretched and deepened. They gain new perspectives and resilience, and witness God work in unexpected ways. Mutual growth strengthens the body of Christ globally and encourages humility and grace in service.

5. Discipleship Through Relationship

Jesus made disciples by investing in a few people deeply over time. This model is still powerful today. Discipleship is most effective within the context of relationships—where trust allows for accountability, encouragement, and spiritual growth. When missions prioritize relationships, they mirror this biblical model and foster a culture of discipleship that not just develops, but multiplies.

Loving Your Neighbor

In a world hungry for connection and authenticity, relationship-centered missions remains the model. It demonstrates the love of Christ not just in words, but in actions and presence. As missionaries build bridges of friendship and trust, they create fertile ground for the seeds of the Gospel to take root and flourish. The true fruit of missions is not just in conversions, but in the transformation of people and communities through the power of the Holy Spirit and faithfulness to those we serve.

For more information, check out this link about why we train our missionaries and the importance of cross-cultural missionary training! You can even find out how you can get involved and get equipped yourself.

Sharing Christ with Refugees: A Call to Compassion and Hope

Tue, 13 May 2025 20:15:53 GMT

In today’s world, the refugee crisis is one of the most urgent humanitarian issues of our time. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes due to war, persecution, or disaster. These individuals often arrive in new countries with little more than trauma, uncertainty, and hope for safety. In the midst of such upheaval, the Church has an extraordinary opportunity: to share the love and hope of Christ with those who have lost everything.

This is not about taking advantage of vulnerable people. It is about meeting real human needs—spiritual, emotional, and physical—with the compassion and truth of the Gospel. Here are several key principles for sharing Christ with refugees in ways that honor their dignity and reflect the heart of God.

1. See Refugees Through God’s Eyes

Scripture is filled with God’s concern for the foreigner, the displaced, and the oppressed. From the Israelites’ own history of exile to Jesus Himself being a refugee in Egypt, the Bible calls believers to care deeply for those on the margins.

Before sharing Christ with refugees, we must first see them not as a crisis, but as people—made in the image of God, worthy of love and welcome.

2. Build Trust Before You Preach

Trauma, displacement, and loss often create barriers of fear and mistrust. Before refugees are ready to hear the message of Christ, they often need to experience the love of Christ through actions. Simple acts of kindness—offering meals, helping with paperwork, teaching language skills, or being a consistent friend—can open hearts to deeper conversations.

Gospel witness must begin with presence and patience. It’s not a race to convert; it’s a journey of showing God’s love through relationship.

3. Honor Culture and Background

Refugees come from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. It’s essential to approach them with sensitivity and respect. This means listening more than talking, learning their stories, and avoiding assumptions.

Sharing Christ does not require dismissing someone’s past, but inviting them to explore a relationship with Jesus in a way that honors their dignity and identity. The Gospel transcends culture—it meets people where they are and calls them to new life.

4. Point to Hope in Suffering

Many refugees are struggling with deep grief and confusion. The Gospel offers a unique and powerful message: a Savior who knows suffering, who was Himself rejected, and who brings hope in the midst of despair. Sharing Christ means pointing to the One who walks with the brokenhearted and promises eternal peace.

Testimonies of God’s faithfulness—both biblical and personal—can help refugees see that their pain is not the end of the story.

5. Be Part of a Holistic Mission

Jesus cared for both the soul and the body. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and comforted the outcast. Sharing Christ with refugees should include both spiritual guidance and practical support.

Churches and believers can be powerful agents of holistic ministry by partnering with local organizations, advocating for refugee rights, providing shelter or resources, and creating spaces for worship, healing, and community.

6. Trust the Work of the Holy Spirit

Conversion is never the result of human pressure or persuasion. It is the Holy Spirit who opens hearts and draws people to Jesus. Our role is to love, to serve, to speak truth gently, and to be ready to give an answer when asked.

Sometimes, seeds planted in hardship bear fruit years later. Trusting God's timing is essential in refugee ministry.

Drawing Near to Jesus

Sharing Christ with refugees is not a political act—it is a deeply spiritual one. It is the Church stepping into pain with compassion, offering not just temporary aid, but eternal hope. It is a reflection of the Gospel itself: God reaching out to us in our lostness and welcoming us home.

As we open our arms and hearts to refugees, we live out the mission of Jesus. And in doing so, we may find that we are also changed—drawn deeper into the heart of God and reminded again of what it means to be strangers welcomed by grace.

Want to learn more about how you can love and support refugees? Check out our "Habits of a Global Christian" below!

Teaching with Purpose: Using TESOL in Missions

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:41:46 GMT

Many people with a heart for missions feel the tension between the passion to serve and the practical realities of crossing cultures. You want to make a lasting impact, build genuine relationships, and share the Gospel in a meaningful, sustainable way, but how?

One powerful and proven avenue to do that is through TESOL—Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages .

Whether you're preparing for long-term missions, wanting to reach non-native English speakers in your communities or seeking a strategic on-ramp into cross-cultural ministry, TESOL might be the tool you're looking for.

Why TESOL for Missions?

English is in high demand globally. From Asia to the Middle East to Latin America, communities are hungry for English education to access better jobs, higher education, and global opportunities. As a TESOL-trained missionary, you step into a role that is both needed and welcomed.

More importantly, teaching English gives you a natural, relational platform for ministry . It's not just a job—it's a bridge to people's lives.

Unlocking Closed Doors

Teaching English allows you to show up in places where traditional missionaries may not be allowed. In many countries, being a missionary is illegal—but being a teacher is not. TESOL enables you to enter these “closed” nations legally, work professionally, and build relationships through consistent, life-giving presence.

This presence often speaks louder than words. As a teacher, you model Christ through your patience, encouragement, humility, and love. Students and colleagues notice. Over time, those relationships can open the door to deeper conversations about faith.

TESOL in Your Own Backyard

Refugees often arrive in host countries with little or no English proficiency, which can severely limit their access to employment, healthcare, education, and everyday life essentials. TESOL-trained individuals can bridge this gap by providing structured, culturally sensitive English instruction tailored to adult learners from diverse backgrounds.

Language classes naturally foster relationships. Regular, respectful interaction between teachers and students builds trust—a critical element when working with people who may have experienced trauma, loss, and displacement. They create space for genuine friendships, offer consistent support and encouragement, and build credibility for sharing the hope we have in Christ, through both words and actions.

Using TESOL for ministry among refugees is a deeply meaningful form of service that reflects Christ’s heart for the marginalized. It meets urgent physical and emotional needs while gently opening doors for Gospel engagement. As refugees learn to communicate in a new language, they also experience dignity, hope, and connection—key elements of healing and transformation.

Final Encouragement

TESOL is more than a job—it’s a calling that can strategically place followers of Christ in some of the least-reached corners of the world. Through excellent teaching, genuine relationships, and Spirit-led conversations, TESOL teachers can quietly sow seeds of the Gospel. In this way, TESOL becomes a bridge between education and eternal hope.

GFM doesn’t just prepare missionaries for traditional ministry. With our unique approach to training that gives practical, hands-on experience, and our Missionary Training School Specializations (Like Business as Missions and ESL), you can learn how to use your passion for teaching English as a platform for ministry!

Want to learn more about our ESL specialization? Click the link below!

Life on Mission in Clarkston, GA

Fri, 02 May 2025 14:03:19 GMT

Clarkston, GA, isn’t your average suburb. Tucked just outside of Atlanta, this small town has earned the nickname "the most diverse square mile in America." Why? Over the past several decades, Clarkston has welcomed refugees from more than 60 countries, speaking over 110 languages and dialects. To walk through its streets is to experience the world in miniature, with the flavors, cultures, and stories of countless nations all interwoven into one tight-knit community.

For mission-minded Christians and those with a heart for refugees, Clarkston represents a powerful opportunity to serve. This blog will explore why Clarkston is such a unique mission field, the ways to get involved, and how organizations like Global Frontier Missions (GFM) are making a difference.

Clarkston: The South’s Ellis Island

Clarkston’s transformation into a hub for refugee resettlement began in the 1980s, with the passage of the Refugee Act, which formalized the U.S.’s commitment to offering safe haven to those fleeing violence and persecution. Situated near Atlanta’s public transportation and with plentiful affordable housing, Clarkston became a designated resettlement site. Since then, it has become home to over 60,000 refugees from countries like Myanmar, Syria, Congo, and Bhutan.

Dubbed “Ellis Island South,” Clarkston is a melting pot where newcomers begin their American story. Local organizations, such as Friends of Refugees and Refuge Coffee, have flourished here, providing vital support for resettled families and fostering connections across cultural divides.

A few eye-opening stats about Clarkston:

Refugees from more than 60 countries call it home.
Over 110 languages are spoken here.
Clarkston is one of 190 designated refugee resettlement communities in the U.S.

For mission-minded individuals, the diversity of Clarkston creates an unparalleled opportunity to live out the Biblical calls to love others and reach the nations.

Opportunities for Missions in Clarkston

What does it look like to serve in a community like Clarkston? At its heart, missions work here is about building relationships. Refugees in Clarkston often arrive with little more than hope. They’re starting over in a foreign country, with a different culture, language, and way of life. This is where the opportunity to serve begins.

Here are some ways Christians can make a meaningful impact in Clarkston:

1. Cross-Cultural Relationships

Engage with refugees by befriending them, inviting them into your home, and offering help as they adjust to life in the U.S. Something as simple as sharing a meal or helping someone practice English can forge lasting relationships.

2. Service Opportunities

Volunteer with local organizations offering resources and support. For example, Friends of Refugees runs everything from job training and ESL programs to children’s literacy initiatives. Refuge Coffee provides job training while creating a welcoming space for the community.

3. Cross-Cultural Missions Training

Serving in Clarkston also offers a unique chance to develop cross-cultural ministry skills. Programs like GFM’s Missionary Training School provide practical resources to live and work effectively in cross-cultural settings, equipping participants not just for ministry in Clarkston but for work among unreached people groups globally.

Atlanta: A Modern-Day Jerusalem

Clarkston’s proximity to Atlanta only heightens its significance as a mission field. Since hosting the Olympics in 1996, Atlanta has grown into a bustling international hub, attracting millions of immigrants, refugees, and students from around the world.

Just as Jerusalem in the first century was a cultural and religious crossroads, modern cities like Atlanta provide a strategic launching pad for advancing the Gospel. Many of the immigrants and refugees in Atlanta come from groups that have had little to no access to the message of Jesus in their home countries.

By cultivating relationships and making disciples in Atlanta and Clarkston, the ripple effects can extend globally. Refugees and immigrants who encounter Christ here often take that faith back to their communities of origin or share it with others in their networks, leading to an exponential spread of the Gospel.

GFM’s Transformative Work in Clarkston

Global Frontier Missions has been at the forefront of ministry in Clarkston. Recognizing it as a vital mission field, GFM trains and equips believers to engage effectively with refugees and immigrants.

Here’s how GFM is changing lives in Clarkston:

Partnering with local organizations and churches to welcome and support newcomers.
Offering missionary training to help Christians develop cross-cultural ministry skills.
Providing discipleship and training programs for those looking to serve both locally and globally.

By combining hands-on service with focused discipleship, GFM empowers believers to be a part of God’s work in reaching the nations—from Atlanta to the ends of the earth.

Catch God’s Heart for the Nations

The story of Clarkston isn’t just about refugees rebuilding their lives. It’s about the Gospel crossing barriers and ushering light into darkness. It’s about God bringing the nations to our doorstep and asking us to love them.

Want to get involved? Here are three steps you can take today:

Pray - Lift up Clarkston’s refugees, volunteers, and local organizations in prayer. Ask God to work powerfully in this community.
Serve - Connect with organizations like Friends of Refugees or Refuge Coffee to volunteer your time and skills.
Learn - Consider enrolling in GFM’s cross-cultural missions training to deepen your understanding of how to live missionally in a diverse world.

Clarkston is a living picture of Revelation 7:9, where we see “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language” worshiping before the throne of God. Will you be a part of what God is doing here?

To get involved with GFM and learn about our Missionary Training School in Clarkston, click the link below!

Why Training is Essential for Missionaries

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:33:10 GMT

Starting out as a missionary is deeply rewarding, but it also comes with challenges that can test even the most committed individuals. Often, the difference between short-term struggle and long-term impact is practical, intentional preparation. Training equips missionaries not just to survive but to thrive in their calling, ensuring they serve effectively for years to come.

The Alarming Reality

Did you know over 47% of missionaries leave the field before completing their first term ? This staggering statistic reveals systemic obstacles that derail missionary efforts. These challenges include cultural misunderstandings, burnout, unmet expectations, and lack of support.

The good news? Many of these issues are preventable with proper training. Just as no professional enters a field without preparation, cross-cultural ministry demands intentional equipping to ensure both personal resilience and lasting impact.

The Solution to Common Challenges

The heart of the solution lies in intentional, cross-cultural training . This type of preparation helps missionaries step onto the mission field equipped not only with knowledge but with the character and skills necessary to adapt and flourish.

At Global Frontier Missions, our focus is on developing healthy, long-term disciple makers . This means preparing missionaries with essential tools to connect meaningfully across cultural and linguistic differences. Whether adapting to unfamiliar norms or navigating spiritual challenges, trained missionaries are better positioned to build sustainable, impactful ministries.

A Holistic Approach to Ministry Training

It’s not just about acquiring head knowledge or understanding theological concepts. Effective missionary training takes a holistic approach by combining:

Classroom Learning : Equipping missionaries with theological insights and cross-cultural communication skills.
Practical Experience : Hands-on training in real-world environments to apply lessons learned.
Character Development : Fostering resilience, humility, and adaptability necessary for long-term ministry.

Holistic training bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical on-the-ground reality. After all, being a missionary requires more than theological depth; it demands servant leadership, intercultural competence, emotional maturity, and more.

Biblical Foundations for Training

Throughout Scripture, we see God preparing His people before sending them into significant ministry work. Key examples include:

Moses spent 40 years shepherding in the wilderness before leading Israel out of Egypt.
Paul underwent years of preparation and mentoring after his conversion before becoming a missionary to the Gentiles.
Even Jesus spent time teaching and shaping His disciples through hands-on ministry before commissioning them.

Biblical examples remind us that preparation is not a detour or delay; it is a necessary process. Missionary training, similarly, is the foundation that sets missionaries up for faithful and fruitful service.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term Perspectives

While short-term mission trips have their value in raising awareness and meeting immediate needs, the emphasis should be on cultivating long-term, resilient leaders . The greatest impact comes from missionaries who are willing and able to stay the course, building deep, lasting relationships within the communities they serve.

Missionaries who undergo thorough training are more likely to:

Remain on the field longer.
Adapt to cultural changes effectively.
Avoid burnout through strong emotional and spiritual boundaries.

The world needs faithful, mature laborers committed to the Great Commission for the long haul.

Want to Take the Next Step?

If you’re ready to take the next step toward becoming a well-equipped missionary, we invite you to explore the resources at Global Frontier Missions. Sign up for our Unreached Updates to receive a free missionary training course!

At Global Frontier Missions, we’re here to guide and support you on this rewarding journey. Click the link below to sign up and

receive your free course.

Understanding Unreached People Groups (UPGs)

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:18:39 GMT

What if there were billions of people who had never heard of Jesus Christ? This is the reality for unreached people groups (UPGs) across the globe. UPGs are communities without access to the Gospel, lacking a self-sustaining Christian presence. These groups represent one of the greatest challenges and opportunities for fulfilling the Great Commission.

For mission-minded Christians, understanding UPGs is vital in answering God’s call to go and make disciples of all nations.

The Scope of Unreached People Groups

More than 3.3 billion people , or 42% of the global population, live in unreached people groups. Despite this staggering number, less than 3% of all cross-cultural missionaries serve these communities.

The majority of UPGs are concentrated in what’s known as the 10/40 Window . This region spans North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia and is home to some of the world’s most spiritually and physically impoverished populations. Within these areas, the Gospel has little or no presence, leaving entire generations without hope.

This imbalance highlights the urgent need for mobilization within the global church.

What Defines an Unreached People Group?

An unreached people group is defined by these key criteria:

Cultural and Linguistic Barriers : UPGs often speak unique languages or have cultural practices that isolate them from external influences, including Christianity.
Lack of a Self-Sustaining Christian Community : A people group is considered "unreached" when there is no local body of believers large enough to evangelize their own community without outside assistance.

This means these people often remain isolated from the Good News not because of rejection, but because they have yet to hear it clearly in their own language and cultural context.

When we think about spiritual isolation, it’s crucial to remember these are individuals with lives, families, and communities, all in need of the hope and love that Jesus offers.

The 2% Tipping Point

Missiologists use a benchmark to classify a people group as “reached”: 2% of the population must be professing Christians .

Why 2%? This figure is generally accepted as the critical mass needed to create a self-sustaining, reproducing Christian community that can evangelize effectively without outside assistance.

To put it plainly, a UPG with 1.5% Christians is essentially dependent on external missionaries for growth and discipleship. However, crossing the 2% threshold represents an exciting tipping point where the Gospel can grow organically within the culture.

Unengaged, Unreached People Groups (UUPGs)

Even more urgent than UPGs are unengaged, unreached people groups (UUPGs). These are communities where there are:

No known Gospel workers
No missionaries
No active efforts to make Jesus known

There are currently more than 290 million people living in UUPGs, meaning no one is actively seeking to share the Gospel with them. These groups remain utterly cut off from God’s truth. Becoming aware of UUPGs is the first step toward changing this heartbreaking reality.

Frontier People Groups

Frontier people groups are among the least-reached communities . These groups often have less than 0.1% Christian population and are often resistant or closed to outside influences.

Some of these are referred to as mega frontier people groups, which are home to millions of individuals without access to the Gospel. Imagine the profound impact of reaching groups like these—not just for the individuals themselves but for the surrounding regions and the sake of the Kingdom.

Reaching frontier groups requires focused prayer, immense perseverance, and strategic efforts. But the potential to change lives, countries, and spiritual legacies is immense with God’s guiding hand.

How You Can Get Involved

For mission-minded Christians like you, responding to the needs of UPGs is an essential part of fulfilling Christ’s call. Here are three ways you can take action today:

1. Pray Specifically for an Unreached People Group

Prayer is a powerful tool. Choose a specific people group to pray for daily. Ask for God to open their hearts, raise up missionaries, and overcome barriers to the Gospel. Resources like the Joshua Project can help you learn more about specific UPGs to pray for.

2. Support Missionaries Financially

Most missionaries serving in UPG regions rely on financial support to continue their work. By supporting them, you share in their ministry. Your funding enables Gospel workers to plant churches, translate Scripture, and build relationships in difficult-to-reach areas.

3. Consider Long-Term Missionary Service

Could God be calling you to go? Long-term missionaries build relationships and disciple new believers, creating lasting change in unreached regions. If you’ve felt a nudge toward missions, talk to your church leaders or connect with missions organizations to explore next steps.

Answering the Call to Reach the Unreached

The Great Commission is not a suggestion. It’s a command. Jesus calls us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). For millions in UPGs, the chance to hear about Jesus for the very first time hinges on the obedience of His followers.

Are you ready to answer that call? Whether through prayer, financial support, or going yourself, there’s a role for every believer in God’s mission to bring hope to the nations.

Together, we can change the statistics and make Jesus known to the ends of the earth.

Find out how you can get more involved by going through our Missions 101 course! Just click the link below to get started.

Is God Calling Me to Missions?

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:29:14 GMT

The idea of being called to missions is both exciting and weighty. For most Christians, it sparks a mix of excitement, uncertainty, and a deep desire to serve God and others. But how can you know if God is calling you to step out in faith and become involved in long-term missionary work?

Discerning God’s Call

If you feel God may be calling you to missions, the first step is discernment. Here are three ways to determine whether this calling aligns with God’s will:

1. Prayer and Scripture

The fact of the matter is that we’re all called! This doesn’t mean we’re all called to head to the other side of the globe for the rest of our lives, but we’re all called to go and to share the Gospel. Knowing whether your call is more specific than the general call of the Great Commission, though, requires discernment. Hearing God’s call starts with seeking Him through prayer and His Word. Spend intentional time in prayer, asking God to give you wisdom.

2. Counsel from Mentors and Leaders

God often uses wise counselors in our lives to affirm His calling. Seek guidance from trusted mentors, pastors, or spiritual leaders who are familiar with your spiritual walk and abilities. Share your thoughts and ask for honest feedback. They can provide encouragement, accountability, biblical wisdom, and insight based on their experiences.

3. Identifying Your Gifts and Passions

God uniquely equips His people with individual gifts and passions, often aligning these with what He’s called us be and to do. Reflect on the ways God has gifted you. Are you a teacher, organizer, relationship-builder, or leader? Consider how your skills and natural inclinations can serve His kingdom. Often, your strongest passions provide clues to where God may be leading you. For example, if you’re passionate about education, perhaps God is calling you to teach in communities that lack access to quality schooling.

New Paragraph

Check out our free Missions 101 course now!

Sharing the Gospel: Practical Application

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 17:27:38 GMT

What compels someone to step out of their comfort zone and share the Gospel in the most unexpected of places? For those involved with Global Frontier Missions (GFM), these moments are not just part of the mission; they are the mission.

Through GFM's unwavering commitment to making disciples and mobilizing believers for the Great Commission, countless stories demonstrate how stepping out in obedience can lead to amazing opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Sharing Truth in Unexpected Places

During an outreach opportunity, one group of former GFM students found themselves seated across from an imam in a mosque. The imam asked a question that sparked an extraordinary conversation about faith and our ultimate purpose.

“What do you think is the point of life?” he inquired.

One GFM student hesitated only briefly before sharing the Gospel, recounting the story of creation to Christ with clarity and courage. It was not the setting typically associated with such conversations, yet the Gospel transcends spaces and invites dialogue, even in the most unexpected of places.

Those students found themselves in deep discussions about life’s ultimate purpose with the imam and elders of the mosque. Their conversations were filled with an exchange of beliefs, perspectives, and heartfelt moments that led to the gentle yet profound sharing of Biblical principles.

“May we pray a blessing over this house?” the students asked with humility. With the imam’s consent, they all prayed together.

One of the mosque elders later admitted, “If the Quran had never been written, I’d believe everything you’re saying.” His openness sparked another opportunity to meet, this time in the intimacy of his home. Here, a continued exchange of ideas through Bible stories and books made space for theological dialogue.

These moments illustrate the heart of GFM’s mission—to equip, empower, and mobilize believers to engage with the unreached, bringing the Gospel message to every corner of the world.

Living Out the Great Commission

For Christians wondering how to be active participants in the Great Commission, stories like this serve as a reminder that God doesn’t always call us to distant lands; often, the mission field is found in neighborhoods and workplaces.

These conversations echo the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." GFM empowers believers to live this principle by bridging cultural and religious divides to share the hope found only in Christ.

Through GFM’s comprehensive training programs, participants are equipped to respond to God’s call and trust the Holy Spirit for opportunities to share the truth of the Gospel. These efforts are vital considering that 3.3 billion people have yet to hear the Gospel.

Answering the Call with Bold Faith

What can happen when we step out of our comfort zones and answer the call to share the Gospel?

Whether it’s sharing a meal with an imam, engaging in challenging conversations, or simply planting seeds, God honors our obedience. He moves through and in us, even in our weakness, and provides opportunities to illuminate the truth of His Word. Each story of bold faith serves as a reminder that we are all called to participate in God's redemptive plan.

Be a Part of the Movement

The mission field is vast, and the need is urgent, but you don’t have to do it alone. Through GFM’s Missionary Training School, discipleship resources, and outreach initiatives, you can be empowered to cross-culturally engage in the Great Commission.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Learn more about how you can get involved with GFM and start your training.

Thriving in South Asia: Language & Community for Cross-Cultural Workers

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:10:10 GMT

Working cross-culturally in South Asia is an incredible but challenging calling. With nearly 2,000 unreached people groups (UPGs) spread across countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Tibet, the region presents countless opportunities to make a meaningful impact. However, thriving in this context requires a need for God’s grace, a deep understanding of local languages, cultures, and the strength of a supportive community.

This guide explores how language learning and community engagement can empower cross-cultural workers to not only survive but thrive in South Asia. If you're considering or preparing for work in the region, this is for you.

Why Language Matters for Cross-Cultural Engagement

Language is more than just a tool for communication. It’s the gateway to building trust, understanding cultural nuances, and connecting with people on a heart level. Without language skills, even the most well-intentioned work risks being misunderstood or disconnected from the communities it aims to benefit.

Building Relationships through Language

Learning the heart language of your host community allows you to connect in ways that go beyond words. It shows respect for the people you’re serving and demonstrates your commitment to understanding their worldview. Greeting a local shopkeeper in Bengali or having a heartfelt conversation in Hindi can open doors that were otherwise closed.

Enhancing Ministry Effectiveness

While the Holy Spirit does the work of reaching hearts, being equipped with local language skills can help you share the message of the Gospel in a way that is understandable and that resonates with those around you. For cross-cultural workers, speaking in the heart language ensures that the Good News is clearly understood and personally meaningful.

The Power of Community in Cross-Cultural Work

Working in an unfamiliar cultural and social environment can be isolating, but a strong, caring community creates resilience and prevents burnout.

Overcoming Challenges with Support

From dealing with culture shock to navigating bureaucratic hurdles, the challenges of cross-cultural work can feel overwhelming. A supportive community provides encouragement, a safe space to share struggles, and guidance from those who’ve experienced similar situations.

Celebrating Wins Together

The small victories in cross-cultural work are more meaningful when celebrated with others who understand their significance. Whether it’s successfully bargaining at a market or having your first meaningful conversation in Urdu, being surrounded by like-minded peers enhances the meaning of these small wins.

Practical Tools for Thriving in South Asia

Whether you’re meeting tribal leaders in rural India or interviewing a local for field research in Nepal, being well-prepared with culturally relevant tools and strategies sets you up for success.

Language Training

S.L.I.C.E. can arrange for professional classes in key South Asian languages including:

Hindi
Urdu
Bengali
Nepali
Tibetan

Mastery of these languages not only equips workers to engage locally but also helps build trust and credibility within communities.

Hands-On Cultural Engagement

Beyond the classroom, S.L.I.C.E. prioritizes real-life experiences through community engagement. Workers spend time visiting neighbors, exploring cultural practices, and learning everyday tasks like navigating public transport or buying vegetables at local markets. This hands-on approach enables you to actively participate in the community you’re serving, leading to authentic relationships and deeper cultural understanding.

Training for Sustainable Impact

Programs like S.L.I.C.E. guide workers in developing sustainable strategies based on real-world experience. By pairing workers with seasoned missionaries, the program offers an invaluable mentorship component. Additionally, through 5 hours of weekly cultural and strategic training , participants learn to adapt their approach to meet the unique needs of their host community.

A Life Focused on Purpose and Mission

For cross-cultural workers in South Asia, it’s essential to stay rooted in purpose and mission. One of the unique strengths of the S.L.I.C.E. program is its emphasis on exalting Jesus in all aspects of daily life—from attending language lessons to conversations with neighbors. Keeping your eyes on Jesus is what helps prevent burnout, fosters joy, and sustains the drive to continue serving.

Is the S.L.I.C.E. Program Your Next Step?

The opportunity to work in South Asia is both inspiring and challenging. Thriving in this environment requires the right tools, training, and support system. By focusing on both language fluency and community engagement , the S.L.I.C.E. training program equips you to build meaningful relationships, overcome cultural barriers, and ultimately, exalt Jesus.

If you're ready to step into your calling and serve among South Asia’s diverse people groups, consider applying to the S.L.I.C.E. program. It’s more than just training; it’s about building a foundation for long-term success in cross-cultural work.

Make your impact across South Asia!

Sharing the Gospel Across Different Cultural Contexts

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:23:35 GMT

Understanding cultural worldviews is essential for missionaries and cross-cultural workers. Guilt, shame, and fear cultures represent three primary worldviews that shape how people perceive right and wrong, relationships, and power.

We’ll explore these cultural paradigms and provide insight into how the Gospel can be effectively shared in each one. By understanding these worldviews, you’ll be better equipped to build stronger connections, communicate more effectively, and share the timeless message of the Gospel.

What Are Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures?

Cultural worldviews are frameworks through which people interpret their experiences, relationships, and moral values. Sociologists and anthropologists often group cultures into one of three main categories:

Guilt-Based Cultures: Common in Western nations, these cultures emphasize individual conscience and justice.
Shame-Based Cultures: Often found in East Asia, Middle Eastern, and African communities, these cultures prioritize maintaining honor and avoiding public shame.
Fear-Based Cultures: Prevalent in animistic societies such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific islands, and parts of Latin America, these cultures center on power, spirits, and protection.

Each of these worldviews deeply influences how people perceive morality, relationships, and even spiritual truths. Understanding these cultural frameworks is critical for missionaries who aim to present the Gospel in a way that resonates.

Understanding Guilt Cultures

Guilt cultures operate on an internalized sense of right and wrong. When laws or moral codes are broken, an individual experiences guilt, which often leads to feelings of remorse and the desire to seek justice or reconciliation.

Example

Countries such as the United States, Canada, and Germany embody guilt-oriented cultures. A citizen who violates tax laws may feel guilty internally, confess to the authorities, and pay fines or do jail time as penance.

Communicating the Gospel

When presenting the Gospel in a guilt culture, focus on themes of law, sin, and forgiveness of our debt. Explain that Jesus bore the guilt of humanity and satisfied the requirements of justice, leading to reconciliation with God.

Proclaiming concepts like forgiveness of sin through Christ's sacrifice will resonate heavily within these contexts.

Understanding Shame Cultures

Shame cultures focus on maintaining communal harmony and upholding one's honor within their social group. Deviating from social expectations brings about shame, not just to the individual but potentially to their family or community as well.

Example

East Asian societies, such as Japan, often represent shame-oriented cultures. For instance, in professional environments, employees may formally apologize to their team for mistakes to safeguard their reputation and group harmony.

Communicating the Gospel

The Gospel speaks powerfully to shame cultures through the theme of restoring honor. Show how Jesus’ death on the cross removes shame and how His resurrection bestows new honor and identity as a beloved child of God.

A rich focus on community and relational restoration aligns closely with the values of honor/shame cultures.

Understanding Fear Cultures

Fear cultures emphasize spiritual forces and the power dynamics associated with them. People in these cultures often focus on seeking protection and power to overcome unseen spiritual dangers.

Example

Various animistic tribes in Sub-Saharan Africa practice rituals to ward off spirits or seek blessings for protection. For example, offerings may be made to ancestors to maintain harmony and avoid spiritual repercussions.

Communicating the Gospel

To share the Gospel effectively, emphasize Jesus’ power over darkness. Explain that through His authority, believers are freed from fear and enslaving forces. Highlight how faith in Christ brings ultimate spiritual protection and victory.

Drawing connections between Christ's authority and the people's longing for power and safety can make the message deeply impactful in such contexts.

Sharing the Gospel Across Cultures

Understanding guilt, shame, and fear cultures is not just an academic exercise. For missionaries, it’s a vital part of making connections and sharing the Gospel. Each culture provides a unique lens through which people encounter God’s redemptive work.

The more we appreciate cultural complexity, the better equipped we are to share the Good News of Jesus in ways that resonate deeply with those we seek to serve.

Are you ready to learn and grow further in your cross-cultural work? Connect with our Missionary Training School that helps equip you for impactful ministry. Together, we can make God’s message of reconciliation known to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Hudson Taylor: A Pioneer in Missionary Work to China

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:49:03 GMT

Hudson Taylor (1832–1905) is one of the most revered figures in the history of Christian missions. Known for his pioneering work as a frontier missionary to China, Taylor’s life and ministry reshaped Christian outreach in the 19th century. He was the founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM), which played a pivotal role in spreading Christianity throughout the vast and remote regions of China.

Early Life and Call to Missions

Hudson Taylor was born in Barnsley, England, to a devout Methodist family. From a young age, Taylor exhibited a passion for the Gospel. He was raised in an environment where Christian teachings were emphasized, and his personal commitment to Christ deepened as a teenager. It was during this period that he felt a calling to become a missionary.

Though the Church of England had some missionary presence in China, the vast majority of Christian efforts were focused on coastal cities, with little outreach to the remote, rural, and inland regions. Taylor’s early conviction was that China’s interior—where the Gospel had not yet been proclaimed—was an unclaimed mission field that deserved attention.

The Challenge in China

China, during the mid-19th century, was a land of great complexity and intrigue. A vast empire with a rich cultural heritage and deep-rooted traditions, it was largely closed off to foreign influences, especially by the imperial Qing dynasty. Missionaries who ventured into the country often faced considerable obstacles, including resistance from the Chinese authorities, cultural misunderstandings, and, at times, real hostility.

In 1853, Taylor sailed to China, landing in Shanghai. From the beginning, he felt compelled to immerse himself deeply in Chinese culture, language, and traditions. Unlike many missionaries who clung to Western customs, Taylor adopted Chinese dress, learned the language, and sought to live among the people he served. This was an unconventional and bold approach at the time, as many missionaries had assumed a more colonial, Westernized way of life that distanced them from the local people.

China Inland Mission: A Revolutionary Approach

In 1865, Hudson Taylor founded China Inland Mission (CIM), a mission organization focused on spreading the Christian message to the unreached people living in China's interior. At the time, many missions groups were concentrated on the coastal cities and other urban areas where foreign influence was easier to maintain. Taylor’s vision was radically different. He recognized that China’s vast interior—home to millions of people—remained largely untouched by the Gospel.

Taylor’s vision for CIM was not only to plant churches and evangelize, but also to establish a fully indigenous church in China. He believed in training Chinese leaders who could eventually lead their fellow countrymen to Christ, thus ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Church in China. This strategy resulted in many Chinese Christians being raised up as leaders within the church and contributing to the growth of Christianity across China.

Personal Challenges and Perseverance

Taylor’s life was marked by personal struggles and hardships. He faced financial difficulties, illness, and the sorrow of losing family members. His first wife, Maria, passed away after a long battle with illness in 1870, and several of their children also died in infancy. Yet despite these profound losses, Taylor never wavered.

In 1875, he returned to England after an extended period of missionary service in China, where he was able to raise support for the growing work of CIM. During this time, he also met and married his second wife, Jennie Faulding, who would join him in his ministry.

Taylor’s greatest personal challenge came in 1891 when he learned of the Boxer Rebellion in China—a violent anti-foreign movement that threatened the lives of all Western missionaries in the country. Despite the dangers, Taylor continued to advocate for the importance of sharing the Gospel in the interior regions, even in the face of adversity.

We believe cross-cultural training is paramount when preparing to head on the mission field. We want to equip missionaries to not just survive on the field, but to thrive, which is why we started our Missionary Training School. Click the link below to learn more about how to get involved!

Getting Kids Involved in Missions: Nurturing a Heart for People

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:30:25 GMT

When we think about missions, we often envision adults traveling to far-off places, sharing the Gospel, or working on humanitarian projects. But our kids, too, can be part of this mission—making an impact where they are and even around the world. Involving children in missions not only benefits the recipients of their efforts, but it also plants Kingdom-minded seeds in the hearts of our children.

Here are some creative ways to involve kids in missions, whether locally or globally, and why it’s so important to start early.

Why Involve Kids in Missions?

Building Compassion
Missions help children develop empathy for people from different backgrounds and life situations. Exposure to different cultures, needs, and struggles opens their hearts to a broader world, making them more compassionate and understanding.

Teaching Purpose
Kids who are involved in missions early on learn that life isn’t just about what they can get, but what they can give. Whether it’s through service projects or mission trips, they begin to understand the joy and fulfillment that comes from serving others.

Strengthening Faith
Mission work helps kids see God’s love for peoples of all nations, tribes, and tongues in action. It brings Scripture to life and shows them how we are created for something more. As they engage in missions, they may also grow in their own spiritual walk, developing a deeper relationship with God.

Preparing Future Leaders
Practically speaking, when kids are trained to be involved in missions, they develop leadership skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. These are essential skills for future success in all areas of life. Additionally, when kids participate in missions, they start to see themselves as part of a bigger story—one that has been written from the beginning.

For younger children or those just starting out, local missions can be a wonderful introduction. Here are a couple of ways to get started right in your community:

1. Start Small, Think Big: Local Mission Projects

Food Drives : Organize a food drive at your church or school. Kids can help by collecting, sorting, and delivering food to a local shelter or food bank. This teaches them the importance of meeting people’s basic needs and helps them see the impact of their actions on their immediate community.

Service Projects : Invite kids to participate in community cleanups, visiting elderly neighbors, or helping out in local homeless shelters. These simple acts of service will give them a tangible way to help and will also teach them valuable lessons about selflessness and humility.

Visiting Nursing Homes or Hospitals : Have your kids take part in spreading joy to elderly residents or patients by making cards, singing songs, or simply visiting to chat. Building connections with others helps kids learn about the importance of companionship and service.

2. Mission Trips: A Global Experience

Once children are a bit older and more mature, mission trips can offer a life-changing experience. These trips not only help the children involved but also serve the communities they visit. However, mission trips for kids require careful planning and a focus on their age-appropriate involvement.

Youth Mission Trips : Many organizations offer mission trip opportunities for teenagers, where they can help local missionaries with their work, learn from the people on the ground, and even assist in local churches around the world. This offers them a chance to stretch their leadership abilities and serve in meaningful ways. It also helps them see the global church in action and gain a greater appreciation for different cultures. In many cases, you can even take these trips as a family!

3. Incorporate Missions into Daily Life

Involving children in missions doesn’t always mean heading to a foreign country or even organizing an official trip or event. Here are some practical ways to make missions a part of everyday life:

Pray Together : Teach your children to pray for missionaries and unreached people groups around the world. You can even adopt a specific missionary or people group to support. Use a world map to show where these people are located, and pray together for the missionaries’ work and for the people they are trying to reach. This helps kids understand that missions is not limited to one geographical location but is a global endeavor.

Most importantly, being missions-minded is about loving others, being open to learning, creating relationships, and being ready to share the Gospel wherever you go.

One way you can get involved is through our Vietnam/Thailand missions trip this upcoming summer! Not only will you get to be a part of local missions work, but you will also get to celebrate Global Frontier Missions 25th anniversary in Thailand ! Click the link below to learn more and sign up!

Understanding Missionary Attrition: Causes, Impacts, and Solutions

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:59:03 GMT

Missionary attrition is a real phenomenon for many missionaries worldwide. This refers to the tendency of missionaries to leave their positions or vocations earlier than expected, often before achieving their intended goals. Attrition rates have become a significant concern for many mission agencies, as it directly impacts the effectiveness, sustainability, and growth of mission efforts.

Here, we will delve into the factors contributing to missionary attrition, the impact it has on both missionaries and the communities they serve, and the strategies that can help reduce the frequency of its occurrence.

What Is Missionary Attrition?

Missionary attrition can happen for a variety of reasons, including personal, professional, and contextual factors. It is distinct from the broader term "missionary burnout," though the two are often interconnected. Burnout refers specifically to emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by the demands of missionary work, while attrition encompasses the broader issue of leaving missions work altogether.

Missionary attrition can take different forms:

Early Return: Missionaries who leave the field earlier than planned due to various challenges or crises.
Voluntary Departure: Missionaries who consciously choose to leave the mission field for personal reasons or dissatisfaction with their role.
Involuntary Departure: Missionaries who are sent home due to health issues, visa problems, moral failure, or unsatisfactory performance.

Factors Contributing to Missionary Attrition

Missionary attrition is rarely caused by a single factor. Instead, it is the result of a complex interplay of personal, professional, and contextual issues.

1. Cultural and Environmental Challenges

One of the most significant factors contributing to missionary attrition is the difficulty of adapting to a new and foreign culture. Missionaries often work in areas that are vastly different from their home environments, and adjusting to a new language, social norms, and living conditions can be overwhelming. Some missionaries face isolation and culture shock, which can lead to feelings of frustration, loneliness, and alienation.

The Impact of Cultural Adjustment:

Language Barriers: Learning a new language can be one of the most challenging aspects of missionary work. Communication is essential to building relationships, understanding local customs, and sharing the Gospel, and the inability to communicate effectively can lead to burnout.
Lifestyle Discomfort: Many missionaries live in basic, sometimes harsh, conditions—without the comforts and conveniences they may be used to at home. This can cause significant stress, particularly when missionaries feel disconnected from family and friends.

2. Personal and Family Issues

The well-being of missionaries and their families is often overlooked in mission planning. In other words, personal and family challenges can make the pressures of missionary life even harder to bear.

The Impact of Family Life on Attrition:

Marital Strain: The pressure of missionary work, combined with the stresses of living in an unfamiliar and sometimes hostile environment, can put a strain on marital relationships. Lack of emotional support, conflicts over priorities, and differing expectations can lead to marital breakdowns.
Children’s Needs: Missionaries with children may struggle with providing proper education, healthcare, and emotional support for their kids, especially if they are in remote or underdeveloped areas. The challenges of raising children in a foreign culture can sometimes lead to early returns home.

3. Burnout and Emotional Fatigue

Missionary work, especially in challenging environments, can be incredibly taxing on a missionary’s emotional and physical well-being. The constant demand for energy and emotional investment, coupled with limited personal time, can lead to burnout.

Signs of Burnout:

Physical Exhaustion: Constantly giving of oneself without adequate rest can lead to real physical fatigue.
Emotional Detachment: Over time, missionaries may develop a sense of emotional numbness or detachment as a coping mechanism to deal with the pressures of their work.
Loss of Motivation: When missionaries lose sight of their original goals or face repeated setbacks, they may feel discouraged and demoralized.

4. Lack of Support and Resources

Many missionaries report feeling unsupported, both in terms of emotional support from their sending organizations and in the lack of adequate resources in the field. Missionary work is often highly demanding, and without proper backing, missionaries can feel overwhelmed.

Challenges Related to Lack of Support:

Inadequate Financial Support: Many mission organizations depend on donors to provide funding, but financial shortfalls can lead to stress for missionaries who feel they are not being adequately supported.
Poor On-field Mentorship and Guidance: Missionaries often report feeling isolated due to the lack of proper mentorship or support from experienced leaders in the field.

Strategies to Reduce Missionary Attrition

While missionary attrition is an ongoing challenge, there are steps that mission agencies can take to reduce its occurrence and ensure the well-being of their missionaries.

1. Comprehensive Pre-field Preparation

Proper training and preparation are essential to ensure that missionaries are well-equipped for the challenges they will face. This includes not only theological training but also cultural, emotional, and practical preparation. Pre-field training should involve language courses, cultural sensitivity training, and discussions about managing stress, family dynamics, and burnout prevention.

2. Ongoing Support and Mentorship

Missionaries should receive regular support, both emotional and practical, throughout their time in the field. This can include regular check-ins with mentors, access to counseling services, and networks for peer support. Mentorship is especially critical for new missionaries, who may need guidance and advice as they navigate the challenges of their role.

3. Family and Mental Health Focus

Missions organizations should take the needs of missionaries’ families seriously. Providing support services for spouses and children, including schooling options, healthcare, and pastoral care, can help prevent family-related attrition. Mental health care should also be prioritized to help missionaries cope with stress, burnout, and culture shock.

There is Hope

Missionary attrition is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to address effectively. By acknowledging the challenges missionaries face and providing comprehensive support before, during, and after their service, mission organizations can reduce attrition rates and ensure that their workers remain effective and well-supported in their efforts. As missionaries continue to serve in diverse and sometimes difficult contexts, addressing the root causes of attrition can help build a stronger, more sustainable foundation for global mission work.

Are you looking to head out on the field? Our missionary training school specializes in equipping missionaries for short-term and long-term success and sustainability. Click the link below to learn more!

How The Bible is Translated into New Languages

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 18:29:50 GMT

We often take for granted the fact that we can easily access Scripture. Not only do we have God’s Word in our language, but we have multiple translations, and easy, immediate access at all times. Yet so much of the world still has no copy of God’s Word in their own language. With over 7,000 languages spoken around the world, it’s shocking to think that only 733 of them have the complete Bible translated into their language.

The impact of Bible translation is profound. Having access to the Bible in one's own language allows people to connect more deeply with God and understand His Word. The translation process is complex, though, and involves not only linguistic skill but also deep understanding of theology, culture, and historical context.

The History of Bible Translation

The history of Bible translation stretches back to ancient times. One of the earliest and most well-known translations is the Septuagint , a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures created around the 3rd century BCE. As Christianity spread across different regions of the world, the Bible needed to be translated into new languages to make it accessible to people of various cultures. One of the most famous translations was St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate in the 4th century, which became the standard Bible for the Western Church for many centuries.

As time progressed, more translations followed, particularly during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, when Martin Luther’s German Bible and William Tyndale’s English Bible made the Scriptures available to the common people. Today, at least parts of the Bible have been translated into over 3,000 languages, making it the most translated book in history. However, there are still thousands of languages without a complete translation of the Bible, so the work continues.

The Translation Team: Collaboration and Expertise

Bible translation is not a solo endeavor. It typically involves a team of people with different expertise. Translators must be fluent in both the original biblical languages (primarily Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and the target language. They also need to have a deep understanding of the culture and worldview of the people they are translating for. Cultural understanding is critical because languages are not just about words—they carry with them cultural nuances and meanings that must be conveyed accurately.

The team often includes linguists, theologians, Bible scholars, and community members. Theologians ensure that the translation is doctrinally sound and faithful to the original text, while linguists focus on the grammatical and syntactical challenges. The involvement of the local community is also essential to ensure that the translation resonates with the everyday experiences and idiomatic expressions of the target language speakers.

The Translation Process: From Text to Meaning

The process of translating the Bible is intricate and involves several stages. Here’s a brief overview of how it works:

Textual Analysis: The translators start by analyzing the original biblical manuscripts in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. They examine the meaning of each word, phrase, and sentence, consulting various linguistic and historical resources. Understanding the context—whether cultural, historical, or theological—is crucial to accurate translation.
Draft Translation: After careful analysis, the team begins drafting the translation. Translators work with local speakers to ensure that the translation sounds natural and is culturally relevant. Some translations may adopt a "formal equivalence" approach, which aims to stay as close as possible to the original wording, while others may opt for a "dynamic equivalence" approach, focusing more on conveying the meaning of the text in a way that makes sense to modern readers.
Review and Refinement: Once a draft is completed, it undergoes extensive review. Local community members, linguistic experts, and theologians examine the translation for accuracy, clarity, and cultural appropriateness. In many cases, the translation is tested with the target audience to see how well they understand the text.
Back Translation: A key step in ensuring the accuracy of the translation is back translation. This involves translating the text back into the original language (e.g., Greek or Hebrew) to check for consistency and correctness. This process helps identify any potential mistranslations or misunderstandings.
Final Review and Publication: Once the translation passes all the checks and revisions, it is published in printed and digital formats. The work doesn't end there, though; translations often undergo further revisions as new insights and feedback arise from the community.

Overcoming Challenges

Translating the Bible into a new language is fraught with challenges. One of the major obstacles is the vast differences between languages. Some languages lack direct equivalents for certain concepts or words found in the Bible. For example, the Hebrew word chesed , often translated as "steadfast love" or "loving-kindness", carries rich cultural and theological meaning that may not be fully captured in some languages. Translators must carefully select words that best convey the depth and richness of the original text.

Another challenge is the cultural context. The Bible is deeply rooted in the ancient world, and translating ancient customs, locations, and traditions into a modern context requires great care. Translators may need to add explanatory notes or footnotes to help readers understand the historical context of certain passages.

Additionally, some languages are not written languages or have limited written records. In such cases, the translation team may need to work with the community to develop a written script, which can add years to the translation process.

The Task Remaining

Translating the Bible into new languages is a monumental task that has been taking place for centuries. With over half of the world’s languages still having no part of the Gospel translated into their language, the goal of ensuring that everyone has access to the Gospel often feels impossible, but with prayer, training, hard work, and the power of our God, all things are possible.

Want to learn more about what we're doing to reach the unreached? Sign up for our Unreached Updates - just click the button below!

How to Pray for Unreached People Groups

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:11:06 GMT

Praying for the unreached is powerful, aligning our hearts with God's heart for all people. While it may seem that these distant communities are unreachable, prayer can move mountains, open doors, and soften hearts. As we lift up the unreached people groups of the world, we can trust that God hears our prayers and is at work in ways we may never fully see.

Not sure how to pray for these unreached people groups? To get you started, let’s take a look at some specific people groups that need our prayers. This list is by no means exhaustive but provides a snapshot of areas where there is significant need for evangelistic work.

1. The Fulani (West Africa)

Population : 25 million
Location : Predominantly in West and Central Africa (Nigeria, Mali, Niger, and others)
Religion : Islam
Challenges : The Fulani people are primarily nomadic herders with a strong Islamic tradition. Access to the Gospel is limited, and there are few local believers among them. Political unrest and conflict in many of their regions further complicate outreach efforts.
Prayer Points : Pray for open hearts to the Gospel, for peace in regions of conflict, and for effective strategies to engage the Fulani people with the message of Christ.

2. The Yadav (India)

Population : Over 30 million
Location : Primarily in northern and central India
Religion : Hinduism
Challenges : The Yadav people are a large ethnic group in India, mostly involved in farming and herding. They follow Hindu traditions and have very little exposure to Christianity. Social pressures and caste discrimination can make it difficult for Yadav individuals to explore new faiths.
Prayer Points : Pray for breakthroughs in the form of indigenous believers, culturally-relevant evangelism, and the spread of Gospel-centered resources for the Yadav.

3. The Berbers (North Africa)

Population : Over 30 million
Location : Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya
Religion : Islam
Challenges : The Berber people have a rich cultural history but are largely unreached with the Gospel. With strong Islamic traditions, Berbers face religious persecution if they convert to Christianity. Their isolated rural communities make outreach particularly difficult.
Prayer Points : Pray for courage for Berbers who are secretly seeking truth, for the protection of believers, and for open doors for missionaries to enter their regions.

4. The Hazara (Afghanistan)

Population : 3 million
Location : Primarily in central Afghanistan
Religion : Islam (Shiite Muslim minority)
Challenges : The Hazara people have faced decades of political, ethnic, and religious persecution, including violent attacks. As a minority group in Afghanistan, they are generally resistant to outside influence and have limited access to the Gospel.
Prayer Points : Pray for peace and safety for the Hazara people, that the Gospel will find its way into their hearts, and for bold Christians to reach out to them despite the danger.

5. The Uyghurs (China)

Population : 11 million
Location : Xinjiang region, China
Religion : Islam
Challenges : The Uyghur people are an ethnic minority in China who face intense religious oppression from the Chinese government. They are isolated from the Christian community, and outreach efforts are tightly restricted.
Prayer Points : Pray for the Uyghur people to find freedom in Christ, for protection for underground believers, and for God to open doors for Gospel work despite governmental opposition.

6. The Zhuang (China)

Population : 18 million
Location : Southern China
Religion : Chinese folk religions
Challenges : The Zhuang people are the largest ethnic minority in China. Although they have access to the gospel in some areas, many Zhuang communities remain unreached. Their religious practices are rooted in folk beliefs, and there is little evangelical presence among them.
Prayer Points : Pray for missionaries to be able to effectively communicate the Gospel to the Zhuang, and for the Holy Spirit to move in powerful ways to bring them to faith.

Praying with Purpose

May we continue to pray with urgency and compassion, believing that God's kingdom will come, and that every tribe, tongue, and nation will one day worship before Him.

For more information, click below to learn more about UPGs (Unreached People Groups)!

5 Ways to Encourage Missionaries in Their Work

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 19:35:02 GMT

Missionaries play a crucial role in spreading the Gospel and reaching unreached people groups around the world. Their work, often in difficult and challenging environments, can sometimes lead to physical, emotional, and even spiritual exhaustion. As supporters, there are several ways we can encourage missionaries in their work, ensuring they remain energized, focused, and supported. Here are five ways to provide encouragement to missionaries:

1. Offer Regular Prayer Support

One of the most powerful ways to encourage missionaries is through prayer. Missionaries face numerous challenges—cultural, spiritual, financial, and emotional—and prayer, through the power of the Holy Spirit, provides them with strength and guidance. By regularly lifting them up in prayer, you remind missionaries that they are not alone in their work. It also helps you stay connected to their specific needs and challenges.

How to do this:

Organize prayer groups or prayer chains specifically for missionaries.
Send them updates and specific prayer requests, so you know exactly what areas to focus on.
Encourage others in your church or community to commit to praying for missionaries on a regular basis.

2. Send Care Packages and Letters of Encouragement

A thoughtful letter or a care package filled with necessities or comforts from home can bring immense joy to a missionary. Simple gestures like these remind missionaries that they are loved and appreciated. Personal letters of encouragement, especially when sent from fellow believers or supporters, can provide a much-needed spiritual boost.

How to do this:

Send practical items such as toiletries, books, snacks, or small gifts that are hard to find in their location.
Include a letter of encouragement, expressing your appreciation for their work and dedication. Personal stories or scripture verses can have a powerful impact as well.
Occasionally include photos or updates from your community so they feel connected to home.

3. Provide Financial Support and Resources

Missionaries often operate on tight budgets, relying on donations to fund their work. Financial stress can be a significant burden, detracting from their ability to focus on ministry. By contributing to their financial needs, you ensure they can continue their work without constant worry about money.

How to do this:

Set up a regular donation system through your church or organization to support missionaries.
Organize fundraisers or special events to raise awareness of their financial needs.
Help them access resources or grants that could make their work more sustainable, such as providing them with necessary equipment or technology.

4. Provide Opportunities for Rest and Renewal

Missionaries are often immersed in their work 24/7, which can lead to burnout. Offering them opportunities for rest, recreation, and spiritual renewal is vital for their long-term effectiveness. This can be done in various ways, whether through arranging times for retreat or offering to take over certain tasks temporarily.

How to do this:

Encourage missionaries to take time off when they need it. If possible, provide financial support or resources to facilitate this.
Offer care or send them on a retreat where they can relax and rejuvenate spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Be mindful of their workload. If possible, help with administrative or logistical tasks from afar so they can focus on ministry.

5. Stay Connected and Show Genuine Interest in Their Lives

Maintaining a strong, supportive relationship with missionaries can greatly help with morale. It is easy for missionaries to feel isolated, especially when they are far from family and friends. Regular communication is a simple but effective way to remind them that they are valued and not forgotten.

How to do this:

Stay in touch through email, phone calls, or video chats. Share updates from your life and show interest in theirs.
Celebrate milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, or ministry successes. Acknowledge these moments with heartfelt messages or small celebrations.
Ask them about their struggles and victories, demonstrating empathy and a willingness to listen.

Why Wait?

Start today! Encouraging missionaries is not only about offering material support; it's about building strong, enduring relationships and showing love in both practical and spiritual ways. Whether through prayer, financial support, care packages, opportunities for rest, or staying connected, every gesture of encouragement strengthens their resolve and deepens their commitment to the work at hand. Missionaries are on the front lines of ministry, and with the help of the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ, they can continue to make a meaningful impact on the communities they serve.

Want to learn more about how to support missionaries on the field, or even how to get in on the action yourself? Check out the link below!

Serving Jesus on the Mission Field While Battling Mental Illness

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:11:57 GMT

Missionary work is challenging even in the best of circumstances. For many, the call to serve Christ means stepping into unfamiliar cultures, battling time away from loved ones, and facing immense physical, emotional, and spiritual demands. But what happens when the weight of those challenges is compounded by mental health struggles such as depression or anxiety?

If you’re a missionary dealing with mental illness, you might feel like your weakness disqualifies you from serving. But here’s the good news: God’s power is made perfect in our weakness . Even in the midst of your struggles, He can use you in incredible ways to advance His kingdom.

Mental Health and Missionary Work Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Your mental illness neither surprises God nor renders you ineffective. Instead, it positions you to rely on His strength and grace. The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we serve out of dependence on God—whether that’s from dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress—His power is glorified through us.

Why Mental Health Challenges Are Common Among Missionaries

Mental illness is not uncommon on the mission field. In fact, missionaries often face circumstances that can exacerbate mental health struggles, including:

1. Isolation

Moving to a new country or culture often means leaving behind your primary support system of family, friends, and church communities. Loneliness is a common experience for many missionaries, and without adequate relational connections, it can spiral into depression.

2. Stress

Cultural adaptation, learning new languages, and meeting ministry expectations can lead to significant stress. The pressure to “do it all” and the feeling of falling short can weigh heavily on missionaries.

3. Spiritual Warfare

Missionaries on the front lines of spreading the Gospel often face spiritual attacks that can manifest as mental and emotional struggles. Satan often tries to discourage and derail those who are fighting to reach the unreached.

Recognizing that these challenges are part of the reality many missionaries face is the first step in developing a healthier, more sustainable approach to serving while managing mental illness.

Practical Steps to Continue Serving Amid Mental Health Struggles

If you’re grappling with depression, anxiety, or stress, here are some practical steps to care for your mental health while remaining faithful to your calling.

1. Acknowledge Your Struggles

Pretending everything is fine won’t make your mental health challenges disappear. Talk to God about your struggles, and share them with trusted friends, counselors, or pastors. Allow yourself to grieve, process, and be honest about what you’re going through.

2. Seek Professional Support

Many missionary organizations offer counseling services or can connect you with mental health professionals who understand the unique challenges of missionary life. If your organization doesn’t provide these resources, seek out a Christian counselor who can guide you through your struggles while helping you integrate the hope you have in Jesus into your healing process.

3. Lean on Community

Missionaries often focus so much on caring for others that they neglect their own needs. Surround yourself with a Christ-centered support system. Even though proximity to friends and family members may be limited, you can build relationships within your local church or ministry network. Online communities and support groups for missionaries are also out there.

4. Practice Spiritual Disciplines

Spending time in prayer, worship, and God’s Word allows you to rest in His presence and realign your perspective. When mental illness clouds your view, these disciplines can be anchors to remind you of God’s care for you and His power in the midst of our weakness.

5. Prioritize Rest

Remember, even Christ withdrew from the crowds to rest and pray. Burnout is real, and rest is essential to sustainability in ministry. This might mean taking a sabbatical, delegating responsibilities, or accepting a lighter workload.

6. Accept God’s Grace

You don’t have to earn God’s love or approval through perfect performance. Your worth isn’t determined by how much you accomplish on the mission field. Rest in His grace, knowing that He sees and cares for you, even when your actions don’t feel like they measure up.

When We Are Weak, He Is Strong

The truth is, God often accomplishes His greatest work through our weaknesses. Your mental health struggles might be the very thing He uses to connect with others who are hurting, to depend on Him more fully, or to demonstrate the transforming power of His love.

Jesus didn’t come for the “perfect”; He came for the broken. And He calls us—broken and all—to participate in His mission. What an incredible privilege to know that He chooses to use us, even in our weaknesses, to make His name known among the nations.

Take the Next Step Toward Healing and Hope

If mental illness has made you hesitate in your calling or wonder if you’re truly fit for missionary work, let this serve as a reminder that you are not alone. Your struggles do not define your effectiveness, and God’s grace is more than sufficient for you.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out to your sending organization or church for support. Look for professional counseling services tailored to missionaries. And most importantly, rest in the unshakable truth that God is with you every step of the way.

You can be a vessel for His glory, even in your weakest moments. He is strong, faithful, and able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. Trust Him to guide you as you continue to serve Him faithfully, wherever He has called you.

For holistic training to prepare you for life on the mission field, check out our Missionary Training School! Whether you join in-person or online, you will be better-equipped and more confident when you take that next step. Click the link below to learn more or to apply!

The Importance of Being Missions-Minded in the Local Church

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 19:59:59 GMT

Local churches today are constantly being pulled in a million different directions. With so many programs, needs, and decisions to make, it can be easy for churches to become inward-focused. But the essence of the church, both historically and Biblically, is outward-facing. A missions-minded church doesn’t just serve its own members but actively engages with the world around it, fulfilling the command of Christ to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

Being missions-minded is about more than just sending money overseas or planning annual mission trips. It is a holistic approach to church life that permeates every aspect of a congregation's DNA, from its worship services to its youth programs, community outreach, and partnerships with global mission efforts. Here are some key reasons why being missions-minded in the local church is essential:

1. Reflecting the Heart of God

God’s heart for the nations is clearly seen throughout Scripture. From the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12 to the Great Commission in Matthew 28, God has always been focused on redeeming people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The church is called to participate in God’s redemptive plan, and being missions-minded aligns the church with God’s heart.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This reflects both a local and global mission. A church that is focused on missions honors God’s global purposes by seeking to reach both its local community and the broader world with the Gospel.

2. Obeying the Great Commission

The Great Commission is not just a suggestion; it is a command. Jesus did not say, “If you feel like it, go and make disciples of all nations.” He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This imperative is a foundational aspect of Christian life and church ministry. When a local church is missions-minded, it recognizes that the call to evangelize the world is not just for missionaries or a select group, but for the entire body of believers.

For many churches, this means being intentional in fostering a culture that equips and mobilizes every member to share the Gospel in their everyday lives — in their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and among their families. The local church has the responsibility to both nurture and send out believers to fulfill this Commission.

3. Engaging with the Global Church

When a church adopts a missions-minded approach, it becomes part of a larger, global body of believers. Missions is not just about helping the “lost”; it’s about building relationships with other Christians worldwide, learning from different cultural expressions of worship, and supporting those who are on the front lines of Kingdom work.

Being involved in global missions helps the local church recognize the broader scope of the Kingdom of God, giving a deeper understanding of how God is at work around the world. Whether through prayer, financial support, or sending laborers into the harvest, churches have an opportunity to partner with ministries that are doing Kingdom work in places their church may never physically visit.

4. Broadening the Vision of the Church

Mission-minded churches often cultivate a broader perspective on ministry. They realize that the needs of the world — both physical and spiritual — are vast. This sense of global responsibility can lead to innovative ways of doing ministry at home. For example, the church might begin to see its local context as part of the larger mission field and recognize the growing diversity in their own neighborhoods as an opportunity to witness to various cultures and languages.

5 . Empowering the Next Generation

Being missions-minded is also a way of empowering the next generation of believers. Children and youth need to see the mission of God as a priority, both globally and locally. This focus on missions helps raise up a new generation of leaders who understand the importance of outreach, service, and making disciples.

A Church On Mission

The mission of the church is not just one program among many; it should be the driving force behind everything the church does. When a church is missions-minded, it is aligning itself with the heart of God, obeying Christ's command, and expanding its reach to the ends of the earth. A missions-minded church is one that is outward-facing, committed to making disciples both locally and globally, and continually equipping its members to live as missionaries wherever they are.

As the body of Christ, we are all called to be a part of God's mission. Whether by going, sending, praying, or giving, we all play a role in spreading the Gospel all around the world. A missions-minded church is not just concerned with its own survival or growth; it exists for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom on earth. By embracing this mindset, the church will fulfill its true purpose and leave a lasting impact on the world for the sake of the Gospel.

Want to see what we're up to around the world and/or see how you can partner with us? Check out our S.L.I.C.E. program by clicking the link below.

Raising Support: Going Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:38:30 GMT

If even hearing the phrase “support raising” makes your stomach churn, you’re not alone. For many people trying to make an impact, the idea of asking others for financial support feels awkward, uncomfortable, and maybe even wrong. You don’t want to be seen as a burden, and the thought of rejection is, well, terrifying.

But here’s the thing - support raising isn’t about begging for money or putting people on the spot. It’s about building relationships, fostering partnership, and inviting others to join you in making a difference. If you're willing to challenge your perspective, let's talk through some reasons why support raising might not be the scary, burdensome task you've imagined.

Support Raising is Ministry Too

When you’re pursuing a mission to serve others, the idea often comes with a mindset of “I’ll do all the work, others can cheer me on from afar.” But here’s a perspective shift - support raising is ministry.

When you invite others to give, you’re offering them the chance to partner with you in something larger than themselves. You’re helping them use their resources to sow into a mission that aligns with their values and passions. Giving is as much a spiritual practice as prayer or church attendance. By raising support, you’re not just asking for funds; you’re inviting people to step into God’s work in a tangible way. It’s about co-laboring, not “funding” you.

Raising Support Builds Genuine Relationships

Think of support as more than just financial backing - it's a foundation for deeper connections. Most people who give to your mission aren’t doing it just out of obligation. They care about you, your goals, and the community you’re serving. This shared commitment often forges powerfully authentic relationships.

Plus, when you approach support raising relationally, it moves beyond transactions. It becomes about conversations, listening to what excites others, and celebrating the shared impact you’re both helping to create. Donors stop being a separate “group” in your mind—they become friends, cheerleaders, and advisors. Who wouldn’t want to grow their circle that way?

It’s Not About Taking; It’s About Sharing

One of the biggest roadblocks many face is the fear of being a burden. “What will they think of me asking for money?” is a question that loops on repeat. But here’s a reframing exercise for you.. stop thinking about it as “asking for money” and start thinking about it as “sharing opportunities.”

There are people out there who have the resources and desire to contribute to meaningful work. They’re just waiting for the right cause or person to guide them. When you present your mission, you're offering them a chance to align with their own heart's calling. You’re not taking; you’re creating an opportunity for them to give with purpose. That’s a gift, not a burden.

Growth Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone

Let’s be real, anything worthwhile often comes with challenges. Support raising can be humbling, stretching, and maybe even nerve-wracking at first. But here’s the thing about discomfort.. it’s where growth happens.

You’ll grow in courage by stepping out in faith. You’ll become a better communicator as you share your mission. You’ll develop resilience along the way. And perhaps most beautifully, you’ll see God meet you in your weakness, showing you that the ultimate provider isn’t your donors; it’s Him.

A Practical Approach That Changes Everything

If you’re still hesitant, here’s a tip - treat it like storytelling. Rather than starting conversations around money, focus on sharing stories of the why behind your mission.

Why does this mission matter to you?
What impact will this mission have on the community you’re serving?
How are lives already being changed?

When people connect emotionally and spiritually with your story, support becomes secondary. Vision inspires generosity far more than numbers do.

The Truth About Rejection

Rejection is one of the top fears for people who are new to support raising. “What if they say no?” is a valid concern. But here’s the truth—not everyone will partner with you financially, and that’s okay.

Some will decline simply because they aren’t able to, and that’s not a reflection of their care for you. Others may not feel called to your specific mission, and that’s also okay. What counts is that you are faithful in sharing your vision. Every “no” is just one step closer to the person who will wholeheartedly say “yes.”

You’re Not Alone in This Journey

Finally, remember that you are not alone. There are thousands of people who’ve felt the same apprehensions you’re feeling right now and have come out the other side with stories of gratitude and joy. There are tools, resources, and communities ready to help guide you through.

If you’re serious about your calling but still feel unsure about support raising, you don’t have to go it alone. Take small steps, lean on your faith, and surround yourself with others who can mentor and encourage you. You might just find that support raising transforms not only your work but your own heart as well.

Your Next Step

Still wondering how to get started or need help navigating the process? We’d love to connect with you and provide resources or guidance as you walk this road. Feel free to reach out to learn more because together, we can make your mission come alive.

Interested in joining our team? Click the link below to see our open positions!

I’m Getting Married. Should I Wait to Go into Missions?

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 17:59:22 GMT

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, chances are you’re either newly engaged or freshly married, standing at the start of a beautiful new chapter with your partner. Marriage is such a joyful, God-ordained union, but it also comes with its share of questions, especially if you feel called to foreign or local missions. You might find yourself wondering, “Should we wait to go into the mission field? Should we take time to settle into married life first? Can we truly balance both?”

These are big questions, and there are no “one-size-fits-all” answers. But with prayer, reflection, and some guidance, you can discern if this is the right time for you and your spouse to step into missions together. Here’s some food for thought as you prayerfully consider this decision.

Your Marriage Is a Ministry

Before addressing whether or not to jump into missions, it’s essential to recognize one powerful truth. You and your spouse’s union is already a ministry. Your marriage is a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church. Through your partnership, you model sacrificial love, mutual respect, and unwavering commitment, which can be a testimony to those around you.

However, just like any ministry, it requires time, effort, and intentionality. Especially in the early days of marriage, you’ll be laying down the foundation for how you and your spouse communicate, resolve conflicts, and grow together spiritually. Ask yourselves honestly - Are we at a place where we can serve others while continuing to nurture the health of our relationship?

Marriage and missions can go hand in hand, but ensuring that your relationship is solid and Christ-centered is key before taking that next step.

Reasons to Enter the Mission Field Now

There are a few reasons why jumping into the mission field as newlyweds might be a good choice for you both:

1. You Share a Unified Calling

If you and your spouse feel equally passionate and called by God to missions, this might be His way of inviting you to serve Him directly together. Entering into missions as a couple can deepen your partnership and strengthen your faith as you face challenges and celebrate victories together.

2. It Can Shape the Foundation of Your Marriage

For some couples, starting married life in a mission field can fortify the foundations of their relationship in a unique way. Serving others together teaches compassion and selflessness on a whole new level. It helps you lean on Christ and each other in ways that a more routine life may not.

3. Timing Might Be Aligned

If both of your lives are at a stage where you’re relatively free of heavy obligations (like children, long-term careers, or debts), it may be the perfect season for you to pursue mission work. This flexibility is not guaranteed in every life stage, and you may want to strike while the timing is right.

Reasons to Pause Before Taking This Step

While mission work is beautiful and important, there are certain circumstances that may warrant waiting until later to step into this calling:

1. You Need Time to Adjust to Married Life

Marriage is a significant life change, and it’s okay to take a season to adjust and focus on building a strong partnership before stepping into the additional challenges of mission work. Remember, there’s no shame in prioritizing your relationship as a way of preparing for future ministry.

2. Logistics Need to Be Worked Out

Missions often demand significant financial preparation, logistical planning, and even cultural adjustments (if moving abroad). If things feel rushed or unclear in these areas, taking some extra time to prepare can make your time in the mission field far more fruitful and enjoyable.

3. God May Be Calling You to Minister Locally First

Sometimes God’s calling begins at home. There may be opportunities in your local community or through your church where He wants you to pour into others before taking a larger leap toward formal mission work. Starting “small” in your community is no less meaningful in His eyes.

Questions for You and Your Spouse to Prayerfully Consider

If you’re stuck trying to decide whether or not now is the right time, here are some questions to discuss as a couple:

Do we feel equally called to missions?
Have we sought God’s guidance together in prayer?
How will mission work impact our ability to nurture our marriage?
Are we spiritually, emotionally, and financially prepared for this step?
Can we serve wholeheartedly in this season of our lives?

God’s Timing Is Always Perfect

Whether you decide to enter missions now, later, or not at all, know this - your life and marriage are always a vessel for His work. If the timing doesn’t feel right, trust that God will open doors when He knows you are ready. If you are called to go now, trust that He will equip and guide you through every step.

Whatever your decision, walk forward with confidence knowing that God is with you in this exciting new chapter of your life.

If you still have questions, don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are countless Christian couples navigating this same decision, and there’s a community here for you. Share your thoughts in the comments below or reach out for support. No matter where God calls you to serve, He will be glorified through your faithful heart and your commitment to Him.

Want to explore more if this step is right for you and your spouse? Check out some of FREE Missions Mobilization Resources below.

How Effective is Online Training for Missionaries?

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:16:21 GMT

Missionary work is a calling that requires dedication, compassion, and an ongoing commitment to learning. Traditionally, preparation for mission work has often involved hands-on, in-person training sessions. However, with advancements in technology and access to reliable internet services, many organizations are turning to online training as a modern solution. But how effective is online training for missionaries? Let's explore.

The Shift to Online Training

The past decade has witnessed an incredible rise in online learning platforms. For missionaries, this shift offers a new way to prepare for the unique challenges of their work. Online training programs are flexible, accessible, and often cost-effective, making them an appealing option for churches and missions organizations alike. However, the effectiveness of these programs depends on their content, format, and the learners themselves.

The Benefits of Online Training for Missionaries

Online training offers several specific advantages that cater well to the needs of missionaries:

1. Flexible Learning Schedules

Missionary candidates often juggle multiple responsibilities, such as church commitments, family obligations, and other preparation tasks. Online training removes the need to be in a specific location at a set time. This flexibility allows candidates to engage with materials at their own pace, fitting learning into their busy lives.

2. Global Accessibility

Many mission fields are located in remote areas. Online training opens up opportunities for individuals living far from training hubs or in countries where resources for missionaries might be limited. A stable internet connection is all that's required to connect with world-class training programs, making online accessibility a game-changer.

3. Cost-Effective Learning

Travel expenses, accommodation, and printed materials can make traditional training sessions costly. Online programs reduce these costs significantly by delivering resources digitally. For missionary organizations operating on limited budgets, these savings can be redirected toward other vital areas of ministry.

4. Field-Specific Resources

Online training programs can provide specialized resources tailored to specific mission fields. From cultural awareness modules to language lessons and scenario-based exercises, these resources ensure missionaries are well-prepared for the unique challenges they may encounter.

5. Ongoing Development

Learning doesn't stop with deployment. The beauty of online training is that it can continue to support missionaries throughout their journeys. Whether it's accessing refresher courses, joining online forums, or participating in webinars, missionaries can remain equipped and encouraged as they serve.

Potential Challenges with Online Training

Despite its benefits, online training comes with its own set of challenges. Recognizing these can help organizations improve the effectiveness of their programs.

1. Lack of Personal Interaction

Face-to-face interactions often enrich learning experiences. Physical training sessions provide opportunities for fellowship and hands-on guidance, which can foster a stronger sense of community. Online training may struggle to replicate this dynamic, potentially leaving missionaries feeling isolated during their preparation.

2. Technical Barriers

Not every missionary candidate will have access to a reliable internet connection or the necessary devices for online training. These barriers can be particularly pronounced in rural or underprivileged areas, limiting the accessibility of online programs.

3. Self-Motivation Required

Online learning requires discipline and self-motivation. Some individuals may find it challenging to stay engaged without the structure of an in-person classroom environment. Programs must incorporate interactive and engaging elements to ensure learners remain committed.

Tips for Enhancing the Effectiveness of Online Training for Missionaries

To ensure online training is as impactful as possible, organizations should consider the following:

Include Interactive Features : Live webinars, discussion forums, and quizzes can make training sessions more engaging.
Blend with Offline Components : Where possible, combining online lessons with occasional in-person meetups can bring balance and foster community.
Focus on Contextual Training : Incorporating field-specific scenarios and case studies will better prepare missionaries for real-life challenges.
Invest in Support Systems : Creating avenues for mentorship, guidance, and peer support ensures that learners feel connected and encouraged throughout their training.
Regularly Update Content : Mission fields evolve, and so should the training. Keeping materials current and relevant ensures maximum impact.

Is Online Training the Future of Missionary Preparation?

The effectiveness of online training ultimately depends on how it's implemented. While it might not entirely replace in-person training, it serves as an invaluable complement to traditional methods. When done right, online training equips missionaries with the tools to serve effectively, no matter where they’re called to go.

At its core, missionary work is about serving others and sharing the hope of the Gospel. Having tools like online training allows missionaries to be better prepared for this vital calling, creating opportunities to make a greater impact in the mission field.

Want to find out if online training is right for you?

Explore GFM’s Online Missionary Training Program (linked below) and get your first module FREE on us!

Can I Be a Missionary If I'm Not Good with Languages?

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 15:43:06 GMT

If you've felt called to mission work but are worried about your lack of language skills, you're not alone. Many aspiring missionaries experience this concern. The idea of traveling to another country and sharing the Gospel can feel overwhelming, especially if learning a new language doesn’t come naturally to you. But here’s the good news—you don’t need a gift for languages to answer God’s calling.

Mission work isn’t about being perfect; it’s about having a heart ready to serve. Language proficiency is a tool, but it’s not the heart of the mission. If you're asking yourself, "Can I still be an effective missionary without being fluent in another language?" the answer is a resounding, "Yes!"

Why Language Skills Aren’t the Only Factor in Missionary Work

1. The Power of Love and Human Connection

Language is just one of many ways to communicate. Kindness, service, and genuine love have a language of their own. A warm gesture, a helping hand—these actions often speak louder than words. Missionary work is about building relationships, and relationships can thrive even when words are few.

2. Teamwork Makes the Mission Work

Most missionaries don’t work alone. Often, you'll be part of a team that includes locals and translators who can bridge the language gap. Trust your team and lean on their skills to help you communicate effectively. Relationships within the mission field are built by working together, not by handling everything on your own.

3. God’s Strength in Your Weakness

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Your perceived weakness—like not being great with languages—can be an opportunity for God to work through you and show His power.

Practical Tips for Missionaries Who Struggle with Languages

If you’re still concerned about your language skills, don’t worry. There are practical ways to overcome this challenge.

1. Learn the Basics

Even if mastering the language isn’t your strong suit, learning a handful of key phrases can make a big difference. Simple greetings, common expressions, or essential Bible verses in the local language show effort and respect. Apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone can be great for picking up foundational phrases.

2. Use Technology

Modern technology is an excellent resource for missionaries. Translation apps like Google Translate or Pocketalk allow you to engage in conversations without needing fluency. While these tools aren’t perfect, they can help you communicate in a pinch.

3. Build Non-Verbal Communication Skills

Body language, eye contact, and gestures are nearly universal, but not always. However, a sincere smile or a gesture of prayer communicates compassion and faith even when words aren’t understood.

4. Immerse Yourself in the Culture

Language is only one part of a culture. Learning cultural customs, traditions, and ways of life helps you connect with the people you are serving. Respecting and participating in local practices demonstrates your commitment to the community.

5. Rely on Local Partners

Work alongside local pastors or church leaders who are fluent in both the language and the culture. They can help your message resonate more deeply with the community.

Focusing on What Matters Most

Remember, your primary mission isn’t linguistics—it’s sharing God’s love. Perhaps the greatest message you can bring is not something you say, but something you live. Be present, be authentic, and give your best in every interaction.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Holy Spirit empowers and equips us to do the work God has set before us. Trust that He will provide what you need, even if you struggle with languages.

God’s Call Goes Beyond Words

If God has placed a desire in your heart to be a missionary, don’t let fear of language barriers hold you back. He has called you for a purpose, and He will make a way. An open heart, faith, and a willingness to serve are more powerful than any fluency in words.

Whether you’re just starting your missionary journey or considering your options, you are not alone. Lean on God, seek support from your community, and know that your unique gifts—language skills or not—are valuable in His Kingdom. If you're ready to take that next step, prayerfully consider how God might use you, just as you are. Your mission field awaits, and incredible opportunities to make a difference are just a prayer away.

For additional help and practical missionary training, check out our Online Missionary Training School linked below!

The first module is FREE, so what are you waiting for?

Abiding in Jesus: The Foundation of a Thriving Missionary’s Life

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 21:31:58 GMT

When you feel the weight of the nations on your shoulders and the day-to-day challenges of missionary life press in, it’s easy to lose focus on what truly sustains us. Yet, one truth remains unshakable: it is only by abiding in Jesus that we, as missionaries, can thrive—spiritually, emotionally, and even practically.

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit apart from the vine, we cannot accomplish eternal work apart from the One who gives life. But what does it look like to abide in Jesus daily? And how can this become the foundation of a flourishing missionary life?

What Does It Mean to Abide in Jesus?

At its core, abiding in Jesus means living in close, ongoing fellowship with Him. This is not just a Sunday morning experience or a quick morning devotion before you rush out the door. Abiding is a posture of the heart—a constant awareness of and dependence on Jesus for every decision, every step, and every goal.

Jesus says in John 15:5 (ESV), "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." This paints a vivid picture of our relationship with Him. Without Him, we are powerless. But when we remain connected to Him, His strength, wisdom, and love flow into every aspect of our lives, enabling us to bear fruit for His kingdom.

For a missionary, abiding in Jesus isn't optional—it's essential.

Why Abiding Matters for Missionaries

Missionary life can often feel overwhelming. From adapting to a new culture to navigating spiritual warfare and nurturing disciples, the demands are many. It’s easy to fall into the trap of relying on your own strength. However, striving to serve without abiding leads to burnout and a ministry that lacks the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s why prioritizing abiding is crucial for missionaries:

Spiritual Renewal : Time in Jesus’ presence refreshes your soul, giving strength for the work He has called you to.

Guidance and Clarity : When you abide, you are better attuned to His voice, allowing Him to direct your every step.

Peace Amid Challenges : Abiding fosters an unshakable peace, even when circumstances are chaotic.

Fruitful Ministry : True fruit comes not from our effort but from His Spirit working through us.

Missionary work is not about what you can do for God; it’s about what God can do through you when you are rooted in Him.

How to Abide Daily as a Missionary

Abiding in Jesus doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentionality. Here are some practical ways to incorporate abiding into your daily life:

1. Prioritize Daily Time in the Word

Whether it's a quiet moment in the morning, mid-day reflection, or evening devotion, the Word of God is your sustenance. Through Scripture, Christ reveals Himself, guides you, and reminds you of His promises. Approach His Word not just as a task but as a way to commune with Him.

2. Cultivate an Active Prayer Life

Prayer is more than just presenting your needs to God. Think of it as an ongoing conversation—bringing your joys, struggles, and ministry needs before Him while listening for His voice. Include moments of stillness and simply rest in His presence.

3. Surround Yourself with Community

Even in remote mission fields, seek out fellowship whenever possible. Fellow believers provide encouragement and accountability, helping you stay anchored in your walk with Christ. If face-to-face fellowship isn't possible, consider virtual prayer groups or missionary support networks.

4. Rest and Sabbath Rhythms

Remember, abiding includes trusting Jesus enough to rest. Setting aside one day a week as a Sabbath allows space to reflect on His goodness, recharge your spirit, and experience His delight in you—not for what you do but for who you are.

5. Surrender Daily

Abiding includes surrendering your plans, your desire to control outcomes, and even the disappointments of ministry at His feet. Trust that He will bring about His purposes in His time and way.

6. Stay Spiritually and Emotionally Honest

Be honest with Jesus in your abiding relationship. Bring your fears, doubts, and weariness before Him. He meets you where you are, offering grace and strength for the road ahead.

Living Out a Thriving Missionary Life

Missionary life is no small calling. It requires courage, resilience, and sacrifice. But above all, it demands a heart that remains deeply connected to Jesus. When we abide in Him, we are not only nourished but also empowered to carry out His mission with joy and effectiveness.

If you’re a missionary navigating the highs and lows of ministry, take heart—Jesus is with you, inviting you to walk with Him daily. Build your foundation on the vine. The fruit will follow.

Would you like more resources or encouragement on staying rooted in your relationship with Jesus?

Reach out to us or connect with others in our community who are committed to abiding and thriving in their faith. Together, we can support one another in walking the path He has set before us.

How to Use Your Retirement to Serve a Greater Purpose

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 19:46:37 GMT

As I approached retirement from federal service, my wife and I had the privilege of attending a weekend retreat that posed a question we’d never deeply considered before: how could we use our retirement to make a meaningful impact for God’s Kingdom?

During one small group discussion, a real estate attorney shared his doubt that his skills could have any relevance in world missions. It was a perspective I couldn’t help but challenge, drawing on my experience rebuilding land tenure systems in Afghanistan. After all, the lack of expertise in areas like his has left 1.5 billion people worldwide grappling with issues like poverty, loss of cultural identity, and environmental degradation.

With over 11,000 Americans celebrating their 65th birthday each day in 2024, including me, we’re witnessing an era nicknamed the “silver tsunami.” This unprecedented wave of retirees is breaking records, with over 4 million people turning 65 every year through 2027. Despite the growing potential for retired professionals to step into fulfilling second careers, retreats like the one I attended—focused on exploring missions as a post-career path—are no longer regularly offered due to “insufficient demand.”

But the truth is, plenty of resources exist to help retirees leverage their unique skills for a greater purpose. Whether you’re interested in overseas missions, local ministry, or simply making a lasting impact in your community, there’s a path available.

Why Your Former Career Skills Matter in Missions

Missions often require various talents to address complex challenges within communities. While traditional roles in missions are vital, your career experience can bring a unique perspective and much-needed expertise to diverse operations. Here’s why your skills matter:

Practical Solutions : Many mission initiatives involve solving pressing community issues, such as improving access to healthcare, education, or clean water. Specific technical or administrative skills can pave the way for sustainable, real-world solutions.

Bridge Gaps : Missions often involve cross-cultural communication and resource management. Your professional experience—whether it’s in sales, project coordination, or human resources—might be exactly what's needed to support those efforts.

Empower Local Communities : Sharing the knowledge you’ve gained through your experience may equip local individuals and teams with the tools and skills needed to continue development work long after you're gone, which is a lasting legacy.

Questions to Explore with Your Trusted Community:

"What do you see as my unique strengths?"
"How do you think my personality and skills are tied to a possible calling?"

Their perspectives may provide invaluable clarity.

Moving Forward

Your skills represent a lifetime of unique experience and expertise that can be used in service to God’s Kingdom. By identifying your strengths, refining transferable skills, and seeking clarity from those who know you well, you’ll be better prepared to step into a fruitful second career post-retirement.

If you’ve been wondering how your talents could align with impactful opportunities, why not start by exploring your skillset today? You might just discover that the next chapter of your life holds your greatest purpose yet.

Douglas Batson retired from the U.S. Department of Defense after 30 years. He is a National Certified Career Counselor and Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Explore Business As Mission

Learn how you can leverage the skills you've learned and developed for the Kingdom of God. Click the link below to get started!

Navigating Educational Paths for Kids on the Mission Field

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:29:19 GMT

When God called the disciples to follow Him, they were instructed to drop their nets, leave everything they knew, and follow. Although we may not have “nets” to drop, when God calls His people to GO, much is left behind. Family, friends, belongings, even favorite foods. When God calls families to the field, not only are the parents’ lives changed, but the children’s lives are, too. While saying yes to the Lord is always worth it, it also comes with unique challenges. Case in point: Education. Thankfully, modern missionary families do have some options depending where they are going.

What are the schooling options where you are going? Will you homeschool? What are the requirements in the country you are moving to? How about an international school? Or a boarding school? A missions school? Depending on where you are going, the possibilities are endless… or sometimes there is only one. Missionary families must weigh various educational options to find what best suits their child’s needs and their situation, and this can be exceptionally overwhelming to navigate.

Where to Start?

Do your research. What are the laws where you are going? Is homeschooling legal? What is the national education system like? Are you going to a city that has international schools? Will language be a barrier to your child’s education? If you have older children, is boarding school an option that might need to be considered? This may seem overwhelming, but reaching out to other expats in the area you are traveling to, or even a quick Google search can answer some of these questions for you.
Understand that location matters. If you are traveling to a city, you are likely to have more options than a person traveling to a rural location.
Evaluate your values. What does your family value in terms of education? What are the things you are close handed about, and what things can you be open handed about?
Evaluate your children. If you are feeling like this is all a lot to process, imagine how your child feels! What are things he or she likes about their current schooling situation? How does your child learn best? How can you carry those things through this time of transition?
Talk to your sending organization. Many organizations have staff members who are there to help you make decisions that are best for your child. These people are experts on educating children cross culturally. Even if you homeschool in the states and plan to continue that on the field, there are factors that should be considered and need to be processed during this time of transition. Ask questions, ask for support, and listen to their recommendations.

Helpful Questions and Tips about Different Schooling Options

Homeschooling

What curriculum will you use?
How will you transport this curriculum for each of your children to the field for however long your term is?
Is there a local co-op, or a particular curriculum that members of your team currently use?

International Schools

What is the primary language of the international school?
How close is it to your home?
What is the curriculum used?
What is the cost, and can it be a part of your support raising?

Online Learning Platforms

Do you have consistent internet access?
How much parent support is required?
Does the school provide support for struggling students?

Local Schools and Cultural Immersion

What is the local school system like?
Will the school be able to support your child with their limited language schools?
In the area you are moving to, are there other expats whose children attend the school?
In terms of education, will your child be able to meet educational standards when you return from the field for home assignments if they attend the local schools?
Tip: Some parents work with schools to allow their kids to attend for language learning purposes

Boarding School

Many parents cannot fathom sending their children to boarding school, but the truth is, sometimes it is the right option for your child.
What is the cost of the boarding school, including travel to and from over breaks?
How do they care for the whole child emotionally, spiritually, educationally and physically?
How difficult is it for you to get and from the school?

Hard, but not Impossible

Moving between countries and educational systems can be overwhelmingly challenging, but you are not alone. There have been many people who have gone before you, and as with every part of this journey, the Lord goes behind you, before you, and hedges you in.

Need some guidance? We're here to help!

Reach out through the contact link below and someone with our team will be able to help answer your questions and point you in the right direction.

Transforming Your Day Job Skills for Mission Work

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 20:22:39 GMT

Business as Missions . In a world where the need for compassion and outreach is greater than ever, many people find themselves asking, "How can my current job skills be used in missions?" This question reflects a desire to serve and make a difference, using the talents and experiences gained in everyday work. If you've been pondering how to integrate your professional skills into mission work, this guide is for you. We'll explore practical ways to transfer the abilities you've honed in your career to meaningful missions efforts.

Identifying Transferable Skills

Before you can apply your skills to missions, you need to identify what they are. Start by making a list of your core competencies. Look beyond technical abilities to include soft skills like leadership, communication, and problem-solving. Many professionals are surprised to discover just how transferable their skills are.

Consider a project manager, whose skills in organization and multitasking can prove invaluable in coordinating mission trips. Or think about a healthcare worker, whose compassion and medical knowledge can bring much-needed relief to underserved populations. The key is recognizing that skills often overlap across professions and missions.

The Intersection of Faith and Profession

Finding the link between your profession and mission work can seem daunting at first. However, the intersection of faith and work is not just possible but necessary. Your job has equipped you with unique skills that can be of immeasurable value in mission work. Whether you're an accountant, teacher, nurse, or engineer, the expertise you've cultivated can serve communities in need.

For instance, if you're an IT specialist, consider how technology can be used to improve communication in remote mission fields. Similarly, if you have experience in education, you could help develop curriculum for schools in underprivileged areas. Recognizing these intersections not only enriches mission efforts but also deepens your own spiritual and professional fulfillment.

Communication Skills in Missions

Effective communication is crucial in missionary work. If you've developed strong communication skills in your current job, you could be well-equipped for a mission setting. These skills are essential for building relationships, teaching, and collaborating with others.

In missions, you might find yourself in a situation where language barriers exist. Your ability to communicate clearly and patiently becomes an asset. Additionally, effective communication aids in conveying complex information succinctly, whether you're explaining a new process to a team or sharing important updates with supporters back home.

Leadership and Management

Leadership isn't confined to boardrooms; it's a vital component of missions work as well. Your ability to lead and manage can be a significant asset in organizing and directing missions activities. Whether leading a small team on a short-term missions trip or managing a long-term project, these skills are indispensable.

Missions work often involves diverse groups of people with different backgrounds and skill sets. Your leadership skills can help unify and motivate these groups, enabling successful collaboration and achievement of missions goals.

Technical Skills in Missions Work

In today's digital world, technical skills are in high demand, even in the mission field. Whether it's setting up a reliable communication system, maintaining IT infrastructure, or utilizing digital tools for data management, your technical know-how can significantly enhance missions efficiency.

Want to learn more?

Explore our Business as Mission (BAM) program linked below!

Teaching and Training

Teaching is more than a profession; it's a calling, especially in missions work. If you're an educator, your skills are invaluable in spreading knowledge and empowering individuals through education. From developing literacy programs to teaching vocational skills, there are countless ways to apply your teaching expertise in missions.

Training is another area where your skills can shine. Whether you're training local leaders or volunteers, your ability to impart knowledge effectively can lead to sustainable change. Missions thrive on the ability to educate and equip others, making teaching and training skills crucial.

Healthcare Skills

Healthcare professionals are always in demand on the mission field. Your medical training is valuable for communities with limited access to healthcare. From providing basic medical care to training local healthcare workers, your skills can save lives and improve health outcomes.

Beyond clinical skills, your ability to educate communities on health and wellness is equally important. Teaching preventative healthcare practices and promoting hygiene can lead to long-term health improvements in underserved areas.

Financial and Business Acumen

Financial management is a critical aspect of missions work. If you've developed business acumen in your career, these skills can contribute to effective budgeting, fundraising, and resource allocation. Missions require careful financial planning to ensure sustainability and impact.

Your business skills can also aid in developing income-generating activities within communities, promoting economic empowerment. This fosters self-sufficiency and reduces dependency on external resources.

Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness

Cultural sensitivity is essential in missions work. Your ability to understand and respect cultural differences enhances relationships and facilitates effective communication. This awareness helps avoid misunderstandings and fosters mutual respect.

Your experiences in diverse work environments can serve as valuable preparation for cross-cultural missions. Being open-minded and empathetic allows you to connect with others on a deeper level, enhancing the impact of your missions work.

Taking the Next Step in Missions Work

Integrating your job skills into mission work is a great way to serve others and grow in your faith. By identifying your transferable skills and applying them strategically, you can make a meaningful impact in communities around the world. Whether you choose to volunteer part-time or commit to long-term mission work, your skills can be valuable assets in advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

My Life Before Jesus Was A Disaster. Can I Still Be A Missionary?

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 18:34:52 GMT

Life can often feel like a chaotic whirlwind, leaving us searching for meaning and direction. For many, discovering faith can provide a profound sense of peace and purpose. Yet, it's all too common to wonder if past mistakes disqualify one from making a significant contribution to the world, especially in roles as noble as becoming a missionary. If you've found yourself thinking, "My life before Jesus was a disaster," rest assured—you're not alone. This blog will explore how anyone, regardless of their past, can find purpose and even become a missionary.

Why Your Past Doesn't Define You

The notion that past mistakes can dictate our future potential is a burden many carry. It's easy to feel trapped by previous choices, but it's essential to understand that faith offers a fresh start. In Christianity, the concept of redemption is foundational; every soul has the potential to transform and inspire. The Bible is filled with stories of individuals whose lives were turned around by God, proving that one's past does not limit their future.

The Power of Redemption Stories

Throughout history, countless individuals have experienced profound transformations that illustrate the power and grace of God. Take, for example, the Apostle Paul, whose early life was marked by persecution of Christians. His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus completely altered his path, eventually leading him to become one of the most influential missionaries in history. Such stories remind us that a rocky past can be the very foundation for a future filled with purpose and impact.

Feeling Called? Understanding a Missionary's Role

A calling to become a missionary is powerful. However, understanding what being a missionary truly entails is crucial. It's not just about traveling to distant lands; it's about embodying the teachings of Christ and spreading love and hope. Missionaries are tasked with supporting communities, sharing faith, and serving others selflessly. For those questioning their worthiness, it's important to remember that a genuine desire to serve and God’s grace lavished on us can outweigh any doubt about one's past.

Preparing Spiritually for Missionary Work

Before embarking on the path to missionary work, spiritual preparation is key. This involves deepening your relationship with God through prayer, theological study, and fellowship with fellow believers. Engaging in spiritual disciplines can fortify your faith, providing strength and clarity as you step into your calling. It's a time to seek guidance, build resilience, and understand the profound impact your unique story can have on others.

Building Skills for Effective Ministry

While spiritual readiness is paramount, practical skills are equally important for effective missionary work. Communication, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity are crucial when engaging with diverse communities. Consider seeking out training opportunities, such as workshops or courses , that can equip you with the necessary tools to serve effectively. Remember, even past experiences can contribute valuable skills that can be utilized in ministry.

Overcoming Self-Doubt and Fear

Self-doubt and fear are common barriers many face when considering missionary work, especially those with troubled pasts. But it's important to acknowledge that these feelings are natural and can be overcome. Lean on your faith, seek counsel from trusted mentors, and engage in prayer for strength and courage. By confronting these fears with faith and determination, you can move forward with confidence in your calling.

The Role of Community in Your Journey

A supportive community can be instrumental in your path to becoming a missionary. Surround yourself with fellow believers who can offer encouragement, prayer, and accountability. Share your aspirations with others who understand the missions world and can provide guidance. Your Christian community is a source of strength and can help you stay grounded as you pursue your missionary calling.

Practical Steps to Becoming a Missionary

Once you're spiritually and practically prepared, it's time to take concrete steps towards fulfilling your calling. Research different missionary organizations to find one that aligns with your values and interests. Many organizations offer training programs, mentorship, and support for aspiring missionaries. Take time to explore opportunities and seek God's guidance in choosing the right path.

The Impact of Personal Testimony

One of the most powerful tools you have as a missionary is your personal testimony. Sharing your story of transformation can inspire and encourage others on their own faith journeys. Be open and authentic about your experiences before and after finding faith. Your testimony can be a beacon of hope, illustrating the incredible change Jesus can bring about, regardless of your past.

Continuing Growth and Development

Even after beginning your missionary work, continual growth is essential. Faith is a lifelong journey, and there is always room for spiritual and personal development. Engage in regular reflection, seek opportunities for learning, and remain open to new experiences. Staying connected to your Christian community and maintaining spiritual disciplines will keep you grounded and effective in your mission.

A Call to Action for Aspiring Missionaries

If you're inspired to explore the path of missionary work, take heart knowing that your past does not determine your future. Your willingness to serve and share the message of the Gospel can make a profound impact. Reflect on your calling, prepare spiritually and practically, and take bold steps towards fulfilling your mission. Connect with others, seek guidance, and trust in the transformational power of the Gospel.

Finding Your Place in God's Plan

Ultimately, the question of whether you can be a missionary despite a tumultuous past is answered in the essence of the Gospel itself. Each person's journey is unique, and your story is a testament to the God who saves sinners and calls us into new life. You are not only capable but also uniquely equipped to impact the world in your own way, proving that no life is beyond the reach of our God.

Want to explore your sense of calling? Click the link below!

10 Reasons People Don't Go Even When They Feel Called

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Feeling called to missions is a profound experience that many people encounter at some point in their spiritual journeys. However, even with a strong sense of divine purpose, not everyone acts on this calling. Understanding the reasons behind this can provide valuable insights for those wrestling with their own call to mission work.

1. Fear of the Unknown

The idea of stepping into unfamiliar territory can be daunting. The fear of the unknown often holds people back from pursuing their calling. Concerns about safety, cultural differences, and language barriers can create anxiety and self-doubt, making it difficult to take that first step.

2. Financial Concerns

Funding a mission can be a significant obstacle. Many people worry about the financial implications of leaving their current lifestyle or job. Without the security of a steady income, the financial burden can feel overwhelming.

3. Family Obligations

Family responsibilities, such as caring for children or elderly parents, can prevent individuals from going where they feel called. The challenge of balancing these commitments with a sense of mission can lead to hesitation and delay.

4. Lack of Support

Without a supportive community or network, individuals may find it challenging to pursue their calling. Encouragement from friends, family, and church communities can make a significant difference in empowering people to act on their sense of purpose.

5. Doubts About Self-Ability

Self-doubt is a very common barrier. Many people question their skills, knowledge, and ability to make a meaningful impact in a mission setting. This lack of confidence can stall even the most passionate people.

6. Uncertainty

Sometimes, individuals may doubt the authenticity of their calling. They may question whether it is truly God's will or just a passing feeling. This uncertainty can lead to indecision and inaction.

7. Fear of Failure

The fear of not succeeding or making mistakes can keep people from taking action. The pressure to live up to expectations, both personal and perceived, can create a fear of failure that is paralyzing.

8. Comfort Zone

Leaving the comfort and familiarity of one's current environment can be difficult. The prospect of change can be unsettling, leading individuals to choose the familiar over the unknown, even when called to do otherwise.

9. Previous Negative Experiences

Past negative experiences in mission work or ministry can influence a person's decision to engage in future missions. Fear of repeating past challenges or failures can deter individuals from stepping into a new calling.

10. Misalignment with Personal Goals

Sometimes, a calling may conflict with personal ambitions or goals, leading to internal conflict. Balancing the desire to follow a calling with personal aspirations can be complex and may result in a decision not to go.

Despite feeling called, various personal, emotional, and practical factors can prevent individuals from acting on their sense of mission. Through reading about these familiar barriers, it can create a sense of comfort that you are not alone in these feelings.

If you're grappling with a sense of calling to missions and are facing some of these obstacles, we would love for you to reach out to our team for guidance and support on your path.

I Don't Like The Idea Of Support Raising... Change My Mind

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:13:40 GMT

Support raising. For many, just the mention of it brings a wave of anxiety, discomfort, and maybe even a bit of dread. The idea of asking people for money to support your mission can feel intimidating and humbling, all at once. But what if we looked at support raising through a different lens? What if, rather than seeing it as a necessary evil, we viewed it as an opportunity for spiritual growth, community building, and mutual blessing?

Understanding the Reluctance

Let's first address the elephant in the room—why do so many Christian missionaries and non-profit professionals cringe at the thought of support raising? Here are a few common reasons:

Fear of Rejection: Asking for financial support can make you feel vulnerable and open to rejection.
Pride: It can be difficult to admit that you need help.
Misconceptions: Many see it as begging or think it's inappropriate to ask for money.
Lack of Training: Without proper guidance, the process can seem overwhelming and confusing.

Reframing Support Raising

To change your mind, let's reframe the concept of support raising from a burdensome task into a meaningful, spiritually enriching endeavor.

1. A Biblical Foundation

Support raising has strong biblical roots. The Apostle Paul often received support from churches and individuals for his missionary work. In Philippians 4:15-18, Paul thanks the Philippians for their financial gifts, describing them as "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." By raising support, you are inviting others to partner in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

2. Building Relationships

Support raising is not just about money; it's about building a network of relationships. When you invite others to support your mission, you create a community of believers who are invested in the vision and goals of your work. These relationships often become sources of prayer, encouragement, and lifelong friendships.

3. Mutual Blessing

When people give to support your mission, they are blessed as well. Acts 20:35 reminds us that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." Supporters experience joy and fulfillment knowing they are contributing to God's work. Your updates and stories of impact become testimonies of God's faithfulness, encouraging and strengthening their faith.

4. Spiritual Growth

Support raising can be a powerful tool for personal spiritual growth. It forces you to rely on God’s provision and timing, teaching you humility, patience, and trust. By stepping out in faith, you're giving God the opportunity to show up in miraculous ways.

5. Professional Development

Think of support raising as a professional development exercise. You'll gain valuable skills in communication, fundraising, and project management. These skills will serve you well in your mission work and beyond.

Practical Tips for Successful Support Raising

Ready to give support raising another shot? Here are some practical tips to get you started:

Pray: Begin with prayer, asking God for guidance, wisdom, and provision.
Create a Plan: Develop a clear, concise presentation of your mission, including goals, budget, and impact.
Tell Your Story: Share personal testimonies and stories that illustrate the importance of your work.
Be Transparent: Be honest about your needs and how the funds will be used.
Express Gratitude: Always thank your supporters, acknowledging their partnership in your mission.
Stay Connected: Keep your supporters updated with regular newsletters and personal notes.

Support raising doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By viewing it as an opportunity for relationship-building, mutual blessing, and spiritual growth, you can transform your outlook and approach. Remember, you are not begging for money; you are inviting others to join you in fulfilling God's work.

Ready to take the next step?

Start by praying and asking God to change your heart and perspective on support raising. He is faithful and will provide for all your needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

You can also check out our Online Missionary Training School in the link below! Just follow the link to sign up for FREE!

I'm Not Good Enough to Be a Missionary

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:54:19 GMT

Have you ever felt the call to mission work but found yourself shackled by self-doubt? You're not alone. Many aspiring missionaries, both young and old, struggle with feelings of inadequacy. But here's the truth—being "good enough" isn't a prerequisite for God's calling.

Understanding the Feeling of Inadequacy

Before we address the solution, let's first understand the root of this common sentiment. Feelings of inadequacy often stem from:

Comparisons: We compare ourselves to others who seem more "qualified."
Past Mistakes: We believe that our past disqualifies us from serving God in this capacity.
Perceived Lack of Skills: We think we lack the necessary skills or knowledge.

Biblical Examples of Imperfect Missionaries

You will be pleased to know you are in good company when you feel inadequate. The Bible is full of stories about imperfect people whom God used mightily:

Moses: He had a speech impediment and doubted his ability to lead (Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:10).
Gideon: He considered himself the least in his family and tribe (“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6:15).
Paul: Once a persecutor of Christians, he became one of the most influential apostles (Acts 9).

These figures didn't start as towering pillars of faith— they grew into their roles through their reliance on God .

Steps to Overcome Feelings of Inadequacy

Here are some practical steps to help you overcome feelings of not being "good enough":

1. Reflect on Your Calling

Spend time in prayer and reflection to affirm your calling. Seek confirmation through Scripture, spiritual mentors, and your personal relationship with God.

2. Equip Yourself Spiritually and Practically

Study the Word: Regularly studying the Bible will equip you with the spiritual armor needed.
Gain Practical Skills: Consider mission training programs or workshops that can arm you with practical skills and fill you with knowledge.

3. Surround Yourself with a Supportive Community

Join a community of like-minded individuals who can provide support, encouragement, and accountability. Having a community behind you can make all the difference.

4. Remind Yourself of the Gospel

The truth is, none of us can ever be “good enough”. While taking steps such as reading books or taking classes to prepare for life on field are important steps to take, we will never measure up on our own. But don’t let this get you down; the good news is you don’t have to be “good enough”. We have been declared not just adequate, but holy, righteous, and blameless, by a gracious God who lived the perfect life we couldn’t live and died the sinner’s death that we deserved. We are wholly adequate for our calling not on our own merit, but because of the work of Jesus, and we are filled with His Holy Spirit who is working in and through us.

His Strength In Our Weakness

Feeling inadequate is a common hurdle for aspiring missionaries, but it's not a deal-breaker. If you're feeling uncertain, take heart. The Bible is full of so many stories of people who felt exactly as you do. Reflect on your calling, equip yourself spiritually and practically, and lean on your community for support. Trust that God will equip you with everything you need to fulfill His purpose. You'll find that you are more than capable of doing the work God has set out for you because it's not about your strength, but His working through you in your weakness.

Ready to explore further?

For more practical steps to help equip you for the field, check out our “Your Next Step in Missions” Quiz to see where GFM can come alongside you to help equip you practically for ministry.

The Role of Technology In Missions

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 21:14:24 GMT

In our increasingly digital world , the utilization of technology in missions has never been more prevalent. For missionaries, technology offers innovative solutions to age-old challenges. Gone are the days when missionaries had to rely on snail mail to send letters to supporters. Our increasingly global world offers instant connection from (almost) everywhere.

The Intersection of Technology and Mission Work

Digital Evangelism

One of the most significant ways technology is being utilized in missions is through digital evangelism. Social media platforms, blogs, and podcasts allow missionaries to reach audiences they could never have imagined a decade ago.

Social Media: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide unparalleled opportunities for sharing messages, hosting live events, and engaging with a global audience. Missionaries can connect with their supporters and share stories of life on the field, and individuals can connect across cultures and share the Gospel.
Blogs and Podcasts: Content creation platforms enable missionaries to share stories, teachings, and updates with supporters and new audiences alike. It even enables them to have a larger reach when looking to raise support.
Youtube: For quite a long time, radio evangelism was a way to give believers in closed countries access to Scripture and biblical teaching. Now Youtube is leading the way with video content that can be shared with individuals that otherwise may never have access to the Gospel.
Audio Bibles and Apps: Did you know that countries with low literacy rates are getting access to the Gospel through audio translations in their own language? Whether it’s MP3 players preloaded with Scripture or apps that offer a variety of teachings in different languages, these audio Bibles and audio teachings allow people to connect with Scripture in their own languages.

Benefits of Technology in Mission Work

Enhanced Communication

Technology bridges the gap between missionaries in the field and their support networks back home. It even helps missionaries stay in contact with friends and newer believers on the field while they are on home assignments.

Instant Messaging: Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram facilitate real-time communication, making it easier to share updates and coordinate efforts. They also allow missionaries to continue discipling seekers and believers even when they are out of the country.
Video Conferencing: Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet allow for virtual meetings, training sessions, and collaborative planning across continents. This helps disseminate information, prayer requests, and best practices, and also helps missionaries feel connected rather than isolated.
Social Media Stories: Instagram and Facebook Stories offer a quick and engaging way to share daily life, challenges, and successes with a supportive community.

Increased Reach and Accessibility

Digital tools expand the reach of missionary work all around the globe.

SEO and Content Marketing: By leveraging search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, missions organizations can ensure their messages reach those actively seeking information on topics such as faith, charity, and community support.
Youtube Ads: Youtube ads can target groups of people who have limited access to the Gospel message and put engaging content in front of them. YouTube Ads can be used to reach parts of the world and people groups who have limited access to the Gospel, so they’ll see an ad pop up while streaming other content and are able to engage with the Gospel message.
Creative Access Nations: In these countries, access to the Gospel and evangelism are strictly prohibited, even punishable by death or imprisonment. Digital tools help ministries spread the Gospel where traditional missions is not allowed. It also provides believers in these countries with access to biblical teaching and community with other believers.

Online Missionary Training School

One of the ways that Global Frontier Missions is using technology is through our Online Missionary Training School. With 20 online modules that prepare future missionaries for the field and train individuals to live missional lives, GFM is leading the way in technological innovation in missions training.

Not only do we train western missionaries, but we specifically have a program for individuals in the Global South. This area, that historically has been the recipient of the largest share of missionaries, is now one of the biggest sending regions in the world. Individuals are being trained through our Online Missionary Training School to go, serve, and share the Gospel with those who live in darkness.

Learn more about our Online Missionary Training School and find out how you can join.

Where Is "Missionary" In The Bible?

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 13:55:29 GMT

Where is "Missionary" in the Bible?

Have you ever wondered where the concept of a "missionary" comes from in the Bible? While the exact term "missionary" isn't explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures, the concept of missions and the call to spread the Gospel are deeply woven into the biblical narrative. For us, understanding these biblical references can provide a robust foundation for missions work.

The Great Commission

One of the most compelling biblical mandates for missions is found in the Great Commission. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands His disciples:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This passage is often cited as the foundational scripture for Christian missions. Jesus' command to "make disciples of all nations" underscores the global scope of the missionary call.

Early Biblical Missionaries

Paul and Barnabas

The Book of Acts offers numerous accounts of early missionaries. Paul and Barnabas are prime examples. Acts 13 details their selection and sending by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel:

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:2-3)

Their missionary journeys across the Roman Empire highlight the spread of Christianity through preaching, teaching, and establishing churches.

Philip the Evangelist

Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve in Jerusalem, also played a significant role in spreading the Gospel. In Acts 8, Philip is led by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch, underscoring the importance of individual missions work.

"Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and join this chariot.'...Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." (Acts 8:29, 35)

Missions In The Old Testament

Missions is not solely a New Testament concept. The Old Testament also contains elements of missions. The call to be a light to the nations is evident in God's covenant with Israel.

Abraham

In Genesis 12, God calls Abram (later Abraham) to leave his country and promises that through him, all the families of the earth will be blessed:

"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing...and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3)

This covenant sets the stage for the inclusive nature of God's plan for salvation.

Jonah

The story of Jonah is another clear indication of God's heart for all nations. God sends Jonah to the city of Nineveh to call its people to repentance, demonstrating His mercy and desire for other nations to know Him.

"And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" (Jonah 4:11)

The Essence of Missions in the Bible

While the word "missionary" might not appear directly, the Bible is filled with the essence of missions. From the Great Commission to the journeys of Paul and Barnabas, and the Old Testament calls to be a blessing to the nations, Scripture provides a powerful framework for global missions. This biblical foundation underscores the importance of their work and reiterates that the call to spread the Gospel is timeless and deeply rooted in God's plan for humanity.

Learn more about how you can be part of the divine mandate to spread the Gospel and make disciples of all nations.

What is a Missionary?

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:49:29 GMT

Hey, friends! We've noticed you asking, "What really is a missionary?"

Great question! We've all seen different answers to this online, right? Well, here's one we found interesting: “Literally, it's someone on a mission. But, it’s come to mean a Christian sharing [and living] the gospel with people who haven't heard it, often in a culture not their own.” Pretty cool, huh?

Most of us hear “missionary” and think: feet-on-the-ground charity work, evangelism, and church planting. An updated version of the Apostle Paul traveling the world to spread the gospel, repairing tents along the way. All these roles and attributes have been true in the history of what we call “missions”. Hundreds of thousands of Christian workers go by the title “missionary” today . What do they have in common?

At Global Frontier Missions, we love training missionaries. But here's the thing: they don't all go out to do the same job. We’ve trained business owners, church planters, marketing geniuses, and those who aid refugees.

Your mission context? Oh, it can vary! You could be in a country where Christians face persecution, requiring you to hold down a regular job, or even run a business, to stay legal. In other circumstances, a missionary may choose to utilize their professional skills to provide for “felt needs” in their community such as medical, agricultural, or teaching positions.

But whatever the scenario, what makes you a missionary is your passion to ignite the Gospel in the hearts of those around you . You’ll likely find a local church or mission team cheering you on, helping you strategize and stand strong as you share Jesus with everyone you meet.

Despite a shift in focus in recent decades towards this “business as missions” approach, more traditional mission models are still in play. Both are absolutely vital strategies in the work to see the gospel taken to every tribe, people, and tongue. In places where religious workers are welcome, it is a common and worthwhile avenue to engage in full-time church planting, discipleship, and evangelism.

Wondering what these roles look like? Let's paint a picture:

Depending on the country, missions organization, and local context, full-time Christian workers utilize a variety of strategies to sow the gospel where they live.

Missionaries I know have spent time in coffee shops and recreational sports clubs, building natural friendships with their neighbors through proximity.

Others have knocked on every door in their neighborhood, introducing themselves with the immediate intention of sharing the gospel. A friend of mine spent years as a church planter in a refugee camp, gathering believers together and shepherding their walk with Christ with patience and humility.

For missionaries whose full-time focus is Gospel-related (rather than a separate vocation), relational work is almost always the primary avenue for furthering the good news of Christ . Where “business as missions” strategies are organized around a task with the intent of forming relationships through a shared purpose, traditional missions work puts gospel-centered relational investment at the forefront. That degree of explicit focus isn’t possible (or even productive) in every situation, but it can be incredibly valuable in contexts where those being served are open to full-time investment.

Let's not forget, the gospel is all about relationships. It doesn't matter whether these are built at your job, knocking on doors, or just chatting after work. These are all routes missionaries take to invest in their communities. There's no one-size-fits-all missionary look or approach. At the end of the day, it's not how we work that matters, it's whom we work for and whom we serve. God's given us all an amazing mix of gifts to use, so let's use them! Whether you're great at HR, a whizz at theology, or a born conversationalist, there's a place for you in fulfilling the Great Commission .

"There's a place for you in fulfilling the Great Commission."

Reach out below to find your place.

Your Ebenezer

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:54:18 GMT

Several years ago, I remember singing a song one Sunday morning with the lyrics, “Here I lay my Ebenezer” (Come Thou Fount, Chris Tomlin). As a Christmas aficionado, it struck me that the only Ebenezer I could think of was Scrooge. The word stuck with me, annoyed me, and finally, made me start studying.

In 1 Samuel chapter 7, the Israelites were in trouble again. They had been called to repentance by the prophet Samuel and were returning to the Lord. They gathered at Mizpah to repent and offer sacrifices. But even in the middle of their redemption, they were not safe. The Philistines had heard they were all in Mizpah and set out to destroy them. The Israelites were afraid and called on the Lord to protect them. The Lord defeated the Philistines on behalf of His chosen people. Samuel then built a stone statue, a physical reminder, to call the people back to God's graciousness when the Israelites didn’t deserve a rescue.

Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the LORD has helped us!” ( 1 Samuel 7:12 NLT ). Fast forward roughly 2,500 years, and we are the same people. We turn our backs on God, forget His goodness, seek our own kingdoms, fall apart, see our upcoming demise, and cry out for salvation. Over and over, we forget what God did yesterday, yesteryear, and the centuries gone by.

God is faithful and unchanging. We are forgetful and mercurial. I am forgetful and mercurial. Even though I studied the word Ebenezer and the context of remembering, it continued to bother me. How often do God’s miracles fade in my memory? How often do worry and circumstances drown out His inexhaustible saving grace? How often do I need my own Ebenezer to remind me that God always has and always will be my help?

So, I created my own digital Ebenezers. I set up Google Calendar reminders for every year. When God provides, when God protects, when God promises, I set an Ebenezer. It takes 30 seconds for a lifetime of reminders. And every year, the Ebenezers increase. There are more and more each year, and each time I see one, my faith is strengthened.

I’ve lived overseas as a missionary for 8 years. The 10 years before that were spent on short-term mission trips, seeking my role in the Great Commission, and simply growing in my faith and love for God. There was no shortage of miracles during that time, or in the years since. A redeemed marriage, 3 impossible visas, 1 impossible Permanent Residency, 2 gifted vehicles, 2 years of lockdown in another country during COVID, answered prayers in so many lives, generous financial support for that whole time, and so many more miracles and promises fulfilled.

And yet, when the next crisis hits, it’s so easy to fear and stress. We immediately revert back to our own strength and understanding to “fix” the problem. And sometimes, there are things we need to do. But never once, do we need to forget to rely on God. He may ask for our obedience, our trust, our hearts, but He never asks for our solutions. He knows the immediate answer, but He also knows how our temporary struggles can glorify Him into eternity.

More importantly, we need to remember to keep our eyes on a holy perspective. God is God. He always was and always will be. The distractions of this life are always trying to tear our eyes off of God. We are tempted and tried to look at our own needs and our own wants. But when we pause and remember God’s goodness, our faith is increased.

So, how do you remember? How do you look at the miracles of the past and praise God anew? Because without reminders, we only have ourselves to rely on.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. Psalm 77:11

Want to learn more about how to find your role in the Great Commission? Check out the Habits of a Global Christian linked below!

Divine Detour: How Online Missionary Training School Transformed My Life and Calling

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 18:52:04 GMT

“I’m so grateful that these last years haven’t gone the way that I had planned!”

In 2017, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart. He reminded me of some promises He had spoken many years before. In that moment, I wasn’t sure where my life was headed or what the future would hold - but I did know one thing - I was meant to reach the world with the Gospel. I felt called to love and serve people far from my home country.

With this certainty, I searched the internet for universities with intercultural studies programs and missionary training opportunities. Before long, I stumbled across Global Frontier Missions, the Clarkston, Georgia Hub, and the Online Missionary Training School . After searching through the different options, along with many major life changes, it soon became clear that the online program would be the best option for me. Looking back, I’m so thankful for this path the Lord led me to!

When I first started training with Online Missionary Training School (OMTS), I had a lot of ideas of what I might learn, and how I would grow. Even what life would look like after I had finished the courses. But… the Lord often works in ways we don’t understand or expect – and they always end up being so much better for us, don’t they?

I thought I would be learning about other cultures, religions, and how to reach them with the Good News of Jesus. I thought I would learn what it would look like to live and work in another country far from my own; I thought I would learn things about the Bible that I hadn’t really dug into before. These were all the things I expected (and yes, I did learn all of these things.) But, what I didn’t expect was how Online Missionary Training School would change me as a person. I didn’t expect all the ways online missions training would shape my worldview and how I see our Heavenly Father. I was expecting head knowledge, but I wasn’t aware of how much OMTS would work its way deep down into my heart.

OMTS isn’t just about missions knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It’s about growing you individually, spiritually - in your relationship with God, others, and even yourself.

When I was first starting OMTS, I was going through a very difficult time in my life. I thought I knew the “calling” that the Lord had placed on my life, but at the root of it, I didn’t know who I was. I think, for most of us, the Lord wants us to be solidified in our identity in Him before we jump headfirst into what He has planned for us. That way, we won’t be serving Him out of a skewed perception of who He is and what He expects from us. Rather, we will serve others out of a place of overflowing love, because we know that we can only love because of His love for us.

In just the first few classes, I grew in my understanding of the Lord and His heart for the nations throughout all of history, from Genesis to Revelation. As I continued the training, I learned about different people groups in the world who have never heard the Gospel before, and I felt something stirring within me. My perspective of the world was expanding. I was starting to have a wider understanding of the people around me - and around the world. I was able to see different ways to grow in my relationships with others, including through hospitality.

My OMTS mentor walked me through the whole program - she helped me discover a deeper understanding of the topics discussed, watched me wrestle through some of the classes, and encouraged me when things in my life felt very uncertain. The Bible studies helped strengthen what I believe Scripture says and why I believe it. Most importantly, I learned what ministry to the nations could look like in my own backyard! This learning was key for me as I navigated continued change, transition - and sometimes - missed expectations.

During those times, one verse constantly brought me peace: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the LORD’S purpose for him that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

I thought my life would look very different than it does right now, but I couldn’t be more thankful for where I am. Since completing OMTS, the Lord has provided so many opportunities that I could have never planned for myself. He’s given close friends from countries all over the world who teach me so much, just by being with them. He’s given the opportunity to help train and mentor our current OMTS students to prepare them for whatever calling the Lord has on their lives. The Lord has stretched me and taught me so much, and I’m so grateful that these last years haven’t gone the way that I planned. . And I’m so grateful for the ways Online Missionary Training School helps me reflect Jesus in the neighborhoods and the nations.

Experience long-distance mentoring and cross-cultural training at your own pace and in your own space through our flexible online missionary training platform.

Embracing the Stranger: A Journey of Friendship and Faith

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:18:25 GMT

Matthew 25:35, “I was a stranger and you invited me in”

“How do you pronounce your name?” I asked the attendant at the boba tea shop. I had just moved to the city to attend Missionary Training School and was exploring the area near my apartment. I also tried my hand at opening up to strangers, a relatively new skill for me.

The shop attendant lit up. “Naisha*,” she answered with a smile. I ordered my tea and went on with life.

Missionary Training School (MTS) included a week of cultural exchange. We were told that some foreign-born guests would come with Global Frontier Missions staff to our apartment every afternoon for cross-cultural discussions. Sure enough, there came a knock on the front door. It was Naisha, I was so surprised!

We learned a lot from each other that first week. As it came to a close, I asked Naisha if she wanted to visit the park again. She lit up and happily agreed to a time.

At the park, we talked about boys and family and jobs and discovered that I’m a Christian and she’s a Muslim. Before we left the park, Naisha said to me, “You are my first friend since we moved to the US.” They had been here 5 months. My heart broke and swelled at the same time.

Naisha is my first Muslim friend. I thought it would be difficult to be friends while disagreeing on religion. The opposite has proven true. I thought our friendship could be in jeopardy over disagreements, but I’m learning that friendship is not based on shared opinions, but upon valuing others simply because they are made in the image of God. We have a great deal of freedom and security to disagree, and I have found the Muslim friends I have since met are entirely unafraid to discuss the most controversial of topics. This can create beautiful opportunities. But we need to take the opportunities presented to us, and that’s easier said than done.

John 15:5 “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

One day while sitting on a grassy hillside, Naisha told me, “Muslims are taught never to gossip about anyone. Do Christians have similar rules?”

There was a wide open opportunity to share the Gospel, that we are born sinners for whom rules are hopeless and need a Savior who can change us from the inside out.

Instead, I simply answered, “No, we don’t really have any rules.” I completely fumbled this opportunity and have often regretted my response.

Other times, I shared stories of answered prayers that got her hopes up. But then God didn’t answer the big prayers I prayed in front of her. “Am I doing something wrong?” I thought. The stories I told were exciting, but why wasn’t God revealing Himself to her this way? Was I off base?

Once, I invited Naisha and her sister to come join some friends as we gathered in my backyard for a livestream of our church. The pastor talked about a missionary to Muslims - something he hadn’t mentioned in any messages before - and my friends jerked a little when they heard this. We never talked about it, and they never joined us again for church. “Did that ruin their chances with church?” I wondered.

I only lived in that city for a year, including the 5 months of MTS. During that time, a fellow student and I gave Naisha a Bible and had a few partial Gospel conversations, but not anything notable.

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Four years later, I told my church community group that I was planning to visit my old city a third time and try to visit Naisha again. “I’ve often missed opportunities to share the Gospel with her,” I told them, and they prayed for me and for Naisha.

On my trip, I was only in town for two days, and it nearly didn’t work to get together with Naisha. But at the last minute, she invited me to her home for lunch while the rest of her family was out working and in school. It was delightful to see her again. As we ate, she told me about Ramadan and that the season of fasting is to pray for forgiveness and whatever else they would like to request of Allah. She asked, “Do you Christians fast?”

Acts 8:35 “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the Good News about Jesus.”

It was another opportunity. I told her briefly that Christians do fast from time to time, more to seek God’s direction or get close to God than to get a specific thing from Him. What came to mind next was the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 and how it pointed to Jesus. I thought, “Do I bother with this? It’s complex and would require me to give a whole bunch of backstory on the temple and Jewish customs and the law in lay terms… But, why not? We have time.” I shared these things with her.

Then she told me about their rendition of the story of Abraham and about the lamb that’s typically slaughtered at their Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan for their forgiveness. She said, “We believe God will provide.” I said we believe similarly, and that the provision of God has come through Jesus as the ultimate Lamb.

Next, she asked who killed Jesus, and I told the story of Jesus’ trial. After that, she told me they believe Jesus is still alive, and I shared the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension.

She suddenly asked, “Who is Jesus?”

Nearly dumbfounded, I responded, “Yes! That’s the main question of Christianity! He did and said things we all love, but also made some bold claims about Himself. That’s why we must read the Injil (New Testament) to see for ourselves.”

Then she shared her beliefs about final judgment, and I shared mine.

I was astonished! I had been able to share the whole Gospel, and the entire conversation was led by her! The door had been wide open, and I stepped right through. Convinced from my own previous futile attempts, I knew this had been God answering prayers.

We cleaned up lunch and went to the living room, finishing our time together discussing boys and family and work and life. I was more open with her than ever and savored our friendship.

Before driving away, I felt a small tug to get back out of the car and ask how I could pray for her. Unfortunately, I ignored it and regret that now. And I wish I could say she put her faith in Jesus that day, but that’s not the truth as far as I know. What I did do was worship God in the car and marvel at this impossibly perfect conversation after years of hoping and praying.

1 Corinthians 3:7 “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

Please pray for my dear friend Naisha. Pray for these seeds to bear fruit, and for her to have a great Christian community to water these seeds.

And the next time you go to a boba tea shop, ask the person how to pronounce their name and consider inviting them to the park!

*Name and details changed to protect anonymity

At Missionary Training School , we prepare individuals with the head (knowledge), heart (character), and hands (practical experience) to make them effective in cross-cultural ministry locally or overseas.

Learn more and join us in Clarkston, Georgia.

Changing Expectations: Motherhood on the Mission Field

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:21:42 GMT

Life on the field now doesn’t look anything like what I pictured 10 years ago. And yet, I’m seeing the way God is shaping our kids to be more like Him and that is what I’ve always hoped for.

I always wanted to be a mom and, of course, pictured how I would raise my imperfectly perfect children. Missions, however, were not on our radar. I was in the throws of playdates and potty training when we first felt God calling us to go to the nations.

Neither my husband nor I felt prepared or ready to take two small children abroad, so we began preparing as best we could stateside. Eventually, that led us to Clarkston , where I excitedly immersed myself in ministry and motherhood. My daughters missed their old friends but adapted well. They didn’t seem to mind some of the language barriers as they played and laughed with new friends. It helped that we’d previously lived outside of town and every get together had to be scheduled and planned. Now, they were just steps away from the neighborhood playground and the throngs of kids that went there after school. It was easy to finish my work quickly in a doctor’s office as I assisted neighbors with the countless forms. Most challenges revolved around the transition of a new baby and homeschooling. Still, balancing ministry and family seemed fairly easy and manageable.

In the preparation season, I tried to create a picture of what our life would look like overseas. I thought it would be similar to that in Clarkston, but I pictured the kids excelling at language learning and seamlessly accepting the culture. That image was quickly shattered.

Our first Sunday overseas with the kids, I reviewed some of the conversational Arabic we’d practiced. I asked them later if they’d used any of it at the children’s church program. They excitedly told me no, all the kids there spoke English! Sigh. We’d intentionally not attended an international church, but most of the children there were at least bilingual since they learned English (and sometimes French) in school.

The line between ministry and family was much more defined as well. We didn’t take our kids into the refugee camps with us so there was a shift in what our family life looked like. It wasn’t what I’d pictured as the ideal, and yet our children were thriving and transitioning well.

The pandemic hit and with it, like many, came an unexpected return from overseas ministry. I pictured resuming life in Clarkston as before. However, middle school curriculum can’t be done on the fly in doctor’s offices and our girls began voicing their own thoughts and opinions. While they did it respectfully, they expressed how much harder it is connecting to kids who don’t speak the same language and told me it wasn’t as easy as when they just played with dolls. I saw it and understood. This was not their job or responsibility. My picture of what life on the mission field should look like kept changing. Things that I thought I’d figured out no longer worked. But then, isn’t that how it is for all moms? What works for the first doesn’t seem to work for the second, etc… I think it can be applied to our own seasons as well. Our experiences change us. He changes us.

Life on the field now doesn’t look anything like what I pictured 10 years ago. And yet, I’m seeing the way God is shaping our kids to be more like Him and that is what I’ve always hoped for.

I think too often we get a picture in our heads of what life should look like if we’re walking in obedience to God. I’m starting to see that maybe instead of a picture, I’m compiling an album or collage instead. Each segment looks different and shows different aspects of faith and growth. And through it all, God is near.

Join us for Missionary Training School in Clarkston, Georgia - notably the most diverse square mile in America. Applications are now open!

The History of Missions: Bridging Cultural Narratives to Reveal Christ

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 19:42:46 GMT

Ancient Avatars and Modern Missions: Bridging Cultural Narratives to Reveal Christ

Understanding the history of missions is crucial for discerning how to be effective cross-cultural workers. By studying historical contexts, methods, and successes and failures of past efforts, we can learn valuable insights from those who have pioneered the way before us. The historical perspective of missions helps to ensure that our mission efforts are meaningful, sustainable, and culturally sound. Here, author Doug Batson delves into the historical perspective and insights of Claudius Buchanan.

Fans of the futuristic Avatar movie series await Avatar 3 , scheduled for theatre release late in 2025. Far from futuristic, the term Avatar is most ancient. Derived from the Sanskrit, Avatar referred to the descent of a Hindu deity to the earth ( 1 ). While its sources predate the birth of Jesus, an 1809 sermon by Claudius Buchanan nevertheless point directly to Christ’s incarnation.

We must believe that all the fabulous incarnations of the Eastern Mythology are derived from the real incarnation of the Son of God, or from the prophesies which went before it. Jesus the Messiah is the true Avatar . (2)

What Buchanan had hit upon is called dynamic equivalence, an unpacking of ideas conveyed by the original text; it would become a mainstay of 20th century Bible translation ( 3 ). Yet Buchanan’s descent into ancient texts was no mere serendipity. When the Anglican chaplain arrived in the sub-continent, he found that British soldiers cared nothing for religion. Thus, for some good purpose , Buchanan applied himself to learn Persian and Hindustani languages. At Fort William College in Calcutta, he took charge of a new department of Bible translation by assigning Indian nationals to efforts in many tongues. Significantly, he hired William Carey, later to be known as the Father of Modern Missions, to teach Bengali and Sanskrit ( 4 ).

Despite frail health, Buchanan visited much of India and Sri Lanka compiling ethnological data that he published as Christian Researches in India ( 5 ) . His report encouraged Anglican outreach to ancient eastern churches. Yet, more importantly, ‘twas Buchannan’s aforementioned sermon, “The Star in the East,” that stirred the heart of Adoniram Judson to become America’s first foreign missionary ( 6 ). The tract’s compelling narratives convinced Judson that Burma, despite the dangers, was fertile soil for the Gospel. Why so? First, Gentile Kings of the East had been present to welcome the Jewish Messiah, who calls all men to repent and worship Him rather than idols “graven by art and man’s device.” (7) Buchanan unpacks the particulars:

Hindoo history illustrates the history of the Gospels. There have lately been discussed in India certain Shanscrit writings, containing testimonies of Christ. They relate to a Prince who reigned about the period of the Christian era; and whose history, though mixed with fable, contains particulars which correspond, in a surprising manner, with advent, birth, miracles, death and resurrection of our Savior. Even supposing them to have been derived from the evangelical history, or spurious Gospels, it is remarkable, that they should have been recorded in the sacred language of the Brahmins, and incorporated into their mythology. The event mentioned in the Text is exactly recorded, namely, That certain holy men, directed by a Star, journeyed towards the West, where they beheld the incarnation of the Deity (8).

Second, Buchanan deduces that there can be no doubt whence originated the idea that God should become a man and take human nature upon Himself.

The Hindoos believe that one of the persons of their Trinity (and that, too, the second person) was “manifested in the flesh.” Hence their fables of the Avatars, or incarnations of Vishnoo. And this doctrine of the incarnation of the Deity is found all over Asia.

And finally, he concludes from the ancient texts of the Hindoos:

It is asserted that the “Divine Spirit, or light of Holy Knowledge” influences the minds of men. And the man who is the subject of such influence is called “the man twice-born.” Many chapters are devoted to the duties, character, and virtue of the “the man twice-born.” If, then, in the very systems of the heathen world, this exalted idea [being born again] should have a place, how much more might we expect to find it in the revelation of the true God; to which it must be traced? (9)

Likewise, the “text” in today’s Avatar sci-fi film sensations invites one to ponder similarities. For example, of the Na’vi, a fictional race of sapient humanoids who inhabit the lush moon of Pandora, it is said that every person is born twice ( 10 ). A segue to the words of Jesus is clear, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” (11) Interestedly, the term for the cinematic Na’vi people stems from the Hebrew word for prophet (Nabi in Arabic). ( 12 )

To quote Claudius Buchanan: "Every branch of knowledge which a good man possesses, he may apply to some good purpose." ( 13 ) Let us emulate the fortitude of Buchanan, Carey, Judson, and those whom Global Frontier Missions directs to South and Southeast Asia. Further dynamic equivalents from Eastern cultures await discovery so that these societies, who constitute the majority of unreached people groups, may treasure Jesus Christ, of whom the prophets foretold, as the true Avatar of God.

Looking to further your involvement in the Great Commission? Considering one of our programs? Take this quiz to see what your next step in missions might be!

(2) The Star in the East, a sermon preached by in the parish church of St. James, Bristol, England, on February 26, 1809, published by Curiosmith.com, Minneapolis, MN, 2012, p. 14

(7) Acts 17:22-31 KJV

(8) The Star in the East, p. 12 referring to the magi in Matthew 2:1-2

(9) The Star in the East, p. 15

(11) John 3:7 and 1 Peter 1:23

Author: Douglas Batson

Published: July 10, 2024

God Doesn't Waste Gifts in Missions

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 16:57:04 GMT

Maybe you have an idea of what makes a “good missionary.” Outgoing, probably independent and ambitious. Uncharted. Intense. Maybe even dangerous.

Yet God uses every member of the body of Christ.

Growing up, I knew I was going to be a missionary. Did I know what that actually meant? Absolutely not.

In my small midwestern town, my primary source of missional learning was biographies. My bookshelf was filled with stories of missionaries from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their dedication and pioneering spirit continue to inspire me. But as I took steps in my own missionary journey, I began to learn that God equipped me for a different type of ministry.

My childhood idea of a missionary included mud huts, canoes, and malaria. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout to prepare myself for such a rugged environment. If backcountry skills were needed to reach the lost with the Gospel, I was fully prepared.

Upon arriving at Missionary Training School , I quickly learned that my concept of missions was incredibly narrow. Remote villages without access to the Gospel are abundant, but even more so are globalized cities home to millions of souls lacking that same access. Rugged, pioneering spirits are still needed, but in our modern world that is far from the only skillset valuable in missions.

I received this revelation with mixed emotions. The more I pursued that pioneering idea of missions, the more my temperament clashed with the demands of such a lifestyle. Blazing a new trail and pressing forward without a playbook are not skills I possess. I’m much better suited to crafting emails and ordering napkins in bulk. Want me to plant a church in a tribal setting? Give me a few years to study and prepare. Need detailed documentation of missional strategy? Nothing would make me happier.

Maybe you have an idea of what makes a “good missionary”. Outgoing, probably independent and ambitious. Caring, tender, sensitive. Bold or passive, wise or hot-headed. Rarely do we think of computer nerds, socially “eclectic” introverts, or nervous overthinkers as missionaries. Yet God uses every member of the body of Christ. Without the whole spectrum of the church represented in missions, we’re missing something. Many things, really. Coding, marketing, statistics, counseling. Your skills are valuable to the cause of Christ.

What would a missionary with such skills even do? Where are they needed? If the typical idea of a missionary is a decisive leader, chances are the average conception of a missionary’s job is one that matches that description. Uncharted. Intense. Maybe even dangerous. In my experience, the most sought-after characteristic of a new missionary is administrative intelligence. The “bleeding hearts” and “pioneering spirits” are much quicker to recognize their place in the work of missions. They are our front lines and our poster-children. For many ministries, support roles are often more difficult to fill. IT, HR, bookkeeping, member care, communications. These are the people who enable the work to happen. Not glamorous, but necessary.

What does that role look like for you? God doesn’t waste His gifts. Look at what you have; who you are. What experiences, skills, inclinations, or resources do you have that can serve Christ and His mission in the world? Baking may seem like a frivolous hobby, but fresh food can make even the most hesitant soul feel welcome. Organizational talents may feel more suited to the corporate world, but the ability to see where things belong and streamline processes is invaluable as we work together to make Him known. Even board games and athletic abilities can open doors to otherwise closed relationships. Don’t take the gifts of God for granted. See them. Offer them up. Alone, we can do little. Together, our God is glorified.

Here at Global Frontier Missions, we'd love to help you find your place in the Great Commission. Not sure where to start? Take this quiz!

Or, if you already have an idea of how you want to get involved - like joining Missionary Training School, our South Asia base, a vision trip to Thailand, or even a staff position, get started by connecting with a Missions Advisor!

How God is using the GFM Community Garden

Wed, 29 May 2024 18:27:28 GMT

Through the Agriculture Program at Missionary Training School and in partnership with Equipping Farmers International and ECHO, participants learn best practices for sustainable agriculture while also learning how to teach those principles to others. In the "most diverse square mile in America", with over 13,000 refugees from 60+ nations, time is dedicated to cross-cultural evangelism to diaspora populations within the GFM Community Garden. Here's one of their stories:

“You do good, and you go to heaven. You do bad, and you go to hell.”

- Ben*, a Burmese farmer tending to one of the plots in the GFM Community Garden

My friend Ben is one of the gardeners renting a plot in the GFM Community Garden in Clarkston, Georgia. He says this quote often, yet it sounds like something you might hear from a nominal evangelical Christian in America. Either way, it makes my heart ache as I hear the gospel of grace being replaced by a works-based righteousness.

This gardener, my friend, comes from Burma; a country in southeast Asia where Christians represent a small minority in an overwhelmingly Buddhist country. Still, Ben knows and professes to trust in Jesus.

In all honesty, when he first said this quote, I thought something must have been lost in the translation of broken English. I wanted to assume the best so I let it roll out of my mind. However, the beauty of the Community Garden is that people come tend to their plots day in and day out, allowing me opportunities to pick up conversations from where we had previously left off, and it provides natural opportunities for me to visit my gardener friends in their homes.

Over the months, our friendship grew. And yet, I still heard him repeating this quote about only the good going to Heaven and the bad going to hell. As it came up in conversation, it became clear that Ben sincerely believed it to be true. One day, the Lord provided us an extended time where I was able to ask more questions about his faith.

As the Lord opened doors for the conversation to continue, Ben started talking about the destiny of man after everyone dies. He said to go to Heaven, you have to be “good”, meaning someone with a pure heart who stays away from the big sins. If you’re a good person, you can make it to Heaven. Although, he asserted that we never know where we will end up until after we die.

Hearing Ben share about the need to be pure in heart reminded me of Matthew 5:8, “ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God .” I affirmed him by agreeing that we really do need a pure heart if we want to go to Heaven. However, I asked if he knew the rest of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus describes the ethics of the Kingdom and puts flesh on the bones of what it means to truly have a pure heart.

Together, we read Jesus’ teachings on anger and sexual immorality and discussed how Jesus exposes our hearts by showing how our outward acts of sin come from corrupt hearts… ones that are certainly not pure. I asked Ben if he had these sins of anger or lust in his life. He said, “yes.” I replied, “So do I.” We acknowledged how, if this is true, we both have a big problem on our hands. While we might not be outwardly committing the “big sin”, the sin motive is still dwelling in our hearts.

Admitting that we are imperfect, I asked Ben how we might rid our hearts of sin and be utterly cleansed of it. He suggested meditation being a helpful way to clear our minds and remove our sin. He carried on, saying “If we are angry, we can meditate and become unangry. If we are lustful, we can meditate and become lustless.” I noted, however, that this meditation will not do us much good before God, who can see down to the depths of our hearts. Regardless of how clear our minds are, God is concerned for our hearts that are still full of anger and lust. We need a deeper cleansing. Without God, we are still impure.

We turned from the Sermon on the Mount to John 14. He was familiar with verse 16: “ I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ” I was able to share that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ, and He is the only one who can cover our sin. The blood of Jesus alone pours into the deepest canals of our hearts and cleanses us to be pure in His sight. By grace, through faith, we are truly saved.

I still meet with Ben every week. The GFM Community Garden has opened incredible doors to not only provide a place for New Americans to grow produce from their homelands, but to cultivate community and intentional relationships.

Pray with us: that the Gospel of grace sinks deeply into Ben’s and our own hearts as we seek to rest secure in the finished work of Christ.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9]

Are YOU passionate about using agriculture, farming, and gardening techniques to help share the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Through the Agricultural Program at Missionary Training School and in partnership with Equipping Farmers International (EFI) and ECHO , participants will learn best practices in sustainable agriculture based on the Foundations for Farming principles while also learning how to teach these same principles to others. The program culminates with the opportunity to participate in a one-month overseas internship with EFI, allowing them to be equipped and ready to serve the nations in both word and deed.

Our NEW Agriculture Program launches January 2025. Applications are NOW open - learn more and apply!

The Two Most Common Questions About Missions

Mon, 20 May 2024 15:53:47 GMT

There are two BIG questions that people tend to want answered before they become missionaries: 1) Is God “calling” me? And 2) What would I do?

QUESTION 1: Is God “calling” me?

Or, What do you do when you feel a “call of God”?

Or, What does it mean to “be called”?

Many Christians seem to think that God will make it obvious, miraculous even, something like a message in the sky, were He to call them to vocational ministry or missions.

And, for some, God does indeed do that.

For most Christians however, the call to missions begins with a discontentment about the world.

“I don’t like how many people in Region X are going without a gospel witness.”
“Someone should do something about the brutal poverty in Region Y.”
“God, there’s so much darkness in Region Z . Why don’t You do something about it?”

Have you ever had that sort of thought? Have you ever stopped and wondered if you might be a part of God’s response? Have you ever considered the glory and honor God would receive if His people did something about that discontentment you have about the world?

When we drive, if we don’t see an instruction to stop (other cars, a stop sign, a red light, etc), it’s as though we have a continuing green light; we are being told by the road, “Go”.

I believe, in our life in the Kingdom, we have a general “green light”. Yes, there are certainly still “red lights'', such as Paul being prohibited by the Holy Spirit from going to Asia (Acts 16:6), or matters of sin, where our freedom in Christ doesn’t permit sinful behavior. But apart from specific conviction, or moral prohibition, we have in the Kingdom, a general “green light” to go and be “salt and light” in the world.

Have you ever considered that God might have already given you a green light to serve Him in the nations? Have you considered that the discontentment you have about the world, might also be one that God has?

QUESTION 2: What would I (even) do?

This is the other big one. Even if a person has that sense of “green light” about the world, even if there is a discontentment in a person’s heart… What should they do with that? If the problem is big enough to be noticed… would someone even make a difference? Why bother? How could I or would I matter?

In the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, the disciples saw a big problem. There was a very big crowd, and the people in that crowd were getting hungry. They ask Jesus to send the people home, but Jesus tells them something quite peculiar. He tells His disciples to feed the crowd!

The disciples, understandably, don’t know where to begin. They only have five loaves of bread, and two fish. It would cost months of income to feed such a crowd. What Jesus asked isn’t practical. It isn’t even possible.

Then Jesus takes the little that the disciples do have, and He multiplies it into something that actually feeds the whole crowd. There’s even leftovers!

If this is tracking with you, what are practical next steps?

It’s not about what you don’t have. It’s about faithfully bringing the little you DO have to offer, and letting God use that small meager offering in a big way.

How about YOU, today? Is there a discontent that the Lord might be bringing to your mind?

Here at Global Frontier Missions, we would love to help you explore your first steps, get connected with possible mission organizations, and pray with you.

Written by: Thomas, GFM Staff Member

What we learned in Missionary Training School (as a married couple)

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 21:09:49 GMT

The mission field awaits... are you ready?

Missionary Training School is a five-month, intensive program designed to prepare individuals with the head knowledge, heart character, and hands-on experience to make them effective in cross-cultural ministry locally or overseas.

Hear from Thomas and Kelsey, Missionary Training School (MTS) alumni, as they share their experience!

THOMAS:

I had graduated from seminary with a Masters of Divinity, spent about 10 years in full-time ministry, and lived overseas for about a year. In all of that, I really only felt equipped to minister to other people from my own culture.

I was really impressed by how helpful and impactful Missionary Training School was; the classes, discussions, and time spent serving in the refugee community helped equip me to share the truth of the Kingdom of God with all people.

I wanted to learn how to minister cross-culturally. I wanted to grow in my ability to be Christ to those who don’t have the same background, assumptions, and understandings that I did as an American. At the time, I thought this training would help me review some of these things. Then, the Lord humbled a bit more as I came to learn the Kingdom is the same, the Gospel is the same, but there are so many different skillsets to share the love of Jesus with those around us.

KELSEY:

Personally, I really enjoyed going through Missionary Training School as a married couple. Sure, it was packed with a lot of work and a lot of time in the community. We would learn something new each day and then immediately get opportunities to implement it in our community ministry.

In all honesty, I don’t know how I would have been able to process it all if we didn't going through MTS at the same time. I know people do it (like Cory and Crystal did!), but for us, it was incredibly helpful to be experiencing the same circumstances and the same teachings so we could go home and process with one another.

More than anything, it unified us as a couple because it helped us understand our own postures and our own thoughts on what the Bible had to say about missions, and what the Lord was calling us to do together.

We have a few spots open for our upcoming Missionary Training School! Join us in Clarkston, Georgia.

Student Spotlight: How I Found Missionary Training School

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 20:29:31 GMT

My Journey to Missionary Training School:

A year ago, if you had asked me where I saw myself today, I would have most likely said that I’d still be working my creative administrative role at an aviation company. I got my first job when I was 15 years old and have been working ever since. I was born and raised in the Bahamas where “missions” wasn’t very common, or even something I was familiar with. I knew about “ministry” and that people who were in ministry were known to be called by God. From my lens, ministry looked like being a pastor or serving in a church.

I spent years working in the film and television industry. As a creative person, I’m passionate about telling true and untold stories. With that, I found myself navigating a variety of different jobs in the Bahamas, the US, and the United Kingdom, but somehow, I always stayed connected to my passion to create.

In May of 2017, I returned to the Bahamas and found myself re-discovering my purpose. Even when I went astray, I believe it was my Christian upbringing and the seed of Proverbs 22:6 that rang true for me: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. ” The following spring, in April 2018, I recommitted my life to Christ and have been walking faithfully with the Lord ever since. That was the year I began working in the broadcasting industry.

As my relationship with Jesus grew stronger, so did my understanding of spiritual gifts and who the Lord was calling me to be. Many years ago, I felt a strong desire and call to teach. I studied education for a semester in college and always found different opportunities to teach - whether working at a summer camp or hosting a workshop. I simply loved the idea of sharing wisdom and information. I knew one day I wanted to combine my passion for creativity with teaching, and that would be part of God’s purpose for my life.

Now, how did all of this lead me to Missionary Training School?

A few years ago, I came to a place where I wasn’t feeling fulfilled with the work that I did. I became involved in a ministry in the Bahamas that would inevitably change my life. I witnessed miracles of healing, deliverance, and prophetic fulfillment. There, I received a prophetic word that I was called to teach. 5 months later, I began serving as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of the Bahamas. I had a front row seat as I watched the Lord move in power. Later, another prophetic word I received was that the Lord was preparing me to move. After receiving that word, I entered into a time of prayer to seek the Lord and His will for my life.

Atlanta has always held a special place in my heart since I first visited in 2011. I prayed and asked the Lord to order my steps and if I was to return to Atlanta. I didn’t want to move without Him.

I knew I was feeling drawn towards ministry and education, and as I was searching for missions, found Global Frontier Missions.

I read every single page on the website, watched all the videos, and knew immediately that GFM was where I wanted to be. I knew the heart of the organization was the pursuit of the Great Commission, and I knew it would be a place I could fit in with my gifts, talents, and calling.

I wanted to learn everything about this new and fascinating world of missions and how I could find my place in it. I wanted to learn, to be discipled, and be in a Christ-centered community. Two months later, started the Missionary Training School , living in the moment of answered prayer.

So far, I am enjoying every moment of Missionary Training School. I am absorbing everything I can that there is to know about the missions world, cross-cultural ministry, and living and serving in Clarkston , a refugee resettlement community. I get the opportunity to partner with different ministries, connect with different families from all over the world, and serve among internationals.

I am the happiest that I’ve been in a very long time and I am looking forward to see what the Lord does in my life over these next few months of Missionary Training School.

We have a few spots left for our Fall 2024 Missionary Training School!

Get equipped with the head knowledge, heart character, and hands-on experience to make you effective in cross-cultural ministry, locally or overseas.

A Buddhist Monk Asked How to Share the Gospel

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:45:18 GMT

Collaborative article by Global Frontier Missions and OMF (U.S.), originally published on OMF’s blog.

Last year, Lauren shared part of her journey through the Train & Go Apprenticeship , a partnership between OMF and Global Frontier Missions (GFM) . Today, Lauren shares an experience with a group of Buddhist monks living in the U.S. who wanted to know more about the story of Jesus. She shares how the Lord is drawing all people to Himself, and we get to be obedient and faithful to the opportunities to share the Gospel with those around us.

When I think of sharing the Gospel with others, I picture a door. A lot of the time, sharing the Gospel requires much listening and discernment in order to sense where the “open doors” are. Sometimes, the doors stay closed. Sometimes, we just need to stick our foot in the door and slowly open it as others open up to us to find connection points to the Gospel.

Sometimes, we simply have to knock and the door is swung wide open as the person invites us into a “Gospel conversation,” in which case, we can’t deny that God truly is sovereign as He draws people in. The story I want to share with you reminds me that God moves powerfully beyond the limits we put on Him. He uses us for his purposes - often in the most unexpected ways.

This past year, I was able to befriend a group of Buddhist monks who have been living in the U.S. for the last two years. Every two years, a new cohort of monks shows up in Atlanta to participate in a university program. I was able to meet them through the international coffeehouse ministry I have been a part of, which focuses on learning about other cultures in an open and welcoming environment. During our months of meeting, I had the opportunity to have several Gospel conversations with them. We talked about God and His plan of salvation through Jesus. We talked about Buddhism and their beliefs in reincarnation and the process of eliminating suffering from your life. We asked questions, we listened, we learned.

As their time in Atlanta was coming to a close, I could feel the burden to share the Gospel becoming heavier and heavier . They were leaving to return home, and I didn’t know whether I would ever see them again. Would they ever think about Jesus again after they left Atlanta? Would they ever get to hear the Gospel again once they were back at the monastery? My burden felt heavy and urgent.

During our last meeting together, there was a group of us talking with one of the monks, discussing a Bible story with him. He proceeded to ask us to share with him a summary of the central message of Christianity, so that when he goes back home he can share with the other monks what Christianity is all about. I think my jaw must have hit the floor! God had clearly been working in this man’s heart, stirring in him a curiosity for the Gospel. We cannot know exactly what his intentions were, but it was a wide-open door to share one last time the story of God’s love for all people, and His salvation that is offered through Jesus.

We shared with him the story of God’s plan of redemption for all people, completed through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We showed him how Christianity requires nothing of us; nothing we can do will bring us to salvation. It is only Jesus that provides salvation. And the only thing that we have to do is to believe. Jesus willingly suffered, went to the cross and suffered the consequence of our sin so that we would not have to. We shared with him what good news this is!

Essentially, we have guided this monk on how to share the Gospel! We can’t know what he has done with this information, and whether he has shared what he learned. I do know that God’s Word does not return to Him void, but it accomplishes the very thing it was sent to do (Isaiah 55). So, we pray and believe that God is continuing to work in his heart through the Gospel we have shared with him. And, I am praying that God is using this monk and others to spread his Gospel to the ends of the earth!

God is continually showing me that He is the one who is drawing all people to Himself . He is revealing Himself to people, and He will use even us to accomplish that.

Written by: Lauren, Missionary Training School Student Alumni

She has written two other stories about her experiences as part of the Train & Go Apprenticeship: Saying Yes to God and Yes to Missions and Sharing the Gospel with our Neighbors .

Learn more about the Train & Go Apprenticeship program from OMF or GFM .

Transformative Months; Reflections on My Journey in Missionary Training School

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 19:59:37 GMT

“If this is what it’s like to have God’s heart for the nations, I want to do this the rest of my life.”

When Emily joined Missionary Training School, she came expecting lessons on how to do missions in cross-cultural contexts, methodologies of church planting strategies, and language learning techniques. While those teachings did transpire, she soon realized that God was teaching her about His heart for the nations.

Emily said, “I chose Missionary Training School (MTS) because MTS brings a practical, daily application. The staff don’t just tell me how to do missions , but they show me how to do it . They put me in the right context. They didn’t just equip me in the classroom, but took me to the streets, knocked on doors with me, and sat on couches as we ministered alongside one another.” MTS isn’t just theoretical knowledge, it’s practical application that goes beyond the classroom. It’s demonstrating that living out the Gospel is a daily commitment.

She continues, “At the very first door we knocked on, a woman greeted us and immediately invited us inside. We were perfect strangers, but she moved clothes and things to make room for us on her couch. I had never seen hospitality like that before.” Her acts of kindness set the stage for a deeper connection as she shared her testimony, revealing the impact of God’s work in the nations. Emily’s heart was gripped.

Where Emily thought she was here to minister and teach about God, she ended up recognizing and learning how sweet it is to have true fellowship with brothers and sisters of Christ, all around the globe.

The one-on-one discipleship model of Missionary Training School allows participants to feel equally challenged as they are encouraged. As Emily says, “Now I know that I can do this. I can live my life this way because I have been shown how to. I think all believers need to know how to live out the Gospel every single day of our lives. ”

Emily says her key takeaway from her semester in Missionary Training School is the transformational power of living in community. The commitment to living in close proximity to others, even if it meant stepping outside her comfort zone and embracing vulnerability, seemed worth it. The prospect of being challenged and held accountable by fellow believers in Christ became a catalyst for deep spiritual growth.

Reflecting on her journey, she realized that staying isolated in a self-sufficient mindset thinking, “I can do this by myself ”, would have hindered the opportunity to build relationships and love people from diverse nations. Embracing a posture of humility opened the doors to witnessing what God can accomplish through a surrendered life.

In the end, she decided if this is what it means to have God’s heart for the nations, the commitment to a lifetime of missions and intentional community becomes a joyful and worthy pursuit. Even in the face of challenges, “this is about how the Lord can use my life because He is worthy of it all.”

Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth.

[Psalm 67:3-4]

Missionary Training School applications are NOW OPEN for Fall 2024. Come get equipped to serve among the nations with the head knowledge, heart character, and hands-on experience for effective cross-cultural ministry locally or overseas.

Welcoming the Stranger: Living on Mission in America

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 21:26:24 GMT

What an Afghan refugee taught me about Jesus:

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'”

- Revelation 7:9-10

I long for the day people from every tribe, nation, and tongue will worship the Lamb together. And yet, as someone who lives in America with a heart burning for those who have never heard the Gospel before, I have wondered what my role in the Great Commission looks like. But now when I look around Atlanta, the nations are here .

People are migrating all over the world, resulting in huge population shifts. By June of 2023, 110 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide, mostly due to persecution, conflict, violence, human right violations, or other events disturbing public order ( UNHCR ). That includes 36.4 million refugees, the majority being from Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Venezuela, now scattered around the globe. Here in America, the foreign-born share of the U.S. population hit a record high of 14% in 2022 ( NPR ). Maybe, just maybe, welcoming foreigners in our neighborhoods is just as important as going to the foreign lands.

If those from around the world are now scattered across the states, what would it look like if we took Jesus’ words literally when He said to “love our neighbor” (Mark 12:30-31) ? What if followers of Jesus all over the world welcomed, loved, and showed hospitality to refugees, immigrants, and international students? What if the influx of nations coming to America is a blessing and opportunity, orchestrated by God, to fulfill the Great Commission?

All because Jesus made a way for ALL of us to be heirs to the Kingdom of God. These days, God has been expanding my vision to see what that might look like tucked away in my little apartment complex in Atlanta:

I finished sipping my chai and with a deep exhale, closed our English notebook. In all honesty, I was exhausted. I’m not a teacher by trade and Google translate doesn’t work here - she never went to school in Afghanistan and thus, can’t read or write Pashto. But still, my heart yearns for the simple excuse to spend time on her carpet, to play charades and inevitably erupt in laughter, and most of all, to let love be the mother tongue of us both.

I started putting on my jacket to walk home when one of her daughters asked what my shirt said: “‘Jesus te ama’, which means, ‘Jesus loves you’ in Spanish.” I paused. “Because Jesus died for everyone and loves everyone, no matter what language they speak.”

“Jesus died even for Muslims?” the little 9-year old earnestly blurted back.

She pulled me into her little bedroom and carefully took a painting off the wall. She pointed to the nail stuck deep in the drywall then pointed at her hands. “Jesus died by the nails in His hands… right? I heard that on YouTube.”

My heart stopped. “Yes, Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and He died just for you. ”

Like drinking water for the first time, I had the privilege of sharing the story of the death and resurrection of the Savior of the world with this little girl.

I’m in awe of the funny ways the Lord is truly drawing all people to Himself - through YouTube and t-shirts and wanna-be teachers like me. But like this refugee in a foreign town, to love our neighbors is to love Jesus Himself (Matthew 25:40). The One who is the all-powerful, mighty maker of everything is also the defender of the foreigner, the fatherless, the prisoner, and the widow, all of whom are just as worthy of love and dignity simply because of Whose image they bear.

I pray that Jesus would give me a heart like His. I pray that even when it’s cold and dark and I’m a little sleepy, that I would slow down long enough to love my neighbors well. I pray for more opportunities to tell them and show them how deeply they are loved by the King who entered the world as a refugee in a foreign land.

All because He died by the nails in His hands, just for us. I long for the day every tribe, nation, and tongue knows what a Middle Eastern man did for them on the cross some 2,000 years ago.

Until then, we are His hands and feet on earth, proclaiming and demonstrating the truth of the Gospel.

Welcoming the nations plays an increasingly effective role in fulfilling the Great Commission, to see every tribe, tongue, people, and nation delighting in and worshiping the Lord.

For more ideas on how to cultivate a lifestyle of a Global Christian, check out GFM’s free 5 Habits of a Global Christian Course or connect with us to learn more.

Practicals ideas to begin:

Pray that God would give you eyes to see the foreigners and the unreached around you.
Search for ethnic restaurants, religious worship centers, immigrant services, and businesses owned by internationals in your area.
Learn greetings in a few languages found in your area.
Invite an international student to participate in your family's holiday celebrations.
Volunteer with an ESL or citizenship class.

Navigating Unique Challenges and Opportunities: Missionary Work in the 10/40 Window

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:25:12 GMT

The 10/40 Window is a region encompassing parts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia that is often considered the final frontier of global missionary work. This area, ranging from 10 to 40 degrees north of the equator, presents both unique challenges and incredible opportunities for those committed to spreading the Good News of the gospel.

According to Joshua Project , approximately 5.33 billion people reside in this region, and 62% of those people are still considered unreached. The majority of the world’s Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims reside here. Though the task remaining is large, together we can make disciples of all nations to see Jesus glorified.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. [Mark 16:15]

Challenges of Mission Work in the 10/40 Window:

Religious and Cultural Complexities: The 10/40 Window is home to many diverse cultures and religions; navigating the complexities of this region can be daunting. Many communities are rooted in long-standing religious traditions, and in certain countries, religious freedom is restricted and proselytizing is illegal. Missionaries may encounter strong resistance to change, making it challenging to gain trust and acceptance.
Political Instability: Many countries in this region experience political turmoil and authoritarian regimes. This instability can lead to difficulties obtaining visas, permits, or even present safety concerns for missionaries due to civil unrest, terrorism, and conflicts.
Language Barriers: The linguistic diversity within the 10/40 Window can be a major hurdle. Learning and effectively communicating in local languages is a time-consuming process, especially in remote areas where few resources are available to help missionaries with language acquisition.

Opportunities for Mission Work in the 10/40 Window:

Spiritual Hunger: Despite the challenges, the 10/40 Window is home to millions who are spiritually hungry and seeking answers. Many individuals are open to exploring new belief systems and spiritual truths, and engaging in interfaith dialogue can be a productive way to build bridges and foster understanding.
Community Engagement: Missionaries have the opportunity to engage deeply with local communities, offering support and assistance through educational, medical, and social outreach programs to meet very practical needs. Collaborating with local organizations and community leaders can help missionaries access remote areas, build trust, and work on development projects that benefit the community.
Media and Technology: In today's digital age, missionaries can harness the power of media and technology to reach a wide audience. Online resources, social media, mobile apps, and Christian satellite radio can be powerful tools for sharing their message.

Missionary work in the 10/40 Window is a challenging and rewarding endeavor. While the region presents significant obstacles, it also offers unparalleled opportunities to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people living there. Though challenging, cross-cultural workers with cultural sensitivity, respect for locals, and deep commitment to the truth of the Gospel will bear fruit.

Does this information motivate you? Does it overwhelm you? Do you want to figure out your role in the Great Commission to reach every tribe, nation, and tongue?

Take the Next Steps in Missions Quiz !

The Nature of Elijah: Why Faith Matters in Fundraising for Missions

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:15:45 GMT

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

James 5:17-18

I became Global Frontier Missions’ Director of Partner Development in October 2020. For the last three years, I’ve spent half my time raising money for GFM as an organization, and the other half of my time coaching our new staff through their personal support-raising. As a new fundraiser and coach in the thick of a pandemic, I heard one refrain from nearly everyone I talked to:

“COVID is a terrible time to raise money.”

In time, we would learn that COVID was, in fact, an excellent time to raise money. Generosity was up, the stock market was soaring, and awareness of world needs was higher than it had been in a long time. New donors poured in. Existing donors increased their giving. Global Frontier Missions would go on to have its most successful fundraising year since its founding.

But I didn’t know that then. Instead, I had to wrestle with the ethics of asking for money during a time when some people thought fundraising was a lost cause and others considered it downright rude. I imagine a valid argument could be made—some times in history are objectively better for support-raising than others. But here’s what I know for sure:

There is no worse time to ask for money than during a drought that you prayed for.

And so the story of Elijah and the widow became a sort of baseline for me—a reference point that told me over and over: “If God could do it then, He most certainly can do it now.”

The story starts where so many of Elijah’s stories do—in the hiding place of discouragement between miraculous showdowns. This time, Elijah had confronted King Ahab and commanded a drought that would last years. We find Elijah by the brook of Cherith, eating bread and meat brought to him by ravens. Here, God shows him that—even if the kings of the earth won’t obey His commands—at least the unclean animals will.

But slowly, the brook dries up. How scary it must have been for Elijah to watch his water source become a trickle, knowing rain wouldn’t come. Knowing the rain wouldn’t come because of his prayers.

And slowly, in Zarephath, a widow’s oil dried up, too. How scary it must have been for her to watch it dwindle, to envision a hundred scenes of her son’s death after she had already lost her husband.

How scary it must have been for Elijah to leave his familiar means of provision, find a widow who was so poor she didn’t even have firewood, and ask her for her last meal.

And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

As someone who has coached many people through asking for money, I can’t help but hear the fear in Elijah’s question. Haven’t we all done it before?—started out trying to be bold and only ended up getting out with half the question? Haven’t we all meant to ask for a meal and only gotten out with a request for a little water instead? Haven’t we all called out after the person we’re asking, working up our boldness for the real request?

But no matter how badly we’ve fumbled our asks, none of us has ever been in a support meeting with someone who was one meal away from starvation. Because not only was Elijah asking for provision during the worst possible time—he was asking the worst possible person.

Or maybe he was asking the best possible person. Because, for some wild reason, this starving Canaanite widow believed God’s promise that He would bless her household. (Is it any wonder that the New Testament Canaanite woman had the same audacious faith?) With her little offering of flour and oil, she embodies the life of Jesus. She loses her life to gain it. The last become first. The hungry and thirsty are satisfied. The poor receive the kingdom of heaven. The widow and her household eat for many days.

But her household couldn’t live by bread alone, so God called her into even deeper faith.

By now, this widow had witnessed the supernatural. Now she knew she was seen by God. Now she knew what else God had seen. Now her secret sins lay bare in the light of His gaze, and she can’t escape her guilt.

We know because it’s the first thing out of her mouth when her son dies. She doesn’t react with cries for help or questions about why. Whatever this sin of her past was, it was the first thing to bubble up when her life stopped making sense. It must have been a well-kept secret, because even Elijah the Prophet seems caught off guard. Even he asks God “why? ”.

It’s a dangerous game–to ask why God lets tragedy happen. To ask why, after God promised to save her son’s life, this widow was left weeping over his dead body. Exposed in her sin. Put to shame by the God she trusted. But as I ponder the mystery of her son’s death, one question is loudest in my mind: If the death of this widow’s son showed her the seriousness of her sin, what did his resurrection show her? What did she learn about forgiveness when she witnessed the Bible’s first resurrection?

She saw what had never been seen before. She saw what the rest of the world would wait millennia to see. She foreshadowed another widow’s Son who turned His last meal into a feast for His friends. Another Son who showed the world its sin. Another Son whose resurrection would be told among the most distant peoples.

This widow, with her little act of obedience–this widow who said “yes” to Elijah’s fumbled ask–she was the first to see death lose its sting.

As I write this post, I’m preparing to enter a season of serious support-raising, with a budget that’s double what I’ve raised before. And as I write this, Congress is voting on a debt ceiling deal while an economic crisis hangs in the balance. I don’t know which way it will go.

This is what I do know: I’m glad I didn’t listen three years ago when people told me it was a bad time for fundraising. I’m glad Elijah didn’t listen to his own doubt when God told him to ask a starving widow. I’m glad the Canaanite widow’s God still turns generosity into resurrection.

Come economic collapse or booming stock markets—come dried up brooks or meals brought by ravens—I hope I’ll stand with the Church as we believe God for fundraising that bears the nature of Elijah.

Fundraising built on the fervent prayers of the righteous.

Fundraising where the still, small voice of God leads.

Fundraising where entire households are blessed. Where the desperate witness the miraculous.

Fundraising where the sins that have haunted us are brought into the light, and we throw our arms around forgiveness.

Fundraising where the forgotten become the heralds of resurrection.

Fundraising where knees bow and tongues confess, “Now I know that the word of the Lord is truth.”

It’s an idealistic vision, we’re tempted to think. A romanticized display of faith that worked in Elijah’s day, but won’t work in ours. Not in the era of namestorming and awkward phone calls. Not with our monthly budget goals and stammering asks. Not when it’s a rookie missionary instead of a prophet who calls down fire from heaven.

To that, the Bible has one resounding answer. A promise that invites us into something better than weary, heavy-laden fundraising. A promise that I hope will sustain me in a few months when my budget doubles. The unwavering promise of God to every anxious support-raiser.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

Looking to further your involvement in the Great Commission? Considering one of our programs to help equip and train you to reach the nations? Take the Your Next Steps in Missions Quiz to see what options might be best for you.

Stories of Resilience: Grief and Hope Among Refugees in Clarkston

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:50:54 GMT

It’s hard to describe life in a place like Clarkston. A town nearly equal parts retiree and refugee, with startling diversity statistics. (Over 110 dialects spoken at one of the two elementary schools, and over 90 unreached people groups.)

Warning: Some of these stories contain references to abuse and war and may be distressing or triggering for some individuals.

My wife and I have been working in and around Clarkston for the past four years. We had only been here for about a month when we were invited into the home of a woman named Fatima**.

Fatima was from a Muslim-majority nation in the Middle East. She was Muslim, had a Muslim family with a Muslim husband, Muslim brothers, a Muslim father, and Muslim uncles. She, as a good Muslim woman, had a number of children, also being raised in the Islamic faith. By the grace of God, she met Isa (Arabic for Jesus) in a dream, and became a follower of Christ. Almost immediately, she began to be threatened for her Christian faith, including by her family members (the shame of having a deconverted Muslim had to be addressed), leading to her having to flee from her home country. She left her husband, her father, her brothers and uncles, even some of her children, fleeing to a country in Asia with the children she could take with her. Year later, she arrived in Clarkston.

Within weeks of her conversion to following Christ, Fatima’s faith cost her more than my faith has ever cost me. Fatima found a treasure buried in a field, a pearl of great price, and it cost her everything to attain it. There’s a beauty and a goodness to her story, that what cost her everything WAS and IS worth it, but there is also a somberness to her story; she still misses her family, but will not be able to return to them. She is a woman who carries joy and grief in her story, a common theme in the refugee population of Clarkston.

In the middle of the first wave of the pandemic, I went out for a walk in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. I heard a young voice call out to me, and met a battered young woman named Sasha**, who had just run away from home after being badly beaten by her father. I asked her to stay where she was, woke up my wife, and together we spent until sunrise hearing her story, praying with her, calling the Runaway hotline, and getting her the medical and legal help she needed. She came back to our house a few days later and we were able to give her a Bible. We wrote our numbers in the Bible. She hasn’t ever called us again, but we still think of her often. I hope our brief role in her story was part of a pivotal point in her life, and that she is now walking with God through faith in Christ. Sometimes we don’t always get to see the end of the story; just glimpses of the parts we’re lucky to be a part of.

Recently, I met a man named Solomon** who, as a teenager, experienced the cruel realities of war in Central Africa. His story was painful to hear. Around the same time that I was struggling to learn the rudiments of Spanish in middle school and dealing with the “excruciating” pain of liking girls who didn’t return the feeling, Solomon was left for dead from a shrapnel wound, only to awake in a field and walk miles to a nearby village to receive medical help. This was the first step of many on a long and agonizing journey as a refugee. He would eventually find his way to America, come to know Jesus as his Savior, and begin to have a deep, abiding, characteristic joy and gratefulness. He and I have recently begun to meet weekly to talk and pray together.

It was an honor to be welcomed into Fatima’s home and hear her story. It was an honor to be there for Sasha in her time of need. It is an honor every time Solomon calls me “brother”.

There are more stories. I could speak of the haunted looks in the eyes of Afghan refugees, almost all with family still in Afghanistan, as Kabul fell just two years ago. I could speak of a conversation with a man on a bridge, depressed and mentally ill, trying to decide whether or not to jump. I could share about meeting person after person that my heart went out to, desperately wanting to talk and share the Gospel of Christ with them, only to be separated by a language gap that I couldn’t cross.

I could speak of the joy of making friends from all over the world, of getting to experience new cultures and perspectives. Of seeing people begin to walk with Christ, praise God!

(I could also share about the humor and mild frustration of having upstairs neighbors who vacuum at midnight, for reasons unknowable to me.)

In all these circumstances and conversations, my hands often feel empty… there is so little ability within me to help those in need. All I can do is point people towards Jesus.

In Acts 3 we read the story of a crippled beggar who called out to Peter and John, asking for money. Peter responded, “Gold and silver I don’t have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus, rise and walk.”

That’s a story that resonates with me as I interact with people in this town. All we really can do is seek to point people to Jesus. “Gold and silver I have not, but what I do have, I offer you. Place your trust not in me, but in Christ, who is sufficient to cover all your greatest needs and hurts, to cover all your shame, if you will but walk with Him in faith and obedience.”

God has not and will not call everyone who reads this to live in this beautiful and broken town, filled with beautiful and broken people. But He does call us all, all who claim to follow and trust in Him, to be salt and light.

How are you seeking to be His hands and feet today? To whom do you need to reach out? For whom do you need to fast and pray?

Gracious God, we are so little, and our efforts and abilities are so feeble. And yet, You make us sufficient to be Your ambassadors of the Gospel of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5). Have Your way in us, mold us, shape us, use us.

How to Reach the Nations In Our Own Neighborhoods

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 03:12:12 GMT

“How often are you going to come and teach English to us in the mosque?”

After joining Global Frontier Missions on a short-term trip to Clarkston, a church in Tennessee returned home with a renewed perspective on missions, inspired to passionately pursue the Great Commission in their own neighborhood.

They visited a nearby mosque and initiated a conversation with the Imam, who quickly turned into a friend. After a relationship had been formed, the Imam asked the church group if they would be interested in teaching English classes in the mosque. This simple act of kindness opened the doors for spiritual conversations. Now, the church brings college students to the mosque regularly, and the Lord has opened the doors for incredible friendships that embody Jesus’ command to love our neighbors ( Mark 12:31 ).

In most cities around the country, there are groups of foreign-born immigrants, refugees and international students. Knowing who our neighbors are can nurture a deeper understanding of the Great Commission’s call to reach the nations. It’s just up to us to look for ways we can meet them and get involved in their lives.

Over the years, GFM has cherished the opportunity to host short-term teams in Clarkston with the vision to combine missions training and cross-cultural experiences in an incredibly diverse city.

We know the lasting change happens when participants return home, because we know the richness that comes through investment in long-term relationships in our own communities. We want to see individuals and churches embrace the challenge to pray , welcome , send , and mobilize as a Great Commission lifestyle, rather than viewing these short-term mission trips as an experience to check off the list.

After joining one of GFM’s short-term trips in Clarkston, a church in Ohio also challenged themselves to get to know their neighborhood. A group visited their local mosque, and the Muslims they met said, “You came here and visited us, now we want to come and visit your church.” Fruitful relationships are rooted in small acts of kindness to get to know our neighbors.

We strongly believe that gospel workers are most effective when they are well equipped for Kingdom work.

Our Cross Cultural Catalyst is a digital kit of materials to equip leaders to host one or two-day experiences in their communities. Our hope is that these activities and teachings challenge each participant in your group to take their next step of obedience to the Great Commission.

Through the Cross Cultural Catalyst, we want to help see entire churches involved in the Great Commission and to look for practical opportunities to share the love of Christ in our own contexts.

Learn about our Cross Cultural Catalyst and get connected with a staff member who will be available to give advice and answer any questions.

Foreign Language Learning For the World Christian

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 03:01:07 GMT

Next year, 2024, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement , the adult education course with 250,000 alumni that has done much to mobilize the Christian Church for world mission. For two decades I have supervised graduate students taking Perspectives and commiserate with Professor Elayne Clift about the deteriorating state of students’ work.

How could it be that graduate students delivered such appallingly poor papers and presentations? They’d gotten undergraduate degrees; why couldn’t they write in sentences? Why were they devoid of originality, analytical ability, intellectual curiosity? (1)

The academic landscape has changed vastly in the last half century with online information technologies, exorbitant tuition, and declining standards. Sadly, student expectations that higher learning should entail minimal rigor have crept into the missionary enterprise. The mindset to “let the world learn English” impedes the necessary bonding with a new culture. Attrition from the field is more likely when an inherent lack of foreign language skill is paired with a persistent bond to the home culture via social media and electronic devices.

Their laptops and smartphones provide them unlimited access to their families and own culture and it makes it much more difficult to do the work of incarnation. Incarnation…is perhaps the most important part of the “successful” missionary’s life abroad. (2)

Only 20 percent of U.S. secondary school students studies a foreign language. Moreover, only a tiny fraction thereof advances to a third or fourth year, where creativity and critical thinking skills are honed. At the college level, the decline is precipitous with only 7.5 percent of students enrolled in any foreign language course (3). And that percentage has been steadily declining given the shuttering of hundreds of university foreign language programs (4). This trend is bizarre given that

Of all the skills that a person could have in today’s globalized world, few serve individuals – and the larger society – as well as knowing how to speak another language. People who speak another language score higher on tests and think more creatively , have access to a wider variety of jobs , and can more fully enjoy and participate in other cultures or converse with people from diverse backgrounds. (5)

Interventions against this drift begin with parents, teachers, and influencers (youth and missions pastors) of middle and high school students, who must encourage the teens to stick with language learning. Even earning C grades is a worthwhile tradeoff so that a working knowledge of a foreign tongue is inculcated. Yes, rigor is required, but look at the potential rewards.

A foreign language learned in high school can become instant college credit. The College Level Equivalency Program (CLEP) offers 90-minute, multiple choice subject examinations in Spanish, German, and French for $90. If the cost of a four-year Bachelor’s degree is $100,000 and the 12 semester hours earned by exam comprises ten percent of that degree, do the math and consider the stewardship opportunity. But what about other languages such as Chinese also taught in high schools? From Afrikaans to Yoruba, New York University offers challenge exams in 40 languages also worth 12 semester hours each.

I am all for young adults taking a “gap year” between high school and college, but most are oblivious to the value of spending that gap year embedded in a foreign culture. If they did so, they then could undergo the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) with a native speaker evaluator. For about $500, up to 19 semester hours of additional college credit can be earned via one OPI telephone call and transcripted as follows using Spanish as an example (6).

When coupled with the beginning level 12 semester hours from CLEP or NYU exams, the total of 31 semester hours completes a quarter of a Bachelor’s degree. This is a near guarantee at Thomas Edison State University and other such non-resident colleges. Yet careful shopping reveals favorable transfer policies at other schools, too. I earned college credit by exam from high school Spanish. But of far greater significance, I had mastered how to learn a foreign language as a teenager. Next, as a young soldier in Cold War Germany, I netted 30 semester hours in German from the CLEP and University of Maryland challenge exams. Twenty years later, that background aided me in learning Turkish at the Defense Language Institute.

Missions mobilization is often construed as an arduous task. It need not be when one considers the nation’s 3.2 million high school graduates annually. If ten percent of these come from evangelical homes, then there’s a good 300,000 each year to be mobilized by parents and other influencers, at ages 14-15, to study a foreign language. No es difícil.

Elayne Clift, “From Students, a Misplaced Sense of Entitlement,” Chronicle of Higher Education, March 27, 2011, https://www.chronicle.com/article/Students-Should-Check-Their/126890
Thomas Schaefer, Marguerite Barta, William Whitley, and Margie Stogsdill, “You Owe Me! Mentality: A Student Entitlement Perception Paradox,” The Journal of Higher Education 2013 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1144111.pdf
Foreign Language Classes Becoming More Scarce, The Conversation, February 6, 2019, http://theconversation.com/foreign-language-classes-becoming-more-scarce-102235
Steven Johnson, “Colleges Lose a ‘Stunning’ 651 Foreign Language Programs in Three Years,” Chronicle of Higher Education, January 22, 2019, https://www.chronicle.com/article/colleges-lose-a-stunning-651-foreign-language-programs-in-3-years/
Op. Cit.
Personal communication from Todd Siben, Assistant Director, Portfolio Assessment, Thomas Edison State University, December 15, 2016, www.tesu.edu

Written by: Doug Batson, a National Certified Career Counselor and alumnus of Thomas Edison State University. He also holds the German Language Diploma of the Goethe-Institut.

Online Missionary Training School | Global Frontier Missions

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 23:46:00 GMT

What Students are Saying Around the World

Global Frontier Missions developed the Online Missionary Training School to equip people that want to serve cross-culturally among unreached people groups (or UPGs), whether they live across the street or across the globe! We have networked with the best churches, missions organizations, and Bible schools to come up with the most strategic materials we could find to train laborers to make disciples among all nations.

The reach of the internet has allowed cross-cultural workers to receive comprehensive training regardless of geographical location. Over the years, participants have taken advantage of this opportunity to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively spread the Gospel around the world.

We currently have students in over 50 countries. Hear what some of them are saying in Africa, Southeast Asia, and North America!

What Students are Saying... in Africa

"It’s not only head knowledge but helps us to impress our heart and help us to engage in practical life. It’s really helping me to enhance my ministry engagement and my understanding about missions and I'm ready to go out in the mission work so I really encourage you to join this mission class."

-Gosa, Online MTS Student in Ethiopia

What Students are Saying... in Southeast Asia

"I’m beyond grateful for the support I’ve received through the GFM staff and facilitators. For their constant encouragement, the regular routine check-ins, and the continuous prayer support I receive that has made my Online MTS experience most edifying and very fulfilling ."

-Cliff, Online MTS Student in Singapore

What Students are Saying... in North America

"It’s been really good, something we could do after work, while working full-time jobs, to prepare us for the mission field. It has really given us the tools we need and even tools that we didn’t know we needed."

-Heather, Online MTS Alumni in Tennessee

We pray our Online Missionary Training School can empower participants to become effective ambassadors of Christ, reaching the unreached around the world.

Missionary Training in the Most Diverse Mile of America

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 20:13:00 GMT

Collaborative article by Global Frontier Missions and Pioneers, originally published on Pioneers' Blog .

Brooke wants to be a missionary long-term, and she needs training and experience to get there from here. She found both with Global Frontier Missions in Clarkston, Georgia.

Say you sense God leading you to pursue cross-cultural service. What would it look like?

With so many possibilities, getting trained can be tricky. Yet missionary training can help people get a solid foundation for serving in missions, wherever God may lead them. This may be particularly important for those just getting started in missions… people like Brooke, who graduated from high school about a year ago.

Open to Anywhere

We asked Brooke how she got interested in missions. “I don’t think there was a specific moment I thought, ‘I really want to be a missionary,’ but shortly after I truly came to know the Lord and began walking with Him, I realized, this changes everything. How could I possibly spend my life doing anything but sharing Him with others? ” She was 15 or 16 years old at that point.

“I’m open to anywhere, any people group. I don’t have a specific ministry I’m interested in,” she says. “That makes it hard to narrow things down.” She wanted to go on a short-term mission trip, but anything that was just a week or two didn’t seem long enough.

She heard about the Pioneers Venture program, which places people with long-term teams among the unreached for at least a month and up to a year. It’s great for people passionate about the Gospel but not ready to buy a one-way ticket to the nations. They can experience missionary life up close and explore ways God might use them while being mentored by long-term missionaries.

Training with Global Frontier Missions

In the meantime, Brooke learned about Global Frontier Missions (GFM), which has an immersive five-month Missionary Training School in the Atlanta suburb of Clarkston. The program is designed to help students grow in knowledge, personal character, and hands-on experience so they can be effective in cross-cultural ministry overseas or in North America.

And Clarkston is a great place to do it. The city is home to thousands of refugees from more than 60 countries who speak more than 100 languages and dialects. It’s described as the most diverse square mile in America. In Clarkston, you can meet and learn how to engage with people from all over.

As she learned more about Clarkston and the Missionary Training School, she realized how helpful spending a season there could be. Pioneers , a long-time partner with GFM, gave the program its stamp of approval. If she liked, she could pair the five-month Missionary Training School with seven months on a Venture trip, making it a one-year experience. GFM calls this a Train and Go Apprenticeship .

Partnering to Equip and Send Missionaries to the Unreached

GFM partners with a variety of sending agencies . These ministries send missionaries to Clarkston for hands-on training and experience. And when GFM has students who don’t have an agency and are looking for someone to send them, GFM is quick to suggest they consider Pioneers .

“We love Pioneers and the intentional, innovative way they go about sending to the unreached,” says Laney, GFM’s Partnership Coordinator. “They are a large, established organization, well able to come alongside local churches as they shepherd, send and support cross-cultural workers in hard places. They have many locations where individuals can serve. And they prioritize serving on a team. Pioneers also works with local, indigenous churches and church leaders when possible, and provides holistic care for the missionaries sent their way.”

In the Classroom...

We called Brooke in Clarkston as the five-month Missionary Training School was wrapping up. “I’ve loved being here and loved all the people I’ve met,” she said. “ Being surrounded by such a close community of mission-minded people who are pursuing Jesus has been one of my favorite parts. ”

The students spend their mornings in the classroom and focus on a different topic related to missions each week. Trainers address mission motivations, the role of prayer, team dynamics, world religions, evangelism and discipleship, community development and more. Students also read a different book each week, write responses to what they are reading and learning, and have other homework to complete. “It’s pretty intense,” Brooke admits.

But the program is not just academic. Students explore what the Bible has to say about each topic and consider a variety of views. The GFM trainers avoid supplying easy answers or telling the students what to think. Instead, they encourage each class of students to wrestle with the topics and discuss them.

Much of the training is very practical. Brooke’s class learned about language learning and spent hours applying methods missionaries use on the field to start learning Amharic, a language spoken in Ethiopia, with help from Amharic speakers in Clarkston. Throughout the program, Brooke has been struck by the importance of valuing and loving other people and approaching ministry as a learner, not someone who is coming in with all the answers.

... And on the Streets

When they aren’t in the classroom, the class is out in Clarkston serving and building relationships. Some have been tutoring refugee children or teaching ESL classes. Brooke’s group has knocked on doors in a specific apartment complex where many refugees live. When people answer the door, she explained, “We ask if we can pray for them and just go from there.”

Sound awkward? The first time they tried it, Brooke was unsure. “That was probably the most surprising thing for me. We’re just going to knock on people’s doors and expect them to invite us in?!” As she discovered, though, refugees are often lonely and most are hospitable and enjoy guests. When people welcome them in, the group visits them again to get to know them, learn about their culture and listen to their stories. When appropriate, they also share Scripture and minister to those they meet.

“We’ve met quite a few believers,” said Brooke, who was surprised about that. “I loved getting to hear their testimonies.” A formerly Muslim woman from Iran shared how she always used to feel distant from God. The harder she worked, the further away He seemed. She felt God was angry with her and had no peace. Then she met some Christians who had what she was missing and came to know Jesus. Persecuted for her faith, she went to Turkey as a refugee and eventually was able to make it to Clarkston.

“Her English is not the best, but she explained, ‘Now when I’m sitting on the couch it’s like I’m leaning my head on Jesus’ shoulder. That’s how close He is.’ That was so cool. Jesus is the same all over the world!”

Lessons Learned

With all she has learned in the classroom and in the community, Brooke feels she is a completely different person. “Maybe it’s because I’m young, but there are so many things I had no idea about. They prepare you in ways you don’t even think you need to prepare.”

Written by: Global Frontier Missions and Pioneers

A Week in the Life of a Missionary in South Asia

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:57:00 GMT

I wake up to the Muslim call to prayer and shortly after, the Hindu temple bells reverberating through the air. As the sun peaks over the hazy horizon, I make chai tea and warm up some rice and dal for breakfast. South Asia is so diverse, often called the ‘nation of nations’ because the styles of temples, dress, food, and customs vary so drastically depending on the region. But here, it feels like home. Here, I know the Lord has called me.

The heart of the SLICE program is to assist cross-cultural workers as they navigate their first term on the field and equip them for long-term effectiveness as they serve in the unreached areas of South Asia. Life is often unpredictable as a missionary in South Asia, but each week looks something like this:

Monday

We gather together - all the SLICE staff and participants - in one of our homes. We rotate who leads the discussion, but we always start by debriefing the previous week. We talk about what we learned, any encouraging interactions we had, or any issues or discouragements we’re facing (especially with language or cultural mishaps). After that, we spend time in praise and worship, followed by time in the Word, DBS (discovery Bible study) style. It feels like a home church.

Afterwards, we all go home for lunch. Since SLICE is usually a mix of singles and families, I live in an apartment on my own, with my landlord living on the floor below me. In the afternoon, one of the SLICE leaders comes over to my house for one-on-one discipleship. This time is always both practical and personal - they help me develop business ideas, navigate cultural adjustments, and walk me through what it looks like to be a missionary in South Asia. These conversations are always tailored to each participant and I’m so grateful for the intentionality and care from the SLICE staff.

Tuesday

After being jolted awake by the bells again and brewing my hot chai, I take a rickshaw (similar to a bicycle) to get to class, bouncing through the colorful and chaotic side streets to arrive at the SLICE office. From 9:30am - 1:30pm, we’re in learning language class through the Growing Participator Approach (GPA), learning either Hindi, Bangla, Nepali, or Urdu. The goal is to be understandable and knowledgeable - both of the language and the host culture - so we can help introduce others to Jesus in their native language. We are welcomed into the GRPA process by our language nurturers who are mother-tongue speakers we hire to help us speak and interact with the host culture in a way to share His love and truth with people at-large. Language class looks different depending on which phase (of six) you’re in, but it’s always interactive and fruitful in building meaningful relationships with our nurturer and fellow classmates. A few of us have even had the chance to share the love of Jesus with our language instructors!

After that, we’ll go home for a break; immersive language learning can be exhausting on the brain. In the evening, we’ll gather again for teachings on one of the main SLICE topics, then go home with homework in hand to complete before our next SLICE class on Thursday.

Wednesday

We gather again for language class, but afterwards, we have the freedom to go minister in the community. One of the current SLICE students is a doctor, so he goes into the villages and helps with pediatric care at a few different church plant congregations. Though his language is still improving, he’s had the chance to assist pastors with meeting practical and spiritual needs. Once he graduates from SLICE (which can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years), he’s going to be working at a medical clinic in one of the more remote villages - one that’s so isolated, you have to cross a river to get there, which proves difficult during monsoon season. With the connections that SLICE has in South Asia, participants are able to use God-given gifts and passions to serve and bless people here.

Thursday

Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have SLICE class (after language class) and rotate different trainings on the SLICE topics - strategy, language, identity, culture, and exalting Jesus.

We review the homework from Tuesday and then either continue the discussion or go practice what we learned with hands-on experience in the community. We could be prayer walking, going to the market to find a particular item, or learning how to cook healthy here. We may spend the afternoon learning how to get the necessary documents for living long-term and starting businesses here, how to ride scootys, or how to work well with nationals. One of our times, we got to learn how to find a home and set it up for a new participant - and it was in a neighborhood that no foreigner has ever lived in! We felt led to this specific house after prayer walking, and the SLICE leaders helped us prepare the home for the new missionaries arriving.

Friday & Saturday

We don’t have afternoon class these days, so our time is open for whatever people want or need. Often, we’ll go into the community to continue practicing everything we have learned (it’s a lot!). We might get to share the Gospel with our neighbors, work with local ministries, or hang out with the street kids. If we don’t know where to start, our SLICE leaders introduce us to someone they trust and we jump in from there.

I got connected with a cafe run by missionaries that hires local girls. Because alcoholism and abuse run rampant here, the missionaries work with the girls to give them a hirable skill and a glimpse of hope. The cafe owner said, “We really care about them. They’re like our daughters.” Some of them even join the women’s Bible study!

Sunday

Ah, Sabbath! We don’t schedule anything on Sundays.

Living in South Asia can be difficult, but it’s worth it. It’s hot, language learning is hard, and there are some systemic issues we can’t change. But, we can try to offer a glimmer of love, truth, and Jesus to those who may never have heard His name before, and it’s all worth it.

Join us in prayer for our SLICE program :

Pray for our fall class - our biggest yet! - that we would guide them well, leading and encouraging them in Christ. Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers to SLICE, so more people can know about Jesus and His worth might be exalted here. And, pray for one of our ministry partners who is currently in jail - may the Lord shield him from harm, grant him courage and endurance, and supernatural favor in his circumstances.

Are you interested in on-the-field training in South Asia? Applications are open for Fall 2024! goGFM.org/slice-program/

Written by: Global Frontier Missions

Published on: June 23, 2023

Sharing the Gospel with our Neighbors

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:58:00 GMT

How God Uses our Weakness for His Glory

Collaborative article by Global Frontier Missions and OMF (U.S.), originally published on OMF’s blog.

As a student going through Missionary Training School (MTS) , we focused a lot of time on the actual practice of sharing the Gospel. Many Christians feel intimidated about sharing their faith because they just don’t know where to start. That was me for most of my life.

Coming to MTS I was provided with the space to learn different methods of sharing. We practiced sharing a short testimony, learned how to bridge a casual conversation to a spiritual conversation, learned how to share with people of different religious backgrounds, and everything in between.

I realized that even if I didn’t feel confident going into it, the result was never dependent on how eloquently I shared. My role and privilege were to share the Good News, and trust that the Spirit would lead me through the interaction.

An example of this was when I was volunteering at a cross-cultural coffee house. The purpose of this ministry is to create an open learning environment for people to share freely about their culture, their beliefs, their families, etc.

I remember driving to this ministry one Sunday morning feeling incredibly underprepared. I had rolled out of bed without making coffee, eating breakfast or even opening my Bible. I was up and out the door in 10 minutes. On my drive there, I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to share today, I need your help to do it. I’m barely awake and I didn’t open your Word this morning and I don’t think I’m prepared, so I need you to lead.”

That morning I was paired with an undergraduate student from the local university. After talking about college, her home country, and her family, we started talking about beliefs. She shared with me that she and her family are practicing Buddhists. They go to the temple occasionally and ask for blessings and protection for their family. Sometimes, she even goes to the local temple here in Atlanta.

She then asked me what I believed, and I shared the Gospel of Christ with her. At the time, I was convinced that it must have been the worst presentation of the Gospel ever given. My thoughts were all over the place, and I felt unclear and frustrated while sharing with her.

After I finished sharing, she looked at me and asked, “Well, how do you know that God loves you?” I was surprised by her question, thinking she was going to just want to move on from the topic.

But I shared that I know God loves me because He gave His Son, Jesus, to come and die on the cross, taking my sin away so that I could be with Him, in perfect relationship, forever. I then shared that He didn’t just do this for me, but for the whole world, and He did all of this because He loves us and wants to be with us.

Her response shocked me. She replied, “I had heard the story that Jesus died on the cross. But I had no idea He did it to take sins away. I have heard some things about the Bible, but I want to learn more.”

A few days later I texted her and asked if she wanted to get together with me to read the Bible. She said yes!

We met every week for a few months and worked our way through Genesis. She was fascinated with the creation story and what came after. She is a history major so she loved the historical side of it. One day, after discussing a Bible story with her and a few other people, I was driving her home and she got very quiet.

Eventually she said, “Remember when I told you I was a Buddhist? Well, I don’t know what I believe, but I don’t think I am a Buddhist anymore. I don’t know if I believe the stories in the Bible are true, but right now God feels more real to me than Buddhism . And when I learned that you had been praying for me, I realized that it was at that time that my anxiety went away, and I think that was the power of God.”

I share this story because that one Sunday morning when I was convinced it was going to be an uneventful and unproductive day, God used me, however ineloquently, to speak truth to this girl’s heart. And she ended up being my longest-lasting relationship while at MTS, and that friendship continues to this day. Please continue to pray for this friend, that she will continue to experience and recognize the power of God and come to follow Christ as Lord of her life.

God uses our words more powerfully than we could ever imagine. We don’t have to have all the right words, the right answers, or even the right attitudes (although that certainly helps). We just have to recognize the opportunities when they come and trust God’s Spirit to make the most of them. Share the Gospel and do it often: you never know how God is going to use it. But He certainly will use it, all for His glory.

Read Lauren’s first article: Saying Yes to God and Yes to Missions

Learn more about the Train & Go Apprenticeship program from OMF or GFM .

Written by: Lauren, Missionary Training School Student Alumni

The Role of the Church in the Great Commission

Thu, 25 May 2023 16:16:00 GMT

As populations increase in global cities, the need to share the Gospel outside the church is critical. How will the church adapt to growing cities and position itself to demonstrate the power of the Gospel? Who will be sent from churches to the mission field? If churches send their best and brightest to the field, what will happen in their absence?

We interviewed Pastor Ryan McCammack at Gospel Hope Church on the role of the church in the Great Commission. Read his thoughts below and check out the full interview here !

Right now, our world is urbanizing - people from all over the globe are flocking to major metro areas. The need for churches and missions initiatives in city centers, both domestically and internationally, is critical.

For example, Atlanta is projected to grow by about 3 million people in the next 30 years. What does it look like to reach new people coming into the city? Missionaries need to be sent out to reach new people coming in. That’s not just true here in Atlanta, but in America and across the world.

Part of our identity as followers of Jesus is being sent . Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” ( John 20:21 ). To fulfill this command, by God’s grace, we need believers outside of the walls of the church.

Sometimes, our impulse in churches is to try to hang onto our people because there is a cost in releasing them. It can be scary. And yet, when we release our best and brightest people, we see a harvest of the Gospel we wouldn’t have accomplished if we had tried to hang onto them.

In order to do this well, we need to reframe our metric of success. The only way we are going to commit to sending some of our best people is by evaluating the successfulness of our church not by our seating capacity, but by our sending capacity.

We win when the Kingdom of God is extended and we push back the darkness and lostness in our cities and in our world. The Kingdom of God will go on forever, so we need to leverage our lives and our ministries to invest in what is eternal.

As we release people into the harvest fields, inevitably, new opportunities for leadership arise. When we send out a leader in some ministry, there are more opportunities for other people to get involved. We have to trust the Lord not only with the people that we send out, but we also need to trust the Lord to provide the leadership that our churches need in the vacuum that is created by those being sent out.

That said, I don’t think we could ever out-give the Lord.

I have never seen a church die by sending too many people to the harvest field. And if that’s the way to go out, that’s the way I want to go out - by giving our best and brightest to people and trusting the results to the Lord’s hands.

Begin to ask yourself - what is God calling me to do?

If you feel like the Lord is leading you to be sent, here are next steps:

The need is urgent, the mission is gigantic. The Great Commission requires all of Christ’s followers working together to take the Gospel to all nations.

I promise you, if you trust the Lord and follow Him in obeying His mission, He will supply your every need. The harvest is ripe and the laborers don’t have to be few.

Looking to engage with your church in the Great Commission? Check out Global Frontier Missions’ church resources , including a 5-week Bible study designed to provide Christ-centered education and missional exposure to believers of all ages.

Interview notes from: Ryan McCammack at Gospel Hope Church

Dying to the American Dream: Living as a missionary in a refugee resettlement community

Mon, 15 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Earlier this semester, Emily shared what a typical week looks like in Global Frontier Missions’ Missionary Training School. Today, she shares more of her experience living in Clarkston, a refugee resettlement community and how God is opening her eyes to the nations in her neighborhood.

The missions road is not one you can unwalk, unlearn, unsee, nor unexperience. Once you begin, you are already changed for the better. I have only just started on this road and am beginning to see that I will never be able to fit back inside my neat little box. And it’s all because of Jesus; His love is too real, His heart too big, and His sacrifice too great.

Now, as I drive through the bigger city and see the people with their fancy clothes, seemingly perfect lives, large houses, clean yards, nice cars, all I can think is…I could never be satisfied with the things of this world. Indeed, how could I go back? Do I have to?

I’ve learned too much and I’ve met too many people who need me to be their neighbor. To become their friend and live among them, like Jesus did, in their simple lives with small apartments, shallow cupboards, and hungry hearts. But not hungry like the rich, who seek and strive for more like I once did. No, hungry like the poor who, with pure hearts, desire to know life as it was meant to be: rich with love, faith, and family.

The worthiness of Jesus far surpasses the things I was raised to chase after…security, self-sufficiency, and prestige. My heart now feels more at home in a place where diversity is the norm and where I walk through town and expect to see beautiful hijabs and different shades of skin, multiple languages, and international markets. Here is where I see the Kingdom of God at work, in doors that always open to extend hospitality, where the beautiful fellowship of community is established over individualism, and where I don’t have to make appointments just to spend time with friends. What was once my routine is now foreign to me. I am becoming a stranger in my own country, as my eyes close to the vain glories of self-gratification, and my heart opens to the beat of heaven where every nation, tribe, and tongue will bless the Name above all names ( Philippians 2:11 ).

No matter where I end up after Missionary Training School, whether distant shores or the familiar streets of this city, I know that my life is worth nothing to me, for now my only aim is to testify to the good news of God’s grace ( Acts 20:24 ). But, I guess that’s what happens when you experience the life changing reality of Jesus and decide to radically follow after Him. Rather than go back, I will move forward and seek to build His kingdom on earth by pursuing the nations in my neighborhood, laying down my busy agenda to make room for those in need, and above all by looking for ways to share the joy that is mine with those who have not met Him…yet. I am waking up to the world that God has called us all to live in, and all the while I am dying to the American Dream.

Read Emily’s first article: A Look at Missionary Training School: Student's Perspective

Are you interested in cross-cultural missions training? Join us in Clarkston for Missionary Training School !

Written by: Emily, Current Missionary Training School Student

When Passion Isn’t Enough: Why I Needed Missionary Training School

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:56:00 GMT

A Call to the Nations

I was eighteen years old. A passion for the mission of God had already gripped me for a decade and I couldn’t wait a moment longer to begin my missionary journey. High school was nearly complete and I was sure of what lay ahead: I had felt a call to Africa, so to Africa I would go.

In the midwestern culture in which I was raised, preparation meant a lack of trust, especially for a bright-eyed young adult ready to change the world. If I couldn’t just buy a plane ticket and spend the rest of my life overseas, that certainly must mean I didn’t have enough faith to let God use my life. Right? Even as I planned my next steps, I was starting to see subtle holes poked in that hypothesis.

Where would I go? Africa is a big continent home to an incredible diversity of cultures. From the Arabesque north to the islands in the southeast, I was presented with almost infinite possibilities. With too little information to narrow my choices, I searched for groups already at work on the continent. Africa Inland Mission (AIM) had “Africa” in the name, so they were the obvious starting point. A few emails later, I was on the phone with a missions mobilizer.

“Sorry, we don’t send untrained eighteen-year-olds to the field by themselves.”

Apparently, there were certain “competencies” AIM required before enlisting a prospective candidate in their program. I was disappointed but accepted my fate: training would be required. “So much for living off faith,” I thought. Of the options given, a program through Global Frontier Missions was the shortest at five months. I immediately enrolled, excited to finally take a step toward my lifelong dream of becoming a missionary.

Missionary Training School

August couldn’t arrive soon enough. I was ready. I was determined. With the help of my family, my few belongings were loaded into the back of my mom’s SUV and carried down to Georgia.

My first week of Missionary Training School will forever be among the most difficult weeks of my life. Loneliness hit like a freight train. My ongoing anxiety escalated to a fever pitch, rendering me unable to eat and scarcely able to sleep. Depression bred insecurity and distrust in my mind. I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. Everything was so new and so different.

I had spent my life in a single rural town, surrounded by familiar faces and comfortable culture. Faced with an open door to a whole new way of life, I was paralyzed. I had walked right into the most challenging season of my life expecting it to be a cakewalk. Those first days and weeks were challenging beyond my own strength to endure, but through the experience, I grew immensely in my ability to trust God and rely on the Body of Christ to lift me up.

Becoming a Learner

Humility is a painful gift to receive. In my pride, I assumed I had no use for the wealth of experience offered by those who served before me. Countless Christ followers have poured out their lives as missionaries, committing themselves to love others for the sake of the Gospel. Yet here I was, reluctant to admit my need to receive and learn from the Body of Christ that Paul so plainly instructed us to rely on.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” …so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” - 1 Corinthians 12: 21 , 25-26

The next few months weren’t easy, but as I relinquished my independence and learned to grow in community, I found myself similarly growing my trust in the Father. Christ is not separate from his Body. The Bridegroom is not independent of his Bride. To commit to the calling God has placed on your heart is to commit to the community He has called you to both serve and learn from.

“As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” - Isaiah 62:5

I don’t live in Africa yet. As I lived in community with other believers committed to seeking the lost, I discovered passions even stronger than my vague commitment to a far-off land. Had I not slowed down enough to learn and prepare, I never would have uncovered my love for hospitality or passion for effective administration. To be honest, had I followed through on my original plan, I would probably have flown to Africa only to fly back a week later after a continuous panic attack.

God is not in the same hurry we are. There is value in preparation as well as trust. To slow down and learn requires us to admit we are not enough on our own. But that’s the perfect place to meet our humble Savior.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Matthew 11:29

Do you want to serve in the nations but need to get training first? Learn more about Missionary Training School !

Written by: Darrel

3 Keys to Thriving Rather Than Surviving on the Field: Lessons from Missionary Training School

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 13:00:00 GMT

3 Keys to Thriving Rather Than Surviving on the Field

Lessons from Missionary Training School

Michelle, a missionary in Chad with Africa Inland Mission, shares three values she learned at Missionary Training School that have carried her as she's lived out her calling on the mission field.

When God called me to serve Him as a missionary in a different country and culture, I thought I would be on the field within a week or two. Boy, was I ever wrong, and honestly, thank God I was wrong! I’m sure that I made God chuckle with that kind of thinking. I soon found out that God had other plans for me. He would not call me, or anyone, to do such a huge job without the proper training first.

God used the organization Global Frontier Missions to train, educate, and prepare me to serve Him overseas as a cross cultural missionary.

Here are three takeaways from that training that have aided me greatly as I've served.

1. Jesus has to be first.

This may seem obvious to state, but it is actually easy to lose sight of on the field. Jesus must come before, during, and after the work! Staying attached to the vine is of the utmost importance! We talk a lot about abiding here at Africa Inland Mission, and having this value reinforced while still in the U.S. helped me discipline myself here, which helped me greatly as I transitioned to life in Chad.

I have learned during my time in Chad that when you are in a spiritually dark environment, with less believers surrounding you, you have to be nourished and nurtured by Jesus every second of every day. My relationship with Jesus has to come first. Yes that means above everything, even ministry. The temptation is to busy ourselves with ministry, with doing, rather than prioritize our time with Him. We must recognize that we need to be filled up to go back out, cup overflowing rather than empty.

2. Team unity is found in humility.

In our training, I was given space to learn how to better understand myself and others. This understanding taught me how to work better on teams. My team is made up of different people from different places, male and female, single and married – all with different personalities, character traits, attitudes, gifts, and ways of thinking and doing ministry.

Living and working together on the field brings many opportunities for misunderstandings and conflicts. For example, many of us teach English here. Well, how do we decide the best way to go about teaching? We must decide wisely together as a team, sacrificing and compromising some of our personal views to come to a united decision. I must first understand myself and then seek to understand others. Now, when conflicts arise, I can properly humble myself to seek a resolution. This has been vital to seeing our team be successful on the field.

3. Aim to belong.

I learned the importance of living in the community with the people God sent me to serve. Not just living in the apartment next door, but cultivating a sense of belonging in the community . This is a process; it takes time, energy, and hard work. Even though I teach English, I want to share the Gospel in their heart language and as a dear friend.

While I am a teacher at heart, I have learned that I need to listen and learn from them rather than come in teaching. How does one successfully do this? I needed to take the appropriate time to know them, get past my assumptions, understand their language, and their culture, nuances and all. I would not have lasted very long on the field without understanding how important it is to belong to the people you are hoping to share the gospel with.

Chad is a dry, hot, desert land, home to 80 unreached people groups. It is not an easy place to live. Speaking a language that is foreign to me exhausts my mind. Seeing the physical and spiritual poverty of those dear to me breaks my heart. But there is no place on earth I’d rather be serving God than in Chad, Africa. I am thankful that I have been equipped to serve for the long-haul in a tough place.

Pray for Michelle and other missionaries who are serving in spiritually dark and dry places. Pray they will abide in Christ as they continue the steadfast work that is proclaiming the truth of Jesus among a people that do not yet know Him.

Interested in serving in Africa? Explore how you can be a part with Africa Inland Missions!

Need to get training first? Learn more about Missionary Training School !

Written by: Michelle, a long-term missionary serving in Chad, Africa. Michelle teaches English as a second/foreign language at an English Center in the capital city of N’Djamena. She lives in a Muslim neighborhood near the English Center where she works.

Published on: April 14, 2023

Joint-published with permission from Africa Inland Missions

What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Missionary Overseas

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

I tell prospective missionaries two things: One is that “missions” is messy. The other is to position oneself as a learner, both before going to the field and while adjusting to a new cultural context. Reflecting on my early days as a missionary, influenced by my years of orienting new missionaries, there are some key things I wish I had known before launching to the field and ways GFM’s Missionary Training School offers specific preparation.

Three things I wish I had known before going overseas as a missionary

Three ways GFM’s Missionary Training School (MTS) prepares someone to serve overseas

Living overseas requires adaptability - people might be at your door 24/7, the electricity, water, phone, internet, and other assumed “services” may be off for days without warning, and your neat “to do” list will rarely be accomplished on schedule. I grew to understand that taking the long view of mission service (20+ years) was the primary way to truly impact people and ministries in the Global South where I served.

Written by: a long-term missionary who served in West Africa and later taught in Missionary Training School.

Train and Go: A One-Year Missions Program

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Train & Go:

A One-Year Missions Program

Bringing Clarity to the Unknown

Collaborative article by Global Frontier Missions and OMF (U.S.), originally published on OMF's blog

For someone considering missions, the potential future can feel like the great unknown. What is it like to live overseas? To learn a new language? How would I converse with a Buddhist or an Animist? What does ministry look like outside the walls of the church and programs I’m accustomed to? Is missions right for me, or am I right for missions?

To help answer these questions, OMF (U.S.) and Global Frontier Missions have partnered to create the Train & Go Apprenticeship . This one-year exploration program pairs five months of Missionary Training School with GFM with seven months of serving overseas with OMF.

Laney Dugan, GFM’s Global Partnership Coordinator, shares that the program is designed “To provide an avenue where people can get holistic pre-field training followed by immediate overseas experience with a sending agency.” It is a way to “get their feet wet” in what missions would look like.

Train: 5 Months of Missionary Training School

The first five months constitute the Train phase, where participants attend GFM’s Missionary Training School , a training intensive based out of Atlanta, Georgia. GFM’s Training Director Rory Bonte shares, “MTS exists to equip healthy, long-term laborers with the knowledge, character, and skills to thrive in cross-cultural ministry.” Students learn through a combination of classroom time, community life, and immediate ministry implementation in a diverse area with over 150 people groups represented in just a few square miles. About the Train & Go Apprenticeship, Rory continues, “It’s not five months of just training and then seven months overseas; it’s a full year of ministry.”

Brandon S., a current MTS student who came from OMF shares, “It’s community – there’s a community here among the students and the teachers. First and foremost, from day one, we knew the teachers cared about us. We knew that they were invested. They wanted to see us grow in all areas of our lives, not just in knowledge, but spiritually, emotionally.” He also praises MTS for putting book learning into immediate practice. “They’re not just feeding you information. They’re giving you an experience. You’re experiencing these things. It’s not like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s this method of learning that a lot of people employ on the field that’s called GPA…’ No, it’s like you’re going to do it… It’s practice.” During their semester, Brandon and his classmates built relationships with people from 39 countries including 8 East and Southeast Asian countries in this diverse city in the US. They also shared the gospel with 37 of their new friends.

Even if the participant decides that full-time missions is not in their future, or near future, MTS imparts invaluable learning that will benefit students for the rest of their lives. Rory explains, “A lot of the stuff we talk about in the classroom equips someone to be a more mature follower of Jesus who will continue to make disciples. There’s a heavy cross-cultural component, but a lot of these concepts can be applied anywhere.” Many MTS alumni agree, and some have expressed that they wished every follower of Jesus could take the course. Brandon shares midway through the course, “If for whatever reason I had to leave the program today, I would say that it was absolutely worth it, because the freedom I’ve experienced and all the things that I‘ve learned thus far have made it worth it.”

Go: 7 Months Overseas

After five months in Atlanta, participants then join OMF’s established missionaries for seven months on the ground in one of three locations: Japan, Taiwan, or South East Asia.

A strength of the Train & Go Apprenticeship program is that, because of the existing partnership between GFM and OMF, participants often have already applied for field placement. OMF collaborates with the student, GFM, and the OMF missionaries overseas who will serve as hosts during the “Go” phase. In many cases, all of these elements are aligned before the “Train” phase begins.

As part of the planning for the “Go” phase, Serve Asia (the sending department of OMF) works out arrival dates with field hosts. Typically, there is a short break between the two phases, allowing participants time to rest, reflect, and to prepare for their trip overseas.

Every participant is connected to a long-term OMF missionary as their host. There is also a corresponding Serve Asia coordinator in every receiving country who provides support to the participants during their service time. Serve Asia Director Matt Whitacre says, “We strive to create opportunities that help to advance a long-term church planting strategy in a meaningful way. Not only do the hosts act as mentors, but we also provide member care support from the broader OMF ministry teams.”

While the “Go” portion of the program is considered a short-term mission, it can lead to more. At the end of the trip, Serve Asia provides a debriefing and several months of follow-up conversations to help all participants discover ways to integrate their trip into their life. Matt says that what happens next is up to the participant: “Each individual’s goals and direction will be different. For those who desire to pursue long-term service with OMF, we will connect them with a ministry coach to prepare them for the long-term missionary application process.”

For OMF, a strength of the partnership with GFM is that it is providing insights that applicants to the program may not always have. Matt says many applicants have limited cross-cultural missions experience. He adds, “GFM provides an incubator-like environment where they can grow in knowledge and real-life experience with cross-cultural missions. Even seasoned, long-term missionaries who have gone through GFM’s Missionary Training School have found it beneficial. Short-term workers who train with GFM will come away with a refined sense of missionary calling, a greater confidence interacting with people from other nations, and a deeper dependence on God. ”

Matt says that the character traits developed in this program will help Serve Asia participants be more effective and helpful to the long-term OMF missionaries they partner with.

Learn more about our Train & Go Apprenticeship with OMF and other organizational partners.

Read a Train & Go participant's perspective from OMF: Saying Yes to God and Yes to Missions .

Written by: Global Frontier Missions and OMF

Published on: March 10, 2023

A Look at Missionary Training School: Student’s Perspective

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 17:34:00 GMT

One month, but a hundred days… that’s how I’ve felt with all the Scriptural insight and personal application that we have been diving into here at Missionary Training School (MTS). As someone who was raised in the church and has served in local church leadership for the last eight years, I can confidently say that I’ve been to the trainings, attended the conferences, and sat in on informational meetings about the “how to’s of missions.” Then why MTS? Unlike what I have experienced before, MTS offers a hands-on atmosphere with a “come along and learn with us” environment. That’s what has been missing from my journey so far! Here’s a sneak peek into what really goes on in the five-month missions program.

Classroom Discussion

We all have a seat at the table! In the 20 hours per week that we spend in the classroom, each of us is being formed and shaped through shared discussion, Biblical engagement, and the experienced insight of our diverse teachers. We are given a safe place to wrestle through Scripture together and encourage one another toward the powerful message of Jesus Christ and His Gospel!

Practicum

Here’s where we take it to the white board with practical application of our weekly learning. In the more intimate setting of couches versus desks, practicum is the space made for us to process the process. This is where we are equipped with the next steps of sharing the gospel, making disciples, and building a community of faithful followers of Jesus.

Disciple Making Team

The component that is currently offering me the best challenge is our regular Disciple Making Team (DMT) times. In small groups, we hit the streets twice a week ready to see strangers become friends. I love the “watch and learn,” on-the-go training that takes place in the neighborhoods of this diverse refugee resettlement city. DMT times also equip us with team building opportunities where we are emboldened to step out and have to rely on one another as we go.

Community Ministry

Outside of the structured ministry time, we are also provided a variety of opportunities to further serve in our community. Our 6-9 weekly hours of personal ministry service times can be spent partnering with youth programs, working alongside local believers, or getting involved in community development. My favorite is the English Language Learning programs here in Clarkston; I love being able to use my God given gifts to teach those in need and to build relationships along the way!

Coaching and Small Groups

Accountability and progress monitoring are often what lacks from just attending a weekend training or missions conference. In MTS, we are each paired with a coach for one-on-one discipleship and then meet in small groups weekly. Both of these incredible resources provide the depth of relationship building and life-on-life fellowship that fosters real growth within each of the students.

In just a few weeks, God has opened my eyes to the world around me and given me a renewed heart for others. By coming to MTS and allowing myself to be open to this process, I have become aware of my own shortsightedness. As the first month wraps up, I am overwhelmed by all that I have seen and learned so far. With greater expectation and growing excitement, I eagerly anticipate the coming months even as I ask myself: “What else will He do?”

Written by: Emily, Current Missionary Training School Student

What if I don't feel qualified to be a missionary?

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 15:00:00 GMT

What if I don't feel qualified to be a missionary?

There are many hesitations that quickly follow a tug toward a missional life.

“I’ve got the wrong personality for that.”
“I don’t have the right education.”
“I’ve spent so much time learning these other skills. I can’t possibly use them for missions!”

All of these boil down to a core belief: “I’m not qualified.”

Western culture (and many others throughout the world) hold a high value for proper presentation. A shiny exterior. If you can’t do something well on your first try, why put yourself out there at all? Only the best are lauded. The fear of failure and embarrassment can be such a hindrance to our confidence that we end up avoiding that tug we felt altogether. Best to leave all that to seminary graduates.

To us, mistakes often mean failure. Yet in the eyes of our God, that is not the case. Read these words from Jesus and Paul, respectively:

“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - Matthew 9:13

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Like Moses arguing with God at the burning bush ( Exodus 4:10-12 ), we can come up with many reasons why we’re unqualified to serve as God’s hands and feet to a broken world. But God’s Word is replete with examples of inadequate, untrained, sinful people used to display astounding power and love to the world around them.

Take the apostle Peter as an example. The gospels are full of stories of his misconceptions, recklessness, and cowardice. He was an unschooled fisherman playing at Rabbi’s student. At one point, Jesus even rebuked him by saying “get behind me, Satan!” (Matt.16:23). Yet from that very same chapter, we hear Jesus speak great words of authority and influence about Peter:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” - Matthew 16:18

This wasn’t some upper-class model student. This was a common fisherman with a mouth big enough to make Job sound reserved. Yet Jesus Christ chose him as a pillar in the Kingdom he established on earth. He calls us to the same depth of relationship and service.

Maybe you’re not worried that you’re unqualified. You know you’re inadequate, and you know God wants to use you anyway. But that’s a difficult calling. You’ve seen others lay down their priorities and giftings at the feet of Jesus to serve in any way they can. It looks painful and exhausting. That type of surrender invites growth that you know will be the most strenuous endeavor of your entire life.

You’re right. Surrendering our lives to God requires sacrifice. It isn’t always easy, and it even comes with suffering. Paul, the prime example of a missionary to many, spent years in prison, shipwrecked multiple times (I’m sure few in history can claim that accolade), and fled several towns for fear of his own life. Even still, he rejoiced in the “opportunity” to suffer for the sake of the gospel:

“Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” - Romans 5:3-5

Whether we’re afraid we’re unqualified or we’re afraid He’ll use us in spite of that, there’s more to serving God than being “qualified”. God delights in using the weak and the fearful. It’s amazing to see God work through unlikely characters.

So how do we get started? Remember, it’s ok to hesitate and stumble. God’s desire isn’t perfect servants, but loving children. Isn’t it better for a child to attempt to make a painting for their father and fail spectacularly than never show him any form of affection? Search your heart and find your passions. What has God given you love for or skill in? Use that to His glory. Love people through those avenues, whether it’s tech support, baking, or card games. It won’t always be clean cut and you won’t always be the perfect model of Christ, but it will always be obedience to our God.

May we all be Peters and Pauls. Last picked, least suspected, but marvelously valuable to the Kingdom of God. Not for their perfection or worthiness, but for their obedience.

Written by: Darrel

How Missionaries and Nationals Collaborated to Reach Unreached People Groups in Mexico

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 19:04:00 GMT

“There were 38 Unreached People Groups in Oaxaca, Mexico when we started and maybe 22 when we left, but missionaries and local churches were catching the vision to engage them all.”

Founder Grant Haynes shares the inspiring story of missionaries and nationals collaborating on a unified mission to reach every last village in their area and the simultaneous birth of Global Frontier Missions.

As newlyweds with a passion for missions, Grant and Jenn Haynes started their missions journey by joining Youth With A Mission in Oaxaca City, Mexico for their first three years. These years provided training, ministry experience, and time for them to get their bearings in Mexican culture and way of life. But their hearts longed for the Mixteco people groups tucked away in mountain villages toward the west. Scoping out a central market town named Tlaxiaco, they soon moved there, joining what God was doing in the area with other ministries. Over the next ten years, their mission became three-fold: mobilize nationals, make disciples in unreached villages, and train more foreign missionaries.

Tlaxiaco was a diverse city and a strategic place for mobilization, discipleship, and training. Villagers representing the many ethnicities and languages from the area would come to town on Saturdays to buy supplies. Some of the young or ambitious ones would move there in hopes of building a better life. Pastors and church leaders with a heart for evangelism recognized the opportunity and came in from other parts of Mexico. A pioneer named Alejandro started Sin Fronteras and diligently ministered in the villages, bringing in other Mexicans to train them as well as mentoring Grant and Jenn. They addressed local relations through discipleship and studying Scriptures on loving neighbors, enemies, and “Samaritans,” and urged believers to share the gospel in neighboring villages.

Grant and Jenn also recognized great potential among believers in the city of Tlaxiaco and presented churches with the need for more workers, urging members to consider going back to their hometowns to share the Good News. Grant shares their thought process, “They could probably do it better than we could, and we’re happy to see them do it… With all that, the work moved forward and advanced! ”

Meanwhile, Grant and Jenn prayerfully chose a village named Yucuañe and began visiting regularly. At first, the people were suspicious of them and their motives for coming. Speculations circulated about taking advantage of them or their unique language, taking their ancestors’ artifacts, or even stealing children. To build trust over time, Grant and Jenn would sit in a little store drinking soda. They slowly began to have conversations, were invited into peoples’ homes, and were taught the local techniques for planting beans. They were asked to teach English at a local school and were even invited to become “padrinos,” social godfathers with the honor and responsibility to help sponsor celebrations. After five years of building trust and sharing the gospel, Jenn baptized the very first believer from this people group. A few others became believers as well. After this, church members from Tlaxiaco and staff members from Sin Fronteras came, and Grant and Jenn passed the baton to them to continue discipleship and church planting. Joshua Project now lists the Mixtecos of Yucuañe as 95% Christian with 8% Evangelical.

During their ten years in Tlaxiaco, Grant’s heart was to mobilize more missionaries. He founded GFM and brought short-term teams to see first-hand the collaborative efforts among unreached peoples and invited them to consider their role in missions. For those who sought deeper involvement, GFM started an English Missionary Training School and trained 103 missionaries while based in the state of Oaxaca. After serving there for 10 years, Grant and Jenn felt led to shift the focus of GFM from Oaxacan people groups to the majority-unreached 10/40 Window on the other side of the world. With Sin Fronteras, local churches that had caught the vision, and a team of 6 missionaries brought from the US, Grant and Jenn felt the situation was in good hands. Through prayerfully seeking God’s will, they selected the diverse city of Clarkston, Georgia , USA to begin the next phase of GFM.

While it may play out differently in every corner of the world, God is at work to fulfill His promise in Revelation: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language , standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” ( Revelation 7:9 , emphasis added). This year, we at GFM are praising God with all our hearts for this faithful pioneering work being done in the state of Oaxaca. What would it look like for more and more pockets across vastly-unreached South, Southeast, and Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa to have similar stories? We yearn and pray and keep plowing away, trusting that God will take our simple efforts of mobilizing, training, and multiplying, connect them with His broader story and body of believers, and fulfill His promise to complete this pioneering work… until all have heard.

Written by: A GFM Staff Member

Christians Work to Impede Human Trafficking in Thailand

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 20:30:00 GMT

One thing Thailand is known for is human trafficking. Human trafficking doesn’t have to include just sexual exploitation, although that is the most common form. It also includes forced labor, illegal or fraudulent international adoptions, and even forced militia recruitment. While strides to stop these crimes have been made, men, women, and even children still suffer greatly from the rampant human trafficking industry. However, several Christian organizations in Thailand are working to prevent these crimes and restore God’s hope in victims.

The U.S. Department of State classifies the Government of Thailand as a country that does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making improvements. ¹ Sex trafficking is predominant in Thailand’s tourist cities where prostitution is legal. Reports show that many girls are brought in from villages in northern Thailand to be sold as sex slaves. Women are not the only ones who are enslaved. Men and children can also be deceitfully recruited into both sex slavery and forced labor. Vulnerable adults are targeted by local gangs and mafias not only through abduction, but more commonly through false social media ads aimed toward those who are desperate to make a living wage. Children are sadly not shielded from these tactics as online games and websites are used to induce younger victims who are then blackmailed into performing sexual acts. ²

As relentless as Satan is, we as Christians must remember that Christ’s atonement includes prevailing over evil in the world ( 1 John 2:2 ). In addition, Apostle Paul also says that our labor in the Lord will not be in vain ( 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 ). Therefore, this is why Christians seek not only to prevent these crimes from happening, but also to care for the victims’ souls and restore hope through Jesus.

ZOE International is one of the largest Christian organizations involved in fighting human trafficking, particularly child trafficking. Its strategy is prevention, rescue, and restoration. One of the ways it excels in prevention is recognizing the vulnerability in poor areas lacking resources and education. These are the places where trafficking thrives. ZOE partners with the Mercy Network Partnership, with the Children’s Hunger Fund, and other Christian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In addition, ZOE works with law enforcement, social workers, teachers, and pastors in reporting potential crimes before they even happen. ³

To rescue children, ZOE cooperates with anti-trafficking law enforcement task forces throughout Thailand. ZOE not only partners with the Thai government, but also with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to bring traffickers to justice. ⁴ To help victims recover from the traumatizing abuse they’ve experienced, ZOE’s Restoration Program is in place to heal and help them plan for a brighter future. In order to rescue children of various ages and localities, ZOE maintains multiple facilities: a main home, boy’s home, Child Rescue Center, and a recreation area. ⁵

Curious to know how these rescued children come to learn about Jesus, I reached out to ZOE International to investigate. A manager in ZOE’s Santa Clarita office informed me that even though the Christian staff heal and restore, they never force it upon the children. However, some Thai children are evangelized by students enrolled in ZOE’s 2-year Bible school training. Naturally, children who live in ZOE homes and facilities interact with the students. Because these children look up to the students as role models, it is not uncommon for the children to be receptive to the Gospel. Furthermore, whenever the students hold weekly worship, the children can’t help but want to participate. ⁶ A 16 year-old girl who was rescued from a brothel encountered God’s love through interactions with ZOE’s staff. When she dedicated her life to Christ, she exclaimed, “What took so long for someone to find me and tell me about Jesus?” ⁷

Another Christian ministry in Thailand, Youth With a Mission (YWAM), an international missionary training school, started the Tamar Center in the city of Pattaya, 100 kilometers south of Bangkok. Similar to ZOE, the Tamar Center focuses both on prevention of trafficking crimes and on restoration of God’s hope in victims, particularly women. To combat the tsunami of human trafficking in Thailand, organizations must collaborate to make any kind of difference. The Tamar Center partners with the Hands of Hope and the Hand to Hand Foundations.

To be effective in this difficult ministry, the Tamar Outreach Center is located in Pattaya’s red light district. Tamar staff are not shy about visiting women in the district’s bars to tell them about how they can change their lives and to share Jesus’ love with them. Women who are ready to leave their enslaved lives behind are provided housing, vocational training, counseling, biblical teaching, and practical help. ⁸

The Tamar Center’s outreach efforts have worked wonders for these women as they build new lives for themselves. One example is a woman who thought that the only way she could make a living was to sell herself. She has three kids, and when she became ill, she placed them in a shelter in order to continue working. Her life changed when she heard about the Tamar Center’s vocational training program from where she launched a fulfilling career in hairdressing. She also accepted Jesus as her savior after learning about God’s love from the Bible. ⁹

Christians in Thailand have worked tirelessly to prevent human trafficking and to help victims establish more wholesome lives for themselves. Of course, these Christian workers are not mere do-gooders, but labor in these difficult circumstances for the glory of God. Sadly, human trafficking is still destroys millions of lives not just in Thailand, but all over the world. Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few ( Luke 10:2 ). ZOE International and YWAM’s Tamar Center’s compassion for the suffering are examples of what Christ’s followers can do in Thailand. Love never fails.

Written by: Nicolas Beaudreau

Sources

1. U.S. Department of State. (2022, August 17). Thailand - United States Department of State . U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/thailand/
2. Whitney, S., & Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of Mercyhurt University. (2022, February 2). Human trafficking in Thailand . The Exodus Road. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://theexodusroad.com/human-trafficking-in-thailand/
3, 4, 5. Thailand . ZOE International. (2021, December 17). Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://gozoe.org/our-locations/thailand/
6. Email conversation with an office manager at ZOE International on Nov 4, 2022
7. Gibson, L. (2022, April 20). What took so long for someone to find me and tell me about jesus? ZOE International. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://gozoe.org/2022/04/26/what-took-so-long-for-someone-to-find-me-and-tell-me-about-jesus/
8, 9. Tamar Center . YWAM Thailand. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.ywamthai.org/tamar/

Missions History: Precise Timing of the Advent

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 14:00:00 GMT

As a retired geographer, I marvel at the ancient Greco-Roman world to include this demographic fact: of the 105 billion people who have ever lived on earth, only 2% were born prior to the advent of Christ . Thus, says Erik Kreps of the University of Michigan, God’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. ¹ His Christ appeared in an advanced, transnational monoculture just prior to a world population explosion. Moreover, God’s Son was born at a time that fulfilled the words of the prophets.

Let’s look closer at this fullness of time declaration in Galatians 4:

^“ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons,” ( Galatians 4:4-5 ).

Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, timing is the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect. “In the fullness of time” underscores how God is in control of history.

Jesus Himself said that He came in God’s timing:

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” ( Mark 1:15 ).

At the proper time, the God of history caused Caesar Augustus to issue a decree for the whole world to be taxed. Thus, as foretold by the prophet in Micah 5:2 , Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Indeed, the reign of Augustus was hallmarked not only by a global readiness for the Gospel, but also for its rapid diffusion throughout the whole Roman world.

The spread of Hellenism had greatly impacted Mediterranean culture giving rise to history, philosophy, art, literature, and drama. Yet a lingua franca and abstract thought for religious debates remained the greatest contributions of the Greeks to herald the coming Christ.

For the first time, a common language emerged that could be easily learned via a 24-letter alphabet. Most significantly, the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into the Greek Septuagint in the 2 ^nd century BC made synagogue worship by the Jewish diaspora possible and an attractive alternative to Greco-Roman paganism. By the 1st century AD, there were ‘God-fearers’ in essentially every town in the Mediterranean basin eager to study and debate Epicurean and Stoic philosophies as well as one sovereign Creator-Savior God. Paul, as a result of his encounter with Christ, made it his mission to preach to these Gentiles predisposed to monotheism and, by abstract thinking, to the concepts of sin and redemption.

And to reach these God-fearers, Paul benefited from all that was good about the Roman Empire. The Pax Romana made travel safe from pirates and bandits. The Empire fashioned the most advanced transportation system the world had ever seen. In the marketplace of every city there stood a milestone giving the road distance to Rome. Because all roads did indeed lead to Rome, a postal service could function. Sea traffic was especially important as early Christian missionary work was, in great measure, a labor in harbor cities. By some estimates, Paul journeyed by land and water more than 15,000 miles. ² Without these transnational lines of communication, the rapid advance of the Gospel would have been inconceivable. Lastly, Roman law was just; Paul often leveraged his Roman citizenship for legal protection during his travels.

The German saying Reisen ist Bildung, or traveling is an education, rang true this year as my wife and I, joined by five friends, followed in the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul in Greece . ³ A curious stop on our tour was the Oracle at Delphi. For centuries, pagan kings and emperors had trekked to the ancient Oracle to have their gods speak to them and their fortunes told. But Caesar Augustus, his very cognomen meaning a blessed one sent by the gods, ⁴ was in for the shock of his life when he inquired of the Oracle about his successor.

Augustus asked: "Why is the Oracle silent?" and was told: "A Hebrew boy, a god who rules among the blessed (hmm, sounds like the Christ child to me), bids me leave this house . . . so [you] go in silence from my altars," ⁵ (parenthetical note added). Sixth century Syrian scholar John Malalas related the oracular reply with additional information about its sinister origin, “a Hebrew boy, a god who rules among the blessed, bids me leave this house and go back to Hades ,” ⁶ (emphasis added).

Our tour concluded at Mars Hill in Athens, where, as recorded in Acts 17, Paul addressed Greek philosophers: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands . God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us,” ( Acts 17:26-27 , emphasis added).

In the fullness of time the “august” Christ Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus. With equally perfect timing, each of us was born at a time and place most opportune to know the one sovereign Creator-Savior God. Gloria in Excelsis Deo best expresses our response to God’s grace — and that in Augustus’ native tongue.

Written by: Douglas Batson

Sources

Creating Home and Refuge: Loving Missionaries Well

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 17:17:00 GMT

Throw blankets, game nights, pine candles, and off-topic conversations. These are some of my favorite tools to serve God.

When most of us picture missionaries, we think of evangelists striking up conversations, ex-pats running coffee shops, or pastors preaching in a second language. There certainly is a huge need for missionaries matching those descriptions, but to reduce missions exclusively to such a picture is to overlook some of the most meaningful work that happens behind the scenes.

I attended Missionary Training School three months after graduating high school. Young and passionate, I was anxious to get through training so I could press on to the “real missions field”. I had lived overseas for months at a time before, so I figured moving to a different city in another state would be easy. I failed to account for the amazing community I had overseas and my complete lack of connection to anyone in this new city. As a result, that first week of training remains the most difficult week of my life.

I started that week with no connections. Loneliness hit hard, and in spite of my pride demanding I stay strong and independent, I couldn’t help but turn to those around me.

Throughout the week, I admitted my weakness and let others into my struggle. The response was overwhelming comfort. I was prayed for every day. People invited me to dinner and welcomed me into conversations. The following months were still difficult, but the burden was made so much lighter once I had others to carry it alongside me.

I think of the words of Jesus after He washed the feet of his disciples:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

God made us to rely on each other, to flourish in the presence of one another. We can often praise people in ministry for their boldness and dedication but do nothing to enable them to continue doing that with excellence. Missionaries are not superheroes any more than any other follower of Christ. They’re human. We were built to rely on one another. We were created to encourage and lift one another up in our weakness. God calls us into difficult situations, but He does not call us alone.

So how do we encourage those serving in ministry? In the same way we encourage anyone following Christ. We love them like family. Invite them over to dinner. Host a game night. Bring them camping with family or friends. Serving in full-time ministry can be draining. Feeling connected to people that truly care for them can be incredibly life-giving for someone in ministry.

Still living in this city a couple years later, I've learned from my experiences to keep a keen eye on the well-being of the people I serve alongside. Sometimes I offer a listening ear. Other times I crack a joke. When I’m able, I host or attend game nights that provide space for my friends in ministry to relax and refresh outside the stresses of their responsibilities. I consider all these things a critical part of the way I serve God at GFM.

Simply creating a welcoming environment to invite friends into can work wonders for those serving in ministry. All of us are human. All of us need community. All it takes is a simple invitation. “Would you like to join us for dinner?”

Written by: Darrel

The Short Term Mission Trip That Changed My Life

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:40:00 GMT

A Global Missions Journey participant shares her perspective. Published with permission.

I am very much a homebody. I had never gone on a trip without my family alongside me. However when my mom walked into the dining room, though I didn’t know what she was going to tell me, deep down I felt I needed to say yes. She started telling me about a trip to Atlanta that my youth group was planning with Global Frontier Missions, and before she could even finish her sentence, I told her that I felt God wanted me to go. I surprised myself by saying “YES!” to a Global Missions Journey, a short-term mission trip. On the days leading up to the trip, I prayed in eager anticipation to see what God had in store for me.

Throughout the four days we were there, we were able to participate in several immersive activities. We tried new foods, visited a Hindu temple, took part in an intercultural worship service, went on a prayer walk, listened to multiple speakers, and so much more! While everything was enjoyable and enlightening, three activities stood out to me the most.

One afternoon, our GFM leaders told us that a guest speaker was going to tell us his testimony. I prepared myself for a middle-aged Caucasian man who would tell us about how he had grown up in the church but only as a young man did he realize Who God is and what He has done for him. The man who walked in was the complete opposite of what I expected, and his testimony was unlike any I had ever heard. An Indian pastor, he shared his story of moving here and hearing about our Savior for the first time. He told us about introducing the Gospel to his Hindu parents and continuing to spread the Gospel to other nonbelievers. By the time he completed his talk, I was misty-eyed and in awe of all that God had done in his life. It was so encouraging to me to be able to hear how God had turned a heart towards Him! God is so good!

Another afternoon, we participated in what my group nicknamed “The Card Game.” Spoiler alert: it was no game. During the simulation activity, one of the GFM speakers told us that many refugees leave behind jobs, their most favorite belongings, and even family members before moving or escaping from their country. He then shared a few stories he had heard from refugees, and each testimony was more heartbreaking than the last. By the time he had finished, I was not the only one who was misty-eyed. For us, this was simply a make-believe activity, but for many, this little “game” we played is their reality. Millions of people have to leave their country for myriad reasons, and numerous refugees barely make it out alive. This simulation showed me that we as Christians must strive to make their arrivals into foreign countries more bearable. I learned that it is absolutely essential to take up donations for them and their families, to offer better housing, and most importantly, to prioritize sharing with them the Good News of our Savior and the love He has for us.

The most touching and impactful event I was able to experience on this trip was the intercultural worship service. Together with many GFM staff members, our group met in a tiny apartment basement and for nearly two hours we prayed, worshiped, learned songs in different languages, and listened to a short testimony given by the Korean worship leader whose story was similar to the Indian pastor’s. Toward the end of the service, we stood in a circle and sang a few worship songs in English. As we sang “What a Beautiful Name” I looked around the room and what I saw immediately brought me to tears: My friends had their eyes closed and their arms raised high, as if their chains had just been broken, and they were reveling in their newfound freedom. Never before had I been in a place where everyone was worshiping God so freely and so shamelessly. As tears of thanksgiving streamed down my face, I praised God for all that He had done to lead me to that place. After the service came to a close, the worship leader approached me with a smile and remarked, “I can see that Jesus touched you tonight!” And He did! Until then, I had never felt His presence so fully.

That night, I got a glimpse into what Heaven would be like. Though there were so many of us crammed into that little apartment basement, everyone coming from different backgrounds, different walks of life, and different cultures, the one thing we all had in common was the love and admiration we have for the one true King.

The Global Missions Journey definitely changed my life for the better. It was such a sweet experience to learn more about God’s heart for the nations. During my stay, I was able to gain compassion for refugees, grow in my faith, and hear more about unreached people groups who need to know the Gospel now more than ever! Throughout the Global Missions Journey, I felt like I was able to experience Jesus and the Gospel for the first time all over again! The best part is that I was able to do all that alongside some of my closest friends, which made the trip all the more special.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Written by: Ella D.

Missions History: Norman Grubb

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 17:06:00 GMT

Norman Grubb and Archibald Leach were British-born contemporaries who both made their marks on America. Never heard of them? Of course, Archibald changed his name to Cary Grant to befit a Hollywood image. Norman, who kept his prosaic name, labored to make famous the Name Above all Names, and that over six decades on three continents. As an evangelist, writer, and theological teacher, Norman Grubb co-founded two ministries that significantly impacted my own Baby-Boomer generation.

Successful as a high school athlete, and with an acceptance letter from Cambridge University in hand, Norman was jolted by the question posed by a family friend, “Well, I am sure you have a bright future ahead of you, but does that future include Christ Jesus? Do you belong to Christ?” Norman, the son of a vicar, knew facts about Jesus from Church of England prayers and catechisms. But deep down he knew that, no, he did not belong to Christ. Full of conviction, Norman devoted his life, one that would span 98 years, to his Savior. In fact, two love interests harbored doubts whether there was room in Norman’s heart for a wife as well.

The outbreak of the First World War abruptly altered young Norman’s career plans. Commissioned as an army officer, Norman was wounded in the knee going “over the top” of the trenches in France. After creating an officers’ fellowship called C.O. for Christ’s Own, Norman brainstormed with other lieutenants how to best reach the enlisted men with the Gospel. He soon learned that these working-class men were much more at ease talking about spiritual matters while on smoke breaks. Thus, Norman distributed cigarettes and took up smoking a pipe himself!

While convalescing back in England, Norman often prayed and conversed with the hospital chaplain. The Reverend Gilbert Barclay once brought along his wife, Dorothy, a daughter of C.T. Studd, who answered Norman’s many questions about the family’s missionary work in China, where the four Studd daughters had been born. Now ministering in Africa, C.T. had long enjoyed renown throughout England as the cricket athlete who relinquished sports fame for missionary service. Yet, he was unfamiliar to the wounded soldier. That would soon change.

Norman could not get his mind off one of C.T.’s reports from the Congo: “the whole country round seems to be really greedy to hear the Word of God, many are deciding for Christ.” Norman sensed God’s prompting: that is where he is to go also. Immediately, his letter to the Heart of Africa Mission was answered by Mrs. C.T. Studd, who invited Norman to visit the mission HQ in London. And Norman had reason to be in London – King George V was to decorate him with the Military Cross for his valor in France. So it was that the still-hobbled Norman was helped to the ceremony by the youngest Studd daughter, Pauline.

You guessed it! Pauline was the second of the two second-guessing love interests. She had called off the engagement with Norman, but, by reading scripture, overcame her misgivings. The two would be married after all and serve together under C.T. Studd in the Belgian Congo! What could be better than that?

But when to depart? Norman had been re-enrolled at Cambridge in the veteran’s fast track for degree completion. There, he co-established the C.I.C.C.U., a campus ministry affectionately called “Kick-You” for Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union. Now Oxford, London, and Durham Universities wanted to join in. Norman would make it happen with the first Intervarsity Conference in 1919 (the triennial conference continues to the present, gathering in Indianapolis in December 2022 ). But in order to do so, he wouldn’t be able to complete his final semester. Norman counted the cost, and confident in his calling and education, degree or no degree, he and Pauline left for the Congo.

As it turned out, the lauded C.T. Studd, while beloved by the host culture, proved to be stubborn and contentious with co-workers. Many staff left WEC, or World Evangelization Crusade, the mission’s new name. Norman found himself shuttling back and forth between the U.K. and the Congo running interference for C.T. and a central committee increasingly at odds with the founder.

Norman and his brother-in-law had to wrest away WEC’s entire records from under the nose of the committee while Norman had legal authority to do so as C.T. still lived and Norman was his designated successor.

In 1931, when C.T. passed, it was the midst of the Great Depression and seemingly not the time to restart a nearly-bankrupt mission that had suffered numerous defections and whose reputation was in decline. Norman felt the burden of it all, but, through faith and prayer, gave it all over to God and the mission reinvigorated itself and lived up to its new moniker with hundreds of new members proclaiming Christ worldwide. Even World War II didn’t slow down WEC’s growth.

Norman began writing the first of many biographies, C.T. Studd: Cricketer and Pioneer , followed by many Bible study and theological works. A couple who owned a Christian bookstore could not decide between the store or becoming WEC missionaries. Norman had an idea - both! Nothing supports evangelism like good reading material and the Christian Literature Crusade was born. During the next 50 years, the heyday of print media and Baby Boomers coming of age, new ministries such as Operation Mobilization (OM) and Youth with a Mission (YWAM) made literature distribution a hallmark of their evangelistic tools.

At an age when others contemplate retirement, Norman keenly sensed that the USA was ripe for missions mobilization. So, the 63-year-old, with extended family, moved to Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, to establish WEC-USA. That was 63 years ago and WEC is still going strong today. When visitors behold the 43-room mission HQ, they rightly believe that they have stumbled upon an English castle. That citadel, like Intervarsity Fellowship and the Christian Literature Crusade, is another legacy of the unsung Norman Grubb.

Written by: Douglas Batson

Source: Norman Grubb: Mission Builder by J. & G. Benge, YWAM Publishing 2019.

At a Glance: 4 Pre-Field Training Options

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 16:28:00 GMT

Here at Global Frontier Missions, our heartbeat is to see the gospel of Jesus Christ put within reach of every unreached people group, and we see our specific niche in the Great Commission to be training and equipping the next wave of cross-cultural missionaries. The 5-month Missionary Training School (MTS) that we offer in Clarkston, GA is an incredible experience, blending thorough classroom training with life-on-life discipleship and invaluable hands-on work within the diverse area we’re working in. MTS is very immersive and holistic, and it’s proven to be a solid launching pad for those who desire to serve cross-culturally in a long-term capacity -- whether Stateside among immigrants, refugees, and international students or overseas in the 10/40 Window.

Missionary Training School (MTS)

AT A GLANCE

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Duration: 5 months

Housing: Optionally provided

Something to Celebrate: A breadth of missional topics is paired with immediate implementation in community and among diaspora peoples.

Something to Consider: The range of topics and timeline are not geared toward filling specific, urgent roles.

While we are very excited about the training we provide and passionate about the impact it has on missionary longevity and retention, we are not the only organization that focuses on pre-field training. Over the last year and a half, we have had the chance to visit three other US-based pre-field training programs and catch a glimpse of the cross-cultural preparation and equipping that they offer. We’re excited to be able to highlight them for you here in the hopes that you’ll find the pre-field training that is best for you and your particular situation.

Center for Intercultural Training (CIT)

AT A GLANCE

Location: Union Mills, North Carolina

Duration: 4-6 weeks

Housing: Provided

Something to Celebrate: Their staff is made up of experienced, veteran cross-cultural workers.

Something to Consider: There is no opportunity to engage cross-culturally during the training.

In an unsuspecting place called Union Mills, about an hour and a half northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, you’ll find a very well established hub of missions training. CIT was started by and has very close ties with United World Mission , and their team is made up of experienced, veteran missionaries and cross-cultural workers who have come back to the States and desire to pass on what they learned to the next generation of laborers. The wisdom and experience of their facilitators is remarkably valuable! They have a great campus with housing readily available for their students during the duration of their training, which is incredibly convenient and enables students to live in close proximity to one another and share life outside of class. (If you get the chance to visit or attend, definitely ask for the full story behind their campus! It’s fascinating.)

CIT runs several four-week sessions each year called Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life & Ministry , which covers topics such as cultural awareness, spiritual warfare, team dynamics, conflict resolution, marriage and singleness in missions, contextualization, multi-cultural teams, and families on mission to name a few. Each one of these sessions is followed by an additional two-week Language Learning Accelerator course (optional) that takes students through the basics of language acquisition. In addition to the adult classes, CIT also offers childcare with some age-specific Third Culture Kid (TCK) training for children. Throughout all of their training, there is a heavy emphasis on spiritual formation, and students indicated that this was a highly impactful aspect of their time at CIT. Due to the rural location, however, there is a lack of cultural diversity in the area and very little opportunity to engage cross-culturally during the program or to begin implementing things learned in the classroom.

CIT has some exciting things coming down the pike in terms of “just-in-time training” that can continue virtually when their graduates are on the field. This will be a huge asset to CIT alumni who desire to experience regular and continued equipping after their transition to the field, and will no doubt add immense value to the teams that they join.

Our favorite thing that CIT offers is the incredible opportunity to be taught by experienced, veteran missionaries and cross-cultural workers who bring their stories, wisdom, perspective, and experiences to the table with willing hearts ready to engage with and pour into each student. This would be a huge value to anyone who chose to pursue pre-field training with CIT!

Studio Internships

AT A GLANCE

Location: El Cajon, California

Duration: 3 months (in-person)

Housing: Provided

Something to Consider: This training is specifically for those who already have a sending organization and are seeking to work with Muslims.

Something to Celebrate: Students live incarnationally among Muslim peoples from all over the world.

If you already have a sending organization that you’re connected with and you’re planning to go to the Muslim world, Studio Internships should absolutely be on your short-list in terms of pre-field training options. This intentionally intense training is in the highly diverse community of El Cajon outside of San Diego (read: amazing weather!) , which provides students with invaluable opportunities to both live incarnationally among Muslim peoples as well as to engage cross-culturally throughout the duration of their training. Students (both married and single) will be housed together and given a very real-life chance to experientially explore the joys and challenges of team dynamics by living in close proximity.

Training begins several weeks before arriving in El Cajon with some requisite homework, reading, and preparation to do virtually. Once the three-month in-person portion of the training begins, students are immersed in an equipping experience that holistically engages them through times of mentoring and corporate worship and prayer, robust classroom lectures and discussions, and facilitating gospel-centered relationships with foreign-born neighbors. Childcare is provided during the classroom portions of this internship, and there is an increasing effort to offer age-appropriate Third Culture Kid (TCK) training for families with children.

Some of the topics explored in Studio Internships include orality and storytelling, church planting movements using Disciple Making Movements, prayer and spiritual formation, raising children cross-culturally, self-awareness and personal character, theology of risk and suffering, resilience and thriving overseas, and evangelism and discipleship tools. The Studio staff is a small, tight-knit group of experienced missionaries who have spent years living and working in the Muslim world, and they wholeheartedly pour themselves into each student who comes through their internship. Students will be not only be mentored and taught by the Studio family, but they will also apprentice under them in highly practical ways as they learn to love and serve their Muslim neighbors together. This holistic mentorship is an invaluable asset to any students of Studio, and no doubt sets up graduates incredibly well for their transition to the field.

Since Studio is located outside of San Diego, the cost of this training is high simply due to the cost of living in that area. The focus on training cross-cultural workers who seek to serve specifically among Muslim peoples and the requirement that each student already be appointed with a sending agency gears Studio toward serving a much smaller, niche group of people than other training programs we’ve seen. But we would wholeheartedly recommend their program to anyone who fits that demographic! With their holistic approach to pre-field training, we feel that they are true kindred spirits with GFM and we celebrate the work they’re doing to equip the next generation of cross-cultural workers to be bold witnesses of the goodness of Jesus.

Mission Training International (MTI)

AT A GLANCE

Location: Palmer Lake, Colorado

Duration:4 weeks

Housing: Provided

Something to Celebrate: Their CHIPs program for children is robust and impactful.

Something to Consider: There is no opportunity to engage cross-culturally during the training.

MTI has a long, rich history of faithfulness and effectiveness in the realm of training and equipping missionaries for the field. Their beautiful training facility is situated on a mountainside outside of Colorado Springs, and the thorough missionary training and debriefing they offer for the entire family are well known throughout the missions world. The operations at MTI seem to run like a well oiled machine, and the staff love what they do (and you can tell)!

The MTI campus is compact, but very comfortable, and classes for both children and adults take place in the same building where students live for the duration of their training. While MTI doesn’t have a practical, hands-on cross-cultural component to their training, they do a phenomenal job of holistically building out their training in other ways for both adults and children. Their curriculum is thoroughly thought through and intentionally executed, and the staff at MTI definitely embody their core values of 1) relational vitality with Jesus, 2) the synergy and wisdom of teams, 3) personal and organizational integrity, and 4) top quality and excellence in services.

It is very rare that anyone goes through MTI’s Compass program without having been sent by their sending agency (typically 2-6 months before departure for the field). During those four weeks of pre-field training, participants in the program will delve into the main topics of language acquisition, personal vitality, challenges of living cross-culturally, and practical overseas skills. MTI’s experienced and highly qualified staff are passionate about pressing into the paradoxes (both “the gory and the glory stories”, as they say) of both the Christian life and cross-cultural ministry, which gives the training a very down-to-earth, authentic feel. The training to manage the reality of paradox is not limited to the adult classes. The children also receive thorough, age-appropriate training on paradox and how to live in the tension of the good and the hard, and families receive common language to discuss these things going forward.

MTI’s children’s program is incredible! While adults are going through their training each day, the CHIPs staff are covering some of the same topics at an age appropriate level with the children. They have five different “age-clusters” (with care and/or training available for children ranging from 6 months to high school seniors) to ensure maximum effectiveness in communicating various ideas and topics, as well as in preparing participants to be third-culture kids (TCKs). There is a sense of camaraderie among children in the same class, and a sense of closeness and safety between the children and their teachers (all of whom are TCKs themselves). The intentionality that is taken with the entire family at MTI is noteworthy and commendable, and we praise God for the investment they make in preparing whole family units to live and minister cross-culturally.

If you (and your family) desire to make Jesus known among people who are currently unreached with the gospel and are prayerfully looking to serve cross-culturally, please slow down enough to get some pre-field training . Research published in Evangelical Missions Quarterly at the end of 2019 states that 47% of career missionaries leave by year five, with 71% leaving over preventable character issues*. Unreached people are unreached for a reason -- whether that’s due to the isolation of location, the difficulty of language acquisition, the extremity of the weather, the unfamiliarity and vast cultural differences, the deep-rootedness of religions, spiritual warfare, or a thousand other things. It’s not easy… but we know Jesus is worth it. That knowledge, however, should never lead us to believe that we can bypass patience or wisdom in the process of pursuing God’s global kingdom.

Pre-field preparation is a necessity, and it has been seen as optional for far too long. If you have questions about pre-field missionary training in general, the specific semester-long training that we offer outside of Atlanta, GA, or any of these other pre-field training options, our team would love to connect with you and answer any questions. We recognize that our training isn’t the best fit for every individual or family, but our prayer for you is that you would utilize one of these or other opportunities to invest in your longevity on the field -- for your good and for His glory!

* Retention and Onboarding (EMQ, October-December 2019, Volume 55 Issue 4, Elliot D. Stephens)

Written by: Laney Mills

IT in Missions: A Call to Utilize Your Skills for the Kingdom

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 19:10:00 GMT

This is the 3rd installment of our Gifts in Missions blog series.

Information Technology (IT) is the fastest growing industry in the world. It’s so encompassing that it has been split into different components and occupies nearly half of the top ten growing industries, including data analysis, artificial intelligence, cloud and software development, and internet of things.

In addition, internet connectivity is growing globally at an unfathomable rate. According to the UN’s Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology, “ By 2030, every person should have safe and affordable access to the Internet, including meaningful use of digitally enabled services in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. ” Like the unifying language of Greek and roads installed across the Roman Empire during the time of Christ or the Gutenburg printing press making written text available to the masses, the IT field is opening an entire network for the good news of Jesus to spread throughout the world. And mission agencies are jumping on board, for good reason.

As an IT missionary, I delight in hearing about ways people are utilizing technology for the Kingdom of God. I recently talked with some electrical and software engineers who have been building and distributing devices to help missionaries bring the good news to remote parts of the world since the late 90s. Another acquaintance is working with his team to build virtual reality training simulations for Latin American missionaries, allowing remote participation across Central and South America in lieu of international plane tickets. And another organization is utilizing data analysis to determine prospective college campuses with higher receptivity to the gospel while someone else is utilizing census data to map out diaspora communities. Others are working tirelessly to protect the identity of gospel workers in closed countries through cybersecurity. And still others are utilizing advertising algorithms on social media to funnel people toward hearing the good news.

These developments are exciting. Yet there seem to be far more organizations needing IT staff than there are IT missionaries. And when I talk to IT professionals about getting involved in missions, I often encounter a hesitation toward the unknown.

If you are an IT professional or have a bent toward technology, let me share with you some reasons why you should consider getting involved in missions through IT and what it requires.

Why you should consider involvement in missions through IT:

Information Technology is needed.

Once in a while, I get caught up in comparison while looking at the giftings of my colleagues. I’ll begin to lament that I can’t strike up a conversation as easily as my more extroverted friends, and, amusingly, I sometimes struggle even to cut and serve a piece of pie onto a plate. Yet interdependence is God’s idea and woven into the body of Christ.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” 1 Corinthians 12:21 .

If you are gifted in IT, it does not take much asking around to hear adamant agreement that the missions community needs what you have to offer. Your skills can multiply the efforts of the rest of the team. Perhaps they can write spiritual content and you can work on Search Engine Optimization to help them reach exponentially more people. Or perhaps they can network with individuals and you can streamline the database and use integration and automation to make their admin workload lighter. Others can translate biblical content while you navigate the use of linguistic scripts in your team’s software. Whatever the specific skill set God has given you, you are needed.

Information Technology is rewarding.

As for financial rewards, it is true that careers in missions often come with smaller salaries than their secular counterparts, especially in fields as lucrative as IT. That is part of the cost, but according to Jesus, treasure in heaven is far more valuable and will last forever ( Matthew 6:19-20 ). It’s an eternally worthwhile investment.

Second, hardly anything in this world is guaranteed - except the Kingdom of God. While not everything we do will result in eternal impact, the overall Kingdom efforts will.

Consider on that day meeting people face to face who have heard the name of Jesus and put their trust in Him because of your efforts here on earth. And consider the resounding, “Well done!” from Jesus as He rejoices in their salvation with you. Even if you did not tell those people the good news directly, do you think God will somehow miss your faithful service behind the scenes and forget to track your contribution in His heavenly database? ( Revelation 20:12 , Matthew 16:27 )

In the meantime, serving in IT can be rewarding in and of itself. Cross-cultural missions often presents unique challenges due to geographical distance, languages, differing infrastructures, security precautions, or available resources. In my experience, these unique challenges drove my work well beyond what I imagined doing with my original degree. And they have often been fun to puzzle through. Serve faithfully for several years and see what unusual skills and stories you end up adding to your resume.

What it takes:

Be a servant.

Maybe it was just the university that I attended, but Computer Science and related fields can often sport a competition of intelligence, knowledge, and experience. We students felt pressured to flex our abilities and vie for top positions in the geek pecking order.

That is not how the Kingdom of God works, and it is not what God desires from His servants. Instead, Jesus outlined Kingdom principles as follows:

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted,” Matthew 23:12 .

“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,’” Matthew 20:25-28 .

Following King Jesus’ example means picking up the IT towel. It means stepping back and looking at the big picture to recognize that the necessary solution isn’t always the glamorous one. Sometimes it means laying down the dream of writing awesome code in favor of implementing the simpler or paid solutions for the sake of sustainability. Other times, it means tackling daunting problems for the benefit of your team and objectives. It means volunteering for menial tasks like tech support or data entry - although you’re welcome to automate what you can. But take heart, because God has a way of generating more eternal impact through our faithful service than we could ask or imagine… or produce by our own ingenuity.

Be tenacious.

The wonderful thing about a job that requires humility is that it does not require that you know everything. Not knowing is not a problem at all. More often than not, solving tech problems or building systems in the missions world is more about finding a thread of an idea and pulling on it through research until an appropriate solution surfaces.

And herein lies a wonderful secret. God is not limited, and His promises work just as well in the digital realm as they do in the physical and spiritual realms. He promises to be with us ( Deuteronomy 31:6 ), to help us and uphold us with His righteous right hand ( Isaiah 41:10 ), and to give us wisdom when we ask for it ( James 1:5 ).

Once in a while, I encounter a problem that I struggle to solve. I’ve learned that while I could eventually come up with a solution with the abilities God already gave me, direct dependence on Him is even better. Soon after joining a team as IT missions staff, I encountered a problem and prayed asking God for help and wisdom. A picture came to mind of Jesus sitting at the computer wearing glasses and fingerless gloves and coding away. I chuckled and thought, after all, all wisdom and understanding and knowledge really do come from Him! Shortly afterward, an idea came to mind that smoothly clicked into place. It’s like doing my dream job with my best friend.

Since the very beginning of the church, every generation has had its unique challenges and unique opportunities for spreading the gospel. The first generation church saw empirical highways and clandestine fish symbols. Hundreds of years later, it involved printing presses and hidden manuscripts. Today the global missions effort needs IT staff to manage digital connectivity and cybersecurity.

How is God calling you to utilize technology to help reach people for Jesus?

Written by: A GFM IT Staff Member

Looking for a way to use your skills for the Kingdom?

How Missionary Life Shapes Children

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 16:51:00 GMT

“Avión!” I shouted while pointing up to an airplane in the sky, to the astonishment of my parents. English is my first language, but my first word was in Spanish. I was born into a lifestyle of adventure: playing with children in multiple languages, memorizing the interstate corridor down the western coast of the US, taking solo international flights as a teenager and filling multiple passports with stamps, traversing deserts and beaches and rainforests and pyramid tunnels, absorbing new languages and cultures seemingly through osmosis, saluting the flags of two nations and wondering which one to cheer for in the Olympics, meeting many thousands of acquaintances that I’ll never see again, and gaining behind-the-scenes familiarity with hundreds of different churches. I struggle to answer the question of where I’m from because I’ve explored more of my family’s host country than my family’s passport country. I try not to mention these things when meeting new people because many can’t even imagine such a life. Yet for Adult Third Culture Kids like me, these kinds of experiences constituted our childhood and therefore our normal.

Third Culture Kids or TCK’s are kids who spend part of their developmental years abroad because their parents are missionaries, diplomats, expats, military, etc. Common experiences defining this group include a “cross-cultural lifestyle, high mobility, expected repatriation, often a ‘system identity’ with sponsoring organization/business” ¹ . These experiences result in traits common to TCK’s including a greater aptitude for crossing into new cultures, adaptability, empathy, open-mindedness, and stronger communication skills ² . Not only does a TCK learn to blend into the specific cultural environments where they grew up, but these traits also port into a wide variety of cultures and contexts.

While such a lifestyle is marked with rich experiences that develop highly-valued traits, not everything about the TCK experience is positive. They also share more challenging traits like complex identity, uncertainty of social customs based on experiencing multiple cultures instead of a single culture, uneven maturity, and higher frequency and extremity of change and transition. Expert Tanya Crossman shares that TCK’s experience more grief before adulthood than most monocultural individuals do in a lifetime ³ . Deeper research has revealed common issues among adult TCK’s including unresolved grief, difficulty forming and keeping long-term relationships and roots, career instability, higher suicide rates ² , and in some circumstances higher Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores ⁴ associated with greater health risks.

Fortunately many of the challenging, long-term effects can be preventable with tools and training for families and their support systems. In recent years, mission organizations are recognizing the critical importance of TCK care and family training and are making hopeful strides toward establishing preventative measures.

Global Frontier Missions has partnered with Lauren Wells, pioneer in the field and founder of TCK Training , to develop a new Family Program in tandem with our Missionary Training School . Now parents can gain invaluable insight into the world of TCK’s and be equipped with tools for caring well for their whole family as they step into a cross-cultural lifestyle. In addition to parents becoming better prepared, children also receive their age-appropriate information that correlates with the adult Missionary Training School to facilitate family discussions. School-age children learn about other cultures and religions, strengthen their faith in God, and gain familiarity with life skills like making friends, learning words in another language, and saying goodbye well. Armed with recent research on Positive Childhood Experiences ⁵ and practical ideas for implementation, the program is designed to prepare the whole family for living in a cross-cultural environment.

With informed care, the positive effects of growing up overseas can greatly outweigh the challenges. Raising children overseas can set them up with high potential to thrive in a breadth of contexts, not only culturally but also socially, in the business world, and wherever they contribute to society. And with globalization, these strengths will become increasingly useful in a multicultural world that is quickly blending. In many cases, raising children overseas can be an invaluable gift that keeps on giving. Consider how a multicultural influence benefitted Barak Obama, Colin Firth, Freddie Mercury, Yo-Yo Ma, Viggo Mortensten, and Audrey Hepburn ⁶ , among others.

As one who has personally experienced both the good and hard aspects of international life, I am thrilled about GFM’s Family Program and have marveled at the way God has arranged circumstances and connections to bring this vision to fruition. During pilot programs, we have already seen children gain confidence in learning a new language and making friends from other cultures and parents taking factors into account that they had not previously considered. By God’s grace, we even witnessed one dear child join God’s family by putting faith in Christ. I look forward to seeing what God continues to do through this program. Perhaps one day we’ll reunite around a campfire, laughing and swapping adventure stories with deep gratitude for God’s care expressed through the missions community for TCK’s like us.

If you are considering moving your family overseas, seek the training you need to shepherd your children well so that they can thrive in a robust, vibrant, multicultural life.

Written by: A GFM Staff Member

References

21 Questions to Ask Missions Agency

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 15:31:00 GMT

“God has called me to missions, but how do I know which sending agency is right for me?” If that question resonates with you, you’re not alone! The good news is that many biblically-based agencies with a strong track record are poised to launch you to the region and people that God has placed on your heart. However, not one of them is perfect! The agency does not call you to the mission field. God does. By prayer, the Lord will guide you in your search and fully sustain you through the joys and sorrows of your upcoming years of service.

For 14 of my 37 years of field experience, I served as a mission administrator who walked alongside our missionaries from their journey’s start in their home office, to welcoming them on the field, orienting them through adjustment, and offering guidance when the big questions arose. The questions offered here highlight some areas with which our missionaries wrestled once on the field. You will save yourself a lot of anxiety by proactively seeking answers to the following questions and choosing wisely, so that your choice of a sending agency fits you, even as specific assignments change, which they certainly will.

As much as possible, you want to find your “sweet spot” for ministry by asking the agency’s contact person pertinent questions about things that are important to you. Even if the first agency seems right for you, it’s wise to explore several others to give you an opportunity to compare them. Here are categories and lists of questions to launch your search.

Mission Agency Structure and Policies

1. Where in the world do they work?

2. Do they focus on specific or general types of mission work or both?

3. Do they have openings that fit your interests (country, people group, type of ministry, etc.)?

4. What will be their relationship with your supporters/churches/primary sending church?

5. What are their doctrinal beliefs and practices in general including those related to the controversial gifts of the Spirit?

6. What is the agency headquarters’ level of autonomy with their fields?

7. What are their personnel, member care, medical, financial, security, and other policies?

8 . Are they compatible with your primary sending church?

9. Is an appropriate agency staff member prepared to engage personally with your sending church?

10. (Ask yourself) Would you be comfortable submitting to mission authority?

Field Organizational Structure and Policies

11. What are the field organizational structure and lines of authority?

12. How does the field mission leadership work?

13. What are field policies concerning workers’ evaluation, accountability, and disciplinary measures?

14. What are field policies concerning the autonomy of mission and church?

15. What are field policies concerning initial orientation, dress code, home assignment schedule, freedom to travel home for family issues, medical coverage, vacations, death on the field, security and evacuation, language learning, children’s education, child safety, gender relationship issues, etc.?

16. How do workers relate with national colleagues and national church leadership?

17. How does the field protect and encourage missionaries’ spiritual growth and health?

Women’s Roles on the Field

18. Are women’s roles adaptable or are they fixed according to cultural expectations?

19. Are women allowed to exercise spiritual gifts related to leadership, teaching, or evangelism?

20. How are roles different for single and married women with and without children?

Contextualization Practices on the Field

21. What is the accepted level of ministry according to the C scale or H scale (spectrums of contextualization among Muslim and Hindu communities, respectively) in the specific placement you are exploring?

These questions will guide your research as you undertake the important task of choosing your sending agency. If you don’t feel compatible with one agency, feel free to ask your contact person to suggest an agency better suited for you. They sincerely want to help you find your “sweet spot” for mission service.

What lies ahead of you may appear daunting now and will certainly feel overwhelming from time to time as you fulfill your long-term mission goals. However, if you choose wisely, your sending agency will become like family, walking alongside you and ensuring that you are sustained and encouraged on your journey.

Need a place to start your search?

Written by: A long-term mission worker in West Africa

When Clarity Doesn't Come: An Intern's Perspective

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 17:09:00 GMT

Two years ago, I dreamed of graduating high school early and taking a gap year before college. And what would I do in this gap year? Well, I couldn’t think of a better time to see if the missions world would be up my alley. I have often desired to go overseas, and this gap year was a perfect opportunity to test whether that desire was realistic. No dependents, no school, no job… freedom! The world was my oyster.

I planned to work at a law firm and then head overseas for three months with another organization. The proposed goal of the trip? To gain clarity regarding missions. However, no clarity seemed to come, as the trip was canceled three times due to COVID-19, each time bringing tears and more confusion than before.

With the second cancellation, the organization started offering other opportunities to engage in the missions realm, including Missionary Training School at Global Frontier Missions. Five months away from home seemed daunting at that point, and I still held out hope that Covid would be over soon enough. I was wrong! The third cancellation hit me while I was on spring break with my family. That time they offered the option to complete an internship with GFM during the summer. The time left on my gap year was dwindling, but I still had a strong drive to gain clarity on my place in missions. So, when the opportunity to intern with GFM arose, I reluctantly agreed, still disappointed about the cancellations I had endured.

Boy, am I glad I agreed!

I spent last summer in the Georgia heat with several other interns who quickly became very close friends. I have since traveled far to see them again and talk with them often.

While in the internship, we got to wrestle together. We wrestled through what it means to work in ministry, when the facets of your spiritual and work life flow together and the lines are blurred between obligation and faith. We wrestled through the Great Commission, and how it looks to surrender to God’s call, while still waiting on His guidance. We wrestled through a lot of emotions and joys and wandered around the aisles of the international market together. We ate new foods and got temporary henna tattoos and learned in the classroom about evangelism and spiritual disciplines. Some of us learned how to enter homes and engage with refugees through the language barrier; others tutored kids and played in the sun for hours on end.

Global Frontier Missions gave us the tools and space to wrestle . We got to learn from the staff, and ask hard questions, and glean from their experiences around the world. We got to see what it looks like to be faithful, no matter where we are, at home or abroad. So if I could describe the internship in one word, it would be wrestling .

I will always thank God for allowing me to learn at GFM, surrounded by sweet mentors and friends. And I will always thank GFM for giving me the space to ask hard questions and seek the truth.

It seems that the wrestling followed me, especially surrounding my place in missions. GFM never guaranteed clarity. But overtime, the things I learned permeated the rest of my life and my thinking. As I went off to college, I got to test these things against my daily life. And I still wrestle, even as I sit here in Georgia with GFM for a second summer. But I know that I have people who love Jesus sitting right next to me, wrestling with me, and fighting for me!

Through GFM’s internship program, I learned to trust God when clarity never came. It is a lesson I will cherish and lean on and relearn for the rest of my life. But I am thankful that it happened in Georgia during the summer of 2021.

Written by: Hannah R.

Gifts in Missions: Administration

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 16:42:00 GMT

Colour-coded Google calendars, email folders auto-sorted by topic and sender, spreadsheets with pop-out charts linking data across tabs, databases ready to run every possible report at a moment’s notice, graphically illustrated procedures with embedded links to other procedures… these are a few of my favourite things.

Administrative and organizational skills are valued in the business world, but the missions world has often lagged behind. Missionaries are all extraverted, passionate, jump-in-front-of-a-crowd evangelists, right? What good are admin and IT skills to the Great Commission?

If you have felt the pull to play a part in seeing the nations come to Christ but don’t see how your previous office experience could be of service, keep reading! I can promise you that there is a role for you.

Now more than ever, there is a huge need for administrative support in almost every kind of ministry in almost any country around the world . So often, today’s missionaries find themselves working with a laptop, regardless of their country of residence or occupation. The world is moving faster and getting smaller. And that’s good news for behind-the-scenes people out there.

More than a few years ago, when my husband and I first started seeking God’s will for our involvement in The Great Commission, we wondered how we could become “the typical missionary”, which seemed so far from the IT world he operated in and the legal world I operated in while living in the US. There seemed to be an unbreachable gap between the picture in our heads of what a missionary does and what we had the skills to do.

We wrestled with whether or not God wanted us to throw away our years of education and work experience to live overseas. While our hearts were willing to do just that, it seemed wasteful. And God is not wasteful.

Gradually, God began to reveal to us that He gave us our skills and passions long before we were following Him. He never planned for us to be doctors in Mozambique or to build water systems in Cambodia. These are great things. They just weren’t our things. He created my husband to support missionaries through IT. He created me to plan, organize, write procedures, meet students all over the world, and use my colour-coded Google calendars every day.

Now, as the Director of the Online Missionary Training School for Global Frontier Missions, not a day goes by that I do not use what God had given me to glorify Him among the nations. My passion for administration allows me to reach more and more students to be trained wherever they live in the world. My passion for organization allows me to help prepare students to fulfill whatever vision God has placed in their hearts. All along, God was preparing me and my husband for a day like today. And I promise that He has already been doing the same for you. (If I may promote the Online Missionary Training School, we are looking for more people with administration skills!)

Maybe God is calling you to plant a church in the Maldives. Maybe He is calling you to be a physical therapist in Tuvalu. Maybe He is calling you to track missionary finances at a sending agency’s home base. Maybe He is calling you to help train students in cross-cultural missions all over the world without leaving your house in Sydney. But there is no maybe in the fact that He will use what He has put in your heart. Luke 10:2 is just as relevant today as when Jesus first spoke these words: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” The Great Commission needs more workers of all backgrounds.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” ( Ephesians 2:10 ).

All of your skills, abilities, and passions come from God, and He has already created a place for you in taking the Gospel to all the nations. The question is not whether God is willing to use what He has already given you. The real question is whether you are willing to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

Written by: Katie Czapala, Director of OMTS

Interested in using your skills to serve at GFM?

Our Favorite Informational Missions Resources

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 16:29:00 GMT

The exchange of ideas, information, and resources is strategically important to help hone our missional efforts both individually and corporately. While not every idea works everywhere, crossing cultures effectively requires a posture of listening and avoiding a predisposition toward a singular way of doing things. In addition, shifts in the global landscape continually present new opportunities while others fade away. Institutions that fail to innovate invariably come to an end, while those seeking fresh opportunities for sharing the gospel will at times tap into fruitful fields that were previously unidentified. Exchanging ideas and innovation go hand in hand for the benefit of all.

As a missionary training organization with a core value of being Lifelong Learners, we at Global Frontier Missions value allowing diverse perspectives to shape and solidify our thoughts. During Missionary Training School , we intentionally present a spectrum of viewpoints on a wide variety of topics to give students practice in sifting through contrasting ideas, searching Scripture, gauging their relevance in the local context, and maintaining unity even while disagreeing on noncentral issues. Similarly, we encourage our staff to stay connected to the broader missions community and cultivate a lifestyle of learning.

We recently asked our staff about their favorite informational missions resources for keeping their fingers on the pulse of missiology. While there were too many great resources to mention in a short blog post, here are some of our favorites*.

Regular Publications

A Life Overseas - A blog collective with honest conversations written by missionaries for missionaries.

Brigada - “The weekly Brigada Today web journal offers resources, mission trends, motivation, strategy tips, tools & ‘hacks’ to Great Commission Christians.”

Mission Frontiers Magazine - "Mission Frontiers has been in circulation since 1979, providing our subscribers with innovative insights on a wide range of topics from the most creative minds and well-known thought leaders in missiology."

Voices of the Global Church - Podcast: “Exploring the wisdom and theologies of World Christianity with Graham Joseph Hill”

Weekly Round Up from Justin Long - Succinct snapshot of global current events, prayer points, articles, statistics, and technology developments.

Tools

Center for Mission Mobilization - Resources for mobilizing believers including the Xplore Study (Intro to Missions, 7 paid sessions), The God Ask (book on partnership development for prospective missionaries), resources for teaching kids, and other resources.

Gospel Coalition - "The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ."

No Place Left - Resources for equipping disciple-makers.

RightNow Media - “A streaming library of more than 20,000 Bible study videos for leaders to share with their people.”

Upstream Collective - Sending church resources. See also their 17 Sending Church Elements .

Associations and Organizations

Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention - "The Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention aims to resource the Christian community to increase and retain the number of long-term missionaries sent around the world."

Christian Community Development Association - “Whether through community gatherings, regional events or online, CCDA works to creatively provide spaces for practitioners and partners to learn and network with like-minded leaders.”

Ecclesia Church Network - "Ecclesia provides training and immersion experiences for new church planters, equipping opportunities for wider church planting launch teams, assessments for prospective planters, and ongoing coaching for new church starts."

Global Diaspora Network - See their Diaspora Resource Library for books, training, podcast, and organizations focused on diaspora missions.

MissioNexus - Organization association with fantastic opportunities for innovation and networking with other organizations. See their magazine Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ) , upcoming Mission Leaders Conference in September, and great Missions Podcast Directory .

General Content

Desiring God - Founded by John Piper, "Everything we create and distribute here at Desiring God exists to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ." Find thousands of books, articles, sermons, and podcasts.

Fuller Seminary: Fuller Studio - Library of videos, podcasts, sermons, articles, and publications. Note also their Asian-American and Korean-American collaboratives.

Joshua Project - Database with information about unreached people groups around the world as well as helpful resources.

Lausanne Movement: Networks and Initiatives - "The Lausanne Movement connects influencers and ideas for global mission, with a vision of the gospel for every person, disciple-making churches for every people and place, Christ-like leaders for every church and sector, and kingdom impact in every sphere of society."

Missio Alliance - Articles, news, podcasts, publications, and writing collectives: "Inviting Christian leaders into a generative, expansive, intercultural network to cultivate a holistic theology and practice."

Conclusion

Just like the men "who understood the times" ( 1 Chron 12:32 ) ushered David into the kingship of Israel, so let us ride the edge of innovation and usher Jesus’ Kingship into every missional frontier, from the remaining unengaged unreached people groups to the social media landscape to preventive care for third culture kids to decision-making influenced by data analysis and beyond… until all have heard.

* GFM does not universally assent to opinions held by these organizations or resources.

Written by: GFM Staff Member

Gifts in Missions: Bookkeeping

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 15:21:00 GMT

When people think about missions, certain things often don’t come to mind, including making budgets, tracking spending, depositing checks for missionary support, and everyone’s favorite - filing taxes.

Those are definitely not what I thought about when I started to feel called to work in missions. I had imagined backpacking through Asia, leading Bible studies, and spending late nights with neighbors while drinking tea and discussing the Bible. I even got a degree in education just so that I could have a legitimate way to live and work among unreached people groups. However, the more time I spent working in missions, the more I had thoughts like, “I don’t know how I can keep doing this,” “How am I supposed to keep up with so many new friends?” and “Is it even possible to be an introvert and do meaningful work in the Kingdom without being exhausted all the time?”

Thankfully, I was surrounded by some really wise, Jesus-loving people who also worked in missions. They expressed how much they wished there were more people to take on the administrative roles so that they could focus on the more outward ministry tasks that they loved to do. They suggested to me that maybe God had made me a math-loving, analytical, introverted person on purpose so that I could serve God’s Kingdom with those gifts. And by the way, they were also looking for a bookkeeper in their US office. Was I interested in seeing if that was where God was calling me?

That’s how I started my job in ministry. I do bookkeeping and run payroll and file taxes. My job is roughly 20 hours a week outside of the tax season and a little over 40 hours during the tax season. From the job description side of things, it looks basically the same as it would if I worked for any other business or non-profit. Just like any other job, it comes with its own set of stressful situations and challenging tasks, but working in an environment where everyone sees what they do as meaningful work alongside God expanding the Kingdom makes those harder moments easier to handle. I’ve been blessed to work in an office full of brothers and sisters in Christ, which has been an incredibly life-giving and joyful experience. On top of that, I know that the work I do is having a direct impact on how much time disciple makers, church planters, and teachers get to spend using their gifts for ministry.

A passage of Scripture that has been really encouraging to me is Acts 6:1-7:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The apostles knew that it was important that the administrative work of caring for the widows be done with excellence. They also knew that they were called to a different work. So, they appointed people who were trustworthy and Spirit-led to take care of it. And the result was that God’s Word continued to spread and more people’s lives were radically changed as they trusted in God.

Often, we as the body of Christ value certain gifts like teaching, preaching, or giving more than other gifts. That means that those of us who don't have those specific gifts sometimes think that we don’t have any gifts and therefore have no contribution in the Kingdom. Praise God that this is not the case!

If you have experience working in financial planning, bookkeeping, accounting, or any other financial administrative field, please hear me. We need your gifts in the Kingdom. Think about what your company would look like if no one was there doing your job. That’s what would happen in missions organizations all over the world if these organizations didn’t have financial administrative staff in their home office.

So, what could it look like for you to offer your time and skills to serve the Kingdom directly? Just like those who serve in overseas missions have to count the cost and make sacrifices to do their work, serving the Kingdom with your gifts will probably cost you something too. It might mean taking a lower pay, raising your own support for your salary, or bearing other inconveniences.

Take some time to talk to God and see where He may want you to use your gifts, considering the potential cost to you and the potential benefit it could be to the Kingdom.

Written by: Anna S.

Interested in using your skills to serve at GFM?

Missions Motivation: The Worth of Jesus

Fri, 27 May 2022 14:15:00 GMT

Why should the missionary go on mission? Why should we as Christians do anything that we do for the Kingdom? Why do we answer the call to “go, therefore and make disciples of all nations” ( Matthew 28:19 )?

We cannot go for the sake of adventure or to simply ease our conscience about those who are suffering or have never heard. We cannot go even solely for the sake of the people we are called to minister to. We go because Jesus Christ is completely and consistently worthy! When the thrill of adventure diminishes and we find ourselves in the mundane once again, He remains worthy. When those whom we have crossed cultures and continents to serve end up rejecting us, disappointing us, or even persecuting us, He still remains worthy of our lives poured out in service to Him. All of who He is makes Him worthy of eternal honor, praise, reverence and love.

Everything about His character and ways should evoke perpetual worship from all of creation “from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same” ( Psalm 113:3 ). We who have beheld His glory, tasted His excellencies, and embraced Him as our source of eternal life, live for Him to be known in all the earth. Therefore, the worth of Jesus is not just the propellant for missions, it is the anchor that keeps us in the mission.

In Luke 14, Jesus counsels His disciples to count the cost of following Him. His description of this cost can be summed up in one word… EVERYTHING! He exhorts them that unless they are willing to join themselves to Him such that their love even toward earthly family members looks like hatred in comparison with their love for Him, they are not worthy to be His disciples. This is the price set before every disciple of Jesus.

As we look through the Scriptures and walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes in revelation to “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” ( 2 Corinthians 4:6 ). We see His excellencies as we gaze on His beauty and the magnitude of all He has done. With sobriety, resolve and joy, there comes a resounding YES in our hearts to pay whatever cost is set before us. The great pearl of His Kingdom causes us, in joy, to sell all to follow Him. Our hearts then are brought to reflect that of Mary of Bethany who wasted all she had, representing all she was and ever would be, at the feet of Christ. Why? Simply because He is worthy!

So what makes Jesus so worthy, or in the words of the ‘daughters of Jerusalem’, “What is so special about your beloved, most beautiful of women? What is so special about your beloved, that you charge us like this?” (ISV, Song of Solomon 5:9 ) He is “fairer than the sons of man” and grace continually comes from absolutely all that He says and does. His battle cry is not of falsehood, pride, and injustice but is of truth, humility, and righteousness. His reign is eternal, with the government of all creation resting on His shoulders. His leadership is perfect. His judgments are pure. His holiness is beautiful. The glory of His kingly robe fills the whole temple of heaven. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness, yet He is dripping with the oil of joy and gladness beyond all His companions. For the King enthroned on high, even beholding the heavens requires humbling Himself, but He didn’t stop there. He emptied Himself to take on our form, to live our life and to die our death. He spilled His blood to bear the sin of a Bride who hated Him. He rose from the dead, conquering sin and has forever devoured the distance between God and man. His scars are redemption. His wounds are healing. His death is life. “Yes, He is altogether lovely...” ( Song of Solomon 5:16 )

The summation is this: Jesus Christ is worthy of a spotless Bride out of every nation. He is beautifully worthy of this! Scripture, in Revelation 5:9, tells of a glorious scene, where people from every nation, tribe, people, and language worship the Lamb saying,

“...worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” ( Revelation 5:9 )

Constantly beholding the beauty and worth of Jesus causes us to desire that He would be worshiped among all nations. For this to happen, His name and worth must be proclaimed where it is not yet known. He alone is found worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, He alone is the Lamb that was slain and He alone spilled His blood to ransom a people for Himself. With this vision in mind, our Bridegroom King invites us to join Him in pursuit for His Church through missions. Our invitation is to Gaze and Go! May a revelation of His worth ignite our passion and obedience to the mission!

Written by: Simone

Is Missionary Training School for Me?

Mon, 09 May 2022 14:00:00 GMT

Is Missionary Training School For Me?

And Other Frequently Asked Questions Addressed By A Missions Advisor

When people come across Global Frontier Missions and our Missionary Training School , it’s usually because they’ve been introduced to the reality of unreached people groups and have found themselves in a position where they may not know exactly what to do… but they know that they have to do something .

That place of seeking and discerning how to pursue the heart of God for all peoples to know and worship Him is beautiful, but it is also a very vulnerable time marked by a host of uncertainties and questions. We recognize the joys and challenges of being in such a place, and our Missions Advisors seek to be sensitive to you and the Spirit of God as you’re asking questions and discerning the best next step for your life.

In that, we spend a lot of time answering questions about our 5-month Missionary Training School (MTS) in Clarkston, GA , and there are some fairly common questions that come up that we’d like to make accessible to you as you might be considering whether MTS is right for you.

Q: Why would I even consider going through a 5-month training program when I could head straight to the field in order to make Jesus known?

A: Considering the reality of three billion people who don’t currently have access to the gospel, this is definitely a legitimate question. There is a sense of urgency in realizing that up to 42% of the world doesn’t even have the chance to say “yes” to Jesus at this point in time, and we should be moved to action when faced with the state of the world. However, it is possible for us to overemphasize the urgency of the situation and to underestimate the ramifications of sending people to the mission field without holistic pre-field training and adequate whole-life preparation. Recent studies and statistics as well as stories from throughout history have shown that most fruitful and deeply-impactful ministry is taking place after the first 8-years of a missionary’s career, and there are a significant number of overseas workers who aren’t even making it to the 5-year mark. While many of the reasons for leaving the field have been unavoidable, some could have been prevented with holistic pre-field preparation. There’s an increasing awareness in the missions world that pre-field training isn’t just a good idea before sending out cross-cultural missionaries, but that it’s absolutely necessary if we want to truly set people up to thrive as long-term ambassadors of Christ among the nations. So let me rephrase the question and ask you… If pursuing some type of holistic, pre-field training before you go to the mission field slows you down a few months on the front-end but sets you up to last on the field for several more years on the back-end, would you consider that a worthwhile investment?

Q: Do I already need to have a sending agency before I arrive at MTS?

A: The short answer to this question is no, you do not need to already be associated with a sending agency before you apply for or attend MTS, although you certainly can come through MTS if you’re already affiliated with a sending agency. Each semester of MTS is a unique mix of individuals who are connected with a sending agency and those who are not. We are prepared to walk alongside people in both of those stages of the journey, whether by cooperating with the student’s agency or by helping the student find a good fit for them going forward.

Q: What is the structure of MTS?

A: MTS is structured around three main components that we could simply sum up in three words: Head (knowledge gained in a more formal, classroom setting), Heart (character development obtained in a informal, relational context), and Hands (cross-cultural discipleship and evangelism skills applied in a non-formal, true-to-life setting). We don’t separate these elements into different sections of the program, but they are all integrated and woven together throughout the 5-month training. From week one of MTS, our staff are seeking to engage your head, heart, and hands simultaneously, which results in a holistic approach that has proven to be highly effective for our graduates.

Q: Who is the ideal candidate for MTS?

A: This is a loaded question, and the answer could be very nuanced and multi-faceted. However, if you’re a follower of Jesus who is passionate about seeing Him made known among the nations and wants to be both mentored and equipped for cross-cultural discipleship and evangelism (whether that is overseas in the 10/40 Window or stateside among immigrants, refugees, and international students), you are an ideal candidate for MTS or a similar program! A holistic training program like MTS is vastly different from a degree in Intercultural Studies from a university or having gone on a missions trip, and so having done either of those things definitely does not preclude you from a training like MTS. If you would like to share the specifics of your situation and talk through whether or not MTS would be a good fit for you, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our Missions Advisors ! We’d love to discuss this question with you and your specific situation in mind!

Q: Why does MTS happen in Clarkston, GA instead of overseas in the 10/40 Window?

A: In the past 10 years, over one million people have immigrated to Atlanta from all around the world. Clarkston, which is located right outside of the city, is home to thousands of refugees who have tragically had to flee for their lives from their own countries. This creates a unique melting-pot of culture within this one little famous town. It’s been said that there are over 50 different nations and 90+ unreached people groups represented in Clarkston. So while we could offer this training overseas, one of the beauties of it being stateside in an ethnically diverse area like Clarkston is that it opens the door for you to experience incredible cross-cultural interactions and relationships with people from literally all over the world.

If you have additional questions, check out our MTS FAQ webpage or connect with one of our Missions Advisors today!

Written by: Laney Mills

The Most Promising Attributes of New Missionaries

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:12:00 GMT

As a missions training organization, the issues of long-term resilience and effectiveness are of keen interest to us. We at Global Frontier Missions are constantly looking to publications like Resilient Global Worker and The Missions Experience to glean insights on how to best prepare prospective missionaries for the field.

GFM currently has among our staff two couples who have spent around 30 or 40 years on the field. These individuals, who wish to remain anonymous, served in West and East Africa and represent a combined 133 years of experience in missions. Their roles over the years included personnel, administration, organizational leadership, logistics, teaching bachelor’s level Bible courses, leadership training, leading Bible studies, student ministry, and health education.

We recently interviewed these staff members in order to understand what are the most- and least-promising attributes of new missionaries and how to cultivate the former. While informal, we hope this article will give some insight into key areas of personal development in preparation for the mission field. The following is a series of questions with summarized answers compiled from their responses.

In your experience, what were some top make-or-break issues for long-term resilience in missions?

All four unanimously agreed that cultural adaptation was one of the top factors in missions resilience. Specific implementations mentioned included language learning, flexibility, and spending time bonding with the host culture.

Other factors included roles in ministry and relationships with teammates.

These were contrasted with inflexibility and critical attitudes toward either the host culture or the established missionaries.

One key negative factor was spending too much time engaging with their passport culture through imbalanced preference toward fellowship with other expats, spending excessive time engaging with home networks, daydreaming and comparison, and setting expectations according to prior lifestyles.

Notable statements:

“Westerners, especially, do not realize the emotional, physical or spiritual crutches that hold them up. When their close church fellowship, access to social media is limited, social diversions of known entertainment is reduced, there is not a decent supermarket just around the corner, they can enter culture shock. It is easier to enter cultural stress when there is difficulty in accepting the new culture or society around them. If their spiritual maturity was propped up by their church friends, Bible studies, seminar, and conferences, they will default to hanging out with other Westerners and will develop few close relationships with nationals.”

One respondent included “staying a full term without going home, which solidified bonding vs. returning home during the first term, which, in almost every case, led to a premature departure from the field.”

What were some of the most promising attributes of new missionaries?

Along with cultural adaptability and engaging in genuine friendships with people from the host culture, also mentioned unanimously was humility in various forms. These included teachability, observation, a servant heart, being a team player, asking questions, and the ability to laugh at oneself. One mentioned an attitude that seeks to empower others.

Three out of four also mentioned personal spiritual disciplines and the ability to grow in the Lord independently and consistently.

Perseverance, a strong work ethic, and prayer in the midst of difficulty were briefly mentioned as well. One wrote as follows: “Able to persevere when the initial difficulties come so there is some strength to pass through much harder times later on.”

The least promising?

A strong commonality between their responses was tightly holding on to one’s home culture and way of doing things. Implementations included maintaining the mindset of one’s passport culture, not embracing the host culture, and discounting the host culture’s perspective.

Also mentioned were inflexibility, criticism, judgmentalism, and becoming a lone ranger.

In contrast, one mentioned leaning too heavily into the host culture while ignoring advice of established missionaries.

One notable comment included an “overinflated view of setting boundaries over their work involvement that reflects more a lazy attitude and unwillingness to learn new work tasks; boundaries may simply be personal preferences that refuse to do so called menial tasks that must be accomplished by someone.”

Were you surprised by any of these realizations?

None expressed surprise.

One commented: “I wished many times that our new missionaries had been more carefully, adequately trained and vetted for the challenges of the field.”

In what practical ways can a prospective missionary develop those most promising attributes?

This question resulted in the most striking commonality with a singular answer that was almost exclusive.

The unanimous suggestion was to serve in ministry in one’s passport country.

To add breadth to ministry experience, diversity was mentioned in various forms including culture, generation, religion, socio-economics, and others as well as varying ministry types.

One respondent mentioned personal growth and building health in the following areas: spiritual, physical, emotional, psychological, relational, and in time- and self-management.

Looking back, what has been the most fulfilling part of your long-term experience?

All unanimously listed long-term relationships as the most fulfilling part of their experience. Half specified friendships with nationals from the host culture.

Most also mentioned spiritual legacy and seeing others come to Christ or carry on their roles in the Great Commission.

Conclusion

Based on this informal interview, it is the author’s understanding that humility, adaptability, and a readiness to build diverse friendships are the primary attributes to cultivate in preparation for the mission field. And the best way to cultivate them is faithful involvement in local, cross-cultural ministry.

If you are considering missions in the future, are you currently involved in a local cross-cultural ministry? What are some active ministries in your area? If you are not aware of any, ask around and search the internet to find some and consider coming alongside them in their work. Engage in building friendships with internationals and listen to the advice of established ministers already working with them. Serving in cross-cultural ministry in your area will help you build relationships with people with different perspectives and will help to develop cultural and ministerial adaptability. And perhaps God will also grant you the joy of witnessing your new dear friends come to life in Jesus.

Resources from GFM to help build cross-cultural ministry experience:

One way to gain cross-cultural ministry experience and learn from long-term ministers is to come join us in the Atlanta area for five months in Missionary Training School . Global Frontier Missions has specifically designed this program to blend classroom learning, hands-on practice engaging with the local foreign-born community, and practical and spiritual personal growth through community and mentorship.

If flexibility and remaining in your local context is a priority, consider Online Missionary Training School , our online training platform for those wishing to pursue cross-cultural ministry or those already involved and desiring personal coaching and just-in-time training on relevant topics.

For those aiming to work long-term in South Asia, our SLICE program can help a newcomer get their feet under them with guided language and culture learning and support for a significant part of their first term.

For those desiring more casual next steps, you can also find helpful tips and resources on developing the habits of a global Christian right in your context.

Written by: a GFM staff member

Kingdom-Minded: Partnering in the Great Commission

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:21:00 GMT

On the final night before His death, Jesus celebrated Passover and relayed final instructions to His disciples. He concluded this time with a momentous prayer for them and for us. In contrast with the short pattern He taught earlier, He pulled back the curtain on His own prayer life. Our priestly King fleshed out the line, “...may your Kingdom come, your will be done…” by including this:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me ,” ( John 17:20-23 , emphasis added).

Yet sometimes that unity seems to take a miracle. With conflicting opinions on missiological strategy, ideologies, roles in ministry, scriptural interpretation and emphasis, and even greater complexity from cross-cultural interactions, it’s easy to lose sight of the mission and start arguing on the road just like the disciples. But when we dispute the right way to do ministry, the true scriptural interpretation, and how to lead people to salvation and a transformed life , we tend to forget one thing.

Of anyone who ever walked this earth, there is only One who could call Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The rest of us are incomplete and imperfect yet valuable members of the body of Christ. Coming together with the different gifts, perspectives, and passions that Christ has ordained and delegated to each of us lends greater strength to the whole body (see Ephesians 4:11-13 ). This works both at the individual level as well as the corporate level, as each organization brings a valuable contribution in its focused role to fill specific needs.

We at Global Frontier Missions, an interdenominational community, hold as one of our core values being Kingdom-Minded. We are committed to partnering with other organizations to advance God’s Kingdom across the earth for His glory.

As a result, we rejoice to have partnered with 21 sending organizations both nationally and abroad and are always looking for more ways to collaborate for mutual benefit. We gladly meet with representatives from other organizations to encourage one another, hash out strategies together, and pray for one another. And we come alongside people in their journeys of discovery and connect them to the organizations where they can best fulfill their calling in the Great Commission.

Our passion is for all people on earth to hear the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and our goal is to contribute to God’s Kingdom that outlasts organizations, generations, and ages.

Learn more about how we have strategically designed our core values to make a name for Jesus and build His Kingdom instead of our own.

And to you who are actively participating in advancing God’s Kingdom, we say thank you. May God bless you with creativity, wisdom, and ever-increasing understanding of His love and grace as you bring your unique strength and perspective to help build up the body of Christ in love.

Written by: a GFM Staff Member

The Best Thing We Could Have Done: How Missionary Training School Prepared One Couple for the Field

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 16:26:00 GMT

Rob and Trish* were in a hurry to get to the mission field, but their sending organization required that they go through missions training before going to the field. “I thought it was a waste of time, and I just wanted to get on the field. It felt like an additional expense and additional time,” admits Rob. Trish adds that she was reluctant to go back to school in middle age. The hurdle almost deterred them from missions altogether. They complied, however, and went to Missionary Training School (MTS).

Within two months, their perspective changed drastically. Rob attests, “The program can take me from almost to the point of giving up being a missionary to sitting here talking to you that you’re crazy if you don’t go to MTS.” Trish expressed love for MTS and for learning about the Bible.

A year later, Rob and Trish were navigating a new life in Greece and found their training in MTS to be invaluable. Only one week after their arrival, the country experienced the strictest lock-down yet, including requirements to text the police whenever they left the house even for groceries or exercise. They were able to find an apartment and move during the lockdown, but all other activities had to be done in Greek, including shopping for house furnishings and utensils online. Because of MTS, they felt more prepared for handling the stages of frustration in trying to operate in a foreign country.

“It kind of changed our outlook knowing and expecting these different phases to come up… There are times in Greece when without MTS, we would have really, really struggled to stay.”

They also found the MTS topics of team dynamics, personalities, and conflict resolution to be invaluable. Their anticipated teammates had already transitioned away, and a new team was in place. Through the biblical community at MTS, they learned to bond with their new team and find family away from home.

To increase the complexity, their teammates represented a variety of countries: Ireland, Germany, the US, Iran, Afghanistan, Greece, Finland, and the Netherlands, not to mention the Third Culture Kids who formed a blended culture of their own.

“The cultural difference on the team alone can be overwhelming at times, and without cultural training, it would be very difficult. But with cultural training, we have more empathy with teammates from Europe as well as the people we serve from honor-shame cultures from the middle east.”

The team primarily works together to serve people from Afghanistan and Iran, including those coming from the recent refugee crisis. They have found cultural training to be helpful both in teaching English and in sharing the Gospel. Rob reflects, “Certain things we wouldn’t think as wrong, but they would consider it as shameful.” From MTS, they learned the importance of cultural sensitivity and understanding perspectives of honor. “We got really close to an Afghan family there, spent a lot of time with them, and learned about chai, Afghan celebrations, and family dynamics. We were at their house almost every day.” They credit the time spent with Afghan neighbors in Clarkston for teaching them things that even their teammates with thirteen or seventeen years of field experience had yet to learn.

Two years later, Rob considers MTS “ The best thing we could have done … Now, I would go back and do it again. There’s so much information in such a short time; there’s a lot of stuff I miss.”

*Names changed

Written by: a GFM Staff Member

Diaspora Missions: Loving Refugees, Immigrants, and Other Neighbors

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:55:00 GMT

Immigration. Urbanization. Diversity. Refugees. These are the issues and reality of our times. A few years ago, Syria flooded our screens, last year Afghanistan, and today Ukraine. The movements of people all around the world is undeniable and the refugee situation continues to unfold before our eyes.

A couple weeks ago, I sat with a Bhutanese family and heard their story. They had been exiled from their home in Bhutan to refugee camps in Nepal for over 20 years before landing in the Atlanta area. We found that we had mutual connections in Nepal, including one of my closest Bhutanese friends from church, as well as connections in Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. Now they and their people are scattered to urban centers in a handful of countries around the world.

This scattering, coined The Refugee Highway , is more than just a map of figurative on-ramps, weigh stations, and off-ramps for refugees. It is a scar – a scar of loss, brokenness, and uprootedness, a scar of sin on our globe. We can choose to look at this from the perspective of loss, where sin rears its head as we hang our heads in defeat. We can choose to look at it politically and enter into the heated debates of our day. Alternatively, we can look at it theologically: perhaps God in His providence, despite the scar of sin, can use uprootedness for His glory and honor. Could the Lord be ordaining the times and places where people should live?

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us,” ( Acts 17:26-27 ).

In addition to refugee uprootedness, there are many reasons for this scattering including opportunities for education, economic advancement, job relocation, and a whole spectrum of nuanced circumstances. A general term for this dispersal of people outside their home country is diaspora, and in the mission world today, cross-cultural ministry in all of these contexts can be considered Diaspora Missions or Diaspora Missiology.

When we think of the mission enterprise in the 21 ^st century, there still seems to be a notion amongst many Christians that it exclusively takes the gospel to places geographically distant. Though we know that urbanization and immigration is the narrative of our day, somehow we can miss the memo that this too influences Christian mission. As our cities become more and more diverse with the diaspora from all over the world, we can choose to turn to skepticism and fear or turn to opportunity and hope.

Joining Jesus in Diaspora Mission

The recent refugee crises have resurfaced the issue and the great need for God’s goodness and hope. In addition to immediate relief efforts, consider these simple ways to join Jesus by getting involved in your local context.

There are so many wonderful ways to get to know and serve the diaspora. Missionaries move to foreign lands all the time, often returning within a few years before they know much about language or culture. Just when they start to get to know how a country works, they come home. By contrast, you know your country. You may have lived here your whole life. You sit in a unique place to guide internationals along when they are new to the country, and a beautiful dance of give and take between cultures can occur. Diaspora mission is not just for professional missionaries. You can engage right where you are. Pray. Walk up and down the street. Say hello. Learn a few new phrases in another language. Do it often. Watch God do only what He can do!

Written by: John Trotter

Staff Pick and Book Review: Pipeline

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 20:23:00 GMT

(The following is a book review of Pipeline: Engaging the Church in Missionary Mobilization by David and Lorene Wilson. Read and reviewed by Global Frontier Missions staff member: Laney Mills.)

“Have you read the book Pipeline ?”

You don’t have to be in the missions world long before this question inevitably comes up and, after having read this highly recommended book, I understand why. While Pipeline by David and Lorene Wilson isn’t a “classic” in terms of how long it’s been around (published in 2018), it seems to have quickly become a staple for anyone asking questions about how to engage churches in missionary mobilization and sending. This comprehensive book is marked by a plethora of contributors and a breadth of content that seems unique among books with a similar focus.

Because of the sheer amount of information and perspectives that are presented in Pipeline , it is a highly valuable resource for anyone seeking to holistically understand the process of missionary mobilization and sending in the context of the local church. Each chapter examines a slightly different aspect of missions engagement within churches from varied angles, and in addition to finding affirmation and encouragement for where you are in this process, you’ll also be challenged to wrestle with paradigms you might not agree with and don’t ascribe to. I find this incredibly beneficial, especially in the missions world where we can easily get stuck in our own church or organizational silos. Stepping outside of our echo chambers of particular thought processes is needful for us as we seek to follow Jesus as faithfully as we possibly can in our cultural moment.

However, I think all readers of Pipeline will agree with the consistent emphasis on the absolute necessity of prayer and intentional mobilization within the local church. Those two things rightly receive a lot of attention throughout the entirety of the book. On the topic of prayer, Doug Lucas writes the following in the introduction: “According to Jesus, to raise up the ‘reachers’ we have to pray hard. And never, never, never quit. That’s the framework for everything we do in mobilization. Everything else is just details.” What a profoundly true statement!

As David Wilson openly assesses what he sees overarchingly when he looks at the local church’s current involvement in mobilization and sending, he writes:

“Sure, we in the church celebrate when someone steps forward and says, ‘I think God is calling me to be a missionary.’ But often there is an element of surprise instead of expectation . We react to these moments of calling, instead of anticipating God to call them out because we have been praying for that to happen. Our default is to go through the motions of church-as-usual. So when someone raises their hand to join the Lord on His mission, it is almost like it was accidental rather than as a result of deliberate discipleship initiatives.”

This paradigm of “accidental mobilization” versus “deliberate mobilization” stood out to me as critical for churches to engage with as they assess their own missions pipeline, and I appreciated the differentiation between a posture of surprise and reaction from local churches as opposed to a posture of expectation and anticipation .

As has already been stated, there is so much to Pipeline , and this brief review barely even scratches the surface. However, I would recommend it as an excellent resource and reference book for those desiring and pursuing greater levels of intentional prayer and mobilization within the context of their local church.

Written by: Laney Mills

The Beauty of Diversity in the Missions

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:21:00 GMT

I love to ask the question, “If you could be physically present for any story in the Bible, which story would you like to see?” Hearing about peoples’ favorite Bible stories, what they love, and why they would want to be present gives me a small glimpse of their heart.

When I respond to this question, my answer is always the same. I would love to be present for Creation. There are so many things that I love about the Creation story. I love to think about the immeasurable power of God as He spoke the universe into existence. What must it have been like to be there? To see creatures of various sizes and shapes being formed. To see the sea and sky separating as God created the heavens. To see the earth take shape as God molded land into mountains, like a sculptor turning clay into a delicate vase.

As I think about Creation, the one word that stands out among the others is BEAUTY! God’s creation is simply beautiful. An aspect of His beauty, displayed in Creation, is diversity. The vibrant red petals of a rose are beautiful because they contrast with the lush green bush. A sunset is a beautiful explosion of colors painted across the warm summer sky. When the various elements of creation come together, they reflect the beautiful, creative character of God.

Today, as we think about missions and mobilization, the beauty of diversity is nearly absent.

In 2014, when I attended a missions training program in Colorado, I was shocked by the lack of diversity. No one else in the school looked like me. In some ways I felt lonely, as my initial exposure to missions felt like walking into a room where I didn’t belong. After some time, I mustered the courage to ask the director of the school, “What is the least-represented demographic in missions?” He took some time, looked at me, and responded with, “You. Young. Single. African-American male.” Seven years later, now married and a little older, I have found this still to be true.

I know diversity is so much more than African-American representation in missions, but as an African-American, I can only speak from my perspective. African-Americans represent less than 1% of domestic and foreign missionaries. According to an article in Christianity today, out of the 3,700 career missionaries sent out by IMB, only 13 (.3%) were African American .

Diversity is a beautiful and powerful force that we are missing in the missions world that would punctuate our Gospel message, encourage the Global Church, and reflect the heart of God.

Diversity in missions punctuates our Gospel Message

We are sent out with the foundation that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, “for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved,” ( Acts 4:12 ). It is only through Jesus Christ that we are reconciled back to God. This is true for me, for you, for all Americans, Africans, Asians, Latinos, Arabs, Europeans, etc. For all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we are all in need of a Savior ( Rom. 3:23-24 ).

During my time in East Africa and other parts of the world, I’ve heard many people say, “I like your message but I can not become a Christian. Christianity is the white man’s religion.” We all know this is not true. The Gospel is for everyone, and some of the most influential Church Fathers , including Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement, and Augustine , were from Africa.

However, those who expressed this sentiment demonstrate a felt association of the Gospel and the Church with white missionaries. And in many of these countries, experiences with white missionaries have not always been positive.

As we realize this specific challenge that we face in the missionary world today, we have the amazing opportunity to show the world that the Gospel is not just the “white man’s religion.” The Gospel we proclaim not only reconciles us back to God, but reconciles us back to each other ( Eph. 2:14-18 ). The beauty of unity at the center of diversity is a powerful testimony to our Gospel message! As people from every nation are sent out into the world, we have the opportunity to proclaim the good news of God’s grace in every language, to all tribes, showing the world that in Christ Jesus, all ethnicities can come together as one ( Gal. 3:28 ).

Diversity in missions encourages the Global Church

There are many reasons why there is a lack of diversity in missions today, but I believe that one of the main reasons is because not everyone across the Global Church sees themselves as missionaries. For many believers around the world, missions is “the Western Church’s thing. Not our thing.” I’ve heard so many people express this idea as I spent years in mobilization. This, too, breaks my heart.

When Jesus gave the command to go and make disciples of all nations ( Matt. 28:18-20 ), He did not just address the disciples at that time, nor the Western Church. This is a command for the Global Church. The task of accomplishing the Great Commission was never meant to be accomplished by one group of people.

Nor was the task of accomplishing the Great Commission only to be enjoyed by one group of people. There is a joy in joining our Heavenly Father as He is reconciling the world back to Himself ( 2 Cor. 5:18-19 ). There is a joy in experiencing the grace of God as He empowers us with His Spirit, in seeing the power of God bring dead people back to life in Jesus Christ, and in experiencing the faithfulness of God as He provides for us and comforts us in difficult times. The privilege of being ambassadors of Christ, bringing this message of reconciliation to the world, was never meant to be enjoyed by just the Western Church. This is a privilege for every follower of Christ ( 2 Cor. 5:17 ).

As we seek diversity in missions, we have the opportunity to reflect this truth. One of the most effective mobilization tools that I had while serving in East Africa was my black skin and curly hair. East Africans were able to look at me and think, “Wait. You’re a missionary. You look like me. I thought missions was just for white people. If you look like me and you can be a missionary, then I can be a missionary, too.” May our mission agencies reflect the Global Church we represent and the diversity of people we are trying to reach.

Diversity in missions reflects the heart of God

As missionaries, we know that God’s heart is for all peoples. This is expressed in every book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. God is the God of the universe and He desires all people to come into a saving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ ( 1 Tim. 2:3-4 ). Jesus told us to pray for God’s Kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven ( Matt. 6:10 ), and we have a picture of heaven already painted for us.

In Revelation, we read that there will be “a great multitude of people that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…”’ ( Rev. 7:9 ). This will happen. This is where we are headed. This is the heart of God expressed throughout the Bible. And since this is God’s heart, shouldn’t this be our heart, too? And shouldn’t our mission agencies reflect the rich diversity of God’s Kingdom?

At that moment in eternity, we will be surrounded by people who look like me and you. We will be surrounded by people who are taller, shorter, bigger, and smaller. At that moment, we will be surrounded by people who have lighter skin and darker skin, thicker hair and thinner hair. At that moment, as we are clothed in white robes with palm branches in our hands we will join together in unison lifting our voices up in praise to our God in every language. We will cry out in a loud voice, “ Wokovu ni wa Mungu wetu aketiye juu ya kiti cha enzi, na kwa Mwana-Kondoo.” “الخلاص لإلهنا الجالس على العرش وللحمل” “उद्धार हमारे परमेश्वर का है जो सिंहासन पर विराजमान है, और मेम्ने का है.” Which translates to: “ Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ( Rev. 7:10 ).

What a beautiful picture of God’s grace!

Written by: Gabe H.

Two Questions to Help Determine Your Purpose

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 14:43:00 GMT

I’ll never forget an illustration that my dad, a missionary, often shares with people.

Picture yourself on a warm beach, a salty breeze wafting by, palm trees waving across the slopes, and gulls crying in the distance as they swoop across the miles of sand stretching in either direction. Now reach down and pinch about 80 grains of sand and place it in the palm of your hand. That represents your life on earth - all the years any of us could expect in this world before we meet our beloved Maker and Savior. How long are our lives on earth compared to eternity? Is the sand on that beach enough to represent eternity? What about all the beaches along the coast or even the entire continent combined? A quick internet search estimates there are seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion (7,500,000,000,000,000,000) grains of sand across all the world’s beaches. Mathematically, that is much closer to zero than to infinity, so all the sand on earth is still a severe underestimation of eternity.

If we anticipate spending such a vast proportion of our existence in eternity, why do we spend so much time and energy on earthly endeavors?

Perhaps that is a new idea for you or perhaps you are already sold on prioritizing eternity and spreading Jesus’ Kingdom on earth as much as possible. But for many of us, the question remains:

In light of eternity, what should we do with our lives?

More specifically, what should you do with your life?

In Missionary Training School , we are passionate about helping people find their unique roles in God’s greater Kingdom. As part of the curriculum, we study different personality types and spiritual and natural giftings from multiple perspectives. In addition, we spend a week learning about God-given dreams and allow students time to dream without limitation.

But sometimes these dreams require a catalyst, because what we would do without limitation seems to have little bearing on the real world. As adults many of us are well-trained to hold the status quo as realism instead of cultivating our imagination. So let me share a few catalyzing questions that have been impactful for me.

Take a minute to dream! Don’t hold back and see what happens as you consider these questions.

These first questions are designed to help you consider what you were created to do :

If you could do anything in the world, and you knew you could not possibly fail but would absolutely succeed, what would you do?

The key with this question is to get past the one-time events like skydiving, climbing Mount Everest, or flying to space, and to discover long-term dreams.

Question variations:

The second set of questions is to help you consider what problem in the world you were made to address:

What significantly and consistently bothers you about the world that does not seem to bother anyone else?

Again, the key here is consistency. We can all watch a video about a dreadful situation in the world and have heart-wrenching compassion. And we should feel compassion and do something about it whenever we can. But if an issue does not continue to bother you day after day, then that is probably not what you were made to address.

Question variations:

The crux of your purpose might lie in the intersection of your answers to those questions.

What if you could do your favorite thing and make a difference about the problem in the world that bothers you most?

It may seem too good to be true. Let me give you a couple real examples.

When my brother-in-law was about 5 years old, he used to watch his dad print Bibles on a printing press. Inspired, he began dreaming of doing that as an adult. Decades later, having forgotten the dream altogether, he and my sister moved to Mexico as missionaries with the goal of ministering to and encouraging local churches. One day, my brother-in-law was running a risograph printing copies for a local pastor. When he glanced down and saw pages of the book of John coming off the machine, he suddenly remembered his childhood dream! God had made his dream happen!

When I was a child, I created written languages for fun. I was fascinated when I heard about different structures used by different scripts, and I would play around with these concepts. As a teenager, I began dreaming about creating a website to train people how to do children’s ministry. With my meager HTML skills, I set to work - but lacked the experience to produce enough content for a useful site. Years later, I was involved in a ministry writing children’s ministry curriculum. When we began translating into other languages, I was tasked with developing internal systems for working in various scripts, and I delighted in learning how Hindi, Arabic, and other written languages worked. I was also tasked with designing a website that could keep thousands of children’s ministry files organized in those various languages.

Ok, two examples does not prove that it is always possible; perhaps we were just lucky. However, in light of eternity and the infinite wisdom of our Creator, I believe it would be unwise to discount our dreams as infeasible without earnest consideration.

I’ve heard of hiking and rock climbing adventurers who hosted a missions adventure camp for teens. I’ve heard of a woman baking cookies to minister to women in a neighborhood brothel. I’ve heard of thriving sports ministries reaching teens in Eastern Europe. And if your dream involves behind-the-scenes IT or administration, you would have countless missions agencies vying for your full-time participation.

We at Global Frontier Missions encourage you to dream and to pray about these dreams and hand them into the care of your loving Creator. After all, His dreams are even bigger than ours ( Eph 3:20 ). And He is much better at multiplication ( Mat 13:23 ) than we are. With our God with whom all things are possible ( Mat 19:26 ), following your dream might just affect the lives of other people for the next 7,500,000,000,000,000,000 years and forever.

Written by a Global Frontier Missions staff member.

Staff Pick and Book Review: Journey with Me

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Journey with Me

(The following is a book review of Herbert F. Lamp Jr.'s Journey with Me: Spiritual Formation for Global Workers . Read and reviewed by Global Frontier Missions staff member: Laney Mills.)

In recent history, many books have been written on the topic of Christian missions. There have been books about strategy and best practices, books about innovation and trends in missions, books about the grand narrative of Scripture and the biblical basis of missions… all of which are incredibly important aspects of missions to examine.

There have also been a plethora of books written on spiritual formation, the importance of liturgy in the everyday life of the believer, and the need for a “slowdown spirituality.” However, there seems to be a noticeable lack of books written and resources available on the topic of spiritual formation for the globally-minded Christian… which is unfortunate, because a lot of work could be done in the union of these two critical streams of thought and practice.

But in 2021, Journey with Me: Spiritual Formation for Global Workers was published. And while not the first book written to recommend the importance of spiritual formation in the life of cross-cultural workers, it’s the first book I’ve seen that outlines that connection in a very practical way.

Each of the 19 chapters in Journey with Me highlights an “ancient pathway” — a historically tried-and-true practice of spiritual formation that addresses various aspects of the global workers’ life. Some of the disciplines outlined include soul care, the Word of God, prayer, a rule of life, sabbath and retreat, lifelong learning, spiritual direction, hospitality, incarnational ministry, and suffering. Each chapter is biblically grounded, highly practical, and able to stand alone in the grand scheme of the book.

Probably one of the most noteworthy aspects of this book, at least in my opinion, is just how well-read and researched the author is. Herbert F. Lamp, Jr. has done the work of reading widely on the topic of spiritual formation and he disseminates the concepts and practices in a very straightforward, down-to-earth way. He doesn’t seem to position himself as a competition to all of the work that has previously been done on the topic of spiritual formation in the Christian tradition. If anything, he builds on that already-laid foundation and seems to see this book as a launching pad for global workers into further reading and study. Every chapter is chock-full with quotes and references from other great thinkers and writers, and each chapter ends with a “For Further Reading” section with his top book recommendations on that specific topic.

As someone who spent years on the field and saw the devastating results of not having a high level of intentionality in his own spiritual development, he speaks directly to current and future cross-cultural missionaries as a mentor and a guide:

“Mission work should not be driven by speed, show, or solely upon results, but by the concern that planted faith communities are able to have deep roots and survive under the challenges that will inevitably arise. Life transformation takes place when the all-encompassing nature of the gospel is realized, not just in head knowledge but through changes in the hearts of global servants and in those they disciple . If this doesn’t take place, then the gospel won’t become rooted where it is planted.” (Pg. 21)

He also addresses leadership within existing mission structures with challenging poignancy:

“ Christian mission boards spend a great deal of effort and resources in strategizing and promoting their work, but often neglect the hearts of their people. They assume the work of the Holy Spirit has already taken root and has been developed through the global servant’s local church. They spend a great deal of time evaluating a new candidate’s church involvement, but little on what their church has actually produced in the spirituality of the prospective missionary.” (Pg. 15)

And once again:

“ If spiritual formation is the central problem facing the church today, it is of utmost importance that we train young missionaries in these pathways before and during their mission service. There must be more to spiritual formation than being active in Christian community, affirming a certain set of beliefs, and acting with a certain pattern of behavior. Genuine spiritual formation is much deeper than this. It must be intentional, disciplined, and focused on day-to-day choices of obedience -- which, however seemingly small in the beginning, continually grow.” (Pg. 21)

While I hope this book is not the last word on the topic of spiritual formation within the life of a global worker, this is a great introductory resource for current and future missionaries, as well as their supporting networks and missions leadership.

Nothing Wasted: The Formative Power of Loneliness and Longing

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 21:09:00 GMT

Let’s be honest.

Transitions are hard.

And when I say that transitions are hard, I’m not merely talking about their more obviously challenging aspects — saying goodbyes, leaving the familiar, uprooting your established life in one place to start from scratch in another, not to mention the logistical details and stressors of moving. I’m talking about the difficulty of living with paradoxical emotions — feelings that seem like they should be at odds with one another, but somehow are not. Running parallel to the difficulties of transitioning to a new place, there can also be a lot of joy surrounding the experience — new beginnings, excitement to explore and meet new people, and a sense of expectation for what God has led you there to do.

So transitions are hard… not simply because they’re hard, but because they’re simultaneously good.

The life of a cross-cultural worker is one of continual and sometimes seemingly endless transition. “Transition” and “change” seem to be the name of the game for those who have committed their lives to see the good news of Jesus spread to the ends of the earth… and it’s something we would do well to discuss more.

A few weeks ago, I was not okay. It’s been about a year since I moved to the city where I currently live, and in that time I have felt every bit of good and hard that comes with transition. But on the heels of a few weeks out of town, I came back to the place I’m supposed to call “home," and it wasn’t pretty. Despite initially making the move out of obedience to the Lord and a genuine sense of expectation for what He had in store, questions about why I had moved here in the first place plagued me. Tears flowed freely as I grieved the distance separating me from my closest friends and the inability to “do life” with them on a regular basis. Frustration with myself mounted as I recalled several other recent transplants mentioning how much they love the community we live in, and how they’ve never experienced such a positive transition… while all I can seem to muster about this community is that it doesn’t even hold a candle to the experience of Christ-centered community I left behind. All of this was only complicated by the genuine joy I’ve found in some of my current rhythms and the sense of deep hopefulness I feel as I get more connected with a local body of believers. And after my very real and very raw emotions ran their course, I admitted to myself that I had an unspoken expectation of myself that I should be much further along in feeling at home in this city after almost a year of living here.

But I don’t.

And in that moment — when unspoken expectation stacked up next to reality and was found wanting — I invited the Holy Spirit into my grieving. And as I did, this thought began taking shape within my soul: Nothing is wasted. Don’t take the formative power of longing and loneliness for granted.

And that struck me in a deeply profound way. Because I don’t know about you, but that is what I want more than anything… to know that the very real pain I face now will somehow not be for naught.

And praise God — by the power of His indwelling Spirit, it doesn’t have to be.

Zach Bradley, director of content and strategy at The Upstream Collective, once exhorted believers to “ allow God’s gracious gift of tangible, terrible longing to help you be the sojourner that you are, longing for and living for the day when you meet Him face to face.”

I love that.

And I want that.

So what would it look like for you and for me to see our longing and loneliness as a powerful tool of formation in our lives as the Spirit is doing the work of sanctifying us more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus?

There are very few (if any) things in this life that aren’t a foreshadow or a picture of what will be when Christ’s Kingdom comes in its fullness. Marriage is a foreshadow. Sabbath is a foreshadow. A sense of home is a foreshadow. And this side of eternity, our longing and loneliness for things here and now serve as a foreshadowing — a poignant reminder that, while we might taste the satisfaction of longing and loneliness to some degree, we will never experience satisfaction in its fullness until Jesus returns.

In God’s economy, nothing is wasted, not even your longing and loneliness. And while God is unchanging ( Malachi 3:6 ; James 1:17 ), our lives are ever-changing. So whether you find yourself in the midst of transition from one community to another, one city to another, one country to another, or some other type of transition, know that the pain you experience in that journey is not wasted. Allow the grief, the frustration, the unfulfilled desires, and the unsettledness within your soul to push you into a deeper communion and fellowship with the Triune God. There is formative power in what you’re experiencing. Leverage your longing for the good gifts of God here and now for the glory of God and the good of your soul as you learn to live contented with discontentment this side of eternity. That’s not to say there are no joys for us here, or that God intends our lives to be miserable. It’s simply a hearkening back to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:12 : “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” This is what it means to be a part of the “here but not yet” Kingdom of God.

May we, as citizens of Heaven, learn how to be satisfied with dissatisfaction as we engage in the global mission of God on this earth and eagerly await the subsequent return of Jesus — Him who is the perfect fulfillment of our longing and loneliness.

Written by: A GFM Staff Member

Disability in Missions: The whole Gospel, from the whole Church, to the whole World

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 18:26:00 GMT

This is the fourth and final installment of our Disability in Missions series.

When a person with a disability (PWD) leaves their home, they can be met immediately with questions, curiosity, even ostracism. A stroll down the road can never be assumed to be stress-free. Years of marginalization will not disappear overnight. Frames of reference on disability vary as time and culture varies; all the complexity can lead to a dead-end street of theorizing and gaining more information. If the conversation remains here, true transformation and interdependence between missionaries with disabilities, mission agencies, and the able-bodied is unlikely. There needs to be something rooted in God that brings clarity to all the complexity.

The first chapter of the biblical text records the plurality of the godhead and reveals His intentions for His people. “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness so that they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them,” ( Gen. 1:26-28 ). God is love and that love cannot be experienced without relational community.¹ Within one chapter of the biblical record, the Disability Rights Movement ethos of independence and American rugged individualism is questioned.

The interdependent nature of God himself cannot be overstated. God is God only in relationship; He cannot exist outside of that. People, regardless of their ability, reflect God to the world. This, in a nutshell, is what missions is designed to do – to see heaven and earth collide, shining forth the beauty of our trinity God to everyone.

Biblical Foundations of Interdependence

Perhaps no text in Scripture more clearly spells out the place of weakness in the body of Christ than Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Considering the elitism and division taking place, his words are profound:

“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don’t need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don’t need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

1 Corinthians 12:18-27

Rick Langer delineates five keys from this text if “unpresentable parts” is read from a disability perspective:

Langer places PWDs in a special role in the body of Christ and doesn’t merely allow for their participation or inclusion. They are an integral part to the mission of God.

Jeff McNair further articulates what it is to understand the indispensable parts of the body of Christ. “It is arguable that only the development of relationships will lead to shared power. Entering relationship implies relinquishing one’s own power and allowing others to have power. It is through relationship that people who are indispensable express their indispensable nature.”³

The trinity God is the perfect example of interdependence. The Church, God’s people called out to display Christ to the world, are to be interdependent in their expression of God’s message and mission.

The facts are before us. How will we respond? How will the mission of God no longer relegate PWDs only to receive compassion and ministry in missions? Will we join dozens of others in local churches and mission agencies who have decided that in our day, in this generation, we will be known for our interdependence of the whole body?

The frames of reference and models of disability were smashed together by Christ to institute a new kingdom way. We have waded through hundreds of years of marginalization to get to this point. The whole Gospel, from the whole body to the whole world. This is our time!

Written by: John Trotter

Disability in Missions Series

¹ Wan, Enoch and John Penman. “The Trinity: A Model for Partnership in Christian Missions.” Global Missiology April 2010.

² Langer, Rick. “The Body, the Gifts, and Disabilities: A Look at 1 Corinthians 12.” EFCA Today Summer 2011. https://www.efcatoday.org/story/body-gifts-and-disabilities . Last accessed June 1, 2021.

³ McNair, Jeff. "The Power of Those Who Seem Weaker." Journal of the Christian Institute on Disability 3, no. 1 (2014): 93-108.

Discerning Calling

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Lurking Questions Behind the Question

“I feel sometimes like a person to whom in childhood was entrusted some sacred flame…” said Fanny Jackson Coppin . Adoniram Judson heard about the state of things in India and was suddenly heart-stricken. One of my colleagues has a similar story prompted by a 5-minute video . My brother-in-law was convicted at a retreat for wasting his life in light of eternity, despite regularly serving his local church. Others have simply pointed to the clarion call in Matthew 28:19-20 . I have personally felt called to missions three distinct ways, leading me into three different places and purposes.

The ways God calls people into missions seem to be about as creatively diverse as the world He has made.

Regardless of how the particular call comes about or the direction it leads, those who uproot their lives will often attest to feeling thrust forward. When Jesus said, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field,” ( Mat 9:38 ), the phrase “ send out ” denotes thrusting, launching, or expelling with force. And that makes sense. People don’t uproot their lives and cross an ocean to a place where they need to overcome language and cultural barriers just to eat unless the driving motivation is forceful enough to overcome the inertia of a comfortable life.

But what about those not feeling thrust onto the field?

Suppose you and I walked outside right now and encountered an average Christian on the street and started discussing missions and their role. Suppose further that they are aware of the need and desire to be involved in the Great Commission and are completely honest with us.

Lots of concerns would probably come up. Top concerns might include finances and family. They might include dreams for the future or current life trajectory in career and relationships. They would likely express fear of the unknown. And then the discussion might come around to the big missions Question: “Am I called?”

Let’s try rephrasing the Question. Might any of these questions resonate with our new acquaintance?

These thoughts can sometimes lurk behind the original Question and increase the pressure to find an answer. Here is what our loving heavenly Father says through Scripture to address these concerns:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” ( Romans 8:1 ).

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death,” ( 2 Corinthians 7:10 ).

If there is any threat of condemnation, any regretful sorrow, any unresolvable guilt behind the big missions Question, then that pressure is not from God and can be discarded. In other words, you are NOT called to make yourself right with God through sacrifice. You are NOT called to save people; not one of us mere humans is capable of saving anyone. You are NOT called to carry the weight of the world. And you are certainly NOT responsible for tempting the human race to sin or pulling entire people groups away from God toward destruction. Those responsibilities are not yours to carry.

As for pleasing God, let’s remember His greatest desire.

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings,” ( Hosea 6:6 ).

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me…’” ( Mat 19:14a ).

“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found,” ( Luke 15:24 ).

God wants you for you , not for what you do for Him.

You were already made right with God thousands of years before you were born because of what Jesus accomplished, never for anything that you do or don’t do. Because of Jesus, sin does not separate you from God, nor does missions bring you closer to God or somehow fulfil a lacking quota. As Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” ( John 19:30 ).

That is exactly the message we carry with us wherever we go - a message of freedom. A message that Jesus has fulfilled God’s requirements on your behalf, on behalf of the one across the street, across town, across the border, and across the ocean.

The problem is that lots of people don’t know. And there are so many simple ways to get involved in spreading that message .

So, are you called? Yes!

But unless you are truly thrust out (i.e. this blog post can’t stop you), feel free to let go of the idea of hopping on a plane to some obscure place tomorrow - and any corresponding false guilt - and instead focus on being faithful with what God has given you and what you can do today. And in following Jesus, you’ll find that there are just as many beautifully fulfilling ways to be a part of God’s mission as the creatively diverse world He has made.

Written by a GFM staff member

Disability in Missions: The Complexities of Cultural Perspectives

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 15:41:00 GMT

This is the third installment of our Disability in Missions series.

Jesus flipped the kingdom of this world upside down when He came to earth. While onlookers largely dismissed those with disabilities, He came and mystified existing models of disability, reorienting the way society thought about persons with disabilities (PWDs). A long time has passed since then and we clearly are not living in first century Palestine. The reference point for Americans dealing with disability is 2000 years removed from the biblical text, and to think about doing missions with PWDs, we have to understand what has transpired.

Though talks of access, equal opportunity, and social justice are common discussions in American society today, this is all a recent phenomenon. In modern times, it seems that society, not the Church, has led the way in the inclusion of PWDs. There is no doubt that all spheres, religious or secular, have had difficulty welcoming PWDs to the table, but few have begun the conversation of empowering them into the mission of God.

In the big picture, little time has passed since marginalization was the lot for all who were born with a disability. During the 1920s and 1930s, PWDs were a mocking source of entertainment, being considered for elimination from society and, at best, hidden away. However, by 1970, legislature was making accommodations in education and work life for them; by 1971, all disabled Americans had a right to free public education.¹ The shift was rapid, and though progress has been made, employability for PWDs has not kept pace with legislative reform.

The mantra of the Disability Rights Movement in the United States has been “nothing about us without us,” stating that PWDs would no longer stand idly while others made decisions for them.² PWDs grew weary of losing repeatedly when they were left out of the conversation. The reaction was rugged individualism and independence. The independent living movement started in the late 60s and early 70s in the United States which created a paradigm shift in how Americans viewed PWDs and how PWDs viewed themselves. Dependence was cast down and independence replaced it.

This radical ethos of independence has so dominated the discussion around disability that little space has been left for interdependence. Cultures all around the world still have a strong practice of collectivism and interdependence, but much of the foundation of the Disability Rights Movement was built upon American, rugged individualism. While PWDs became more educated, employable, and self-sufficient, little space was given to mutuality. This ethos of independence traveled well in the United States with its high importance on individuality but hasn’t worked well in some of the world’s “warmer” cultures that emphasize collectivism. Listen to an African perspective on humanity. Ubuntu, loosely translated as “humanity” or “how people relate to one another,” is described as follows:

"There are various interpretations of the ubuntu concept, but at the heart of the concept is the idea that people are human only in relation to others – the proverb "uMntu ngumntu ngabantu" (a person is a person because of other people) is commonly cited as core to the ubuntu concept... we hold the principle of interdependence as central to the way we should think about developing disability work in Africa (and in adhering to this interdependence, or ubuntu, concept, we are at some distance from several European approaches to disability which very strongly emphasize independence)."³

South Asian and Pacific disability rights advocates have commented along similar lines, stating that familial and collective approaches are needed. Independence is not culturally nor biblically the goal in releasing PWDs into mission.

From Independence to the Mission of God

If mission agencies originating in the West carry this same mantra “nothing about us without us,” what will come of the body of Christ metaphor in 1 Corinthians 12? Where is the interdependence of the Trinity God in such a paradigm? Will mission agencies simply mirror the kingdom of this world in their ethos or is there a different way?

Several questions need to be answered in sending out PWDs into missions. How would we answer the following:

Answering these questions honestly will require workers in God’s mission to come together to have conversations rather than racing to solutions and pragmatics. We can enthusiastically state, “Let’s see the whole body empowered into the mission of God.” However, if we don’t know where we are stuck, where our blind spots are (pun intended), or where our biases lie, we will be unable to move forward.

The challenge is this. Mission agencies can get everything right with all their inclusive practices, empower PWDs, even have a robust biblical basis for all they do – however, the halt comes when missionaries with disabilities land in a new culture with very different reference points on disability. How will they be received? Will they be able to cope with the differing perspectives on disability that may not be favorable to them? Can mission organizations do anything to prepare PWDs and walk them through the cultural adaptation on disability that is inevitable? What about international health insurance? Then there is divine healing. Where does this come in as much of the Global Church is Pentecostal/Charismatic with a strong desire for those with disabilities to be healed? The complexity grows.

While it is true that a Kingdom vision is required as outlined in a previous post , knowledge and understanding of the perspectives on disability of both sending and host cultures is required. If the Lord has indeed called all to the banqueting table and has sent all of Christ’s body out to serve, there is an ongoing necessity to deal head-on with these complexities. They will not go away overnight, and the diligent work of listening, study, and justice is before us. Lean into the complexity. Christ is right there with us; He sorted it out in His day and He can empower us to do the same.

In the final post of this series I will lay out biblical and theological foundations for doing missions with PWDs. This is more than just a good, social idea – it is God’s plan.

Written by: John Trotter

Disability in Missions Series

¹ Jaeger, Paul, and Cynthia Bowman. Understanding Disability . Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2005, 39.

² Shapiro, Joseph P. No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1994

³ Schwartz, Leslie, and Malcolm Maclachlan. Disability in International Development . New York: Springer Publishing, 2009, 91.

The Pitfall of Unchecked Urgency in Missions

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 16:14:00 GMT

Every movement has its strengths — innovative understandings of and responses to particular injustices in the world.

Every movement has its pitfalls — natural blind spots, tendencies, and temptations to which it is uniquely susceptible.

And after being deeply immersed in the ‘Missions Movement’ for the last five years, I’m struck by both its strengths and its pitfalls.

The Missions Movement has a rich history of ever-evolving thought processes when it comes to understanding Scripture and how it portrays God’s heart for all peoples to be given the opportunity to know Him. It is filled with creative individuals who are incredibly resourceful in maneuvering obstacles; individuals who are undeterred by challenges faced as they seek to proclaim Good News wherever it has not yet been proclaimed. It is marked by a profound sense of passion and urgency, utilizing the enormity of the task remaining to synergize people and groups around fulfilling the Great Commission. And it’s truly humbling to be a part of.

And yet there are two sides to every coin, and we would be remiss to not call attention to and caution individuals about some of the potential pitfalls found within the Missions Movement… because for every strength, there can also be strength pushed to an extreme, which is how weakness is sometimes defined in the business world . In what we today would call the “modern-day” Missions Movement, we will find a tainted history of ethnocentrism and a propagation of Western culture side-by-side with gospel proclamation. We will observe individuals who are overcome by human ambition and a tendency to disproportionately pursue quantity at the expense of quality, apparent fruitfulness over inward faithfulness. We will be forced to reckon with the reality that unchecked urgency leads only to strategies that are unwise, individuals who are unprepared and unhealthy, and ‘results’ that are a mile wide and an inch deep. And it’s truly sobering to be a part of.

Before we go any further, please note that none of the above statements cancel each other out although, at first glance, they may seem to. In our highly polarized age, we’ve become uncomfortable with nuance and with gray areas, and yet as followers of Jesus we’re invited to lean into the discomfort with discernment. Paradox is the stuff of life… especially life in the Kingdom of God. So let’s press in — specifically to this idea of urgency unchecked.

As a Missions Mobilizer, I have the opportunity to almost daily experience the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to urgency in missions. I get to see the grace-filled progression as genuine conviction moves a believer to engage in the advancement of God’s global Kingdom because they just learned about unreached people groups for the first time. I get to talk with the missions minded believer who, with every good intention, assures me that they “only need Jesus and a plane ticket” to serve effectively cross-culturally. And I get to process through negative on-the-field experiences when people who had good intentions were thrust out without adequate preparation and wreaked havoc wherever they were serving.

Regardless of where you are in your missions journey and your understanding of God’s global Kingdom, can I speak a word of caution and exhortation over you?

Be watchful of your own urgency.

In a world where we’ve grown accustomed to having everything almost instantaneously, it’s easy for us to get swept away entirely by the urgency that rightly comes with knowledge about unreached people groups. We’ve been conditioned to expect everything quickly… but that’s a fairly new phenomenon in the grand scheme of things. The early Church was known by their patience* — this less-than-glamorous fruit of the Spirit. Patience was actually their greatest apologetic in that day and age, and so we who have microwaves and fast food and next day delivery would do well to learn from them in this respect… because, as Alan Kreider would poignantly say, “Although God is at work, God is not in a hurry.”

Now, I am in no way saying that urgency is not a good or true motivator when it comes to missions. I just believe that urgency needs to know limits by being tempered by other values of the Kingdom.

So, for the Cross-Cultural-Worker-Wannabe, what might this look like?

Don’t bypass your own formation.

Ruth Haley Barton once wrote, “ Mission cannot be discerned without formation, nor can mission be sustained without an ongoing commitment to transformation in Christ’s presence.”**

If you desire to make Christ known in places where the gospel has not yet gone, I celebrate that and believe it’s a God-given desire! Don’t miss out on the continued leading and transformation that Christ has for you by rushing ahead and getting so busy doing work for Him that you have no time to be with Him. And I know that might sound like a Christian cliche, but really stop and think about it. How are you investing in your own spiritual formation? How are you intentionally living in such a way that counters the busyness our culture idolizes? Does the pace of your life embody and put on display for the watching world the patience of our God? And if not, what shifts might you need to make to safeguard yourself from unchecked urgency as you pursue involvement in the Great Commission?

It’s been over 2,000 years since Jesus walked on this earth… and yet there’s still 3 billion people that don’t have access to His Good News. The need is great, and there is an acute sense of urgency. I feel it deeply, too. And yet let’s be intentional to stay in step with Christ… to not run ahead, nor lag behind. May we be a people continually formed and transformed by our vision of Christ and His glory, allowing that to be the place from which our engagement in His mission flows.

Written by Laney Mills

Sources Referenced:

* The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider

** Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Disability in Missions: Restorative healing, societal adaptation, or cultural interpretation?

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 22:20:00 GMT

This is the second installment of our Disability in Missions series.

A certain representation of believers sees the Bible, and thus missions activity among persons with disabilities (PWDs), as a timeless principle that all who have a disability should be healed or cured. Others have looked to the Acts 2 discourse as being a place where all people and all senses, exemplified by all languages, are transformed by the power of the Spirit, making much less of human weakness and more of a focus upon God’s power despite disability (Yong). Still others have pointed out that Scripture can seem to speak negatively of those with physical disabilities, using physical disability as a negative attribute to overcome even to the extent of barring off PWDs from the presence of God ( Lev. 21:16-21 , Jn. 12:40 , 2 Cor. 4:4 ). With such a broad spectrum of theological interpretation, disability and missions, at their best, have an unpredictable relationship.

Nancy Eiesland, speaking on behalf of those with physical disabilities, illuminates the tension: “As long as disability is addressed in terms of the themes of sin-disability conflation, virtuous suffering, or charitable action, it will be seen primarily as a fate to be avoided, a tragedy to be explained, or a cause to be championed rather than an ordinary life to be lived.” To exacerbate the issue, missionaries are supposed to be tough pioneers, ducking in and out of homes in rugged terrain, ready to trek through a jungle on a dime – the stereotypes could continue. Somewhere in the midst of all this is a person with a disability who has been called by God and who desires to take the Gospel to the world. They may or may not be healed in this life. They may not even be sure what to do with the healing narratives of the Gospel. Still, the Lord has called. Where do they go from here?

Disability is taking center stage in this blog series and there are several frames of reference when it comes to dealing with disability on the mission field. If we are going to participate in missions with persons with disabilities it is important to understand the starting point of the discussion as to not assume that anyone is on the same page. We are not. Over the last 30 years a branch of theology, disability theology, has emerged that has examined some of the models of disability to help us understand how faith interacts with disability.

Disability Models

Expecting divine healing as the primary goal in working with PWDs roots itself in a medical model. Coming alongside the disabled in compassionate ministry assumes a more social model. Understanding how a particular culture views PWDs in light of the biblical frame of reference would favor a more cultural model.

Traditionally most have assumed that Christ and biblical times did indeed follow the healing/medical cure line of thinking. Theologian Roji George, however, makes a direct correlation between bodily healing and social inclusion of PWDs in Christ’s ministry. George argues that in Christ’s healing the bodies of those on the margins, He restored those with disabilities to a newfound place in society. Due to how interconnected kinship was in first century Palestine, Christ’s healing those with disabilities resulted in restoration of entire societies. The notion is that disability was focused not so much upon individual disadvantage but on societal participation. In Christ inviting the crippled, lame, and the blind to the banqueting table in Luke 14, He seems to be subverting the traditional view of the disabled in placing them as honored guests in His kingdom. Christ’s radical welcome of PWDs and the frame presented by George on the communal aspect of healing conflates the social and medical models through which many have explained disability.

To go further, through the life of Jesus and His ministry, social and cultural models are all smashed together, erecting a new frame of reference on disability. Christ spoke very specifically to the culture of the day not merely to cure people who were disabled and ostracized from society but he interacted with the culture in such a relevant way that it led to societal transformation. Each culture and time period brings a frame of reference to how they understand disability and they often insert that into the biblical narrative. Almost always, in our contemporary time we run to the extreme of medical or social models to try to wade through the gauntlet. Christ however, smashed these models all together and was not so concerned about transforming one life but transforming entire communities.

So what does all this mean? It means that we need a Kingdom imagination when it comes to seeing PWDs released in missions . At some level, if we seek to engage and empower PWDs to do missions we have to start looking at the communal aspect instead of solely the individual. This will inevitably require interdependence of the whole body of Christ working together.

Some questions for mission organizations, church mission boards, and missionaries in general to ponder:

Joni Eareckson Tada summarizes the issue well and gives a clarion call to the Church:

"Herein lies the problem with the mission movement. We are inclined to assess our performance to the standards of the secular world. This success-oriented approach can cause us to squeeze our potential missionaries into rigid molds in which they have to be intelligent, strong, agile, to have high energy: the type A personality. This can mean that the mission movement selects only missionaries who have certain personality types, or alternatively it can tend to squeeze people who are different shapes into the same mold. When applying the world’s standard of success we therefore discount people who are different, who can’t be squashed into an ableist mold. Almost by definition people with disability will not fit into an ableist mold, nor should they.... I appeal to leaders in agencies and denominations to consider... selecting and training qualified people with disabilities for mission work."

We can't unknow what we know. We know that Christ transformed frames on disability. We know he flipped societies upside down. We know that the Lord has given the Commission to the whole body. Our frames of reference must expand to include a Kingdom vision. In doing so, we bump up against society’s definition of ability, the topic of the next blog post, but the task before us requires the inclusion of all God’s children. Marginalization is complex and the thousands of years of injustice that got us to this point are a tall order to confront. In the coming months we will dive further into the complexity and joy of seeing PWDs released into mission.

Written by: John Trotter

Disability in Missions Series

Sources

Tentmaking: The Benefits of the Taking Your Career on Mission

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 21:41:00 GMT

For many years, most missionaries have received financial provision through sending organizations, churches, friends and other believers. Another mode for acquiring financial resources while on mission is tentmaking , a nomenclature from the apostle Paul’s story.

“There [Paul] met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla... and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them,” Acts 18:2-3 .

In addition to being a student of the Law and Prophets, Paul had a career in making tents. In Corinth, he worked alongside Priscilla and Aquila for a period of time while spending every Sabbath day declaring the gospel to Jews and Gentiles.

In contemporary missions, tentmaking is continuing one’s career in the host country instead of relying completely on financial support from sending partners. One type of tentmaking is Business as Mission (BAM) , or starting and running a business in the community in which a person is actively sharing the gospel. This model is particularly strategic in areas where community development complements the message of the gospel well. Other examples of tentmaking could include medical missions, teaching in a school while sharing the gospel, or running a computer training school at night and sharing Bible stories during the day. Holding any job that pays the bills while also sharing the gospel would be considered tentmaking.

In creative-access countries, tentmaking is one of the few ways to minister in a community. If a country will not allow missionaries, but they do allow business owners, the Business as Missions model may be a way to share the gospel in that context.

Even if missionaries may be legally allowed to enter a country without a worker’s visa, a secular job can have many benefits. Traditionally-funded missionaries sometimes struggle to develop an identity in the host community without a clearly defined role associated with a job. Some people can even become suspicious of the missionary because they see them spending money and living in a nice house without evidence of employment. Tentmakers automatically have an identity because they have a similar job and lifestyle as those whom they work alongside.

Globalization and advances in technology and connectivity have opened more opportunities for tentmaking. In places with sufficient digital infrastructure, a long-distance job like freelance graphic design or contract engineering can be accepted by the host community as legitimate employment as long as the missionary’s location and lifestyle choices are also plausible.

There are times when tentmaking is not primarily motivated by financial necessity. If God calls a person to tentmaking, perhaps it is because God has a specific purpose for the person’s work. In Thessalonica, Paul experienced another season of manual labor because he wanted to exemplify a strong work ethic to the new believers and wanted not to be a burden to them. His example also served as a defense against those who began leading the church astray through false teaching and financial exploitation in his absence.

Alternatively, God may want the missionary to practice tentmaking to utilize their skills or business as part of restoring a community by providing jobs, helpful services, or an alternative example. He may want the missionary to build relationships with their boss or fellow workers, or He may want to use the believer as an example of giving sacrificially despite low wages. Perhaps we will not understand the multidimensional impact God intends to make through a missionary’s presence until Jesus’ return.

In light of this, should all missionaries stop receiving financial support and become tentmakers? As Paul would say, “by no means!”

Tentmaking has downsides just like any other missional strategy. Traditional financial support of God’s mission in the world is a true and blessed calling for the body of Christ. We do not want to rob the global church of the opportunity to engage in God’s mission through financial resources. Another downside to tentmaking is the consumption of time and energy. Working a full-time job leaves the missionary with less personal capacity for sharing the gospel than raising full financial support does. We see this in the continuation of Paul’s story in Corinth after working alongside Priscilla and Aquila:

“But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.” Acts 18:5

Tentmaking lasted for certain seasons for Paul. At other times, God led him to rely on financial support from other churches and friends while devoting himself fully to preaching the gospel.

We live in an exciting time filled with many different opportunities to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,” ( Mark 16:15 ).

How might God be asking you to utilize your career as you participate in fulfilling the Great Commission?

Written by a GFM Staff Member

Disability in Missions: A Challenge to the Current Ethos

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 16:15:00 GMT

This is the first installment of our Disability in Missions series.

Several years ago, I returned to the United States from Nepal due to the untimely death of my mother. I was processing much in those days. I had progressively lost my eyesight leading to blindness and my missionary service in Nepal was being overshadowed by the broader society’s perception of what the blind should or should not do. It was commonplace for people to attempt to carry me as I walked down the road, to question me about whether God cursed me in a former life or if I had bad karma, or to advise me on medical treatment. When I received the call that my mom had died of a sudden heart attack, the weight felt insurmountable.

A few weeks after the funeral, I entered the parking lot of our family’s church with a white cane. A zealous man and his wife (who I later learned were first time visitors) called out to me from about fifteen feet away, “Sir excuse me, can I pray for you?” Of course, if you were me, you would know that this is a common occurrence. The cane is not just a symbol of blindness or independence, but for many Christians it is a symbol that my body is not fully abled and that Satan has robbed me of the full life God intended. This was almost stated verbatim by the man in the parking lot when he prayed for me despite my reluctance to engage.

I looked at him after he finished and said, “I need to say something, and I hope it helps you in the future. I love Jesus. He made me how he wanted to make me, and I love who I am. I am a blind missionary from South Asia who has a robust theology of disability. God’s power is made perfect in weakness . We live in a broken world. And I am weary; many people are weary of Christians feeling a deep need for our healing because we carry a white cane representing our disability. You need to be careful, my friend, and understand that this is the life we lead.”

He responded by quoting John 10:10 that the thief has come to steal, kill, and destroy but God has come to bring life. His entire frame of reference for persons with disabilities (or PWDs) equated disability with Satanic bondage.

The man in the parking lot is not representative of all Christ follower’s perceptions on disability, but his sentiments do represent a lens that many have in understanding the issue. To be fair, much progress has been made by the broader society concerning disability, inclusion, and accessibility. We are much farther along than we once were, but to what degree has society’s frame of reference on disability shaped the Church, ministries, and PWDs themselves? Theologian Dr. Amos Yong has argued that it is in fact not disability itself that proposes the largest barrier for PWDs but the social repercussions that occur from ablest and normalization bias.* The Church would like to think that they have made a marked imprint on society but perhaps the reverse is truer.

Heal the blind. Cure the sick. Watch the immobile take up their mats and walk. Such stories fill the pages of the Gospels and such narratives have become foundational to our Christian faith. In missions, PWDs typically are put in two categories. Category 1: people that need healing. Category 2: people with whom we need to walk in their suffering. At best those with disabilities have been viewed as recipients of mission, not participants. At worst, those with disabilities can be made out to believe they need to be fixed before they can be accepted by society or other believers.

What if there was a different story? What if there was a new frame of reference? No doubt that first century Palestine had insurmountable barriers that could not be overcome unless the supernatural power of God was displayed. And no doubt that in Jesus transformation occurred.

In this series, I will share the perspective of missionaries with disabilities who do not see themselves as sick but as agents of God’s mission. Pivotal to the discussion is examining frames of reference for understanding physical disability. Is it possible to both promote and empower those with disabilities in mission while still holding firmly to the divine healing narrative that we see in Scripture? Is it possible to see PWDs as sent people in God’s harvest and not merely object lessons for God’s healing touch? These are the sorts of questions we will dive into during this series.

In upcoming blogs, we will address:

Follow this blog series to learn how you, your team, or missions agency can engage with this relatively new area of missions.

Written by: John Trotter

Disability in Missions Series

* Yong, Amos. The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Press, 2011.

The Need Is Great... but don't go without humility.

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 14:13:00 GMT

Over three billion people do not have regular access to the good news of Jesus and what He has done. And unless more believers step out in faith and go to the nations, that number isn't going to change.

As our Lord Jesus said 2,000 years ago:

“...The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Luke 10:2

Wait, really?!

Yes. Really.

Please don't go to the mission field without humility.

The posture of humility could arguably be the single most important trait of someone who seeks to make Jesus known cross-culturally. You could have a deep, exegetical knowledge about the Scriptures, be incredibly passionate about prayer, have a knack for learning languages, possess a spirit of adventure and sacrifice... and yet be completely ineffective on the mission field because you're not teachable and you're unwilling to learn from others.

A lack of humility - or the presiding presence of pride - in the life of a cross-cultural worker is toxic. It often causes personal stagnation and a false sense of superiority. It can stifle transparency and gospel-centered relationships with their teammates. It may prevent them from seeing what God is already doing in and through the national community. It becomes a stumbling block and hindrance to the very gospel they came to proclaim.

It might seem shocking to think that the gospel can be spoken from a posture of arrogance, but it's true. As Trevin Wax has stated, "It is possible to share the message of Christ without the manner of Christ." Surely you've experienced this.

As the people of God, however, we are commissioned very specifically in both our message and our manner. Jesus Himself said, "...As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" ( John 20:21 ). How was Jesus sent?

In humility .

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!"

Phil 2:6-8

So please don't go to the mission field without humility.

Jesus didn't, and He is God.

Interested in receiving holistic training before you go serve cross-culturally? Learn more about our missionary training programs .

Written by Laney Mills

We Only Keep Two Things Forever | Global Frontier Missions

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 20:32:00 GMT

What comes to mind when you think of ambition or are told to “follow your heart” or “follow your dreams”? In the West, we are often told to prioritize success, possessions and comfort. We are shown various portraits of the ideal human life: a happy person with millions of followers on Youtube, a trailblazing woman running a Fortune 500 company, or perhaps a cozy family clustered around a fireplace in a cabin in the woods… and don’t forget a predictable form of happily ever after.

When Jesus addressed these things, his argument was not that they were inherently wrong but that they were temporary. His death, resurrection, and introduction of his kingdom on earth have opened up new eternal possibilities, and he redirects our efforts there:

'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'

Matt 6:19-20

I’ll be eternally grateful for the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn for influencing me toward full-time ministry. In it, he breaks down the idea of floating in the clouds endlessly playing harps as boring and inaccurate. He then reminds us that the God who created this vast, interesting world of boundless possibilities is the same God who has promised an earth version 2.0. He postulates that we will continue to experience positive aspects of the current creation like fulfilment, satisfaction, friendships, and love without the negative aspects like relational drama, depression, and death.

If all we do is transfer individualistic ambition to an eternal lens, however, it leaves us with a couple problems. First, a common concept among Christian communities of sending building materials for our heavenly mansions is not very compelling. Perhaps I’ll send a small portion ahead, but I won’t lay down my life for that. No mansion is worth persevering through seasons like Paul described of despairing of life itself ( 2 Cor 1:8 ).

The second problem is that it is still self-focused. Do I envision meandering around my heavenly mansion in solitude playing with fancy toys?

The Trinity is inherently relational. Our creation started with a discussion: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,’” ( Gen 1:26 ). Jesus’ deepest cry at the pinnacle of His suffering was relational: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ( Matt 27:46 ). And to reflect that aspect of Himself, He made us relational too, saying “It is not good for the man to be alone,” ( Gen 2:18 ).

I believe that the only things we keep from earth are relationships with fellow eternal beings: with God and with people. I consider it far more compelling to be sending building materials for someone else’s mansion - to lay down my life to expand our eternal relational network and make eternal friends for Jesus. When we get involved in missions efforts, we’re populating golden suburbs with beautifully perfect, diverse, relationally exquisite, and eternally grateful friends, each fully yet uniquely reflecting the image of Christ in absolute selflessness. Think zero drama and good ol’ days without end.

We also keep our relationship with God. After convincing us that we won’t even keep spiritual pursuits like knowledge, understanding, or prophecy from this earth, Paul says that we will know fully even as we are fully known ( 1 Cor 13:12 ). Of course, we will be so thoroughly stunned by His likeness that we won’t get over it, ever. Perhaps heaven will be so magnificent that it won’t matter, but let’s consider a unique opportunity during our time on earth.

I recently got to meet some of my dear friends in person for the first time. We connected years ago at a training seminar online and had visited over video a few times from various parts of the world, sharing laughter and tears and empathizing like only someone who understands overseas life can do. When they said they would be in town and wanted to meet in person, I was elated! Whenever I thought about our upcoming meeting - which was often - whoever was nearby got to hear about it. When we finally met at the restaurant, we dove deep quickly and shared a rich conversation.

How are we approaching meeting Jesus for the first time? Do we expect a cordial introduction, thanks for salvation, and the beginning of a vague relationship for eternity? Or do we eagerly anticipate meeting in person our very best friend having already developed deep intimacy? Are we ready to reminisce about thousands of shared moments with Jesus including both our highest and lowest points in life? Are we willing to invest in our relationship with God until our anticipation far surpasses that of a bride the moment she walks down the aisle, each step a step closer to a lifetime of bliss with the one dearest to the heart?

We only get to keep two things from this world. Only two things are eternal: our relationship with God and our relationship with the people around us. Let’s pour all our resources investing in those relationships through loving, serving, giving, and laying down our lives so that more people will join us and our beloved Savior forever.

Written by a GFM Staff Member

Stepping into Context: Learning About World Religions

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 13:50:00 GMT

God created a beautifully diverse world with cultures that reflect the many glorious aspects of our Creator. Simultaneously, a variety of religions overlay and heavily influence these cultures, with the largest populations found in parts of the world that are hardest to reach with the Gospel.

Nearly a quarter of the world is Muslim with the largest populations found in Indonesia, Pakistan, and India. One and a half billion Hindus live in India, Nepal, and other countries. Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan are hosts to majority Buddhist populations. For most of these groups, religion is not just one aspect of their lives but an integral part of their identity that they carry with them wherever they go.

Many people from these countries have scattered to urban centers around the world, opening doors of opportunity to share Christ freely and potentially create an avenue for former Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Animists to take the Gospel back to their people. But without understanding their perspective, how can we share the Gospel in a way that honors cultural identity and maintains community relationships without compromising the truth of Christ?

Despite the staggering populations affirming these religions, many Americans know relatively little about non-Christian faiths. Students in Global Frontier Missions’ Missionary Training School , most of whom are from the US, spend some time studying world religions from specialists with years of experience ministering to these groups. To complement academic studies, GFM strategically immerses MTS students in diverse communities representing many nations. Here, they have the opportunity to learn about each of these religions at a relational level and gain experience crossing cultural and religious barriers. As they explore the facts, culture, and theology of each major religion, students are encouraged to pray for these groups and to discover the many facets of Christ’s completed work that are as beautifully diverse as the world He came to save.

While there is a sense of heaviness as students encounter the spiritually dark sides of non-Christian faiths, there is also a wonderful beacon of hope as they recognize that God has placed readily redeemable elements into every culture. God did this “so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” ( Acts 17:27 ).

Just as Christ stepped into our context to show us the way to the Father, will we step into their context to point them to the Truth?

Written by John Trotter

*Data from Joshua Project

Fundraising Is Intercession

Tue, 18 May 2021 17:45:00 GMT

A year ago, I asked God if He would trust me with managing a substantial amount of money for the Kingdom.

And for some wild, inconceivable reason, He granted my request.

His answer snuck up on me, like His answers often do. It started when I applied for a part-time role coaching missionaries through their support raising. It escalated when I accepted a fundraising role for Global Frontier Missions. It culminated a month later, when I ran the numbers for our annual report. Between staff support and organizational fundraising, we were stewarding 150% of what I had asked to manage.

God had inaugurated my role with more than I had asked or imagined.

And now my life is full of asking. Oh, so much asking.

Asking for myself. Asking for my organization. Coaching so many people on how to ask.

Asking through letters, through email, on social media. Asking over coffee. Asking over dinner. Asking over Zoom. Asking through grant applications. Asking pastors of megachurches.

I wouldn’t change it for the world. Let me tell you why.

Because I know Another One who gives Himself night and day toward asking.

One who died and was raised and pleads before the Father on humanity’s behalf.

One who is able to save because He always lives to make intercession.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 10:25

Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Romans 8:34

And from the story of Scripture, we know what He’s asking for.

He is pleading on behalf of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

He is asking the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into the harvest field.

This Man of perfect faith, this Man so full of miracles—He has made it His full-time job to ask on behalf of those who are far from Him.

And for the time being, it is my full-time job, too.

So when I lack the courage to ask, I imagine what the intercession of Jesus might look like. I imagine Him pounding the floor of heaven on raw knees and groaning for the gospel to reach the ends of the earth.

I remember that I’m joining Jesus in what He’s always doing.

That I’m being made more in His likeness every time I ask.

That this isn’t about me. It’s about inviting the Church to respond to His cries.

One day in eternity, I’ll sit with all the saints who raised money without having to ask. We’ll marvel over the nearness of Jesus and the tender way He met every need. We’ll rejoice in every miraculous way that God brought provision seemingly out of nowhere.

And, if I’m lucky, they’ll ask me what my life was like—what people remembered me for. And I’ll tell them about every need God met when I asked His Bride to give generously. We’ll rejoice in every miraculous way the Church rose up in radical sacrifice to send laborers into the harvest field. And then maybe I’ll lead them down a golden street full of neighbors, every one of them reached by someone who first heard of missions through a fundraising campaign. Maybe we’ll laugh the hours away arguing who had the greater privilege. Maybe we’ll hardly care.

When I was a little girl, I imagined that missionary life would be full of faith and miraculous provision without having to ask. But if you’re in the business of scandalous faith—if you’re hungry to see God do the supernatural—then look no further than the miracle of asking the Church to unite over the mission of God. Watch as believers give their treasure and their hearts in pursuit of their future brothers and sisters in Christ. Listen to groans of Jesus, the One who never grows weary of asking.

Listen to His joy as His Bride says yes.

Let it change the way you fundraise. Let it make you an intercessor.

Written by a GFM staff member.

Equipping Globally

Mon, 17 May 2021 14:58:00 GMT

Global South Scholarships

“In North America, too many bemoan Christianity’s apparent decline in numbers and societal influence – as if God's redeeming work is also in decline. Far from it! ” said Doug Batson, Online Missionary Training School (OMTS) Director, in a recent interview. “In the Global South the Church is growing rapidly. In fact, many Global South Christians want missionary training, but it is seldom available to them. GFM’s ONLINE Missionary Training School immediately meets that need with extensive, high-quality, low- or no-cost training modules.”

Our Global Frontier Missions staff works tirelessly to curate quality training materials that will best equip well-rounded cross-cultural workers. While in-person training at our local bases is constrained by physical and economic limitations, our Online Missionary Training School has great potential for broader implementation as the world becomes increasingly connected.

“We are contacted continuously by people living outside of Western countries that are so hungry for training,” added Katie Czapala, OMTS Coordinator. Christians all over the world have a passion to obey the Great Commission, but in some places are hindered by economic barriers. “ GFM is committed to train those that have a heart for cross-cultural missions. ”

Global Frontier Missions is excited to now be offering scholarships for Global South participants in OMTS.

Through this scholarship program, GFM seeks to enable churches and individuals to partner together for the advance of the Gospel.

“Online Missionary Training School has been around for a while,” continued Katie, “ but we have recently seen great growth in our students, especially from those living in the Global South, or non-Western countries. We now even have Global South students that have come on with OMTS as Facilitators, to train the next batch of students. ‘From every nation to every nation’ is not just a catchy quote, but a Biblical mandate, and we intended on living that out through OMTS.”

This is merely a continuation of God’s plan all along, as we all follow in the footsteps of our Messiah and bring as many people as we can with us.

"And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 66:202 1

Individuals from all over the world have been chosen to be “priests and Levites” ministering before our God in the form of contemporary missions.

“The practices of global missions have been changing greatly over the last decade, and even more so since the world turned upside down with Covid,” said Katie. “ We've seen more and more people from all over the world looking to get trained, so that they can share the Gospel in the cross-cultural locations God has already placed them in . There are no visas or closed borders when it comes to online training and we want to use all that God has given us at this moment in history to equip as many people around the world to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.”

If you or someone you know from the Global South would like the training in cross-cultural missions or if your church or small group would like to sponsor a student or cohort, find more information on the scholarship here .

Written by a GFM Staff Member

Is Language Learning Really That Important?

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:03:00 GMT

When a missionary lands in their new culture, those first few weeks and months are critical to the trajectory of the years to come. With whom will they bond? What cultural nuances will they pick up on? What are their thoughts and methods regarding language learning?

Focusing on learning the local language and developing roots in the host culture can propel their ministry forward. However, spending the majority of their energy bonding with the expat community giving little attention to studying the language and culture can stifle ministry effectiveness and relationships with locals.

The task of learning another language will be one of the greatest challenges on the missions journey.

As an alternative to classroom studies, methods such as GPA (Growing Participator Approach) and LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) have been developed to more reflect the way our minds were created to absorb language as children. Students learn from a native speaker, beginning with useful words and phrases in context as they are naturally spoken instead of manufacturing them through grammatical knowledge. Often these methods are more effective for long-term retention, and they inherently provide ways for developing relationships in the community beginning day one.

There is great potential for the entire community to act as a guide, gently leading the newcomer through the process and watching a practical example of God’s grace. Over time, language and culture aptitude opens doors, creates hospitality, and ultimately gives pathways for the Gospel to travel through communities.

Global Frontier Missions gives Missionary Training School students a chance to study how culture and tongue are intricately connected, discuss bonding with their host community, and learn about different methods of language acquisition. Our location in Atlanta is a uniquely diverse setting that offers many opportunities. Our experienced staff partner with native speakers and lead students through hands-on practice with introductory language learning.

We want our students to be well prepared and confident to step into their new culture, build authentic relationships, and stay for the long haul.

Written by John Trotter

If you're interested in learning more about this week or other aspects of our Missionary Training School, we would love to connect with you !

The Slow, Subtle Seduction: What's Keeping You From Following Jesus?

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 00:21:00 GMT

Following Jesus isn't easy.

If you've walked with the Lord for any length of time, you no doubt know this reality intimately. Many obstacles await those who would step out in eager pursuit of Him, and the path of obedient participation in His mission never ceases to provide challenges that are real and daily.

Jesus knows this, and He spoke openly about it during His time on earth.

He told us that the way is narrow, and the path is hard. He said we could expect persecution and isolation. He warned us that we would be sheep among wolves. He was explicit in telling us of the opposition we'd face from authorities -- both natural and supernatural.

Following Jesus isn't easy.

And yet when you really slow down enough to consider the greatest obstacles we face in following Jesus and engaging in His mission, you might be surprised at what rises to the surface. More often than not, it's not blatant sin that holds us back. It's not a broken past that somehow disqualifies us from co-laboring with Him. It's not the oppression of opposing spiritual powers that render us unable to press forward in mission.

Often, it's the slow, subtle seduction of good things that ultimately keep us from Him.

"For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of His love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife ( Luke 14:18-20 )."

John Piper

Expansion of an estate. Security of a job. Growth of a family.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things. In fact, they are good gifts! And yet, Jesus lays these three things out as the things that render us, not unable, but unwilling to follow Christ. The problem isn't good things. The problem is when good things become our god.

Take some time today to consider the obstacles that you face in pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly. Honestly evaluate any excuse that keeps you from obedience to His mission. Then pray and ask for eyes to see and savor Jesus more, because nothing less than a Spirit-inspired vision of the worthiness of Christ will keep us on the path to which He has called us.

Written by Laney Mills

The Divine Strategy | Global Frontier Missions

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 21:47:00 GMT

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as He ascended to heaven and to the Father, He left a vision with His followers:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

It was a vision of Kingdom advancement – the Kingdom of Heaven pursued and lived out on earth. This was not to be gained through political power or military maneuvers, but through faithful living and prayerful invitations to repent and believe in the Kingship of Jesus.

The Great Commission of our Lord has been entrusted to His Body, His Bride… the Church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church is the divine strategy of an all-knowing, all-powerful God in accomplishing His purposes on this earth.

We know that one day, people from every tribe, nation, language, and people group will stand around the throne of God worshiping the Lamb who was slain ( Rev. 7:9 ). And the Bride is to make herself ready for that great day through the proclamation of the gospel to all nations.

Here at Global Frontier Missions, we firmly believe that it is the Church that has been entrusted with the Great Commission, not missions agencies. As a para-church organization, our desire is simply to come alongside the local church to resource her to mobilize, train, and multiply for the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom among all nations.

If there is any way that we can come alongside your church to help resource you with mobilization materials, cross-cultural training curriculum, or coaching in how to make disciples, please reach out to us.

Written by Laney Mills

Your Kingdom Come: Richmond

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 00:41:00 GMT

Our Hope for Richmond

Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is one of America’s oldest major cities. Historically known as the capital of the Confederacy, and more recently known as a city with an incredibly artsy flair as well as fantastic cuisine, Richmond could be seen as an unlikely choice for a missions organization.

With over 121 different nations represented in the city, our Global Frontier Missions’ staff recognized Richmond as an unassuming city of untapped global potential. In the decade prior to GFM planting a stateside hub in the “River City”, the foreign-born population doubled, resulting in rich and vibrant cultural diversity. Many of these immigrants, international students, asylum seekers, and refugees are from countries that have limited or no access to the gospel. We have viewed their presence as a God-given opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them.

And yet even as we have celebrated the presence of other ethnicities in Richmond, we realize that such a posture of welcome is historically abnormal in this city.

From one of the highest points of the city, you can look out over the rushing James River and glimpse the area where ships filled with enslaved African peoples would dock and sell their “cargo”. Throughout the 1800’s, slave trade became the largest industry in the state of Virginia, and Richmond itself became the largest slave-trading center in the Upper South. The dehumanization of African and non-European peoples is a heartbreaking reality, and while there have been efforts made to reverse racist policies and systems, the roots of racism run deep in this city.

When Richmond fell, so did the Confederate cause... No other city had experienced so much concentrated fighting in its environs as Richmond during the war, or anything like the drama of its final days. In a city with such a diverse population, these events meant different things to different people. To some, they meant the end of a hope for a separate new nation; to others, they meant emancipation; to still others, they marked the beginning of a new, strengthened Union. One thing is certain — few people ever forgot where they were and what they witnessed during those fateful days of April 1865.

Signage along the James River

Following the Civil War, Richmond struggled to reconstruct a city that had formerly been structured around slavery but now found itself without a definite foundation. In the decades since, the effects of slavery and racism have rippled on and continued to affect the neighborhoods and opportunites of Richmond’s residents. Years of wounded hearts and homes have shaped lives, families, and communities.

Yet in the midst of these strongholds, there has been a presence of prayer throughout the generations, a cry from God’s people for restoration and reconciliation . Even in the past twenty years, groups of faithful believers have gathered to pray and worship in some of the darkest corners of Richmond, eager to see a movement of God for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Global Frontier Missions planted a base for training future missionaries and engaging with the nations in Richmond in the midst of this spiritual legacy. As our pioneer team surveyed the land and mapped out the city, they found a handful of like-minded organizations, churches, and individuals praying and working for unity and redemption not only in the city but in the nations represented here. Our team entered Richmond with a vision to equip laborers to go to the nations and to invest in the international community.

Over the last six years, GFM Richmond has trained over thirty individuals who came from across the U.S., from California to New York, all with a passion for unreached people to know the glory of the gospel. In groups ranging from two to eight, these gospel-ambassadors, “few in number but mighty in spirit”, lived incarnationally in the heart of Richmond’s West End which has become increasingly multicultural, as neighborhoods transition to culturally diverse households of established, middle class immigrants.

The Missionary Training School (MTS) in Richmond was designed to equip students to enter global cities with a diaspora (movement of peoples) mission strategy. Whether the focus was with unreached peoples in America or overseas, our long-term staff trained students to work in places with high populations of unreached peoples. Throughout the training, students were immersed in a gospel-centered community, participated in one-on-one mentoring, engaged with topics ranging from church planting to team dynamics, and invested in the lives of the refugees, immigrants and international students living nearby.

Along with our staff, MTS students have participated in ESL (English as a Second Language) programs hosted by local churches, tutored immigrant and refugee children, and befriended international students from Virginia Commonwealth University all the while forming deep, heart level friendships and sharing the Good News of Jesus with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and non-religious peoples. They have invested hours prayer walking through apartment complexes and in downtown Richmond, crying out for the unity and wholeness that Jesus asked for when He prayed “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” ( John 17:21 ).

We celebrate our interactions with people from over 77 countries , the countless Bible stories shared, and the gospel proclaimed over the last six years.

Global Frontier Mission’s dedication to mobilizing, training, and multiplying disciples and churches has led us to close GFM Richmond and centralize our MTS training in Clarkston, Georgia .

Though we feel the loss of the Richmond base and its unique assets, we celebrate that this decision will ultimately further and strengthen our programs in Clarkston. We are thankful for the role we had in Richmond during our time here and rejoice that the Kingdom of God is not limited by our lack of presence here in the future .

GFM has never thought of ourselves as the solution but rather as part of God’s bigger plan to advance His Kingdom. We are thankful for the privilege of being present in this unique city, of linking arms with other believers, churches, and organizations, and of impacting the nations from this unsuspecting corner of the world. We see ourselves as simply a piece of the greater, grander story that is still being written, a story that we are expectant to watch unfold.

The redemption that was set in motion decades ago is still continuing. We live in a unique moment of time when the lives of unreached people and believers are intersecting in Richmond and other cities across the US. It is our duty as the church to recognize and engage in God’s sovereign orchestration of our cultural moment.

Our greatest desire and prayer as we close GFM Richmond is to see the church of Richmond carry on the torch of gospel proclamation to the nations here and beyond.

Christopher J.H. Wright famously said, “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission”.

The same opportunities that our MTS students experienced are available to any Richmond believer . This diverse city provides unlimited opportunities for believers to welcome refugees, immigrants and international students. Shopping experiences such as the Royal Bazaar, an impressive Indian supermarket, New Grand Mart, your supply for Asian and Latino foods, or Bosna Market, a colorful eastern European store can be incorporated into your regular shopping rhythms. An incredible array of ethnic foods are sure to satisfy your cravings whether it’s authentic tacos from Habaneros, shawarma from the Mediterranean Bakery and Deli, chevapi from Bosna Restaurant, Indian curry from Turmeric, or biryani from Noorani’s Kabob House.

Besides these food attractions, Richmond offers residents many opportunities to assist refugees who have been resettled within the city limits, helping them to acclimate to life after fleeing war-torn homelands and refugee camps. In addition, the largest 4-year public university in Virginia is located in downtown Richmond and attracts an international student population that hails from over 108 different countries. Establishing friendships with inquisitive young people from all over the world who are eager to meet Christians and learn about America is an outstanding opening for the Gospel!

As GFM bids Richmond farewell, we want to say thank you . To our staff, thank you for faithfully serving amidst the joys and challenges of ministry. To our alumni, thank you for investing in the lives of countless internationals during your brief time here. To our foreign-born friends, thank you for all you have taught us, for the privilege of knowing you. To the believers in Richmond, thank you for being the continued fragrance of Christ in the River City.

Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” ( John 7:37-38 ). Let our prayer for Richmond be that the life and power of the Spirit of God would rush through the city transforming lives and families and continue flowing on for the healing of the nations .

The Kingdom of God has come! Let us labor to advance it until it comes in its fullness and we worship the King of Kings with people from every language, nation and tribe proclaiming together “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelations 5:11).

Written by Laney Mills

Missions at Home and Abroad: It's Not a Competition

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 17:29:00 GMT

As a college student over 20 years ago, I remember entering discussions about the validity of cross-cultural ministry in the United States versus missions abroad. There were debates ranging from the need and finances to strategy and more. Fast forward 20 years. I would have never predicted that 13 of the 18 years my family has served in missions would be among immigrants in the United States, being forever transformed by people I now consider dear friends.

Almost always, the experience that is noted about our ministry is the 5 years we spent overseas rather than the 13 years of living among the Asian and African diaspora in the U.S.

Instead of remaining in one location, people around the globe migrate and immigrate for a wide variety of reasons (economic, political, academic, religious, etc). Globalization, advancements in technology, and ease of travel are just a few factors that have accelerated this. As a result, the United States and Canada are listed among the top countries that house large numbers of unreached people groups. People from countries that are shielded off, closed to foreigners taking the Gospel there, are moving to our neighborhoods!

I have gone days, even weeks without speaking English in some of the places that I have lived in the United States. This could be said of many of my colleagues. My son’s two best friends right now are kids that know only a few words in English. When they are playing outside, he warns them that a car is coming by shouting out the word “car” either in Nepali or Tigrinya. My son remains the only Caucasian kid in our entire apartment complex of nearly 1,000 people. Almost every single place to shop in our small town of Clarkston, Georgia, is operated by people who were born outside of the U.S.

I have lived in cities in the Philippines and Nepal where ex-pats created a monocultural experience for themselves. This is not the norm for many, but some spend their entire missions careers operating in English, living among people from their host country, and having limited engagement with nationals. Just as living overseas does not ensure that you will be working in a cross-cultural context, staying within your own borders does not ensure that you will only work with those like you.

I get that drowning oneself in cross-cultural relationships in the United States like my family has is probably an extreme example. So too is the example of ex-pat and missionary compounds. The bottom line is that the comparison game is foolishness.

There is the issue of resourcing – where do we send people? Where do we send money? But this is not an either-or answer. "Both and" must be our answer, and I wonder... at what point we as the body of Christ will eventually slay this dichotomy and get on with the mission of Jesus?

Jesus stood with the disciples and told them to go into all the world and making more disciples. He instructed them to go to every people group. He promised in Acts 1 that His followers would receive power and be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

God designs and orders the times and places where people will live so that they will reach out for Him and find Him (Acts 17). The United States, abroad, and on an airplane in between those two places – the mission of God is the same.

May we obey Scripture, immerse ourselves in the people groups around us, and see all nations gathered around the throne worshipping Jesus.

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:10b

It will not matter on that day whether that voice comes from a Nepali from Atlanta or Kathmandu, an Afghan from Syracuse, London, or Kabul. Somalis from both Mogadishu and Minneapolis will be around that throne.

Let us get on with it already. From the East to the West, let us put our hands in the pile together preaching the Good News of the Kingdom.

Learn more about welcoming and diaspora missions .

Written by a Global Frontier Missions Atlanta staff member.

Do You Know the Holy Spirit?

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 18:03:00 GMT

How well do you know the Holy Spirit? You might be able to talk a good game when it comes to things like the Trinity, the history of the Early Church, or know where you stand on supernatural gifts, but do these things affect your present reality? Do you have an active, thriving relationship with God the Spirit? If He spoke to you in the next couple of minutes, would you know His voice and respond with obedience?

Global Frontier Missions’ Missionary Training School offers a week focused on this. The class takes to look at what the Scriptures say about the role of the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments. Building on this foundation, the students examine and discuss the book of Acts, baptism in the Spirit, and the presence of spiritual gifts in the church today.

Every day, there are amazing outpourings of God’s Spirit all around the world where God is confirming His message through signs, wonders, and supernatural work. We want our Missionary Training School students to graduate feeling prepared to experience the spiritual realm with confidence.

One cannot read Romans 8 without getting excited about the Holy Spirit. It is through the Spirit that we experience freedom in Christ. He gives us life and peace when we set our minds on Him. He bears witness that we are the children of God, fellow heirs with Christ. He helps us in our weakness and intercedes on our behalf. What an awe-striking reality it is that the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in us!

In last semester’s focus on the Holy Spirit, one of our trainers told the students, “You cannot unknow what you know.” As Christians, we have seen God at work in Scripture and our personal lives. We have heard the testimonies of others. There is no denying God’s amazing work. We cannot unknow these things.

May we all continue to grow deeper in love with the Spirit, know His voice, and see Him poured out among the unreached.

Written by a GFM Staff Member

It's Not a Missions Problem...

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 02:06:00 GMT

A recent report shed light on the sobering reality of how practicing Christian Millennials are hesitant about the importance of evangelism and sharing the gospel. According to Barna , 47% of this generation (ages 20-34) believe that “it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.”

What are we supposed to think about this? How should we respond to such a staggeringly high number of Christian Millennials who are opposed to sharing the gospel? With 3 billion people in the world who don’t have access to a Christian witness and are still considered “unreached,” what do we do with half a generation of people who have no interest in sharing Jesus with them?

In reality, this is not a new problem. Yes, this particular statistic is new and alarming, but we can look back in history and see that there has always been a certain level of hesitation and reluctance in sharing the gospel with people who are in hard-to-reach or hostile places. Even in Jesus’ day, He declared that the harvest was plentiful, but the laborers were few ( Luke 10:2 ). So what should our response be to all of this?

Our first response should no doubt be to look to Christ and His response to such a situation: “pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send out laborers into His harvest” ( Luke 10:2 ). But we also need to be watchful that we not simply address the fruit of a deeper, root-issue within our lives as believers. As Trevin Wax so accurately states, “the root cause of our lack of engagement in God’s mission is not a missions problem but a gospel problem. We demonstrate by our inaction that we no longer marvel at grace. We are unaffected by the beauty of what God has done for us in Christ.”

Let’s allow ourselves to be awed by the beauty of Christ and the life that He offers us through the gospel.

Let’s allow that wonder and transformation to seep into our relationships with other believers so that we celebrate Him together often. And let’s allow that grace to be extended to those who have yet to know or receive that glorious good news of the Kingdom!

Written by Laney Mills

Starting and Finishing Well: The Missions Journey

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 00:56:00 GMT

What would you think if you sat down at a job interview and the interviewer told you that 40% of people in the career you are wanting to enter do not last more than a few years? Of those who do make it past the initial stage, most people average around 12 years total in the field. The job could potentially be quite difficult for your children leading to a confused identity or even mental struggles. The interviewer concludes by sharing about the isolation and perpetual transition you will be in for the next 30 years of your life. What would keep you from walking out? Doesn’t it all sound incredibly difficult?

All of these are real challenges that missionaries face and the stats of attrition are overwhelming. Now more than ever before, mission organizations such as Global Frontier Missions are realizing the crucial need of taking care of their missionaries. Member care, coaching, and counseling are being focused on as important tools for missionary resiliency.

As missionaries, we get the divine privilege of announcing the Kingdom of God, living among those who have been shielded from the Gospel, and learning a new way of life. Years invested in this have the potential to be life-changing and God-glorifying.

God invites us to join in His mission to take the Gospel to the world.

What will set you apart and allow you to thrive on the field? Will you and your teammates have the spiritual, mental, and physical toughness to stay the course. GFM’s Missionary Training School devotes a week to studying missionary resiliency and provides tools for future missionaries and their families to flourish in their ministries. Family issues, leaving parents behind, dealing with emotional baggage, raising children who will grow up in several different cultures – these issues and more are tackled head-on from a biblical perspective to equip missionaries to launch out in faith.

Maybe you or a missionary you know is stuck in some of these difficult waters. Perhaps you are counting the cost this week and want to do all you can to pursue the missions journey well. We would love to talk with you! Our missions mentors are ready to answer your questions or assist in any way we can.

The Kingdom is Growing

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 16:17:00 GMT

“And the word of God spread and continued to multiply.” Repeatedly these words are found throughout the book of Acts. The early church was characterized by the rapid multiplication of disciples. Truly the power, presence, and passion of Jesus were in full force. And this continues to be accessible today.

Within the last several years in the missions world, there has been quite a bit of talk about disciple-making movements and church multiplication. It is just what it sounds like. Disciples make disciples who make disciples, and it spreads swiftly through the multiplication of churches. Rooted in passionate prayer, commitment to sharing the Gospel, and desire to multiply simply, the movement rolls on.

These movements can only be ushered in by the divine move of God’s Spirit. We can learn from the basics of what others involved in disciple-making movements have experienced, but ultimately, it is all about God’s Spirit working and bringing new life into dead places.

Midway through Global Frontier Missions' Missionary Training School , students learn the principles of disciple-making and church multiplication movements. Aside from good strategy, strong prayer, and boldly sharing the Good News, the movement is characterized by tremendous persecution and sacrifice. It is a sobering week as students begin to count the cost of what it may take to join God in the expansion of His kingdom.

Would you join with us and ask God to pour out his Spirit to see disciple-making and church planting movements throughout the world amongst the most neglected regions? Also, spend time seeking how God may want you to be a part of the beautiful harvest.

GFM focuses on mobilizing, training, and multiplying disciples and churches to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the least reached people groups of the earth. Get in touch with us; we would love to see you be part of God’s growing Kingdom.

While You're Waiting

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 14:04:00 GMT

Two Missional Opportunities in a Pandemic

COVID-19 has left thousands of cross-cultural workers caught in transition. Whether they are aspiring missionaries waiting to launch, seasoned expatriates stuck in the U.S. on furlough, or on-the-field workers impacted by social isolation, countless missionaries around the globe are being affected.

While we're waiting to see how this pandemic continues to develop and what the long-term ramifications of it will be, Global Frontier Missions is seeing many individuals take advantage of the time by investing in continued cross-cultural education and re-tooling.

Are you looking to make the most of the waiting period you are in? We would love to come alongside you in that! The following are just two of the many opportunities that can be utilized during this time.

Develop your head, heart, and hands in cross-cultural training.

Global Frontier Missions’ heartbeat is to train and invest in those who have a passion to share Jesus and serve among unreached people groups - both domestically and abroad. Our Missionary Training School is one of our favorite ways to do that as we not only teach students in the classroom but also go out into ethnically diverse neighborhoods to make disciples. And we have COVID-19 policies in place to protect our students, staff, and the community we serve.

Our upcoming 2021 classes will begin in January and August, and we'd love to connect with you if you’ve been halted in your plans to get overseas and are wondering if this might be the right season to invest in a semester of training.

Can’t attend in-person? Receive training online! Our Online Missionary Training School was designed to equip people that want to serve cross-culturally among unreached people groups but need to have the flexibility to do it on their own time and in their own space. We have networked with some of the most gospel-centered churches, missions organizations, and Bible schools out there to come up with the most strategic materials we could find to train laborers to make disciples among all nations.

Mobilize others to take part in the Great Commission.

As Jesus told us in Luke 10:2, the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. Consider spending this time educating and empowering those around you to take part in God’s global mission. One practical way to do this is by facilitating Step In , our free small group study. It is designed to provide Christ-centered education and missional exposure to believers of all ages. It can even be adapted to host over Zoom!

We may not have asked for this unprecedented season, but we can seek to be faithful to steward it wisely for the advancement of Christ's Kingdom.

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, contact us . And if neither is a good fit, also reach out! Our missions mentors would love to connect with, pray for, and encourage you as you explore what avenues to pursue during this time of transition.

Written by Mandy Sullivan

Cultivating Healthy Leaders

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 19:20:00 GMT

It is a truly horrific tragedy when a Christian leader uses their position to physically and emotionally harm and take advantage of women, those under their leadership, and other vulnerable individuals. Unfortunately, this is not something new to the global Church. Ministers proclaiming the gospel to the masses while actively participating in destructive sin in their personal lives is not an anomaly. One might say this is the result of human nature and having imperfect people serving in positions of authority. But we cannot ignore that this trend has occurred in countless ministries and, in many ways, has been enabled for far too long. It is unacceptable and the Church has to do something about it.

While we should call out injustice, hold perpetrators responsible, and support the victimized, our response cannot stop there. We have to ask questions that dig to the root of the issue, questions that bring to light any blind spots and problematic practices. We need to move towards being preventative instead of simply reactive. In order to do this, we must be dependent on the Triune God. We desperately need His wisdom, discernment, and empowerment.

How do we cultivate healthy Christian leaders?

This is a question that we at Global Frontier Missions are constantly asking ourselves and encourage churches and Christian institutions around the world to do the same. As an organization, we are reliant the Lord's help as we carry the burden of training future cross-cultural ministers. Using strategic, holistic preparation we hope to disciple individuals and equip them with rhythms and tools that will lead to God-glorifying, honorable work that lasts. We believe the following areas are crucial elements of developing and maintaining ministry leaders and would encourage Christian organizations to consider these proactive steps as we seek to end this sobering trend.

Healthy Hearts.

Often in ministry, there are more open positions than people to fill them. Because of this, it is tempting to give those positions to every willing and competent person. But we must not forget character. We need leaders with healthy hearts - those that have an ever-increasing understanding of the Gospel, growing awareness of and attentiveness to the Spirit of God, and willingness to deal with spiritual and emotional baggage. Spiritual warfare is an intense reality and is often heightened as one pursues a Kingdom calling. Not attending to heart issues leaves one fragile and open to the attacks of the enemy.

Discipleship & Accountability.

As part of cultivating and maintaining a healthy heart, one must exhibit the vulnerability to learn and do life within a Christ-centered community of believers. Ongoing discipleship and accountability are crucial in a minister’s life no matter how long they have been serving. Our leaders should not only be discipled in the basics of the gospel but also the continuous, deeper implications of it. How does the gospel influence all aspects of their life - including the way they view and treat those of the opposite sex? Far too often an individual’s position is so elevated that they are free from assessment and correction. This can be avoided if routine, Biblical accountability is implemented from the beginning. Imagine the impact of the Church fostering environments in which those serving in Christian leadership feel safe in confessing their internal struggles and receive support to work through them before they even become an external issue.

Rest & Self-Stewardship.

The demands of ministry can be high. Many leaders frequently experience transition, trauma, depression, grief, taxing schedules, and burnout. While these things are not excuses for moral failure and perverse leadership, they do leave one especially susceptible to it. Are we giving our pastors, missionaries, and team leaders the tools and professional counseling they need to take care of their bodies, minds, and emotions while they serve? Are we encouraging them to prioritize rest and personal time abiding with the Lord? We are called to love God with our whole lives ( Luke 10:27 ). Well-being is holistic - physical, emotional, and spiritual - and a Kingdom worker’s ministry will suffer if they are personally hurting.

We acknowledge that focusing on these areas is not a foolproof or comprehensive solution. It cannot guarantee that all future ministries will be free of abuse and other forms of corruption . But while issues like this are burdensome and tend to raise more questions than answers, we are not alone . We have the almighty, omnipresent God as our source. In Him, we can place our faith and trust. Through His empowerment, we can step forward and cultivate healthy leaders that exemplify the Kingdom in both their ministries and personal lives.

Written by Mandy Sullivan

Learn more about why we are passionate about ministry preparation.

Appreciating Personality: Team Dynamics on the Field

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 01:00:00 GMT

There is plenty of talk about re-entry when a cross-cultural worker returns home for good. Unfortunately, many missionaries come home battered from team conflict and personality clashes that could not get resolved on the field.

Global Frontier Mission’s missionary training takes a week to allow students to discover their individual personality, learn about how they connect to God, and discuss how to engage with healthy team conflict while on the mission field. When we enter team life in cross-cultural missions, we bring personality, culture, theological leanings, conflict style, and a lot of things in between.

Knowing about ourselves and those with whom we serve pays huge dividends as it assists in fostering a team culture that looks, acts, and believes like Jesus.

GFM is committed to allowing each person to express their individuality in discovering their missionary call. “You do you”, independence, and personal uniqueness are traits that drive western culture. We recognize these pieces of culture and want to know ourselves, but we also want to be sure that we never use our personality or giftedness as an excuse to treat one another less than the precious jewels we are in Christ.

There were lots of laughs during this semester's Personality and Team Dynamics week of our training as we realize how vastly different, we are. When there is an appreciation for the diversity we bring to our teams on the mission field, there can be an atmosphere that is sweet and powerful.

Team life and unity is fragile, and we want to train future missionaries to be ever so careful to guard relationship health while on the field. May we be the kind of people who thrive in our God-given personalities while being slow to anger, quick to forgive, and patient in bearing one another’s burdens.

Written by a GFM Staff Member

Living Faithfully: When God Puts You in a Box

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 00:22:00 GMT

My friend and I were planning a ministry trip to South Asia. A couple weeks before our flights, we received terrible news. In the state we were going to minister, a pastor had associated with a foreigner, and his neighbors had turned him in to the police. Right before our trip, he was released and the news about the incident spread throughout the state. As a response, two out of three of our planned events were canceled, not to mention that our trip could put those associating with us at risk, too!

We had been put into a box in ministry.

Joseph is a prime example of being stuck in a box. First, his brothers threw him into a cistern. Then he became a slave. Then box after box!

Yet he was faithful while he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. While in prison, he interpreted the cupbearer’s dream only to have the man forget him. Joseph was placed into a box. Potiphar noticed his faithfulness and put him in charge of his whole house. The prison warden noticed his faithfulness and put him in charge of the prison. Yay for overseeing a little box, right? Despite his circumstances, he kept being faithful to God. Then came the moment when God blew everybody’s minds. Pharaoh had Joseph brought out of prison to interpret his dream and then to place him in charge of the whole country.

Joseph’s perspective radically changed. When he finally met his brothers, his response was incredible: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives,” ( Genesis 50:20 ).

When two out of three events in my trip to South Asia were canceled, my friend and I decided that it did not matter if we were put in jail in a foreign country, we would be faithful to God’s call and go anyway. Within days, bigger opportunities came for our ministry in the region, and the impact was much greater than we had originally hoped. God rewarded our faithfulness under constraints by using those same constraints to do what only He could do.

Right now, we are stuck in a box.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people all over the world are currently stuck in their houses, not knowing what the future looks like, and surrounded by fear. It feels like we can’t do much.

Let’s be faithful in our box. Instead of focusing on what we cannot do and simply trying to squelch our own anxiety, let’s lift our eyes off self and focus on what we CAN do.

We CAN pray, we CAN share encouraging portions of the Word of God with each other to build each other’s faith, and we CAN share the good news of Jesus Christ in ways that were not open to us before.

People all over the world are stuck in the same box. They are bored, scared, and just looking for a bit of hope. We have the best hope there is in Jesus Christ! We have the peace that the entire world craves, we have the love and we have the joy. And we have access to them in the middle of the worst circumstances. In fact, we may have even more access than before. A friend from a creative access country posted that they can now connect virtually in ways that were not permitted before.

So, how will you be faithful in your box?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

What am I passionate about?

The world is hurting right now. It bothers me that 29% of people on the planet do not have access to the Gospel and a whole lot of people are going to die. They need Jesus more than ever, and we have Him! Jesus, the hope of the world and the eternal Savior, lives in us right now!

Who is currently doing something about it?

There are ministries on the ground taking measures to prevent the spread of Corona virus to refugee camps. There are ministries working on providing medical supplies. There are ministries that will help connect you with people from the other side of the world online so that you can build friendships and then share Jesus with them.

How can I join them?

My roommate and I have been pouring over Crescent Project’s Embassy website and we are amazed at how easy they make it to go online and find a Muslim friend on the other side of the world and tell them about Jesus. In one video, a woman had visions about Jesus for 40 years before someone dared to talk with her about spiritual things. How many people are just waiting for someone to talk to them about Jesus?

If that doesn’t grab you, find what does and find a way to get involved through prayer, giving, signing up, and encouraging others to do the same.

People are more ready for Jesus now than ever. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” ( Matthew 28:18-19 ).

Pray, consider, and “go” in whatever way you CAN.

Written by a GFM Staff Member

The Great Commission is for Everyone

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 16:07:00 GMT

Matthew 28:19-20 is one of the most cited passages in missions.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

When Jesus shared this with the disciples, it was his last command. It is all of ours to carry and continue to live out in present day.

It’s time to shift from asking, “Should I be involved?” to, “How can I be involved?”

Many think of missions as being on the field in a foreign country and doing evangelism. While this is a crucial part of missions, missions is also local outreach and behind-the-scenes work. Missions includes supporting, praying, encouraging those who are on the field, and so much more. When we frame it as an unilateral, international movement, it can deter some Christians from participating.

At Global Frontier Missions, we have a variety of talents and roles represented by the people who are wholeheartedly living for the Lord and serving on mission with us. While we have staff focused on Gospel sharing and international outreach, we also have those who provide oversight and training, answer emails and phone calls, and plan programs and events. Administration is a spiritual gift, and staff members who serve in this area maximize our ministry through their organizational strengths.

Administrative roles are as much a part of the body of Christ as somebody performing on their ministry goals or planting a church.

There are so many examples of how the Lord has and will continue to use spiritual gifts and professional training for His glory. Often these talents emerge naturally in everyday ministry opportunities. For example, there are those that easily build relationships with families during home visits, while others take note of the details, such as the needs of the family and how many children they have.

We celebrate how God has gifted us uniquely, and would encourage you to explore how you can support the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Would you pray for more laborers willing to use their unique giftings in missions globally?

If you are interested in getting more involved in the Great Commission but have questions, we have missions mentors ready to connect, pray, and walk alongside you! Contact us .

Written by a Guest Author

Interested in joining GFM staff?

What Makes a Good Missionary?

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:28:00 GMT

When you think of a newly appointed missionary or missionary family, what images come to your mind? Adventurous? Daring? Culturally aware? Strong knowledge of the Bible? Well-educated?

Several years ago, I was listening in on a lecture of an area director of a large missions agency and he was asked, “What is the number one quality you are looking for in newly appointed missionaries?” Without flinching, he responded, “Be a spiritual person.”

Early on in Global Frontier Mission’s Missionary Training School , we have a week focused on intercessory prayer. Prayer is truly the foundation for everything else that happens on a personal and corporate level in the spiritual realm. For years, the American Church has been anemic when it comes to prayer while many of our Asian, African, and Latino brothers and sisters have been known as prayer powerhouses. How can we do well to heed the admonition of the area director mentioned above and to follow the lead of our international counterparts?

As Intercessory Prayer Week concluded, students could be found in the prayer room crying out to God and learning different aspects of prayer. Prayers of listening, intercession, consecration, warfare, Scripture praying – there were many opportunities to sit at the feet of Jesus and put into practice what was being studied from the Bible and other texts.

One student remarked, “I never prayed in front of anyone before this week. I am learning that prayer is fun and so enjoyable when you are surrounded by people with a hunger for God.” Another student shared that she was learning to abide in Christ (John 15) for the first time and had never seen the connection before. Truly the Lord was moving and working by His Spirit.

In Scripture, we see the disciples specifically asking Jesus to teach them how to pray. It was important to them and it is important to us. We want to make sure that the students who come through GFM’s training are red hot in terms of their spiritual temperature through prayer. We are thankful that the Lord has brought the nations to our shores. We have so much to glean and learn from our international brothers and sisters both here in the US and all around the world. We aim to seek the Lord in unity as the global church ready to engage in God’s mission.

As students are released into God’s harvest may they be ready for adventure. May they be drawn to culture and as prepared as they can be in their areas of professional expertise. More than anything though, we want to see students ablaze with the presence of God in prayer. Prayer week of our training starts the journey for them to do just that.

What is Your Motivation and Aim?

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 00:31:00 GMT

With the popularity of volunteerism travel and international causes, Christian missions has gotten on a lot of people’s radar in recent years. Inspired to rid the world of its problems, drawn to save someone from their despair, passionate for culture and language – there is no shortage of motivations to venture into the world of cross-cultural ministry . Week 2 of Global Frontier Mission’s Missionary Training School attacks this idea head on and is forthright about what our posture should be. The motivation for missions is God’s glory and our own rights and desires must be placed at the feet of Jesus.

Some questions that may be good to ask if you are thinking about serving short or long-term in missions:

Some of these motivations are not altogether bad but when placed against the metric of God’s glory in Scripture, things begin to change a bit.

Try to answer the following honestly:

As we seek to be ambassadors for Christ and consider taking the Gospel to the nations, it is critical that we die to self so that we can truly live. The picture of God’s glory is breath-taking and it is where we fix our gaze.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Revelation 7:9-12

3 Tips for Missionary Resiliency

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:01:00 GMT

At Global Frontier Missions, we believe that for ministry to flourish we must nourish and care for our families and selves as well. Many say that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Our Member Care team fills that cup while students go through Missionary Training School and provides strategies to continue self-care routines while on the mission field.

Today, we have the honor and privilege of hearing from Kerry and Neltia Henderson, two members of our staff. They are celebrating four years of ministry with GFM, and serve as the Atlanta Base Director and Director of Member Care, respectively.

Prior to coming to GFM, Kerry and Neltia served in a variety of roles for 12 years in East Africa. After planting churches in Tanzania and a brief return home, they pivoted to leading member care efforts in Uganda and South Sudan. This cross-cultural background shaped their heart for training and member care, which is now their primary focus at GFM.

Preparing to enter the mission field is similar to starting a new job and moving at the same time; but entering a new culture adds a level of stress most people have not experienced that needs unique training. Kerry and Neltia have 3 vital pieces of advice for prospective missionaries:

1. Deal with unresolved grief and pain.

We live in an individualistic society, but we all need assistance. Christian counseling is a great tool that many use to resolve grief and pain, and is of special importance before entering the field.

2. Spend time on the front end being trained.

Look for cross-cultural training that will prepare your head, heart, and hands to serve the Lord. Going through a program, such as GFM’s Missionary Training School , will develop your resiliency and encourage you to continue a posture of learning on the field.

3. Build a support system and develop self-awareness before leaving home.

If you have a support system in place, when difficulties arise, you can turn to the Lord and a group of supporters who will point you to Him in every trial.

In Neltia’s role as Director of Member Care, she enjoys every opportunity to help those preparing to go or share with those supporting missionaries on the field. She is passionate about promoting soul care in individual interactions and through GFM's new training module focusing on soul care and resiliency, which was developed based on an evaluation of current issues missionaries are facing.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerry asks for prayers for health and wisdom as GFM adheres to new safety practices. He praises God that the GFM staff has remained healthy thus far. Pray also for Neltia, as she cares for all GFM members, that the Lord will encourage her when she personally needs soul care.

Written by a GFM Staff Member

In Spirit and Truth

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:42:00 GMT

Jesus said that the Father is looking for people that will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Some people lean heavily into God's Spirit while other people lean heavy into God's truth. It's rare to find people that do both and lean into both equally.

When I think about spirit, I think about praying in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the power of the Spirit, and of course the fruit of the Spirit. I think worshiping God in spirit includes all of those things - operating in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, and self control. Worship isn't just about singing songs and raising hands, although it definitely includes that.

Worship is living a life that magnifies the name of God by reflecting His very nature in us by his grace and through the power of His Spirit.

Are we showing extreme love to our enemies? Do we have true joy in the midst of really difficult circumstances? Am I being patient concerning what God is going in my life and how He is slowly but surely conforming me to the image of Christ? Do we show gentleness and kindness towards our "friends" on social media? Romans 12:2 says that having my mind renewed and not confirming to this world is true worship. How are we doing individually and corporately with worshiping God in spirit?

What comes to mind when you think about worshiping God in truth? According to God's word? Having correct doctrine? In alignment with God's character? Not compromising? Not backing down? Speaking the truth in love?

Standing for truth, justice, God's character, kingdom, and will are ways to worship him in truth.

Not showing favoritism. Caring for orphans and widows in their distress. Maybe those are some of the ways that we can worship in truth? The context where Jesus talked about worshiping in spirit and in truth is when Jesus is talking to the woman at the well and she is in somewhat of a religious debate asking whose "holy site" was the one that was most appropriate to worship on. Instead of getting in theological debates and fighting over "religion," Jesus points to Himself and to the Father looking for true worshipers that will not focus on the mechanics of the when, where, and how of worship but on the WHO of worship. Part of worshiping God in all truth is getting past divisions and focusing on unity and praising Christ despite differences. How are we doing worshiping God in truth?

May God find the worshipers that He is looking for. May we be a people that worships God completely in spirit and in truth.

Leaning into Community

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 21:54:00 GMT

At Global Frontier Missions, our staff and students do not simply focus on ministry overseas but regularly build relationships and participate in outreach at our stateside Hubs, Richmond and Atlanta. One way this manifests itself is through house churches. Two beloved members of our staff have hosted one for over three years.

At the leading of the Holy Spirit, this couple came to GFM six years ago. They felt called to full-time ministry in a cross-cultural setting, but did not know where the Lord would lead. As they explored options, Missionary Training School seemed to be a perfect fit for them, so they came to visit. While visiting, they experienced confirmation and knew it was where they were supposed to be for training as well as living among other cultures.

After attending MTS, they decided to come on staff as part of the Multiplication team and have with us ever since. Their favorite part of serving on the team is, “meeting families in the apartment complexes and coming alongside them to help, encourage, and teach them.”

The house church developed as part of their outreach and began as a small gathering with several Americans and a couple Africans in another family's home. After about a year, God led a few of the Americans elsewhere. The couple began hosting the church in their home and saw more friends begin attending. For the past two years, their home has been a gathering place for all cultures to praise the Lord and study His Word together.

While COVID has taken away their ability to meet in person for the past few months, it has not stopped the Lord from moving among members of the group.

“We've seen Him heal strained relationships through prayer and forgiveness. We've watched each other grow in compassion and love for God and each other as we pray for one another's needs and areas of brokenness. We continue to see growth in our knowledge of Jesus and what it means to follow Him.”

When God is our power source, anything is possible. They have kept in contact with church members by phone, drive-by visits and food deliveries, and YouTube videos of their teaching. They are nourishing the body of Christ and providing for physical, social and spiritual needs throughout this difficult time.

As they continue to build community from a distance, please pray for wisdom and insight from the Lord as to how they should proceed after the COVID-19 pandemic, and for all members of their house church to remain in good health. Additionally, pray for a hunger to seek the Lord and an awareness that God calls all of us to proclaim who He is and the hope He provides to those around us.

Living in the Unknown

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 21:41:00 GMT

Trust. It’s all that I need these days and what I too often lack.

My life was once built upon human interaction and constant busyness. Perhaps yours was, too. Recently, I have had nothing but time to reflect.

As the distractions faded, the doubts crept in.

God, I know you hear me, but…

God, I know you’re there, but…

"Ye of little faith" became me of little faith. I had to decide - would I rely on the fleeting promises of this world or trust in the faithful promises of God? This is a decision that I make daily. I have found the following reality checks helpful in revealing where I place my trust and what I place my identity in:

These questions should not be binary: a case of doing one and not the other. In Mark 12, Jesus gives us insight into how we should prioritize our life based on the Ten Commandments.

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31

In this time, these commandments are a reminder to keep my eyes focused wholeheartedly on the Lord. This does not mean neglecting to educate myself on the risks of coronavirus, as stopping the spread is a clear way to love my neighbor. The order in which it is presented emphasizes the importance of centering myself on God first, and also finding tangible ways to serve others during this time.

When focused on God and His Word, I remember His power over every situation. I can rest assured that He has not forgotten His children and is sovereign.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Psalm 33:11

Fullness of truth and hope is only possible through Him alone. Do you trust Him?

Finding Your Fit

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 17:18:00 GMT

Do you feel that God has called you to missions? Are you exploring churches and missions organizations and prayerfully considering where you fit?

Though it may feel difficult to determine the will of the Lord to work through you, you are not alone in your journey. At Global Frontier Missions, we have staff members who dedicate their time to guide you through the process of finding your role in cross-cultural ministry, even if it is not with us.

Daniel, one of our Missions Advisors, is a great source of wisdom for many prospective cross-cultural workers. Having felt a call to missions in middle school, he explored and pursued opportunities such as taking the Perspectives class to learn more. Through personal exploration and networking, Daniel was connected with GFM and decided to attend our five-month Missionary Training School . While the season prior to MTS was difficult, he noted the following:

“In that season, I learned I am running out of reasons to doubt God. The quote, ‘God’s people on God’s mission never lack God’s provision’ exemplifies that season of life for me. ”

Though health issues, financial difficulties, and a lack of transportation could have derailed him, Daniel trusted in the Lord’s plan and continued pursuing his MTS experience. While going through the training and serving locally in Clarkston, he found that he wanted to provide discipleship for those seeking to work in cross-cultural ministry. And now serving on full-time staff with GFM, he walks out this calling as he coaches individuals through getting involved in missionary training, short term trips, and missions in general. He shares:

“I believe the Great Commission will be fulfilled faster when people find the next step God has for them.”

Do you want to talk to a member of our staff about finding your next step in missions?

Transformed Lives

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 00:06:00 GMT

Despite cultural and language barriers, God has been moving and creating opportunities for GFM staff and Missionary Training School students to build new relationships with Muslim families. Many of these families have been open to hearing the Gospel but did not have previously have access to Christians willing to share it.

Earlier this year, Charlotte and another member of our GFM staff were introduced to a family from the Middle East through a mutual friend. They were invited to visit the mother and her adult daughter in their home.

While visiting, the mother shared that she had a dream the year the daughter was born, yet still did not understand its meaning. As she recounted the dream, the Lord gave Charlotte understanding. The man standing outside the mother’s door was Jesus, and her room was filled with His light. Charlotte shared Revelation 3:20 with both women,

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Afterwards, she explained what it meant to follow Jesus and welcome Him into their hearts. Though it is typical for those from Muslim backgrounds to take time making decisions of faith, both women accepted Jesus as Savior that day.

Charlotte related, “ Their salvation made a great impact on my life, and I understood that the Lord is more than able to draw people near to Him. ”

God is truly in the business of transforming lives here on Earth and in Heaven. During the visit, our team prayed specifically for the daughter, as she faces health challenges including epilepsy. Since then, she feels that the Lord is healing her and restoring her health.

When we see God moving in others, we can be encouraged by their stories. A great next step is to pray for Him to mold our hearts and use us to share in the ways and locations in which we are uniquely given.

Charlotte is a testament to this, as she has found her calling here with GFM, forming relationships, sharing the Gospel, and building community. As someone originally from South Asia, she understands what it is like, both to grow up in a warm culture, and to experience the culture shock that comes with moving to the United States. This understanding helped her build trust with the mother-daughter pair and others in the local community.

When asked for advice for others seeking to reach people from different faith backgrounds, Charlotte emphasized the importance of embracing people where they are. She shared, “When we reach out to them, we need to make them feel comfortable. Instead of bringing them to a coffee shop to have a conversation about Jesus, we may want to think about going to their house. Because that is their comfortable place. It is not [normal in] American culture, but I believe we can afford to be uncomfortable in order to share the gospel with them in their comfort zone. ”

As E.M. Bounds wrote, "The success of all real missionary effort is dependent on prayer." Would you pray for these two new believers and others across the world to be strong disciples of Jesus Christ? Also, would you pray for disciple-makers like Charlotte to receive wisdom and revelations as they lead and guide new believers to become mature followers of Christ?

Heartbreak and Humility

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 19:09:00 GMT

How the Gospel Informs our Response to Brokenness

So far, 2020 has been a year of incomprehensible brokenness. It seems as though we’re surrounded by brokenness on all sides. And while brokenness is almost as old as time itself, seeing and experiencing its effects now is just as devastating as it ever was.

A world that’s been turned upside down by a global pandemic. Racism blatantly exposed once again as alive and well in this country. Countless lives wrecked by unemployment. Depression and suicide running rampant. Pride and one-upmanship pervading every realm of society.

The brokenness of our world runs deep, and the external condition only seems to further expose the internal condition of our broken humanity, which is profoundly marred by sin.

As a follower of Jesus, it’s hard to know how to respond.

We are called to be peacemakers ( Matt. 5:9 ), but how do we do that practically in this cultural moment? We are told to speak the truth in love ( Eph. 4:15 ), but what does that actually look like when everyone is on edge and so easily offended? How do we maintain the Biblical tension between being subject to governing authorities ( Rom. 13:1 ) and living at peace with everyone ( Rom. 12:18 ) while simultaneously taking our stand with the apostles when they said, “We must obey God rather than men” ( Acts 5:29 )?

While this year may have given us a global unanimity of experiences and even a certain level of camaraderie as we face the brokenness of this world together, there is so much division and destruction oozing from every direction. This reality may give us reason to pause, but it mustn’t keep us from engaging. As ambassadors of Christ and His coming Kingdom, we don’t have the option of sitting idly by and passively observing from the sidelines. We weren’t saved so we could be spectators, but so that we might bring glory to God in every sphere of life as His stewards. And if anyone is equipped for the controversial conversations our world is facing right now about the depths of depravity and the seemingly unending pain and injustice, it is those who follow Jesus.

Why?

Because of the gospel -- the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done.

As people who believe we have been fully justified through the shed blood of Jesus, we can boldly lead the way in confessing specific sin and repenting from wrongdoing. There is no need to grovel, to try sweeping our sins under the rug, to attempt justifying ourselves in the sight of God. In Jesus, we have an Advocate with the Father ( 1 John 2:1 ) and can therefore come boldly into His presence for mercy and help ( Heb. 4:16 ). We also need not shy away from grieving the pain, lamenting the injustices, and mourning the loss of life. Jesus wept, even in His perfect understanding of the renewed life that He would give to Lazarus ( John 11:35 ).

As people who affirm that “all truth is God’s truth”, we can rest in the fact that we don’t have to have all of the answers and neither does our denomination or preferred political party. Jesus Christ is the sole proprietor of truth, and we need not look to any one earthly source to hold all truth. We can heed the words of James to the believers in the early church who were scattered throughout the pagan world: “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” ( Jam 1:19 ).

As followers of Jesus, we can’t not respond.

We’re equipped to engage in the current conversations because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We step into the fray with a theological framework that enables us to understand and have hope in the midst of our fractured and broken physical world. We hold to the dignifying belief that all people are made in the image of God , and we grieve and stand up against injustice wherever we see it. And yet as we see evil and injustice running rampant, we also have a God-given awareness and humility to say that “but for the grace of God, there go I”.

As followers of Jesus, filled by the Spirit of God, we are equipped with the very mindset of our Savior. He gave us His example of coming in humility, living in humility, and dying in humility. Then He was raised up victoriously, and He now sits at the right hand of God the Father. He has called us to not only follow Him, but to be His witnesses in this world. We are those who, like the believers in Philippi, “have our citizenship in heaven” -- which means we seek to bring the reality of Christ’s rule and reign into every sphere of our lives here and now.

As followers of Jesus, may we echo the Lord’s Prayer in our petitions and embody its message through our actions:

Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

Written by Laney Mills

Ways to Give to the 10/40 Window During COVID-19

Wed, 27 May 2020 22:51:00 GMT

The COVID-19 crisis has sent the nations into pandemonium and people into desperation. As COVID claims people’s livelihoods and peace, people are looking for hope. God is moving during this crisis to open doors for the Gospel in the 10/40 window, which is also the poorest area of the earth. We’ve never seen the unreached people groups of the earth be both as needy and as open as they are now, so with an urgency in our hearts we make this request for you to support our indigenous partners as they labor to provide relief and Good News amongst the unreached during this pandemic.

We have highlighted three areas of the world where we have trusted local partners, with separate giving links for each. Please pray, give, and mobilize others to do the same!

South Asia

Strict lockdowns in two South Asian countries have prohibited people from working to provide for their families, and millions of people are literally starving to death. But God is a God of hope, and He is using our local partners to share food and the Gospel during this lockdown. In one church planting network over 28,000 people have already believed in Christ! One village that burned Bibles when church planters first came to them, is now begging for Bibles because of the local believers sharing food! Each dollar donated will provide one meal and one chance for a hungry South Asian to hear the Gospel of Jesus, perhaps for the first time.

Give to South Asia

Southeast Asia

COVID restrictions have damaged Cambodia’s fragile economy, leaving as many as 70% of Cambodians without work and struggling to buy food. Our local partner has seen 350 house churches planted since 2017, and many of the new believers in this network have run out of food. Your donation will go to provide rice rations for believers and also allow them to share food and the Gospel with their neighbors.

Give to Southeast Asia

Conflicts between the Myanmar military and Rakhine army have forced 14,000 people from the Chin tribe into displacement camps. COVID 19 restrictions on travel have made it difficult to get much-needed supplies to these refugees. Your donation will go to provide food and medical care to displaced people, both to our fellow Christians and to animist peoples who do not yet worship Christ.

Give to Chin Refugees

East Africa

COVID is only worsening the food shortages in East Africa due to swarms of locusts consuming crops. In addition, major flooding has washed away thousands of people’s homes. African church planters are showing Christ’s mercy through food, masks, and medicine and are seeing God open new doors to share with Muslim and animist people groups. Your donation will help purchase relief kits that will help advance the Gospel in East Africa.

Give to East Africa

These are just a few ways God is using His people to be His hands and feet in the midst of this pandemic. May He be glorified!

Our Refuge - God's strength in the midst of a pandemic

Fri, 15 May 2020 18:33:00 GMT

The past few months have been momentous and unprecedented in many ways, as COVID-19 has plunged not just our nation, but the world, into a season fraught with uncertainty. Things we counted on, things we assumed, things we’re accustomed to, things we’ve always taken for granted, are suddenly gone without warning in the interest of “flattening the curve” and protecting valuable, vulnerable lives.

Things have changed in so many ways over such a short period of time, and change can often be hard and frightening. It is especially so when we have no idea how long our lives will be altered by the coronavirus, nor what the new normal in the aftermath of the crisis will be. In the face of such uncertainty, we may wonder, “Why is this happening?”

Of course I can’t pretend to know the answer to that question, but I can say that it’s been in the midst of having so much that I held dear - and was even tempted to base my identity on – stripped away, that I’ve been forced to look up and recognize afresh the greatness, the sovereignty, the unchangeableness of God, and I have to believe that He is using this season to reveal more of Himself to me.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, thought the mountains quake at its swelling pride.” ( Psalm 46:1-3 )

Because of WHO God is, we don’t have to fear. Even in the face of uncertainty and disappointment, discomfort and danger, He tells us not to be afraid because of His character. Even if everything around us seems to be falling apart, He is steadfast and in control.

As many of us are self-isolating or have lost loved ones, we desperately need for the all-consuming love of the Friend who sticks closer than a brother, the One who has promised NEVER to leave nor forsake us. Realizing anew that no matter how much we love or are loved by others, they cannot always be there for us or with us teaches us to say with the Psalmist:

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” ( Psalm 73: 25-26 )

With so many of the normal, temporal distractions removed from our lives, perhaps you, like me, are coming to realize at a deeper level that knowing Jesus really is the greater thing… the greatest thing.

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” ( Phil. 3: 7-11 )

Is our connection with Him so central and such an all-consuming passion in our hearts and lives? Have we come to say with the Psalmist, “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.” ( Psalm 73:28 )

I pray we will all treasure the nearness of our gracious God more earnestly because of this season. I pray we will learn at a deeper level what it means to run into Him for refuge and to find shelter in His everlasting arms. And I pray that the natural outflow of our deepening, abiding relationship with Christ is that we too are compelled to tell others about the Source of our confidence and comfort.

Written by a GFM Richmond staff member

Grieving the Losses of COVID-19

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 02:06:00 GMT

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” The unfolding events of the past month have brought the truth of Proverbs 27:1 home to all of us. Perhaps you were like me in early March: contentedly minding my own business and going about my daily activities, eagerly making plans for my upcoming spring break, not to mention the summer and semester beyond… generally taking for granted that my life would carry on as expected and that my well-laid plans would naturally come to fruition.

Plot twist – enter COVID-19. Suddenly everything changed… in a matter of hours! Activities were canceled and we were encouraged to self-isolate and practice social distancing for a couple of weeks. Honestly, as a task-oriented introvert, I rather welcomed the change of pace. The opportunity to tackle projects that kept getting pushed to the back burner paired with extra time to enjoy solitary walks while soaking in the spring sunshine appealed to me. My biggest worry was the additional work it would require to “catch up” when normal activities and classes resumed.

But towards the end of the two weeks, things continued to grow more serious. First, we heard that schools would be closed for another week. Then the announcement came that schools would not re-open this semester. As time passed, it felt as though they kept moving the finish line. What began as a sprint, a short stint of virtual meetings and more relaxed schedules, began to morph into a marathon: one that promises long-lasting effects upon both our economy and our relationships.

As many of my plans and expectations for this year have been suddenly hijacked and stripped away, I find myself thinking on the passage from James 4:13-15 :

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”

I thought I knew what my life would be like tomorrow, but I was wrong. I was consumed with the responsibilities and activities that seemed so important last month… the ones that I’ve quickly learned to do without. I’ve been reminded in very visceral and tangible ways that my life truly is just a vapor that will vanish away. I’ve seen ministry opportunities I’ve worked toward for almost a year slip away. I’ve had events and trips I was excited about rescheduled and then postponed again, or just canceled. I’ve lost the chance to continue discipling relationships face-to-face. There is loss here – lots of it! We’re all experiencing losses at a ministry level, a school or career level, and at a personal/social level – and it’s okay to admit that and to grieve! It’s okay to be disappointed by what you’ve lost in this season.

Yet Paul told the Thessalonians that he didn’t want them “to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.” ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 ). Paul didn’t tell them not to grieve those who had died, just that they will grieve differently because they have hope in Christ! In the same way, we can grieve the dreams that have died due to COVID-19, knowing that we have hope in a God who redeems and who promises to work all things together for good to those who love Him. We can allow our grief to push us further into the arms of our Heavenly Father for comfort. We can perhaps see and delight in His character more because of what we’ve lost.

May we all learn through this season to hold our plans with an open hand, that it’s okay to acknowledge and to grieve all that we’ve lost and to find comfort and rest in the sovereign and eternal God who alone knows the end from the beginning.

Post written by GFM Richmond staff member

COVID-19: A New Context

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 01:16:00 GMT

I tend to be a pretty task-driven individual. I thrive on structure and clear expectations. I struggle with the temptation to find my worth in my productivity – how many tasks I can check off the list, how many activities I’m involved in, how much progress I make toward my goals. So when something happens to render me unable to produce, unable to complete the tasks set before me – something like the COVID-19 crisis, for example – I’m left feeling unsure and somewhat purposeless.

Over the course of the past month, everything has changed as concern over COVID-19 has taken our nation and our world by storm. Life and ministry suddenly look very different! What about my goals? What about all the things I do that give me a sense of purpose and identity? What exactly is expected of me in this strange and unprecedented season of isolation?

The Westminster Catechism states that the chief end of man is to “glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” We know that God remains unchanged by COVID-19. His purpose for us, His people, remains unchanged. His mission, His desire to be known and worshipped by people from every tribe, nation, language and ethnic group remains unchanged, and His Great Commission to us in Mt. 28:18-20 goes unrevoked. My purpose hasn’t changed, even if it feels like it has. Literally, the only thing that has changed is the context in which we are living to glorify and delight in God.

Many of us are wrestling with what our “new normal” for this season should and can look like. Just considering that question feels complicated, but what if we simplify? What if we focus only on what God asks of us? Let’s remember that this unique situation doesn’t make it impossible for us to know Christ better and to make His name known. Rather, let’s intentionally seek ways to leverage this context to expand the kingdom, just as we would with any other context. Those living in an overseas missionary capacity have a different context than a stay-at-home mom in middle-America. The believing janitor at your child’s school has a different context for glorifying God and making Him known than the pastor at your church does. A single young woman’s context differs from that of a married couple, just as theirs differs from a child in middle school. Your normal context probably differs in some way from your current COVID-19 inspired (or enforced) context… and that’s okay!

All of our lives look different based on our surroundings and our season of life. But that’s something to glory in, not to worry over, as our God loves diversity and receiving honor from people in all walks of life! No matter what context we find ourselves in, as the children of God we are all called to glorify God and enjoy Him daily. And as we delight ourselves more and more in God Himself, the natural outflow is to tell others about Him.

The question is, how will knowing Jesus and making Him known among the nations look in the current context of COVID-19? I challenge you to take some time to prayerfully and thoughtfully consider the opportunities God has given you to do just that in this season.

Written by a GFM Richmond Staff Member

Creative Access COVID-19 Style

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 17:37:00 GMT

COVID-19. It has changed all of our lives in a matter of days. Wednesday, I could teach ESL; Thursday, classes were canceled. Thursday, it seemed safe to visit my Sudanese friend in her home; Friday, it didn’t. Monday, I met with my teammates; Tuesday, we switched everything to video calls.

I've wrestled with what following Jesus looks like in this unique time. We are called to be the light of the world set on a hill, not hiding under a basket (or behind our doors). We are citizens of the Kingdom of God and should respond in a counter-cultural way, not driven to protect ourselves in fear. We want to love our neighbors and communities well with Christ’s sacrificial love... How do we do that when the recommended place to be is home? Do I throw caution (and command) to the wind simply because I am not afraid to die?

I've come to realize that social distancing and quarantining is an act of love, not fear. I'm not afraid of getting COVID-19. I am young and healthy. But I don't want to carry the illness to the elderly or at-risk people - or anyone for that matter! I don’t want to overload the medical system. These are significant reasons for loving others by staying home.

But I also don’t want to distance myself from others, to not be available and willing to serve, to not be the hands and feet of Jesus. This calls for discernment, wisdom, creativity, and constantly asking, how can I faithfully follow Jesus in this situation?

Now, more than ever, our foreign-born friends and neighbors need to see the confidence we have in Jesus. They need to hear the hope of the Gospel proclaimed to them. They also have practical needs. Children from refugee and immigrant families often struggle with school and routine and now that challenge is intensified indefinitely. Moms will be at home with their stir-crazy, bored children for weeks on end.

Here are five practical suggestions for remaining involved in your international friends’ lives:

1. Check-in with friends over phone and video

Use Whatsapp or Facetime to video call your friends. Most of our international friends are used to keeping in touch with family long-distance. Share your life with them. Ask how they are feeling about the pandemic. Ask if they have needs or questions. Listen. Pray. Share your hope in Jesus. Be intentional to send pictures of what you are doing throughout the day. Send video clips of your children’s activities. My Sudanese friend and I were talking about each making tea and then sitting and talking over video like we would if I was at her house.

2. Tutor over video

Yes, this is challenging, but it can work! I spent an hour over video with a 4th grader earlier this week and I was able to help her with homework, talk about life with her, and read her a story. At the very least, this breaks up the day for them and might give moms a break too! Remember that students aren't going back to school anytime soon so anything is better than nothing! Again, Whatsapp or Facetime is probably your easiest platform for this.

3. Pray

It's easy to think, "I can spend so much time in prayer now!" and then not actually do it... and I’m speaking from experience here! Schedule times to pray. Pray with your family or roommate. Call a friend to pray with them. Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work”.

4. Go on prayer walks

This is a fun way to get exercise, pray over neighborhoods, and still practice social distancing! Just be prepared to graciously explain why you need to decline hugs and invitations in for tea if you see a friend.

5. Volunteer

Yes, volunteer. School districts need help handing out food for the children not in school. Go grocery shopping for your elderly neighbors. Buy toilet paper and give it away. Be creative in how to bless people without coming in contact with them.

I believe that as we see this as a time to press into the opportunities we do have, rather than to coast and wait until life returns to normal, that we will see God at work in surprising and miraculous ways. May the light of Christ shine brightly over our video calls and text messages and may His power work mightily through our devoted prayer.

Abundant Hope

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 15:58:00 GMT

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 15:13

Paul’s prayer is not merely for the first century Church in Rome, but one that echoes through the halls of history and reaches to us today.

We all experience feelings of hopelessness or face situations that seem futile. We tend to look to people, systems, and material things for peace of mind only to find out that they do not satisfy. However, as those who follow the risen Lord, we have a relationship with the One who is Himself the fountain of all true joy and peace.

God is the God of hope . He is the source, both the author and the object of it. In Him, we can place our complete trust. We can rest in the fact that He is constant and His promises are true.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ defeated hopelessness. The salvation and victory we have in Him conquers despair. This is why, even in times of suffering, we can persevere because we are sure of our eternal future.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Romans 5:1-4

And this abundant hope cannot be experienced on our own. We cannot will it or achieve it through striving. It is only made accessible by the power of the Holy Spirit , so we must give Him the credit.

As Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 3, through Christ, we are confident in our relationship with God, our future, and as ministers of the new covenant. The natural product of this is boldness .

May we boldly share with those who have not experienced the hope of Christ. May we live out the realities of the resurrection today and tomorrow.

Written by Mandy Sullivan

Embracing the Great Commission

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 21:09:00 GMT

Whether you were ready to turn the page on 2019 or not, here we are. It’s 2020, and we have before us a year of great potential — potential for opportunity and obstacle alike. None of us can begin to know what tomorrow holds, let alone this new year. And yet, with all the changes we face, whether personally, relationally, politically, or globally, there are unchanging truths that we as believers in Jesus can hold on to with great confidence and certainty.

The Word of God boldly and repeatedly declares that our God is unchanging ( Mal. 3:6 ; Heb. 13:8 ), that His Word is a solid rock upon which we can stand ( Is. 8:40 ; Matt. 24:35 ), and that His purpose for our lives and this world will be accomplished ( Ps. 33:11 ; Matt. 24:14 ).

These confidences provide us a staggering amount of clarity, but in the face of a consumer-culture where we’re used to having a-hundred-and-one options for everything, will we accept that clarity?

We’ve been given a heavenly mandate to go and make disciples of all nations ( Matt. 28:18-20 ). But how often do we treat that Great Commission from our unchanging Lord as though it were a “great suggestion” for a select few of us?

As we start off this new year, we at GFM invite you to join us in considering the mission of Jesus afresh. What does it mean for us to embrace this God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever? How do we treasure Him and His unchanging Word? And how do we respond to the final words He spoke to His followers while on this earth?

In the simple words of John Piper, we really only have three options, not thirty options, not three hundred options. “Go, send, or disobey.”

It’s a new year, and yet some things never change, including the purposes of our God. In light of that, how will you respond to His commission and allow it to shape the rest of 2020?

Written by Mandy Sullivan

Celebrating Sacrifice

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 22:48:00 GMT

If you've spent any amount of time observing people, their patterns, and their pursuits, you've probably noticed a trend among us as human beings:

We want safety.
We pursue comfort.
We choose "easy" when given the option.

If we're honest, we can probably look back over the last 24-hours alone and see our own natural, internal bent towards this. We instinctively equate "easy" with "good", and factors of safety and comfort dramatically tip the scale in our personal processes of decision-making.

And yet, as followers of Christ, how have we spent the past few weeks?

Intentionally reflecting on the surrender of someone else's safety. Rejoicing and finding hope in the forfeit of someone else's comfort. Being deeply moved to worship and celebrate someone else's sacrifice. That's the essence of, not only the Easter season, but our lives as believers: we glory in the resurrection of Jesus, but strangely enough, we don't get to the glorious resurrection without the gruesome crucifixion.

How should we respond to this reality? When the sacrifice of Christ is worth us celebrating eternally, how can we continue to esteem our own pursuit of comfort? Can we honestly walk forward in the assumption that "easy" and "good" are synonymous? Does the consideration of safety really deserve priority space in our decision-making? Or has Jesus shown us that there is something more?

Pastor J.D. Greear sums it up well :

How does the sacrifice of Jesus and the reality of His love compel us to deeper worship and greater missional involvement this week?

Written by Laney Mills

When You Are Not Enough

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 22:36:00 GMT

Following Jesus and making disciples of all nations is a privilege.

And yet while seasons of sweetness, victory and answered prayer are a very real experience for those living on mission and pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly, they're also not the whole story.

What about those periods of time where you can't shake the reality of your inadequacy, where you can't seem to catch a break, where every new day brings another ministry disappointment or missional failure?

What about when you are not enough?

This isn't something we like to talk about very much in ministry, but it's prevalent. And is it any wonder? You invest your life into people. You pour your heart and soul into the work of disciple-making. You pray fervently and proclaim Christ faithfully.

And yet that's all you can do. You can't force someone to accept Jesus. You can't coerce someone into greater Kingdom involvement. You can't make someone love Jesus more.

The very thing you've been called and commissioned to do is something that you're completely unable to do. It's a spiritual work, and you can't change hearts. Thus enters the disappointment, frustration, and feelings of gut-wrenching failure.

How should we respond to this? How do we rightly handle our own inadequacy for the heavenly task we've been assigned?

Look to Jesus. Our Lord and Commissioner is by no means caught off-guard by our lack of ability to accomplish the mission He's left us. We aren't alone in this:

Jesus said to them,
"Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent Me,
even so I am sending you."
And when He had said this,
He breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit..."
John 20:21-22

Don't fall into the trap of believing that you're alone. You are a vessel through which the Holy Spirit can now work in the hearts and lives of people. It's His work. Preach the gospel to yourself daily. Remind yourself that the One who has called you is faithful, and He will do the very work He's called you to do ( 1 Thes. 5:24 ).

You aren't enough for the mission, but He is. Your work is to simply be faithful, and His work is to be fruitful. Rest in that today.

Written by Laney Mills

The Way of the Cross

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 16:08:00 GMT

When Following Jesus Hurts Like Hell

Over the past few days, I read a book by Elisabeth Elliot. She was a linguist among unreached peoples in Ecuador, serving alongside her husband, Jim Elliot, to make Christ known where He was not yet known.

By the grace of God, they were successful, and around 40% of the tribe among whom they were working now know Christ, but not without great cost.

If you read her book, The Path of Loneliness, you’ll come across this poignant statement: “To walk with Him is to walk the Way of the Cross.”

She knew this all too well. Taking the gospel to the Aucas cost Jim Elliot his life. It cost Elisabeth Elliot her husband and her infant daughter’s father. The excruciating pain they experienced was just as real and tangible as the extraordinary spiritual joy and freedom the Aucas now have in Christ.

And yet isn’t that the gospel paradigm?

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning ( Psalm 30:5 ).

Life springs forth out of death ( John 12:24 ).

Resurrection isn’t possible without crucifixion ( Mark 16:6 ).

“To walk with Him is to walk the Way of the Cross.”

Within my limited, human comprehension, this makes sense to a certain degree. I understand the pattern, and I recognize this as the way of Christ’s Kingdom. And yet there remains a strange dichotomy within my soul when I think of pain and suffering as a result of following Christ.

Jesus clearly stated that the pain and suffering of the cross is the very reason He had come ( John 12:27 ). So the Way of the Cross makes sense for Jesus. The “spiritual giants” of our faith had bold, miraculous, supernatural existences ( Hebrews 11:32-38 ). In light of the lives they lived, the Way of the Cross seems fitting for them.

But when small, insignificant me is seeking to simply know Christ and make Him known, and I find myself in the Way of the Cross...well, I don’t have the same mental framework for that. Somehow, it doesn’t make sense. It’s not so fitting. And therein lies the incongruity.

Maybe you’re like me, and you’ve also struggled with having a ‘theology of suffering’ that doesn’t extend far enough to reach you and your life. John Piper has written that “this voluntary suffering and death to save others is not only the content but it is also the method of our mission. We proclaim the Good News of what He accomplished, and we join Him in the Calvary method. We embrace His sufferings for us, and we spread the gospel by our suffering with Him.” Pain in the path of obedience shouldn’t surprise us.

No doubt the Way of the Cross looks different for every person, and varies from season to season. There was a very painful chapter in my life where the Way of the Cross — living on mission with Jesus, and being the tangible expression of His love to the lost, weak, and marginalized of society — meant suffering through what felt like hell, leaving me with physical scars and emotional baggage that I’ll deal with until my race on this earth is finished. It was costly... It is costly.

The reality is, the Way of the Cross isn’t for a select few followers of Jesus. It’s not for the “advanced” in His Kingdom. It’s not for the incredibly bold, the especially strong, the incorrigibly faithful disciples. Jesus said that “if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up His cross daily and follow Me” ( Luke 9:23 ).

“To walk with Him is to walk the Way of the Cross.”

To walk with Jesus is to share His heart, and to share His heart is to share His pain. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” ( 2 Timothy 3:12 ). Are there joys and victories in following Christ? Absolutely! But in an age where consumerism is rampant, the temptation to sugarcoat the Way of the Cross is real. We must resist it, being watchful that we follow Christ for the sake of Christ , and not for the sake of what He can give us. The message of Christ is too precious for us to mitigate His mission in any way.

Dare we hold back our lives from Him for fear of what the Way of the Cross may mean for us? The pain we will experience in the path of obedience is real, but oh! so is His glorious presence! Jesus is worth it (which is not something I say lightly). Let us walk forward in mission with Him , embracing the Way of the Cross, knowing that it is the promise of His presence that sustains us through whatever pain we may face ( Matthew 28:20 ).

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Written by Laney Mills

When Mission Gets Distorted

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 18:11:00 GMT

"If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."

That's a sobering statement, especially when you realize that Adolf Hitler is the one who said it. The devastation caused by the Nazi regime during the second World War is a painful exclamation mark to such a statement, and provides a disturbing commentary on the destructive power that lies can have upon an entire society.

There is a lie that has subtly captivated the hearts of those in the West, and it has quickly become one of our most dominant cultural stories -- a prominent worldview lens through which we see everything.

What is this lie that is influencing and affecting virtually every area of our lives?

It is the lie of consumerism . And we've fallen for it -- hook, line, and sinker.

Consumerism says that purpose is found through increasing consumption of goods and services. Consumerism purports that the value of any given item isn't in the item itself, but in that item’s usefulness to you. Consumerism declares all things to be a commodity.

And therein lies the danger.

Since this culture of consumption places no constraints upon what can or cannot be consumed, everything is fair game... including Jesus. As Trevin Wax so succinctly states, "the way consumerism recasts Christianity is by turning the gospel into a commodity, something we believe because it is useful, not because it is true." Consumerism establishes our identity and role as that of consumers, standing in direct opposition to the identity that is ours in Christ -- that of ambassadors, witnesses, and stewards.

This undoubtedly distorts our understanding of God's mandate, and deeply affects our engagement in God's mission.

Consumerism could possibly be the strongest religious movement in the Western world today, and as followers of Christ, we need to beware of its allurements and subtle ideology. If we’re not watchful, we’ll find a consumeristic spirit creeping into our view of God’s work in this world.

What would the Great Commission look like under the distortion of consumerism?

Consumerism would state that the Great Commission is something for our consumption.

Consumerism would suggest that the value of God’s mission isn’t in the mission itself, but in the mission’s ability to produce emotions and experiences that are useful to us. Consumerism would unabashedly declare this God-given mandate to be a commodity.

This is the role our consumer culture would have us assign to the Great Commission, and yet as those who have a Christ-given responsibility and authority in seeing the Kingdom of God advance through mission, such distortions should disgust us. The Great Commission isn’t about us, and it’s not for us to commodify and peddle among Christians who want a feel-good experience. Souls are at stake, and we’ve been declared stewards in this mission of God.

Let us recognize and embrace the challenge of our day. Let us faithfully fight against the distortion of God’s mission for the glory of His name!

Managing Culture Stress

Sat, 25 May 2019 19:04:00 GMT

Many people have heard of culture shock, but what about culture stress? Culture stress is part of an adjustment process that continues past the initial culture shock as a person accepts his or her new environment, adopts new ways of thinking and doing things, and begins to feel a sense of belonging. This can take years, and some missionaries never complete it.

The symptoms of culture stress are similar to those produced by any other stress: anxiety, confusion, insecurity, helplessness, fatigue, lack of motivation, illness, fear, disappointment, anger, etc. Missionaries experiencing culture stress may feel inadequate, homesick, or even hostile towards their host culture.

So what can be done about culture stress? While it is unavoidable, it can be managed. Check out the following approach we have learned from Ron and Bonnie Koteskey at Missionary Care and teach in our Missionary Training School classroom.

Recognition

Recognize that culture stress is normal for those trying to embrace a host culture and cannot be prevented. Identify what factors cause you the most stress.

Acceptance

Admit the validity of the host culture. Different is not always wrong. Accept that adapting to this culture is a means of bringing Christ to the people who live in it.

Communication

Do not cut off yourself from everyone in your home culture. Talk to those whom with you can relax and be yourself.

Escape

Schedule daily, weekly, and annual respites. Observe the Sabbath. Make time to read, listen to music, be outside, worship, etc.

Identity

Be confident in who you are as well as what you will allow to be changed about you. Acculturation involves changes in your personality, so make sure to determine what is unchangeable.

Activity

Stress produces the fight or flight response, but as a missionary you probably can’t do either. Find a physical activity like sports, exercise, or games to use that energy.

Befriend a National Family

Build a relationship with a national family for fun and enjoyment, not with the sole focus to learn or evangelize. Find out how to have fun in that culture by doing life with others.

Remember to be patient and have grace for yourself and others. Not everyone can become at home in two cultures and the process looks different for each individual.

As Christians, we can approach culture stress with faith and hope. We have an amazing God who walks alongside us in the good and the bad, in the excitement of a experiencing a new culture and the stress. He is the source of true comfort, joy, peace, and strength. In the midst of all the change, we can be certain of who He is, who we are in Him, and what He has called us to.

3 Things to Pray During Ramadan

Wed, 01 May 2019 02:31:00 GMT

Ramadan in quickly approaching. It is the ninth, and also considered holiest, month of the Islamic calendar. It is believed that the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad during this month.

Muslims worldwide will be fasting, praying, and seeking Allah. As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, fasting is a Muslim’s highest form of worship. They fast from dawn to sunset every day of Ramadan to suppress their earthly desires, receive atonement for their sins, and increase their faith and devotion to Allah. In the evenings, they gather to break the fast, enjoy time together, pray, and read the Qur’an.

During this month, many Muslims are spiritually attentive and are seeking revelation from Allah. They believe dreams are a way he reveals himself to people and are especially aware of dreams and visions during Ramadan.

Ramadan is also a time when many Muslims increase their charitable giving to the needy which is another one of the Five Pillars.

This yearly observance provides Christians with a specific opportunity to pray for and engage with Muslims.

Pray for that Christ will revealed as Lord and Savior through dreams, visions, and His people.

Pray for new Muslim-background believers as they respond to questions and scrutiny for not participating in Ramadan festivities.

Pray for believers to be emboldened by the Holy Spirit in taking opportunities to share the Gospel and exemplifying the love of Christ with their Muslim friends and family.

Join a movement in praying for Ramadan:

Thoughts on Sabbath Rest

Sun, 14 Apr 2019 13:06:00 GMT

Whether with our Missionary Training School students or our ministry staff, we at Global Frontier Missions emphasize Sabbath rest. We believe it is crucial to a long-lasting and fruitful ministry. We have found that regularly observing a Sabbath leads to intimacy with God and holistic renewal. This helps prevent burnout, fatigue, idolatry, and spiritual dryness.

It is easy to allow busyness to hinder our weekly Sabbath. Whether it is the needs of the community we are serving or the to-do list we have not finished, it might seem nonviable to take an entire day off. However, it is a matter of time management and priority.

Christ appointed the twelve apostles “so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). Our founder and director, Grant Haynes, recently used this verse as a challenge to make sure our priorities are in order:

Christ called His disciples to be with Him and then to go out and preach.

A Sabbath is more than simply taking a day off work. It is an attitude of the heart. It is about stopping and completely surrendering the day to Him. It is a day of finding freedom and rest in who He is and what He has done.

Timothy Keller sums it up in his article, Wisdom and Sabbath Rest ,

“The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general, what you have accomplished in the world through his help, and the freedom you have in the gospel—the freedom from slavery to any material object or human expectation.”

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man and He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28). It is truly for our benefit, so rest in Him!

Fast and Pray

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 18:40:00 GMT

It’s Ramadan, a time of fasting for Muslims everywhere. They are called to abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset for a month as one of the five pillars of Islam. My friend shared that she only fasts for part of it and talked about how hard it is to fast. My friend’s husband isn’t fasting and was told by other Muslims that if he didn’t fast, he wasn’t Muslim. As a Christian, I believe you can be a Christian without fasting. It is not the act of doing or not doing something that unites us to Christ. Rather it is our faith in him.

She started asking questions about Christians and fasting. I found myself wondering how to answer her though. As Christians, it is not a requirement to fast but we are called to fast. Matthew 6:16-18 doesn’t say ‘if we fast’ but rather ‘when we fast’. It isn’t an ‘if/then’ statement. We often turn to Matthew 6 and examine the Lord’s prayer, but when we look at it as a whole and see the big picture, what amazing instruction Jesus gives us. There are three ‘when’ statements he gives us. When we give, when we pray, when we fast. There is power when we are doing all three.

We are told to do it…. but how many of us actually do? I know a number of people who will select something to give up during Lent, but is this the Biblical fasting we are called to do? I think it’s great to unplug, and think we should, but Biblically speaking fasting is defined as abstaining from food and drinks. Are we practicing this in the church though?

Will my skipping food convince God to heal someone, provide something or in any other way lower himself to my level? Absolutely not! I don’t fast expecting it to be some magic formula that if I give up this, then God will do this. I say that and yet while there may not be expectations, there is faith. God tells us he hears us when we fast and pray. There have been times I have felt the need not just to pray fervently, but to pray and fast. To give of myself as I petitioned God’s mercy.

I really like the way that Jentezen Franklin described it in his book Fasting :

We may think it’s just food… and yet food is the very thing that Adam and Eve were forbidden… and the very thing they couldn’t stay away from.

There are also times we are called to corporate fasting. As a body of believers, we need to come together and cry out to God. We need to unify in both body and spirit. God has given us examples of this in both the Old and New Testaments. When believers and unbelievers fasted and prayed together, things happened. Just one great example of this is seen in Jonah. Nineveh was a town so full of sin God was going to destroy it, but he sent Jonah to warn them first.

When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:6-10)

I don’t pretend to understand God - His ways are so far above my own. But as a parent when my children ask for something, I’m much more likely to take notice if they also show me they’re willing to sacrifice and work for it. I’m also more likely to consider their requests if they have spent quality time with me and it’s something that will be beneficial for them. Is this the way God views it too? Maybe. God saw into the hearts of the people of Nineveh. He showed them mercy and kindness.

It is because the hearts of the people were hard and unloving that God did not answer their fast in Isaiah 58. We are not just to give up food and drink and expect God to show us favor. We must also show love and kindness in order to truly fast.

I challenge you this month. Fast and pray. Demonstrate the true fasting Isaiah calls for. Corporately fast as the king of Nineveh declared. Fast and pray for the unreached.

Let us remember that it is not if, but when.

5 Lessons Learned While Living on Mission

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 15:37:00 GMT

The American culture trains us to be devastatingly independent with a front-runner, do it your own way approach. The Lord, however, desires us to humble ourselves to be willing to learn from each other and those who have gone before us. Just as members of the body of Christ benefit one another with diverse gifts and talents, we can also greatly benefit one another by learning from each other’s faith and previous experiences. In Hebrews 13, God encourages his people to follow the example and way of life that the leaders who taught them the word of God modeled and in 1st Corinthians 10, God outlined the gross sins and faithlessness of Israel so that we would learn from their mistakes and walk in a different way than they had walked in the wilderness. Likewise, here are five important lessons learned while living on mission among diaspora people that I would now like to pass on so that you might be more prepared as you go make disciples of all nations.

1) Ask.
If we want to see people come to Jesus, let's ask the Father. 'You don’t have because you don’t ask' (and sometimes we don’t ask because we don’t want it that much).
Of course God’s generosity isn’t on a 'prayer tap'. But the first 6 months here - when I often took an hour on solitary dark mornings to walk around Clarkston praising God and asking for him to act - they ‘paid off’ in answered prayers right till the day we moved out. I really should have done less direct outreach and more praying! I kind of discovered an adrenaline rush(!) in being God's priest under Jesus, representing the spiritual needs of lost people to Him, and knowing He was listening.

2) Roll your tongue.
Pick a language and learn it.
Yes, the Holy Spirit can supernaturally bridge language barriers. But I think he usually does it by giving you the love and patience to start learning that person’s language. How often in our outreach do we find that someone can speak some English and so, without further thought, we try to reach their hearts for Jesus without learning a word of their heart language? If I could rewind a year, the biggest thing I’d do differently would be to determinedly focus on one language group, learn the words ‘please teach me your language’, and then find ways to spend whole days humbly learning from those refugees, without speaking English. Within 6 months, I imagine I’d start to be on the ‘inside' of that whole group, and have a trusted position as friend to share Jesus with them in their own language.

3) Cramp your style.
I have a tendency to want to fly solo as a lone missionary; it’s more efficient, and somehow more gratifying when you see progress…but completely wrong-headed.
An African proverb advises: 'If you want to go fast go alone; if you want to go further go with others’. If I’m going to visit my Eritrean friend, who can I bring with me to introduce to him? If I’m connecting to my Iraqi neighbors but don’t know how to share Jesus with them, have I tried looking to find an Iraqi church, and asked if any of them will come along and help me? If I can see that an apartment complex needs to be prayed for, have I thought about finding the Christian families who live there and mobilizing them to do more of the praying than me? If someone wants to make the step of following Jesus, have I thought about asking ‘who else in your family might like to make this step with you?.'

On our last day in Clarkston, our dear Nepalese friends sat in our living room to say goodbye, and told us that they all want to be baptized and follow Jesus, but before they do, they are spending the time explaining to their Hindu family members what they are doing, in the hope that those family members won’t simply cut them off, but that many of them might decide to join them and follow Jesus too. As we in Australian and US cities scratch our heads wondering ‘how do we reach these nations on our doorstep?’, one important answer is ‘Don’t go alone. Work in partnership with the believers embedded in those communities.'

4) Know your enemy.
I’ve learned to think more in terms of power dynamics as we reach lost people.
If people are in darkness, then spiritual powers are keeping them there. And we need to pray against those forces. In Clarkston, I’ve had that shiver of ‘fight or flight', as I’ve come across people who seem to embody these spiritual powers: The imam who comes to a family and says ‘if you welcome any more Christians 'round your house, we will cut you off from our community’. The senior family member who will disown his niece and her parents if she ever chooses to renounce Buddhism. The strict Muslim family in Baghdad who will possibly exact terrible revenge on an Iraqi man’s parents there if, on the other side of the world in Atlanta, he is baptized into Christ (true story). But if we direct our hate against these people, we won’t win the battle, because 'our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against …the spiritual forces of evil in the heaven’ (Ephesians 6).

There were two imams in particular who I needed to learn to love and honor, rather than hate. I also needed to learn where true power is. Yes there are ‘fake’ powers (religions whose rules never truly change someone’s circumstances, like the Quranic school in our apartment complex training 10 year old kids to rote-learn ancient Arabic) ), and there are ‘false’ powers (idols that promise freedom but only enslave, like American consumerism). And then there is true power: the Lord that God raised from the dead, who can transform your whole life permanently.

5) Plant deep not shallow.
You only need one family for the Kingdom to grow and multiply. If it goes deep.
My wife and I have been challenged to not seek ‘I prayed to become a Christian’ believers, but avid disciples of Jesus. Disciples who make disciples. The plants that ‘produce a crop 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown’. I’ve been challenged to at least consider seriously Jesus’ method of investing in 12 and sharing his life with 3 (Peter, James and John) - going deep with a few. In the past, when people tried to convince me of this, I reacted like it was a naive, guilt-inducing pyramid scheme.

But then we saw people do it as a way of life, both with Christians and non-Christians. The Nepalese family I mentioned who want to be baptized told us that the decisive turn happened for them when a believing couple moved in with them for 6 months and asked if they could share the rent and learn their language. A big investment, perhaps! But from those 20-odd weeks we’re now seeing spiritual fruit that will last generations.

And of course Jesus doesn’t ever want pyramid-style ‘convert-makers’, he wants people who practice all his commands, including the least convenient: love nasty people, forgive family members who’ve hurt you, be generous to the poor, pray out of expectation not duty. The Kingdom will grow precisely because it’s about far more than numbers of conversions.

What Does It Mean to be Ambassadors of the Gospel?

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:32:00 GMT

The definition of ambassador from Merriam Webster:

When you think of an ambassador, do you picture a U.S. embassy overseas? Do you picture a group of diplomats coming together and striving for world peace at the United Nations? Or do you look in the mirror and picture yourself?

Paul declared himself and us as ambassadors of Christ.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18-20, ESV)

We expect our ambassadors to other nations to be familiar with U.S. policies as well as the government of the country they are hosted. They are in a position of high rank and authorized to represent our nation. Their actions reflect on our entire nation and it is important for the safety of our citizens abroad to maintain positive relations.

What does it mean to be an ambassador of the gospel? We must be ready to share the highlights even when we may not have all of the answers. Even though we do not know everything, we should be expected to know more than nonbelievers. Do we take care with non- or new believers to guide them through God’s word or do we expect them to navigate the scriptures on their own? God reveals himself through his word, but as Christ’s ambassadors, we want to make sure they understand Christ’s redeeming love and God’s unchanging character throughout scripture.

Are we familiar with the beliefs we claim and how they differ from other faiths? Are we mindful that our actions do not just reflect on us, but the entire body of Christ? As ambassadors of the gospel we want to draw people to the kingdom. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul tells us that as ambassadors for Christ, God is making his appeal through us. In the Greek, the word translated as appeal also translates as ‘to call for’.

Think about that for a moment.

We are entrusted with God’s message of reconciliation. God is using us to call for others. Are we appealing to people in the call? Yes, the Holy Spirit draws people and we will fail without Him, but we have been given a ministry. Yes, there may be believers seeking a new place to worship, but really, we need to be appealing to new people with God’s message of redemption. We must call to others that they may be reconciled to God just as we have been reconciled. We must be passionate about the gospel! Paul shares his desire to proclaim it boldly… as he ought! Are we bold in our speech? Do people see the glory of God through the way we speak of Him and His kingdom?

Sometimes it may be a struggle. As Paul stated that he was an ambassador in chains, we must remember that even (dare say, especially) when we encounter turmoil, people will be watching us to see how our faith is lived out. Sometimes it is messy. Sometimes it is hard… and that is when we appeal to others to pray on our behalf.

As we live out our lives, we need to remember the honor in the title we have been given. God has entrusted us to make known the mystery of the gospel. Notice in 2 Corinthians 5:19 it says that God was reconciling the world to himself… the world. We must be ambassadors to everyone, everywhere. We would expect our country’s ambassadors to represent our country well in a foreign land – how much more so should be want to represent the Kingdom of God to a broken world!

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Eph 6:18-20, NAS)

We go out as Christ’s ambassadors, but we don’t go out alone!

Live out your life and faith in the honor of being one of Christ’s ambassadors appealing on His behalf to the world!

Migrant Myths

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 17:02:00 GMT

“‘They’re coming into our country. They’re taking our jobs. They’re dangerous people.’” From Middle Eastern war zones to African refugee camps to European elections to American airports and border walls – the migrant has never been a more controversial figure! Mission-minded Christians want to tell a different story: “God has brought the nations to us. We’re called to welcome the stranger. And we have good news to share with them.”

But what if, without knowing it, we’ve been spinning our own migrant myths? What if, because we love mission so much, we’ve created our own “us/them” mentality? What if we’ve assumed all the foreign families moving into our suburbs should be the objects of our evangelism when God wants them to be our mission partners?

Here are some myths we might have bought into:

Myth #1: “Nearly everyone migrating across borders is from another religion.”

Christians make up 49% of the world’s 214 million international migrants [1]. Many of these are settling into far more secular, non-Christian corners of the world than where they came from - Canada, Europe, and US cities on the east and west coasts. The largest church in Europe is led by a Nigerian immigrant [2].

Myth #2: “There are far more Muslims coming into America than Christians.”

Over 60% of immigrants coming into America each year are Christians. 74% of the 43 million foreign-born living in America are Christians [3]. Even among refugees taken in 2016, the US still took virtually as many Christians as Muslims [4]. So, most of those “strangers next door” are already our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Myth #3: “If I don’t share the gospel with the non-Christian migrants in my neighborhood, no one will.”

If your neighborhood has a large immigrant ethnic group, there are probably already Christians among them meeting for worship and doing evangelism – you just haven’t found them yet. If your neighbors are, say, Chinese, you may also have 1200 Chinese churches nearby [5]. Or if they speak Arabic, you may even have an Arabic church with members who have become Christian from a Muslim background and who love to reach Muslims(!) [6].

Looking out on the migrants God is bringing into our cities and suburbs, we may need a change of mindset. Beside a foreign well in Samaria, Jesus told His disciples to open their eyes to the harvest God was going to reap among this strange ethnic group. But here was the twist: a disgraced Samaritan woman was already doing the hard evangelistic work for them! (John 4:35-39). It must have blown their minds. Here are three ways we can change our own thinking:

1) Look for partners before converts

See Christian migrants as people we can get alongside, God-given partners that we need to reach their ethnic group, including the non-believers in their families and community networks. Our prayer must be, “God, give me a partner who understands this language and culture better than I do and has a heart for Your Kingdom.” As a principle, don’t reach migrants without the help of migrants. When you cross cultural barriers, get help from brothers and sisters who’ve already crossed them. Find the migrant believers and migrant churches first. Think too about “cultural closeness”: You might not know a Somali Christian to help you reach the Somalis, but do you know an African believer who might help you? Some of us have tried cross-cultural evangelism by knocking on doors without a translator and unfamiliar with cultural norms – it’s pretty hard! What if God has just the mission partner (or set of partners) for you – and, likewise, you are just the partner He has for them?

2) Be a catalyst not a hero

Don’t dream “how many people can I personally lead to Christ from among this ethnic group?” Dream “how can I be God’s injection into these believers so that they can multiply their witness among their own people?” Think medium and long-term, not short-term. And don’t underestimate the impact you could have. Your encouragement might reignite a desire among a group of Nepalese Christians to reach their Hindu family members. What if a church already has a “Samaritan woman” among them just waiting to be unleashed as an evangelist? You don’t have to give up on evangelizing cross-culturally. If you desire that honor, I imagine God will delight to give you many chances to do it. But don’t pursue it at the expense of mobilizing His church and having the gospel go out in the mother tongue of a people group.

3) Be a mission-receiver too

What if God has brought Christian migrants to our city to reach secular westerners? Isn’t this just as worthy a task as us reaching immigrants? What will we do to help? We may have a lot to learn by bringing a Kenyan believer to our churches and small groups and sitting at their feet to listen. This, in fact, is the future. In fifty years from now, 40% of Christians will be from sub-Saharan Africa, and you can be sure they’ll be sending many missionaries to America.

For more on this topic, see "New wine in old wineskins: A critical appraisal of diaspora missiology.”, Matthew Krabill and Allison Norton. Missiology 43, no. 4 (2015): 442-455.

Loving Across Languages

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 20:44:00 GMT

Love is in the air… at least, it is in the grocery store where I can venture past an aisle of chocolates and breeze through balloons and roses on my way to the deli. I’m not seeing very many expressions of love on social media, though.

We must not take our example from Hallmark or Facebook, but we must turn to Christ. How are we called by Jesus to love? He commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to do difficult things like loving our enemies. Christ commanded His disciples to love as He has loved. Our best example of His sacrificial love is in the way He willingly laid His life down for us. I don’t see Christians stateside doing this, though there are still many Christians who are being martyred around the world. We need to look to this sacrificial love and strive towards loving others so deeply. There are also many everyday examples of Christ’s love we can look towards as we learn how to love as He loved.
[Tweet "We do not need to speak the same language in order to communicate love."]

Either shortly before or just after I was married, I was encouraged to read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Now you can also get a version for singles, men, military members, children, teenagers, and probably even one for your pets. I haven’t read all these, but I noticed examples of Jesus demonstrating love in each of these areas were missing from the original. Maybe the author felt they went without saying, but I feel they’re worth looking at.

Matthew 3:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

God spoke words affirming Jesus! We see an example of this after His baptism but also in the transfiguration. Personally, I believe it was as much for the benefit of those around Him as it was for Him, alone. Sometimes our words of affirmation need to be spoken to lift up those we love to others.

Matthew 8:2-3 English Standard Version (ESV)

2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

This was not just anyone that Jesus touched. This was a leper. Someone who had been deemed untouchable. How much do you think this person longed to be touched? Had it been months or years since they had, perhaps, been able to give or receive a hug? Jesus chose touch to heal them. Yes, the leprosy disappeared, but Jesus clearly conveyed that He did not fear this man’s touch. He was willing to touch the untouchable.

Luke 10: 38-42 English Standard Version (ESV)

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus[d] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Do not take away from this that acts of service are invalid. But I do believe we sometimes want to push our own love languages on others. It’s also important to make sure acts of service are being done with joy, not forced with dragging feet. Mary’s love language was quality time, and Jesus not only gave it to her but defended her need for it. We also see examples of quality time in the time Jesus spent with the disciples alone from the crowd and also time in prayer.

John 12:1-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Jesus accepted this extravagant gift graciously. He knew the motives of Judas, but He also knew the motives of Mary. She gave out of a heart of love. There are times we may feel conflicted about the resources God has given us and how to best steward them. It is important to remember at these times to seek God’s wisdom in whom to give to and to give from the heart.

Mark 10: 42-45 English Standard Version (ESV)

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Service looks different to different people. It did for Jesus too. At times, He calmed the storms. At times, He fed the hungry. At times, He healed the lame. In all, He served. Our service to others may look different. I was given a chance to explain God’s call for me to love the foreigners among us after I stood in line for two hours with multiple small children and a friend in order to help her with translation regarding forms and paperwork. This act of service showed more love to her than words ever could.

These are not the only demonstrations of each of these types of love in the Bible, but if we’re going to talk about love, we need to focus on the love of Him who first loved us!

We can look to Jesus’ example for ways to love our spouses and children, but it’s also worth noting that these ways often transcend cultural boundaries too. Words of affirmation is technically the only one that requires speech. As someone who has been working cross-culturally for a while now, I feel confident in saying that non-verbal communication can be substituted in specific situations. We do not need to speak the same language in order to communicate love. Our backgrounds can be vastly different, but love can overcome barriers and speak volumes. Go spread the love of Christ!

The Basics of Being A Branch: the secret to a fruitful ministry

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 22:08:00 GMT

What is the secret to a fruitful ministry?

You are probably already scrolling down to find the 3-step answer. That is because we want a formula to be successful missionaries and church-planters, to be big-shots in the story of God’s Kingdom, to raise God-honoring children. And we always have another book or blog to read to hone our technique or another guru to listen to - that one who has planted 20 churches in 10 years. We have that enticing feeling that if we are pro-active like them, if we mimic their strategy, if we work hard, if we hone our expertise, the fruit will come.

But Jesus puts us in our place. He says:

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”

John 15:5

He is talking to 12 uneducated, nervous Jewish men, who had not read any books on church planting. That night they are headed out into a world of people and powers trying to eradicate them. And yet Jesus is predicting that their ministry will be so fruitful that through them God’s Kingdom will reach the ends of the earth. If, that is, they do one simple thing. If they remain in him .

The branch does not have a glamorous role. Ever looked at a grape vine? You notice the big, thick vine. You notice the juicy red or green grape bunches. But you do not notice those ‘branches' which are just little conduits, making sure the vine’s nutrients are channeled into forming the juicy grapes. As long as those branches are plugged into that vine, they are going to find fruit coming out of them.

Yes, there is a secret to a fruitful ministry. It is to stay plugged into the one who is producing the fruit: Jesus. Not just loosely connected, but firmly grasped onto Him, so that the life of His Spirit flows through us. Jesus spells it out in verse 10: ‘If you keep my commands you’ll remain in my love, just as I’ve kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love’.

This is more than just checking off a set of devotional activities, like Bible reading, prayer or church attendance - as though we can ‘charge up’ on Jesus and then run on our own batteries (although all of those are a good starting point!). But Jesus means an attitude of the heart - living each hour under his authority, eager to obey his teaching. Fascinatingly, Jesus himself could do nothing - powerful preaching, healings, casting out demons - unless he lived with a similar attitude: staying lodged into the love of his Father, obeying his commands. He said it Himself, 'Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does' (John 5:19).

But here is the big danger: we soon want to do what is disastrous for every branch: grow fruit on our own. We become so pre-occupied with the church we want to start, the new believer we want to disciple, the unreached people group we want to engage, the perfect family devotional, that we forget we are not the source…And suddenly we have ripped ourselves free from the vine.

Think of those tomatoes you buy at the grocery store that are still on the ‘vine’. You take them home and they continue to ripen, it is perfect. But of course they are not growing at all, they are on one of those little dislodged branches. Even if those tomatoes ripen, that plant is not going to produce anymore fruit. How many of our ministries have become like this? Snipping off our own little home projects, wanting to take the credit as the fruit ripens, when in fact we are cutting ourselves and those we are influencing off from a fruitful connection to Jesus.

Every day, we need to nestle ourselves more deeply into our Source of life. We need to re-learn the basics of being a branch.

Struck with Roses: Blessed are the Persecuted

Mon, 10 Oct 2016 14:05:00 GMT

Over the years Christians have endured great persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. They have counted the cost to themselves, their families, their friends, co-workers, community, etc. Men such as Jim Elliot, a missionary to the Auca tribe of Ecuador, who wrote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" shortly before becoming a martyr among the very people he was attempting to reach. Or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor, theologian, spy and eventual martyr, who said of his persecution, “To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ."

Obadiah Holmes was an early Rhode Island settler and Baptist Minister known for his faith and activism. What is most notable about this man is what he endured for Christ. Obadiah was whipped for helping a sick man and for conducting a service in a nearby home which warranted his arrest alongside others. Obadiah could have escaped his punishment by paying the 30 pound fine (which was a lot for a poor man in that day) but rather, after receiving ninety lashes, he turned to the magistrates and responded, "You have struck me with roses".

It was said the whipping was so severe that Obadiah was unable to sit for weeks after his punishment. Obadiah endured his whipping without screaming or yelling, instead he preached to the gathered crowd who was there to see him receive his punishment. Despite the pain, Obadiah was able to experience joy because he deemed it a wonderful thing that God counted him worthy to suffer for the sake of the gospel.

Now consider some of the great characters of faith in the Bible: Joseph, the prophets, Jesus' disciples, and the apostle Paul all faced immense persecution and even death for their beliefs in God. Paul described some of his struggles when he wrote to the Corinthians, " Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:24-27)

During His time on earth Jesus preached that we should not to be surprised or saddened when we faced hatred and rejection but instead He told his followers to expect it. Jesus promised this when he said:

Jesus goes one step further in that He said, "Blessed are the persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heave, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)

That begs the questions: what does it mean for the persecuted to be blessed? And how do we rejoice and be glad?

In response to hatred and persecution we must decide how we will respond. Will we look to save ourselves by running away from the faith? Will we surrender our faith for security, safety, and comfort? Will we like Peter deny Jesus before others? Will we walk away from the faith because God has allowed us to endure trials, temptations, and persecution? Or will we choose to hold fast to Christ Jesus as our "anchor" (Hebrews 6:19).

These men above all counted themselves blessed because they knew the one true living God in whom they could find hope, purpose, and a future in spite of the hardships of this life. These men and others throughout time learned to see their suffering as being only temporary. Paul himself while writing again to the church in Corinth reminded the believers that “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18)

The author of Hebrews mentions the high cost of following Jesus but reminds the reader that this world didn’t deserve them - “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy”(11:36-36). Though Christians face religious persecution, alienation, and even martyrdom, they must remember they are "more than conquerors" (Rom. 8:37) through Christ Jesus.

Christians can take heart and comfort in whatever trials may come “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:3). We can survive and even thrive in the best and worst of situations as long as we look to Jesus as our hope. Christ followers simply want to follow after Jesus, become more like him each day, die to self, and live for Christ. Phil. 1:21 reminds the believer of this reality and gives them hope in saying, “To live is Christ, but to die is gain.” Our persecution may result in death but to die is to be with Christ. Should we have to drink from the cup of martyrdom, we may rest in the promise presented to us “To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord” When we can understand and accept this truth then we can truly become the most dangerous disciples for the kingdom. Death no longer has power of us.

So, what is it that we must do? Christians must press into the Lord Jesus more and more each day. God has a purpose and plan in allowing suffering and persecution in this world. God uses it for His glory. May we continue to persevere and endure all that what may come for simply pledging allegiance to Christ Jesus and picking up our cross and following him. Blessed are those who are persecuted for his name's sake.

4 Steps to Unleash Your First Bible Story

Mon, 02 May 2016 18:38:00 GMT

Last blog post , we uncovered a way of sharing the Gospel that connects with 70% of the world, and instead of hitting straight-up against worldview barriers often leaves people asking for more: Bible storytelling.

So, how do you start telling Bible stories? Here are 4 steps to telling your first one:

1) Read it

- Read the story aloud several times, using more than one Bible translation.

- As you read, start to imagine it unfolding.

2) Craft it

- Change jargon words to everyday words that speak to the heart

- Take out sentences that either bog down the storyline or end up making the story longer than 2-3 minutes

- Shorten sentences (this’ll come naturally when you practice telling it. When we talk we often speak in shorter sentences than when we write)

- If you think there are elements to the story that will speak into your hearer's worldview, then make sure you bring them out in the way you tell it.

3) Learn it

- Draw it on 6 story boards, and look at these as you practice it

- Or use a body action for every main action in the story

- Remember you’re not going for word-for-word accuracy, but detail-for-detail accuracy (which is far more doable)

4) Tell it

- Once you tell a story 10 times, it should stick with you for life! Even after 3 times, you'll relax and start to get into the drama of the story itself.

- Start with telling it to people you’re comfortable with, like close friends and family members.

- Then tell it to a non-believer. Did you try it? How did they respond?

Now you’re ready to begin a whole ministry of Bible storytelling. Try learning a set of stories that connect together in their order or theme. ( Here’s a list of stories to choose from). Choose ones that will resonate with your listeners and even challenge their worldview.

If you’re in someone’s home and they like to hear the Bible stories you’re telling, you’re close to planting a church! Get them to invite others, and start a regular time of gathering in that home; tell and learn together a set of Bible stories, and discuss how to respond to them in obedience to God. Many churches have been planted round the world (like Africa and S Asia ), just using Bible stories.

In the end our biggest barrier to telling Bible stories might be our own fears or embarrassment. Are we simply prepared to ask someone else: ‘Want to hear a story from the Bible?’. We're unlikely to get a No.

3 Ways Bible Storying Can Open Hearts to the Gospel

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 14:17:00 GMT

For most people in our world, reading about Jesus will never connect to their heart, only hearing about him. And yet so many of our evangelism and disciple-making strategies rely on words printed on a page.

In fact 70% of the world are 'oral learners' - they prefer to learn through stories, proverbs and sayings, not conceptual explanations.²

So how do we get the good news to those who don’t want to open a Bible?

Tell it using Bible stories.

Our reaction is often - ‘Bible stories are for kids!’. But that might be because we’ve never properly tried them on adults.

Christine Dillon, in Telling the Gospel through Story , argues that Bible storytelling accomplishes at least three things:

A Pharisee wanting to narrow down who God was really asking him to love, asked Jesus ‘And who is my neighbor?’. Jesus replied ‘A man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho….’

¹The Decline of the American Book Lover

²Willis, Avery. Making Disciples of Oral Learners

Building Churches Without Bricks

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Is Jesus' mission being weighed down by our reliance on church buildings?

For 200 years, Jesus’ disciples never used any dedicated church buildings. The best archaeologists can find is a two-roomed house that was remodeled for church use in the 240s AD. Only when emperor Constantine declared himself a Christian in 313 AD did money get poured into constructions made for Christians to meet in. But the church had long been bursting with people - by 250AD there were probably more than a million believers, and by 300AD more than 6 million (10 percent of the empire)¹.

So why didn’t the early church construct permanent meeting places?

Church buildings are expensive.

The first believers probably couldn’t afford to build them. They had limited resources, and they prioritized their generous giving: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he has need." (Acts2:44, 45) We know Paul spent years collecting for the famine-struck believers in Jerusalem, not for a new church building in Antioch. Given Christians today spend 0.1% of their incomes on cross-cultural missions², but 18% of our church budgets on buildings³, we might ask whether our priorities have shifted!

Church buildings can't keep up with a movement.

The early church was growing fast. At the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost, 3000 new believers signed up, and the Lord continued adding to their number every day (Acts 2:47; 16:5). Trying to construct buildings to keep up with this growth would be near impossible. Arguably, a church building often becomes like a hard exoskeleton that hinders the growth and the missional dynamics of a church.

Church buildings are too easy a target.

At any stage, if the Romans started another round of persecution, it would be dedicated Christian buildings that were confiscated first. (In fact, when emperor Diocletian attacked the church in 303, the first thing he did was to tear down the brand new cathedral in Nicomedia!) In the many parts of the world today where churches face persecution, the same issue arises. As we partner with these believers in church planting, we should remember that a physical church building may not be a feasible option.

Church buildings are now made of flesh and blood.

Crucially, the early church knew that they were God’s building. By his Spirit, God was constructing a house using people not bricks: ‘You yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house' (1 Peter 2:5). Suddenly, wherever a few people gathered in the name of Jesus that place was more holy than the Jerusalem temple had ever been. And so what popped up all over the Roman empire was not Jesus shrines, or even meeting halls, but house churches.

If the gospel can spread throughout a world empire without church buildings, then maybe our missional strategies don’t need to be tied quite so tightly to bricks and mortar either. As we scratch our heads in church council meetings over another electricity bill, or shift nervously in our pew seat when the fellowship hall upgrade appeal is made, we could ponder another way forward: build the church by assembling the living stones of his people in places where God's never dwelt before.

So what are some practical ideas to help shed our attachment to bricks?

1) Challenge every small group in your church with the goal of multiplying and planting another group within one year.

2) Find the newest believer in your church and then begin a new home group in their home, inviting their immediate family and friends.

3) Find the most lost, spiritually bankrupt community of people in your city or area, and pray and act towards starting a small group there within one year.

¹Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity

² Gordon Conwell

³ 2013 Church Budget Allocations

Sprinkle Words with Salt

Sat, 17 Oct 2015 14:16:00 GMT

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

A quote that is often attributed to Francis of Assisi. It is certainly a challenge to any follower of Jesus to make sure that our lives are representing the King we claim to be following. But is it a concept that we see in scripture?

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people."

Matthew 4:23

"...and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."

Luke 9:2

"Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'"

Luke 10:9

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard ? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?...Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message , and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

Romans 10:14, 17

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth , the gospel of your salvation..."

Ephesians 1:13

Throughout the New Testament you see Jesus preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. He sends out his disciples to do the same and when they come back with more followers He teaches them the same method and then sends them out to preach. Paul spells it out pretty clearly that we must use words in order to share the gospel.

Actions are certainly very important. The goal is not to remove the need for our actions to reflect our commitment to Jesus, but to emphasize the need to use words as well. The truth is we can all identify people that do "good" things that are not submitted to Jesus. What separates our works from theirs is the message that we proclaim along with our action.

We must learn to sprinkle our conversations with salt.

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

This passage is known as the "Shema Statement." Jews during Old Testament times had this memorized and would recite it daily. Many of us are aware of the first part describing how we are to be devoted to God with all of our heart, soul, and strength. But the passage doesn't stop there. It goes on to say that we should be talking about the things of God regularly throughout the day. In this passage you can see the Great Commandment summarized: Love God, love people.

What is more loving then telling people about the gospel of Jesus Christ? We absolutely need to meet the physical and emotional needs of a hurting world around us. But we must be careful not to neglect the spiritual need.

I'm not saying that we must present a full gospel presentation to everyone we meet tomorrow. But what would it look like if we began to use our own "Shema statements" with our interactions with friends. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

How to Prayer Walk

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 23:52:00 GMT

David Watson, in his recent book Contagious Disciple Making, wrote the following:

"As we started looking at Disciple-Making Movements worldwide, we made a critical observation: a prayer movement precedes every Disciple-Making Movement.”

Certainly all Christians believe that prayer is important. Jesus told us to pray. Paul told us to pray. James told us to pray. Even God told us to pray. So… yeah, we know it’s important, but did you know that those Disciple-Making Movements David wrote about were built on a radically deep foundation of prayer? Not just occasional prayer, but up to six hours a day of prayer!

Please don’t misunderstand, this blog post is not about heaping condemnation on your prayer life. Remember there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). This is a blog post to motivate us to use the spiritual weapon of prayer to bring about God’s Kingdom in the areas that we live, work, and minister.

Below are some practical tips as well as some prompts to begin (or to hone) your intercessory prayer life specifically in the practice of prayer walking, which put simply is praying in the specific locations where you desire God to bring forth His answers.

Prayer Walking Tips

Go with another person.

Jesus sent his disciples out two-by-two (Luke 10) and it’s wise for us to follow that model. As a pair or a small group, you can feed off the prayers and energy of the group. Usually prayer walking in a group also extends the prayer session since the social activity of prayer is more engaging than praying alone.

Pray as you are walking.

If you feel compelled to stop at a certain location to pray for it specifically, feel free to do so, but in general simply pray out while you are walking making sure not to draw excess attention to yourself. This is another reason to bring a second person - your prayer walk will look just like two people chatting on the street.

Bring a small notebook.

If God reveals certain insights to you along the way, you’re definitely going to want to record them.

Pray before you pray.

Ask God for guidance. Prior to beginning your walk, ask God what He wants from your time. Perhaps He’ll lead you on a route or to pray with a focus that you hadn’t considered before. Ask Him to reveal the spiritual needs of the area in which you are walking.

Our Primary Prompt

Unless God reveals something specific to us, when we prayer walk, we focus on tilling up the spiritual soil. Our focus is not yet on engaging people or intervening in the needs of the area. Our focus is on preparing the ground. With that in mind, we often pray through 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ

With that Scripture in mind and in Jesus’ name and authority, pray:

Against false worldviews.

Pray that God removes all of the false belief systems, the false logic, the false reasoning, and the false wisdom that gets in the way from people hearing the Truth. Pray against the lies of secularism, deism, atheism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and any other “-isms” that block out the Truth of who God is and His perfect will.

Against pride.

Pray that God tears down pride in the lives of people in the area where you are walking. Pray that people would begin to turn from worshipping themselves and building their own kingdoms in order to turn toward our one true and perfect King.

Against the efforts of the Enemy.

Pray down his schemes, plans, lies and devices. Pray that God cuts off the voice of Satan that whispers falseness and deception into the ears of those around you. Pray that those lies will be replaced with the whispers of Truth.

Against Satan’s veil.

In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, it says “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Pray that God would remove the veil from the eyes of unbelievers so that they might see the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ.

Other Prayer Prompts

Of course, there are many other Scriptural prayers that could be prayed on a prayer walk. Here are just a few.

The Lord’s Prayer: Luke 11:1-4.

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he taught them the Lord’s Prayer. Use the Lord’s Prayer as a prayer template placing the focus on the neighbors and neighborhood through which you are walking.

Shalom of the City: Jeremiah 29:1-14.

When the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon God through Jeremiah tells them to pray to the Lord for the peace of the city for in its peace, they would have peace also.

Open Hearts: Acts 16:14.

As Paul was preaching in Philippi, the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to Paul’s message and she was baptized shortly thereafter. Pray that God would open the hearts of those in your prayer walking site that they would respond to the drawing of the Holy Spirit.

So grab a friend and hit the streets. Remember what James wrote, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Our prayers have great power. It’s time to use the weapons that God has given us.

5 Steps to Pray for the Unreached

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 15:21:00 GMT

Of all the things Jesus did while on earth, is it not interesting that the one thing his disciples specifically ask Jesus to teach them to do is pray?

Not how to turn water into wine.
Not how to heal the sick.
Not how to multiply fish and bread.
Not how to raise the dead.
"Lord, teach us to pray."

They understood that the power Jesus had to do all of those miracles came from His connection to the Father through prayer. And the crazy thing is that because of the work of Christ on the cross we now have that same ability to come to the Father and ask of Him anything according to His will (1 John 5:14).

In Revelation 7:9-10 we see the culmination of God's story in these words:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages , standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

This theme is throughout the Bible: God's heart is for the nations. God's will is for every nation, all tribes, all peoples, and all languages worshiping him. Therefore, we know that when we pray to that end specifically, God hears us.

Here are five ways we can approach the throne of God with confidence.

1. Pray for more workers.

In Luke 10:2 Jesus told his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." That statement is still very true today! There are still 6,500+ unreached people groups that total almost 3 billion people that have little to no access to the Gospel. How do we go about fixing that? Jesus followed up that statement with his prescription. "Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." The first step for reaching the unreached is to pray to the Lord of the harvest.

2. Pray that the workers would have a bold witness through a verbal proclamation of the Gospel.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17 (Emphasis added)

"...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel." Ephesians 6:19

3. Pray that the workers bring a visual demonstration of the Gospel.

Jesus would tell people that the Kingdom of God was near, but He would also show them that the Kingdom of God was near. This could look like a miracle or it could be something as simple as a true act of service or compassion. Paul several times expressed the idea of not only sharing the gospel by word but also by sharing his own life (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:8). The gospel message is a message of worshiping God in both Truth and Spirit (John 4:24)

4. Pray for the protection and perseverance of new believers.

In a majority of the unreached areas of the world new believers will face persecution as a result of them following Jesus. We can certainly pray against the persecution but maybe instead we should be praying for perseverance through it.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they have been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Acts 5:41

"...we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

5. Pray for multiplication.

"And these things you have heard me say in the presence of many witness entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2

In this verse we see Paul talk about four generations of believers: Paul --> Timothy --> Reliable Men --> Others. Let us pray to see multiplication to the fourth generation and beyond in these unreached people groups!

Are We Repeating History?

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:03:00 GMT

In 1939, a cruise ship left Germany. Its passengers were not German elite or Nazi commanders. Instead, they were more than 900 Jewish people fleeing Nazi persecution. The ship set sail for Cuba where it was expected they would be welcomed. Instead, the ship was turned away. Next the refugee passengers came to find safe haven in the USA. But they were also rejected with the ship heading next to Canada only to once again be refused entry. At this point the ship had no choice but to return to Europe.

Upon returning, the people then attempted to enter into Western European countries and some of the passengers were able to find safety. Unfortunately, upwards of 250 people on the ship returned to die in the very concentration camps they were fleeing.

This is the story of the MS St. Louis . If you are a movie buff, you may remember " Voyage of the Damned " from 1976. (And if that is before your time, go watch it.) As with every historical story, there are disputes over the exact reasons for the tragedy. Many people point to two reasons the Jewish refugees were denied entry into the USA and Canada.

But times have changed, right? No good Christian would disallow entrance to our country to large numbers of people fleeing persecution and almost certain death. Not in 2015!

Today we are faced with an estimated 9 million Syrian refugees fleeing persecution and death. We see their faces and stories on every TV station and newspaper. The internet is filled with articles both for and against countries accepting them. (In this blog post, we are choosing to ignore the level of accuracy of many of the "reports".)

The reasons being given to reject them from being accepted into Canada and the USA:

Are you ok with those reasons? Do they sound scarily familiar to you? If a movie was to be made 30 years from now about how we dealt with the Syrian refugee crisis, would you rather it be Schindler's List or Voyage of the Damned ? As Christians, we have the chance to stand up and make a statement and take action in a way that honors God and obeys His commands.

Let's get it right this time.

A Message to the Enemy

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 13:29:00 GMT

Most people know the story of Jonah. He was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel and God called him to go to Nineveh and to tell them to repent. Jonah didn't want to go so he boarded a ship and went in the exact opposite direction. Why would Jonah react in such a way?

Up until this calling Jonah had been prophesying to Jeroboam II, the current kind of Israel. And through the work of the Lord Israel had expanded its territory back to what it was during the time of King Solomon (2 Kings 14:23-27). Who was the enemy during that expansion? Assyria. And their capital city? Nineveh.

Assyria certainly was not known for the diplomacy and softness.

"This was the largest empire yet seen in the world; and it got there using a new military weapon: terror. The Assyrian army was notorious for its brutality, and the Assyrians themselves made sure their enemies knew about their reputation. Their powerful bows, battering rams, and archers on horseback were also effective; but mutilation of prisoners, resettlement of whole populations, and a general rejoicing in butchery were what their victims told others about. Assyrian kings bragged in stone about their atrocities."

Now Jonah is commanded by God to go to the capital city of the enemy and preach against it.

What would you do if...

...God asked you to go preach repentance to the members of ISIS?

...He gave you a message of forgiveness to Boko Haram?

...Jesus said that "My blood covered the atrocities of September 11th. Now go and tell them."

The end of the story shows Jonah preaching the message (after a brief stay in the belly of a fish) he was told to give and Nineveh repents! And then how does Jonah respond? He sits outside of the city pouting!

I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. - Jonah 4:2-3

I think if we were honest most of us would have a very similar reaction as Jonah. There is obvious fear of going to areas of the world where children are being kidnapped and we are seeing the greatest human migration in Europe since World War II¹. There is also a level of hatred towards these groups that have and are still committing unimaginable acts of violence and death. Like Jonah I think our prayers would sound something like this:

"God, I don't want you to offer forgiveness to those people. Because I know if I do, and they repent, you will relent from sending calamity."

What do we do with these feelings of fear, anger, and hatred? We must lay them at the foot of the cross! We have to know what the gospel says to enemies - like us.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Colossians 1:21-22 (emphasis added)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above...you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice...Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:1, 8, 12

As we begin to understand the depth of what Jesus has done for us at the cross, only then will we be able to "love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us" as Christ commanded (Matthew 5:44). Why not start that today? Let us begin to pray for our enemies. Pray for those who persecute our brothers and sisters. Instead of looking on them with fear and anger, let us see them with compassion knowing they are like sheep without the Great Shepherd.

We never know what might happen if another terrorist were to encounter Jesus.

Here are a few ways to pray towards that end!
Pray for ISIS
Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer

¹ Refugee Crisis Opening Door for Gospel Witness

4 Ways to Connect with the Nations Near You

Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT

The effects of globalization in today’s world are impossible to miss. Not only does it entail a blending of economies and business but it could also mean the beginning of a new missional trend, should we the Church recognize it. People are on the move and God is orchestrating it in such a way that He is bringing unreached people groups to cities all over the world. As of 2013, the United Nations estimates there are 46 million international migrants living in the United States – that is 14% of our population! J.D. Payne in his book Strangers Next Door estimates there are approximately 361 UPGS within our borders. No longer is a passport and visa a requirement to do cross-cultural work. As the Church we merely need to look around us and be intentional! Below are just a few simple ways to meet the nations that God is bringing to your doorstep! This by no means is an exhaustive list but hopefully an easy starting point.

1. Eat at an ethnic restaurant or shop at an ethnic store.

It doesn’t matter what country you are from food is always a must. Why not branch out of your comfort zone and try something new? Try asking Google about ethnic restaurants or Halal (food deemed ‘permissible’ under Islamic law) food near you. Maybe your next small group meeting can be a dinner outing. Be intentional with talking to your waiter/waitress.

2. Visit another place of worship.

You will probably be surprised to find that there is a Hindu Mandir (temple), Islamic Mosque, Sikh Temple, etc. nearby. Go online and schedule a visit. You will probably also be surprised at how welcoming they will be to visitors. Be humble. Be a learner. Don’t argue but instead look for “bridges” to the gospel message of Jesus. Try inviting them to church!

“We must be Global Christians with a Global Vision because we serve a Global God.”
- John Stott Tweet

3. Find where English as a Second Language (ESL) is being offered and get involved.

Most cities and college campuses would love to have more individuals and families volunteer to help teach English to the internationals coming to the U.S. Whether it is teaching a formal class or helping more on a one-on-one tutoring, ESL is a great way to meet a felt need while at the same time getting to know a new friend. It is only natural to talk about family, hobbies, culture, job, etc. And why you are at it, why not ask them to teach you some of their language? Instead of just a teacher you have become a trader of information. Now maybe you can try trading spiritual stories; your personal testimony or specific Bible stories.

4. Host an international family or student.

In 2013/14 the number of international students in the U.S. reached a record high of 886,052 ¹ and then there is an additional 267,222 refugees and 187,826 asylum seekers ² . This provides the Church an amazing opportunity to “welcome the foreigner” (check out Leviticus 19:34). Try hosting an international student for a semester or two. Or maybe as a small group you can “adopt” a refugee family through World Relief . This may very well be one of the most strategic ways to reach the nations that God is bringing to our backyard.

Please share with us about other ways you have found it easy to meet the nations in your context! And remember, as you are going – make disciples!

¹ Open Doors
² UNHCR

GFM 101 - What is a UPG?

Thu, 04 Jun 2015 21:13:00 GMT

What is a UPG?

Do you know how the missions community defines "people groups"? And then what an Unreached People Group is? We put together this video to help you learn. Tell us what you think and then tell others!

Full GFM 101 Course

GFM 101 - The Biblical Basis of Missions

Wed, 27 May 2015 23:00:00 GMT

The Biblical Basis of Missions

Why exactly is there such a thing as Christian Missions? Is it mentioned in the Bible? If so, where? And how many followers of Jesus are expected to be involved?

Watch this video for answers to those questions and more. And then share the video to let others know!

Full GFM 101 Course

GFM 101 - The State of the World

Fri, 22 May 2015 22:45:00 GMT

State of the World

Do you know how much money is being given towards missions? And where in the world it is being directed? How about where in the world missionaries are going? Take five minutes and find out.

(We absolutely give you full permission to share this video with anyone and everyone! Your church, your Facebook friends, your Twitter followers...)

Full GFM 101 Course

Matthew 28 - An Obedience Based Study

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:50:00 GMT

I was working with a short term mission team over the weekend and decided to teach them the simple inductive Bible study method we detailed in this previous post . I was incredibly impressed at how quickly the group read the scripture, looked at the words and then came up with a summary statement and obedience actions. So I thought I would share some of what they found.

Here is the text :

Some of what was noticed when asking the 4 key questions:

What does this teach us about God?

What does this teach us about ourselves?

Are there any sins to avoid?

Are there any commands to obey?

At the end of our time, the group was asked to summarize the entire passage. This is what they came up with:

Do not be afraid! Jesus is alive! Now go tell everyone.

I will challenge you with the very same challenge the group was given:

Now that you have read the commands of Christ, how are you going to obey?

Joy to the World!

Sun, 21 Dec 2014 15:07:00 GMT

Last week I was enjoying the worship time with my church family and we started to sing "Joy to the World". It's a song that we've all sung for most, if not all of our lives and we know the words pretty much by memory. (Maybe not the harmony parts, that always seems to be reserved to the extremely talented few. I am not one of those few.)

I have to admit, and this may be a little embarrassing, I'd never really noticed the words "and makes the NATIONS prove the glories of His righteousness." I don't know why. Right now I'm blaming the fact that the melody of the song inserts a decently long pause after "prove" and "the glories".

Isn't that a great set of words though? A deep, powerful nugget of missions truth in a potentially over played and little mediated on song?

HE (God), makes the NATIONS (all ethnic groups, all peoples) PROVE the glories of His RIGHTEOUSNESS !

If you've ever hung out with any GFM folks, you quickly learn that we want to remind you that all throughout the Bible we read how God has always loved all peoples. And His desire has always been for all peoples to worship Him. But does He actually use the nations to prove how great He is? Does God actually interrupt other nations' history besides Israel's to show that there is no one more righteous than Him? Let's do a quick check.

Daniel 2:47 (NIV) The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Daniel 3:28-29 (NIV) Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

Daniel 4:34-35 (NIV)

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion;
    his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
    are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
    with the powers of heaven
    and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
    or say to him: “What have you done?”

(You know what, you probably should just go read the first half of Daniel. The Lord did a lot with the most powerful nation on the earth at that time!)

How about with a different nation? What about with Pharaoh during the time of the Exodus?

Exodus 9:15-16 (NIV) For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth .

I could keep going, but I won't in order to keep this reasonably short. But hopefully you see the point?

It's Christmas time. It is a season where we celebrate the gift of Jesus to each of us individually. What an amazing, precious thing this is. But please do not forget the nations during this time. Jesus was not a gift only for Israel or North America. He is for all peoples and all nations and He uses all of us to prove how righteous and holy He is!

Merry Christmas from all of us at GFM!

Abiding in Christ

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 15:43:00 GMT

Earlier this week our president sent out an encouraging email to our staff based on our weekly self-evaluations. We decided that this was a message that all Christians could hear. We hope you enjoy it!

One thing that I have been meditating on recently is the idea of "abiding". I know it has become a buzzword lately in GFM and one of our accountability questions on the staff report even relates to abiding. The question specifically asks "How have you been abiding in the Lord this week?" It seems that most of the answers that we get from that question tend to be pretty shame-based along the lines of "I didn't pray as much as I should"; "I didn't read the Bible much this week"; "I should have spent more time in worship". Instead of focusing on how our relationship with the Lord is in general, it seems like we are focusing on "are you doing enough?" Maybe the better question is "are you in love?"

The John 15 passage where we get this abiding verbiage is the famous vine and branches teaching. The cool thing about the vine and branch analogy is that it is something that is always connected. A lot of times we automatically default to "quiet time" or "personal devotions" when we talk about abiding. The funny thing is that no branch has to plug into the vine 30 minutes every morning to get its nourishment or spend time on Sunday morning getting fed from the rest of the plant to make it through the week. The point is that Jesus is the vine and we need to realize that we are connected 24x7; that is abiding. Because of Christ, we get to have access to the Father at all times and can have this relationship of praying without ceasing, having a God-consciousness throughout the day, or what Brother Lawrence calls " practicing the presence of God ".

I'm not discrediting personal time with the Lord or "sacred pathway" stuff to fill our tanks and would encourage everyone to spend quality time enjoying Jesus; He definitely modeled for us pulling away from ministry and not being around the crowds so he could enjoy His time with the Father. I just feel like some of the abiding answers to our evals (including mine) seem to be a little works based..."I didn't XYZ enough this week". What if we focused a little more on verse three of that passage where it says " Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you"? Maybe we would enjoy our time with the Lord a little more if we were thinking "it is finished" (what He has already done and what we already have access to in Christ) rather than "I'm not finished" (trying to strive, perform, or earn through spiritual disciplines, ministry effort, etc.). The focus of the passage is the vine, not the branch, or the fruit. The latter two are the bi-product of the first!

Joshua 9 - An Obedience Based Study

Thu, 04 Dec 2014 01:32:00 GMT

" ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Click here to open the passage

verse 10 says He conquers kingdoms

verse 14 says He can be inquired of

verse 20 says He wants us to honor our promises, and will punish harshly if we don't

verse 4 says we tell lies

verse 14 shows that we tend to look at the physical world and trust it, also that we can inquire of the Lord

verse 18 (2nd part) shows that we may grumble against our leadership's decisions

verse 14 (sin) people did not inquire of the Lord

verse 19 (example) says we should honor our commitments

Miraculous Movements: 1000s of Muslims coming to Christ!

Wed, 29 Oct 2014 15:01:00 GMT

This was part of an email I received from a family member this week. How encouraging of a note, right? Big stuff is going on around the world with the unreached , probably most of which we here in North America have no idea about!

And that was one of the points of the book " Miraculous Movements " by Jerry Trousdale. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims around the world are falling in love with Jesus! And these movements of entire villages coming to Christ are not being instigated by well trained American missionaries. Instead, we see numerous examples of "simple" people reading the Word of God, engaging in passionate prayer for their lost brothers and sisters and then boldly going into places in spite of danger.

How do you react to those statements? Do they make sense? But when we look at the practices of Jesus when He was with us, the statements agree with His practices. Like the book says, these practices are counter-intuitive. Traditionally we want large numbers of salvations because that shows we know what we're doing.

But Jesus taught us in Luke 10 to enter a town, find a family and stay with them. We call this the Person of Peace principle. They will be the one that takes the message you've brought into their family and friends. Jesus also showed us that the most fruitful way to lead people into His kingdom is to walk beside them. We cannot arrive in a location, preach the Gospel and see people saved and then leave. Instead, true salvation comes when we slowly introduce people to the truths of the Bible and teach them to discover them on their own. Only then will that new disciple embrace Jesus and even more importantly go out and teach others to do so.

Prayer is an absolute must.

Personally, I give mental consent to this statement, but I still find my actions in disagreement. Every great movement into the Kingdom is born out of prayer. And the many stories in the book once again confirmed this truth. There is a mystery in prayer, but every mature Christian will agree that the very act of petitioning the Lord to do the very actions He wants to do, works! But yet, we engage in best practice seminars, vision casting conferences and endless years of seminary training. All of which are not bad, but end up building our confidence in ourselves to do the job instead of depending on God to break through.

Finally, I want to key in on the point in the book about the hardest people yielding the greatest results. This mirrors a thought brought up in "Organic Church" by Neal Cole. Do you want to find the soil most ready for the seeds of the Gospel to grow? Then go to where the most "fertilizer" is. Jesus' actions mirror this as well. (Hmmm, let's change that to the actions mirror Jesus.) Christ was always with the dirtiest people because He knew that they were ready for rescue. We need to remember to ignore our fears when we are directed by the Holy Spirit to go to someone or to someplace that seems impossible for a church to be planted. Because we simply don't and can't know what God is up to.

And doesn't that describe working with Muslims perfectly? Our media tells us that we should fear Islam and its followers. The devil tells us we should never bring the Gospel to them because they will never listen. The soil looks absolutely rocky, infertile and mostly dangerous to us. But as we see in Miraculous Movements, these conditions are a lie and God is doing something amazing among our Muslim cousins. Read this book and begin to engage in prayer for our Muslim cousins to meet Jesus.

Why the Church?

Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:07:00 GMT

Church (the big C, body of Christ Church),

Why do we exist?

...to worship God.
...to go to church to learn more about God.
...to be sanctified and become a better "us."

None of those are wrong by any means. But if those are the primary purposes why are we still here? On earth? Would it not be much easier to do all of those things in Heaven away from all the temptations of this fallen world? Becoming more Christ-like would certainly be easier if we could walk with Him in paradise without distractions.

So again...Church, why do we exist?

While those answers are not incorrect, they do seem to be incomplete. What did Jesus have to say?

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20

And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

Mark 16:15

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Luke 24:45-47

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."

John 20:21

In all four gospels the writers include what has been come to be called the Great Commission. And while all four gospels are eye witness accounts of Jesus and His ministry that do not contradict one another, there are very few things about Jesus life that make it into all four of the gospels. For instance Jesus walking on water occurs in Matthew, Mark, and John but not in the gospel of Luke. And the miracle of turning water into wine only appears in the gospel of John.

However, the commissioning of His disciples was significant enough that all four of the gospel accounts included it.

So what does that mean for us as the Church today? Clearly Jesus left us here for a purpose. He said, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."

Why did the Father send Jesus?

...to pay for our sins.
...to restore our relationship with the Father.
...to show how much He loved us.

Again, all 100% true and biblical. As before they are not incorrect, but perhaps incomplete.

Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also . That is why I have come."

Mark 1:38

Jesus was sent in order to preach the Kingdom of God. And now He has passed that mission on to the Church. Jesus created His church for the purpose of mission.

"It's not that God has a mission for his Church in the world, but that God has a Church for his mission in the world."

– Chris Wright

So Church...

How are we doing at the mission that we were sent out for?

A Terrorist Encounters Jesus

Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:00:00 GMT

It has been over a decade since the horrific tragedy of 9/11 left its mark in history and has effectively generated a roller-coaster ride of fear with ups and downs and twists ever since. Now with the atrocities going on in the middle east, Americans reportedly feel less safe than any time since 9/11 . Terrorism has become part of the nightly news.

As followers of Jesus how are we supposed to respond? There are obviously a lot of mixed emotions and feelings that arise when talking about the subject. Is it possible to mourn the tragic nature of that day while taking an eternal view of today's events? What if we were able maintain our remembrance of that day but celebrate that God can change the hearts of all persons for His glory?

We are first introduced to the man named Saul in Acts 7 where he is present at the stoning of Stephen. Stephen had just finished his speech before the Sanhedrin, and he doesn't exactly take it easy on them! The men of the court become so outraged that they begin to take up stones. And to ensure they get a full range of motion for throwing, they remove their jackets and lay them at the feet of Saul! And scripture points out that he was "giving approval to [Stephen's] death."

If that wasn't enough it continues on to say that "Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison." Acts 8:3

It picks up again in Acts 9:

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."

Saul did not just stop with the church in Jerusalem. His hatred for these followers of "the Way" was so strong that he went and asked permission to expand the persecution. He wasn't under orders. He didn't try to resist doing it. He himself went to the leaders and vehemently requested the right to hunt them down.

That requires a special kind of hatred. He couldn't stand their existence. He wanted them gone and with zeal he volunteered to be the one to do it. That is the true definition of terrorism. A systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve a goal.

With permission granted, Saul rides off to extinguish this threat. But along the way he encounters the one thing that can overcome the power of fear. The one King that can take what is meant for evil and use it for the good. The one man that can speak life into a heart of stone.

Jesus Christ.

With a flash of light Saul is knocked from his horse and Jesus goes to work on his heart.

A terrorist encountered Jesus that day. And walked away with a new identity. The Apostle Paul was born.

Paul became the missionary to the Gentiles. He goes on to write the majority of the New Testament. Save from Jesus himself, Paul was arguably the most influential man to walk the earth.

But we have to remember, that before Paul there was Saul. A terrorist focused on destroying the Church that Jesus Himself could have rightfully condemned. But Jesus had compassion on Saul, and invited him into a better way. And in the midst of all the terror around us, Jesus is still calling out to all nations saying "Follow me."

Jesus' Church is no stranger to persecution and threats. But let us not be overwhelmed with fear. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Today as we remember what fear and hatred can do, let us also remember that the Gospel of Jesus has overcome it all. As we pray for loved ones and for brothers and sisters going through persecution, let us also remember that Jesus taught us to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:43)

God's heart is for all nations. He does not want us to pick and choose who is "worthy" of hearing the Good News of Christ. And in fact, we need to remember that He may very well have chosen someone we consider a "terrorist" to become an apostle. An apostle that becomes the catalyst for the Gospel transforming a people group from unreached to worshipers of the true God!

We never know when the next "Saul" will encounter Jesus. Let us pray towards that end!

The State of the World

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 01:33:00 GMT

(This post is a continuation of a thought from a previous entry. You can read it here first if you would like. )

Let's say this dollar represents all of the money Christians give to missions, which is about $32 billion dollars, or approximately 5.6% of all giving to the Church. $32 billion is a lot of money, right?

(For comparisons sake, Americans spend about $18 billion a year on specialty coffees , $66.5 billion on lotto tickets and $66 billion on tatoo removal .)

Now, it is time to see if the Christian church has recognized the opportunity that exists for the Gospel among the Unreached Peoples in terms of how we spend our missions giving.

Let's split the people of the world into three groups based on two questions.

"Do you have access to the Gospel?"
"Are you a Christian?"

Yes & Yes - Green

Yes & No - Yellow

No & No - Red

Approximately 33% of the world's population would most likely answer those two questions "Yes and yes." They are Christian of some form and they have access to the Gospel. Most of the "western" countries would be found in this group. There is a church on every street corner, there are Gospel broadcasts on numerous radio and TV stations, our favorite pastors have their own podcasts, and there are 706,000 results for "bible" at Amazon ! Most of us have grown up hearing about Jesus and know where to learn about Him. This is a good thing!

The next grouping of people would answer our two questions as "Yes" they have access to the Gospel, but "No" they are not a Christian. This is about 38% of the world's population. This grouping also includes areas where the Gospel is starting to catch fire and grow. It is a middle ground; the Church is either growing or dying in these areas.

Finally, we have the areas of the world where the answers to our questions are "No and No". They are not Christians and they do not have access to the Gospel. Even if they wanted to hear, there is no one there to tell them about Jesus. If you've been counting along, or fired up a calculator app, you know that we are looking at about 30% of the population of the world fitting in here. Almost all of the peoples that live in this category are inside what missions people call the ' 10/40 Window '.

Now to tie this all together.

Almost everyone who responded to the previous blog about the most strategic place to spend our marketing money said that we should focus on the third market. It had the most potential for growth and in business that's what we want. We want every dollar we spend to generate the most revenue it can. And the only way for a business to continue to succeed and grow in our economy is to find new sources of revenue. Market C was the right choice!

So how do we spend our missions money?

You have most likely already guessed that Market A is the Christian world (Yes/Yes), Market B is the growing/dying church world (Yes/No) and Market C is our Unreached Peoples (No/No). Therefore, as Christians focused on obeying the last command of Christ in the Great Commission, we should be putting our strongest focus on the area where we have yet to see growth. Right?

Unfortunately, it is not like that.

Taking our dollar bill from above, here is where we are spending the money:

Market A (Yes/Yes) - 87%
Market B (Yes/No) - 12%
Market C (No/No) - 1%

Can you see the spending for Market C? It's that little red strip at the very right hand side. Even though we as Christians give mental consent to the idea that every person on the Earth should hear the Gospel of Jesus, our physical actions in terms of our spending show that we may believe something completely different.

For every $100 given in Christ's name, only a nickel of that goes to the unreached people of the world!

Is this even fair? Shouldn't we as a Church make a commitment to having this balance out?Can you imagine the impact on the world if green, yellow and red were divided equally on the dollar? Actually, let us give you a glimpse of the impact:

Jesus commanded us to "make disciples of all nations". This means bringing the Gospel to all people groups and "teaching them to obey". But He didn't make this command to us without letting us know what the benefit is! Did you see it in Matthew 24:14? The promise is that when the Gospel is preached to all nations, " the end will come "! How much more of a motivation do we need to bring the Gospel to all nations than to know that when it happens, Christ can and WILL return!

So here's your challenge:

If you don't know where to send your missions giving so it gets to the Unreached, check our our Partners page . Each of those sending agencies are focused on getting the Gospel to the unreached. We at GFM are also focused on that. You can give to our UPG fund where every dollar goes to work among the Unreached Peoples. Or, just give to our general fund as our entire focus is getting the Gospel to all nations so that we can experience the return of Christ!

Corporate Marketing Strategy

Wed, 20 Aug 2014 16:58:00 GMT

Pretend you are the marketing director of a small, but profitable company. You have a product that you truly believe in and has sold quite well in the past. You have been charged by your CEO to grow the business. An increase in budget has been approved and it is now your job to determine where to spend the extra funds.

There are three choices for the money:

Market A - Your product is widely available here. Most people are active purchasers and believe what you sell is beneficial. There are already numerous TV and radio ads telling the people about how great your product is. Celebrities are even pitching for you! But growth over the past 20-25 years has been stagnant. The next generation of purchasers aren't quite sure your product is what they want and they are looking at your competitors.

Market B - Your product can usually be found in stores. Probably not in every store, but if someone wants to purchase it they can find it. There are a decent number of regular purchasers. They may be long time users who don't want to ever change or they may be new users who are just discovering the virtues of what you have to offer. Either way, with a little push your product could probably regain market dominance.

Market C - Traditionally this area has been ignored by your predecessors. The feeling was that it was too difficult to break into this market. The competitors are strong and have many years of loyalty to them. Very few people have heard about your product and even less know exactly what it is. But, recent research has shown that when people see what you are selling and experience it, they want it! And even more so, they freely advertise your product to all their friends and family. In limited trials, your product has proven to have massive growth potential in this market.

So which market would you choose to spend the majority of your budget? Why? Once you have answered, please share the link with someone else!

(Want to know why we think this is so important? Continue to the next part by clicking here. )

Chasing the American Dream?

Sat, 02 Aug 2014 04:04:00 GMT

One of our favorite, but also the most challenging teachings from this summer's STM season was this video from Brad Buser. We played it early in the week to allow the teams to think on the statements. There were definitely many people who had to stop and truly think about what their goals were opposed to God's plans!

GFM Blog

What Are Unreached People Groups? A Biblical and Global Perspective

What Is an Unreached People Group?

The Biblical Foundation

Why Unreached People Groups Matter ﻿

The Role of Missionary Training

Final Thoughts ﻿

How to Know If You Are Called to Be a Missionary

1. A Growing Burden for the Nations

2. Confirmation Through Scripture and Prayer

3. Affirmation From Spiritual Leaders ﻿

4. Willingness to Leave Comfort

5. The Next Step: Preparation

Final Thoughts

Spiritual Resilience – Thriving Amid Challenges on the Mission Field

1. Building a Strong Spiritual Foundation

2. Practicing Resilience Through Real-World Training

3. Mentorship and Community Support

4. Adapting to Cultural and Global Changes

5. Maintaining Long-Term Spiritual Health

6. Legacy of Resilience and Multiplication

Final Thoughts

Equipping Leaders – Mentorship and Sustainable Missionary Development

1. The Role of Mentorship in Missions

2. Identifying and Training Indigenous Leaders

3. Designing Reproducible Discipleship Systems

4. Integrating Relational Leadership

5. Planning for Long-Term Kingdom Impact

6. Lifelong Growth and Adaptive Learning

Final Thoughts

Building Bridges – Effective Cross-Cultural Engagement for Missionaries

1. Observing and Listening First

2. Humility and Cultural Sensitivity

3. Language and Communication Skills

4. Adaptability and Problem Solving

5. Empowering Indigenous Leaders

6. Continuous Reflection and Learning

Final Thoughts

Bridging Cultures with Compassion – Effective Cross-Cultural Missions

1. Understanding Before Acting

2. Humility as a Gateway to Trust

3. Language and Communication Skills

4. Cultural Adaptability and Problem Solving

5. Collaboration and Indigenous Leadership

6. Reflection and Continuous Learning

Final Thoughts:

From Classroom to Mission Field – Practical Training for Effective Ministry

1. Experiential Learning Builds Confidence

2. Mentorship and Guided Practice

3. Real-World Cultural Engagement

4. Spiritual Preparation in Practice

5. Teamwork and Collaborative Ministry

6. Lifelong Learning and Adaptive Skills

Final Thoughts:

Forged for the Frontlines – Essential Traits of a Modern Missionary

1. Unshakable Faith and Biblical Foundation

2. Cultural Humility and Adaptability

3. Spiritual Resilience and Endurance

4. Teamwork and Community Living

5. Vision for Multiplication

6. Continuous Learning and Obedience

Final Thoughts:

Lifelong Growth and Spiritual Resilience: Sustaining the Missionary Journey

1. Spiritual Formation as the Core

2. Continuous Learning and Development

3. Building Resilience Through Experience

4. Mentorship and Support Networks

Disciples Who Make Disciples: The Multiplying Mission Mindset

1. Embracing the Great Commission

2. Training Indigenous Leaders

3. Creating Reproducible Discipleship Systems

4. Mentorship and Relational Leadership

5. Focus on Long-Term Impact

6. Lifelong Commitment to Discipleship

Final Thoughts

Bridging Cultures with Compassion: How GFM Prepares Missionaries for Cross-Cultural Impact

1. Understanding Before Acting ﻿

2. Humility as a Gateway to Trust

3. Language and Communication Skills

4. Cultural Adaptability and Problem Solving

Why Unreached People Groups Matter

Final Thoughts

3. Affirmation From Spiritual Leaders

1. Understanding Before Acting

2 – Prepares You for Cross-Cultural Living