Discerning and pursuing your calling can be a confusing process.
It may be long or short. However our hope is that, by the time you leave, both you and your support team will be prepared to keep you there for the long haul!
Calling
If you feel any kind of calling to work cross-culturally, we suggest seeking early endorsement from the leadership in your local church. Our calling mini-course will help you!
Confirming
Take time to process and test the calling. Don’t do this alone! Look to your church, loved ones, and other trusted voices.
Equipping
Practically prepare for the road ahead. We strongly advise taking cross-cultural training. Our own Crossing Cultures 101 courses will give you key foundations.
Resourcing
Commissioning
Leaving is a process, not a single event. How are you preparing for a smooth transition? We’d advise building a RAFT and ensuring everything practical is ticked off.
On-Field
A Sender’s Role
Any fieldworker needs a great team of friends, family and colleagues supporting them. You have a huge part to play in ensuring their success. Check out what you can do to ensure your fieldworkers thrive!
- A church should establish a discernment process for anybody who may feel a call to work cross-culturally.
- The call needs to be tested, and the candidate’s maturity and readiness need to be assessed
- The church’s role is critical – sadly many missionaries who end up leaving prematurely for preventable reasons should never have gone in the first place!
- Give opportunities for the candidate to learn by serving and leading in the church.
- Ensure good mentoring is in place for the candidate. Make use of people with prior cross-cultural or mission experience.
- Consider mentoring for practical skills such as financial management or pastoral care.
- This is a season of practically preparing for the road ahead
- Choices need to be made about an agency or a process for training and equipping. Ideally, the church leaders would walk alongside the candidate through this.
- We strongly recommend the raising of personal support teams by the candidate and the church’s backing in that endeavour would be important.
- If the church endorses, hopefully they will also partner with the pre-field missionary in the matter of financial support.
- Clarify the level of support required with the field worker and consider how the church can support through the process of fundraising beyond providing money.
- Remember it is much easier for others, particularly those in authority in the church, to advocate for their financial support than for the candidate to do that on their own behalf!
- Read Acts 13. You will see that this is more than just a rousing send-off, with a ‘goodbye’, at the end. The sense of still belonging, even when serving at the other end of the world, is so important.
- Maintaining that connection through thick and thin might make all the difference between success and failure.
- Encourage the field worker to maintain the connection to the church – and make sure you do too!
- See our on-field resources for more details on what is next.
Start Your Journey
Here are some useful materials for you
The Antioch Factor
Caring for Third Culture Kids
Currently in development, this exciting new course is created by our Dean of Studies, Ben Gilbert. British by birth, raised in India, with time living in Sri Lanka and the Middle East – the TCK experience is familiar to Ben, who is excited to share personal experiences, research and helpful insights for both TCKs, and those caring for them to thrive across cultures. Sign up to be notified when the course is released!
Thriving Across Borders
This course covers the major transitions that someone will make when crossing cultures. We delve into the typical transition points…
Building a Support Ecosystem
In this course, we examine the different dimensions of support that are needed for a successful cross-cultural experience or lifestyle….
Developing Leadership for Cross-Cultural Ministry
Mission thrives on cultivating leaders who embody the life and character of Jesus, the most effective figure in history who…
Calling – Who? What? Why?
In the church, there exists a widespread misconception that only “exceptional Christians” receive a “proper” calling from God. The truth,…
Growing in Cultural Intelligence
Know Thyself
This course explores the concept of understanding ourselves within the context of our own cultures. Before delving into how we…
Overcoming Challenges with Alan and Jan Kilpatrick
Alan and Jan Kilpatrick have lived a wide-ranging and varied life in ministry and mission, most recently serving in Mozambique….
Global humility – church planting and serving in Istanbul with Andy McCullough
Having grown up in Cyprus, being married to Jessica – who is South African – and with four children who…
JO Fraser’s Challenge to us today
Listen to these lessons from the life of one of Ross’ missionary heroes, JO Fraser. An excerpt from Ross’ blog…
Ordinary People Making A Difference
Listen to the sermon here:
Deported from China with Greg and Lisa
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Addressing the Gaps with Henry & Betsy
Henry and Betsy are key partners with us in FieldPartner. In this interview they share their experiences of coming to…
Protected: Interview with James Goss
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5 Lessons Joseph Teaches About God and His Plans for Our Lives
Ross Paterson’s message, recorded at Bread of Life International Church. He encourages us with five lessons from one of his…
Self-care for God’s Servants
FieldPartner was proud to host ‘Self-care for God’s Servants’, an excellent presentation from Tony Horsfall. ‘Self-care for God’s Servants’ asked the…
Four questions from Jonah 4
Ross talks of Jonah’s battle with the Lord in Jonah 4 and how that relates to us today.
Resolution #8 – Go Out For Dinner!
This one, the eighth of Chuck Lawless’ mission related New Year resolutions, has to be the easiest to carry out,…
James Outram Fraser – Don’t Forget J.O. Fraser!
Though I have written about J.O. Fraser (James Outram Fraser (富能仁; 1886–1938) before in this column, his stature amongst missionaries is such…
An ‘Ordinary’ Person, Who Made a Big Difference
Do you think your life could never make a difference? Let us show you how you are wrong! Especially right…
He Took His Time, But He Made It! – Easter Week Pt 6
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Henry Venn – Shaping Mission Thinking
Henry Venn (1796-1873) was both an extraordinary Christian leader of his day and a hugely important figure in cross-cultural mission…
J.O. Fraser – A Crisis of Surrender.
Below is the text of the incident in Fraser’s life that I’m talking about in the recorded clip on our…
James Gilmour – A Decade of Perseverance
James Gilmour, 1843-1891 (Chinese: 景雅各) was a Scottish missionary to China and Mongolia with the London Missionary Society. Wikipedia sums…
The Struggle – Adoniram Jason – Pt 1
Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was an American missionary who served in Burma (Myanmar) for almost forty years. When Judson began his…
Article 7 – Part 4 of the Serampore Agreement
Wow, How Times Have Changed! William Carey’s first paragraph below, in the original language and then in modern English, is…
An Extraordinary Physician: Ida Scudder
Ida Scudder is a fascinating – and challenging – example of the question I looked at in my last post. Does…