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
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,…
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!
Know Thyself
This course explores the concept of understanding ourselves within the context of our own cultures. Before delving into how we…
The Antioch Factor
Ross Paterson presents a stark choice that no Christian or church can avoid making – whether we become a Jerusalem…
Growing in Cultural Intelligence
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….
Hope in a Warzone with Simon Guillebaud
Discover more about Great Lakes Outreach (GLO) and their weekly Zoom prayer meetings, as well as watch Onesphore’s prayer for Europe &…
Prayer and Fasting – Choice or Mandate?
Ross discusses a difficult question – is fasting (as a part of prayer) an option or a necessity today?
What on earth is mission?
Ross looks at 2 famous verses from the New Testament – Matt 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 – and asks a…
Ordinary People Making A Difference
Listen to the sermon here:
Tackling Tough Topics with Elizabeth Trotter
Elizabeth and her husband Jonathan were missionaries to Cambodia. They returned to America during Covid lockdown in a sudden and…
Serving Anywhere with Lydia David
Lydia David is a missionary who has worked in China & Turkey. She worked as an occupational therapist before she…
7 Ways to Drop Your Call
Ross examines the vital question of ‘what do we do once we have a calling?’ The enemy will be determined…
Quiet time 3: Elements of a Quiet Time
his is the final post in a 3-part series: Quiet Time 1: Importance of Quiet Time with God Quiet Time…
Are you a grumpy, happy or both?
Ross looks at two different kinds of believers – happies and grumpies – or are you both? Listen and analyse…
Obedience & Family on the Field with Grant & Jean
Grant and Jean are missionaries from South Africa. In this interview, they share their journey leading to mission work in…
James Chalmers – The David Livingstone of New Guinea
It was said of James Chalmers (1841-1901) that his fearlessness won the respect of the cannibals; his compassion, their loyalty…
What Is Donar’s Oak?
Howard Peskett made some mission related comments when writing on Deuteronomy chapter 13 in Scripture Union notes. Howard wrote: “Missionaries…
J.O. Fraser – Dear Old Paul, What Was Going On?
Below are some notes on what I talked about in my Facebook post.Firstly on J.O. Fraser. Secondly, on the Apostle…
John Mark – The Patron Saint Of Second Chance Missionaries
Last week we looked at Demas, the classic missionary failure. But for every Demas there is a John Mark with…
Resolution #4 – Make Friends with Those From Other Places And Cultures
Today we come to the fourth of Chuck Lawless’ ten New Year’s Resolutions that are intended to help us grow…
J. O. Fraser – Something That Fraser Never Had – A PACTeam
It is vital that cross-cultural mission moves with the times and takes advantage of modern technology. When I went as…
Damascus Road Or Gradual Conviction?
In my previous post, I defined cross-cultural mission. It contains two vital elements. Firstly, going. Secondly, the venue, a people whose…
J.O. Fraser – Embarrassing Excuses?
Below are four items that I referred to in the clip on our Facebook page. The first two are from…
Resolution Number 1
Last Sunday I listed Chuck Lawless’ suggestions for 10 New Year’s resolutions that relate to cross-cultural mission. Lawless wrote: “I’d like…
The Unlikely Impact of William Carey
“Young man, sit down! When God pleases to convert those who have never heard of Jesus Christ, He’ll do it…