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
Cross-cultural marriage
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…
Calling – Who? What? Why?
In the church, there exists a widespread misconception that only “exceptional Christians” receive a “proper” calling from God. The truth,…
The Antioch Factor
Ross Paterson presents a stark choice that no Christian or church can avoid making – whether we become a Jerusalem…
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…
Five Fundamental Mistakes re: mission
Ross Paterson lists 5 traps we can fall into which make us miss the invitation to reach the rest of…
Ordinary People: 7 Keys From Amos Chapter 7
Ross gives some specific examples from China colleagues and then shares 7 key lessons from the life of Amos to…
Get Ready to be Shaken
Ross looks at what the Bible says about the end of the world, and how the Bible tells us to…
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…
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…
Zechariah gets a second chance | Luke 1
Ross shares from in Luke 1 about Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and stresses that our God is…
Jacob’s Encounters with God – Sermon
This sermon was given by Ross Paterson at Holy Trinity Cheltenham on August 16, 2020. This sermon is shorter than…
Equipping the Church for Explosive Growth!
We are excited to share that FieldPartner co-founder Ross Paterson was recently interviewed on the hit podcast ‘Inspired… with Simon Guillebaud’. Ross…
Transition and Change, Grief and Loss
At some point in our lives, we all face different types of changes that can lead to feelings of loss…
How Is Your Prayer Life?
Summary: Ross shares from Luke 18 on the battle and the potential of prayer.
Strange Fires – Easter Week Pt 2
This is part of our Easter week series from Ross Paterson’s daily devotional Facebook post. Like our page to keep up with…
Who or What is a Third Culture Kid?
Who or what is a TCK? A while ago, I met with a missionary family from a large Asian country…
Five things I wish I had known
A while ago my husband and I were talking with a friend about the huge task that faces us in…
Your Choice – The Comparison Game Or A Unique Destiny – Easter Week Pt 12
This is part of our Easter week series from Ross Paterson’s daily devotional Facebook post. Like our page to keep up with…
Missionaries And Loneliness
“When James Gilmour sailed for China in 1870 aged twenty-seven, “it was a lonely task that awaited him – the…
An Unusual Missionary Story – David & Svea Flood
A Singaporean friend of many years, Gideon Lim, shared with me a most unusual missionary story this weekend which I…
Preparing for Cross Cultural Missions
1. How is your walk with the Lord? how are you doing with the Lord? Often I think of a…
Jesus Is Taking Over! – Easter Week Pt 10
This is part of our Easter week series from Ross Paterson’s daily devotional Facebook post. Like our page to keep up with…
Simon of Cyrene – Abuse Leading To Destiny
For this week’s missionary post I want to engage in a little bit of guesswork, but I think I’m right!…
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…