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
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!
Growing in Cultural Intelligence
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…
Cross-cultural marriage
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….
Thriving Across Borders
This course covers the major transitions that someone will make when crossing cultures. We delve into the typical transition points…
The Antioch Factor
Where Should We Go Next? | Acts 2
Ross shares how the early church responded to the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.
Mission Kid to Pioneer with Brad Thurston
Check out Globe Mission here. See our other partners. A fascinating interview with Brad Thurston, one of the early collaborators…
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…
Repurposing Your Experience with Geoff & Jackie Bishop
Geoff and Jackie Bishop were missionaries for many years in Burundi, central Africa. In this interview, they share the events…
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…
The Missionary Time Forgot?
In our interview with our former co-worker in China, Bev Gigney, she shared a poignant story about losing a close friend…
Ordinary People Making A Difference
Listen to the sermon here:
Serving China with Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman was born as a ‘Third Culture Kid’ to missionary parents in Pakistan. But little did she know that…
Joseph #6: Joseph and His Choices
In this 6th talk on the life of Joseph, Ross discusses the relationship between Joseph’s choice to avoid immorality and…
Interview with Christine Paterson
Christine Paterson Interview Co-founder Christine Paterson tells us about her life on the mission field from her childhood in Africa…
What Cross-Cultural Couples Wish They Knew Before Saying “I Do”
The hidden challenges in cross-cultural relationships Cross-cultural marriages are often celebrated for their richness and diversity, but behind the beauty…
Do You Agree? – Easter Week Pt 11
This is part of our Easter week series from Ross Paterson’s daily devotional Facebook post. Like our page to keep up with…
J. O. Fraser – James Fraser’s reaction to the strong setback
Here we take a look at James Fraser’s reaction to the strong setback, which I described in the previous article. …
Article 7 – Part 2 of the Serampore Agreement
What happens after they believe in Jesus? Here we see the extraordinary level of care that Carey and his colleagues…
C.T. Studd – From Sports Star to China Missionary
C.T. Studd once said: “Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown…
John Mark – A Missionary Failure Who Later Succeeded.
John Mark is a missionary whose story, unlike most of those I write about each Sunday, is told in the…
Mildred Cable: A Missionary Who Made The Right Choices
Mildred Cable was another remarkable missionary to China. The easiest way to introduce her is to focus on a quality…
The Beauty of Collaboration
I recently received an update from a soon-to-be partner and found that they were starting to offer online options for…
Mildred Cable Was Not Alone In China…
Mildred Cable’s remarkable story (see my blog about her) is not complete without mentioning the two sisters with whom she…
Seven Lessons From The Life of Lilias Trotter
I previously wrote about Lilias Trotter. This remarkable sister merits a second look, because there are important, even success-defining, lessons for…