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
Growing in Cultural Intelligence
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!
The Antioch Factor
Thriving Across Borders
This course covers the major transitions that someone will make when crossing cultures. We delve into the typical transition points…
Cross-cultural marriage
Know Thyself
This course explores the concept of understanding ourselves within the context of our own cultures. Before delving into how we…
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…
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…
Blessed or Buried to Bless? | John 12
Ross looks at John 12:20-25 to discuss a secret to God’s blessing flowing through us to others, with two unusual…
Ignorance is NOT Bliss
We had a fantastic launch event! We are so excited for this next season of FieldPartner, to see more people…
Seven Lessons From Job About Values
Ross shares lessons from the book of Job that help us to walk through the hard and puzzling times in…
The Privilege of Being a Sending Church
Guest Blog by Michael Prest from UFM. I wonder what springs to mind when we think of sending and supporting mission…
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…
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…
Interview with Jennifer Bishop
Christine sits down for an interview with our own team member Jennifer Bishop. Jennifer grew up in Burundi and…
Unwrapping the TCK Experience
It was fantastic to welcome a good crowd from around the globe to launch our latest course, Caring for TCKs….
Where Should We Go Next? | Acts 2
Ross shares how the early church responded to the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.
A Prayer Meeting In A Haystack That Changed U.S. Church History!
Historians say that all Christian missionary organisations in the U.S. trace their history back to the Haystack Prayer Meeting. In…
J. O. Fraser – Investing In The Locals
This week we are looking at William Carey’s simple Master Plan: “Send forth as many native preachers…
William Carey’s Serampore Form of Agreement – Article 1.A
First. In order to be prepared for our great and solemn work, it is absolutely necessary that we set an…
Two Cultures, One Suitcase: Where Do Cross-Cultural Couples Go?
Two Cultures, One Suitcase: Where Do Cross-Cultural Couples Go? For cross-cultural couples, planning a holiday often means balancing traditions, family…
James Gilmour Made An Eternal Difference!
Last week, in the light of the few folk that James Gilmour saw come to Christ, I asked a question:…
James Gilmour. A Wasted Life?
There is one more issue arising from the courageous and dedicated life of the missionary James Gilmour (1843-1891), whom I…
Seven reasons why learning as an online cohort is better than self-study
In the vast digital landscape, where information flows relentlessly, we have started offering small online cohorts as a new way…
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!…
Mary Slessor – An Extraordinary Scottish Missionary
Mary Slessor, 1848-1915, was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary to Africa. She made a huge impact on Nigeria and beyond. One…
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…