And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20
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Pastors are central to what God is able to do with His Church. As shepherds over your flocks, you can encourage or prevent God's people from their highest calling. Your vision for the lost will inspire them, and your support will send some of them out into the harvest fields.
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“She always stood by the door” – a missionary moment
Happiness came to us after both of her missionary parents were killed in northern Nigeria by religious extremists. She was only two years old, and I gave her the name Happiness prophetically, believing the words of Isaiah 51.
Initially, she was very confused and would sleep in the afternoon but her nights were used to guard the door and watch the outside, wondering if the invaders were coming back. Though she was so little, she had a good share of trauma as she struggled with the reality of her new environment and the possibilities of her new-found family being a mirage.
"We laughed so hard" - a missionary moment"
My team and I work among French and Arabic speakers. French is a trade language while Arabic is a heart language for most of our neighbours. Since we arrived in this town, my team and I have been working hard to present the gospel through culturally appropriate ways. So we decided to learn The Story of The Prophets – Taarikh al-anbiya – which starts with the life of Adam and Eve and ends with our Lord Jesus and how he sacrificed his life to pay for the sin that entered the world through Adam and Eve.
"Their intention was to kill" - a missionary moment"
Working among a Muslim tribal community, we found ourselves in the middle of dangerous tribal clashes. In that part of the world, people groups stay away from each other in their different villages, so mixing them for activities like community health outreaches can cause fights. This means we have to have different engagements for each village. We were caught in the crossfire of tribal conflicts during one outreach, where one group picked a fight, claiming that one of the health service providers was from another people group which they despised. Their intention was to kill that person when they arrived to do the health service engagement, but luckily the Red Cross people got wind of it and the car they were traveling in did not stop to let that person out near the people who intended to kill her!
"Our epic fail" - a missionary moment"
Our short-term mission team of 12 people in Liberia was gifted with artistic abilities in music, drama and choreography. We were invited to a church one day and one of us prepared us to minister the song “I will never be the same again.” Our voices harmonized so beautifully and we sang so well, it became one of my highlights for the trip.
Two years later I was part of a smaller mission team of six people to The Gambia. Because of my experience with the previous team, I impressed upon my teammates to make us sing “I will never be the same again” at a church we’d been invited to.
“A muslim environment requires patience” – a missionary moment
The Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS) in Kenya is a large organization which disciples and trains up Christian leaders from among university students. Their Short-Term Experience in Ministry (STEM) programme sends young people out to assist in communities and churches. This year, we received reports from several young women who went out to teach in schools among less-reached peoples and refugees. Each of them reported good strides in academic achievement among their students, but also an interest in spiritual matters from the children and the forming of relationships in the community. Sally, who served in a refugee camp, had these takeaways from her time:
4 ways busy pastors can engage in missions
While most pastors would agree they want their church to engage in missions, it’s easy for missions to become an afterthought or goal for after things are taken care of here. But if we truly believe God has called the church to send missionaries, how can a busy pastor practically arrange their time and schedule to help the church engage in missions? This article on the TEAM website by Anna Price gets into the details with some practical examples and encouragements as to how you can encourage your church into the PURPOSE of missions.
"Asking God for men" - a missionary moment"
A report from the field in Uganda:
One initiative we’ve started to help the churches continue to grow is what we call evangelism seminars. We visit each of our church plants, invite the few believers we know there, and teach them how to share their personal testimonies and, ultimately, their faith. We then immediately send them out to practice in their communities. So far, we’ve done this in two church plants—Kailele and Narogos—and we hope to do it in all the others, continuing until it becomes normal church practice, as it should be.
"Everyone was embarrassed" - a missionary moment"
Cultural misunderstandings were a difficulty in my time among a people group with strong cultural taboos and intense control over the lives of women and girls. When the other Christian healthcare workers and I wanted to talk to the young women about menstrual hygiene, we asked a local lady to gather them and organize the session. Unfortunately, this caused the men of the community to be very suspicious about what we might be telling them! We should have gone through the head man, who could have heard our plans and given permission.
"They come to fetch water" - a missionary moment"
In 2023, I moved out from the city to my new mission field in the northwest of Mozambique, 100km from the town where I used to stay and work. My predecessor, from Australia, had retired. I am of the same tribe and language of the people in that Muslim village, though from across the border in Malawi. Therefore, I thought it would be simple to interact with them. I actually found out that they were afraid to talk to me, even to say hi! I could see fear and doubt in their faces.
Global interactive peoples map from Joshua Project
Joshua Project has produced an incredible interactive map which shows all the people groups of the world. View the world from a birds-eye view, or click on the map to see details about countries, peoples, languages and more. You can use this map as a resource to pray, to gather information for your small group or church, or just as an interesting exercise in learning about the world. Joshua Project is a great resource for all of us, one worth using and interacting with.
"I am tired" - a missionary moment"
Report from the field in South Sudan:
We have a story of a lady from a neighboring village. A week ago *Miriam walked into our compound. She got a seat for herself and sat outside our house. This is not normal in their culture. My wife and I went to greet her. Just after the greetings, she said “I am tired with the sinful life that I have been living, I need your help.”
"One journey changed everything" - a missionary moment"
Growing up as a new believer, I used to disdain the biblical characters who gave excuses when the Lord called them to any task. Why would anyone dodge the honour of being called by the Lord? Many years later, I clearly heard the Lord calling me into ministry and I also gave excuses!
At that time, I was enjoying my young married life and living my dreams. When the call came, my initial and strong response was a resounding NO.