An excellent method to serve the Lord is to respond to the calling that God has placed on your heart to become a missionary. However, just stating that one wishes to serve as a missionary is not enough to begin the process; there are further steps needed. Every mission area, mission organisation, and mission task will have its own individual set of prerequisites. The one who is interested in mission service has to set aside some time to adequately prepare for serving the Lord for an extended period of time.

Isaiah 6:8 — I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

An Invitation to the Mission Field #

A passionate speaker has the ability to move people on an emotional level. However, an emotional sensation may only keep a person going for a long while in the field. It is vital for a missionary to have a genuine calling from God on their life in order for them to remain out on the field.

How does one determine whether or not they have been “called” to serve in a missionary capacity? #

To begin, there must be a deep-seated, irresistible need inside oneself to serve the Lord in some form. The individual is unable to refute the fact that God is communicating with them through the Holy Spirit about the completion of a mission. The individual’s pastor is the greatest external sign of whether or not they are being called by God. He is often able to detect the guiding of God in a person’s life and the fruit that it has produced.

It is possible for a man to be mistaken regarding the calling that God has placed on his life; yet, the majority of pastors will err in the other way, believing that someone is called when in fact they are not. Therefore, a pastor needs to seek the Lord’s clear instruction in all sincerity and prayer if he believes that the individual in question is neither called nor prepared to serve in the ministry.

The First Steps in Preparing #

After it has been established that a person is to answer God’s call to become a Christian missionary, that person should then start making preparations for service. Throughout the procedure, there are several choices that need to be made:

•  Where exactly do we serve?
•  What kind of ministry are you in?
•  Which board is the mission to?
•  What kind of specialised instruction is required?
•  One of the numerous choices that need to be made is where one will serve.
•  One of the numerous choices that need to be made is where one will serve.

The mission team will have its own set of qualifications to fulfil in order for someone to serve in a missionary capacity. This may include having a particular amount of biblical knowledge or receiving specialised training dependent on the kind of mission activity that will be carried out.

It is conceivable for the pastor to suggest to the applicant that they forgo using a mission team or agency and instead work through the local church in order to accomplish their goals. As long as the pastor is willing to assist the missionary in preparing for service in the field, this is a beneficial relationship. Because a mission alliance is generally responsible for handling the missionary’s finances, the church will need to have a more active part in the missionary’s life. It is possible that a pastor and his congregation are not ready for these additional obligations.

Formal Education for the Purpose of Readiness #

A degree in the Bible may or may not be required for this. They want to make sure that the prospective missionary has the kind of moral fibre that will allow them to finish the next level of training. The committee is able to suggest programmes to the applicant that will provide them with the necessary biblical education.

Training Received While Working #

It is possible that the missionary may need specialised training in addition to what is offered at Bible school if he would be engaged in a ministry other than the establishment of churches. If the missionary will be participating in trade-type ministries like construction, carpentry, tailoring, and music, etc; then this may consist of practical training such as on-the-job experience or other similar experiences. Formal education in the subject matter is required of the missionary if he intends to pursue a career in teaching or any other kind of professional activity.

Linguistic Education #

It is possible that a foreign missionary will need some kind of language instruction. Before the potential missionary is required to devote himself to formal language instruction, he should get a head start on learning the language on his own by studying it on his own time. A potential missionary may get a head start on his language study before he even gets on the field by using internet resources that are now accessible to missionaries today.

Preparing in the Real World #

The aspirant should read missionary biographies in order to have a better understanding of life on the field. When new missionaries are prepared for Christian missionary work, it is encouraging for them to learn that other men and women have gone through extraordinary tests of faith. These tales come to mind whenever the missionary is confronted with a challenge to their faith while serving on the field.

View the Playing Field #

Learning about living in the field from the perspective of other missionaries may be gained through reading their biographies. Mission travels of shorter duration assist candidates to develop a burden for the needs of others. It is one thing to read about a place and know all the information; it is entirely another thing to engage with people and feels a burden for their need for Christ. Reading about a place and knowing all the data is one thing.

Partnership #

The aspirant for the role of Christian missionary should make an effort to get to know other missionaries. These might be missionaries who are serving in the same field as the candidate, or they could be missionaries serving in different nations or ministries. The potential missionary will have the opportunity to form connections with persons who are familiar with the challenges they will face when serving overseas as a result of this. During difficult times, more seasoned missionaries are available to provide advice and inspiration to those who need their help.

Completed Preparations #

In order for a missionary to be able to begin their work in the field, one of the last things that they need to do is garner as much prayer and financial support as possible. This requires them to spend many months travelling to different churches, pastors, friends, and family members in order to communicate the burden that they have for missionary activity. This may be a priceless opportunity for the missionary to spend time in fellowship with other Christians who labour alongside them to support their effort.

Knowing that there are lives on the field that may be saved and transformed by God’s grace can also be a source of frustration. The missionary is responsible for maintaining focus on the end objective while also recruiting more Christians to serve as team members on their ministry staff. God has the plan to prepare the missionary for the needs he will have on the field, and this time spent soliciting financial support is a part of that plan.

The process of becoming ready to serve as a Christian missionary takes a lot of time. It is pretty unusual for someone to hear the voice of God in their life and then immediately go to the field to serve. The moment has come to start getting ready for long-term service. The preparation for this may take many years. On the other hand, the missionary will get the appropriate training for a lifetime of service.

Blessings to you,

Shaliach.