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
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…
Know Thyself
This course explores the concept of understanding ourselves within the context of our own cultures. Before delving into how we…
Calling – Who? What? Why?
In the church, there exists a widespread misconception that only “exceptional Christians” receive a “proper” calling from God. The truth,…
Growing in Cultural Intelligence
The Antioch Factor
Ross Paterson presents a stark choice that no Christian or church can avoid making – whether we become a Jerusalem…
Cross-cultural marriage
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…
Global humility – church planting and serving in Istanbul with Andy McCullough
Having grown up in Cyprus, being married to Jessica – who is South African – and with four children who…
Miracles and Mission with David and Joyce Lamb
We were privileged to interview two legends in the Kingdom—David and Joyce Lamb. Their stories of divine provision, angelic encounters,…
Are you a grumpy, happy or both?
Ross looks at two different kinds of believers – happies and grumpies – or are you both? Listen and analyse…
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…
Don’t forget your fieldworker with Bev Gigney
Bev Gigney founded a children’s home called Dove’s Wings during her years serving in China, having had a clear…
Ignorance is NOT Bliss
We had a fantastic launch event! We are so excited for this next season of FieldPartner, to see more people…
Hope in a Warzone with Simon Guillebaud
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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…
Watch the Recording of Resilience
Click here to watch the recording! We were delighted to host Rod and Ruthie for their presentation on resilience on…
Equipping Servants with David & Vicki Frazier
After a season of cross-cultural preparation and discernment, David and Vicki worked as missionaries for 20 years in Turkey before…
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!…
John Nevius. He Also Got It Right!
John Livingston Nevius (1829-1893) was an American Presbyterian missionary to China during the nineteenth century. The story of how he…
J.O.Fraser; Hidden Missionary Hero, Forgotten Lessons
Who is J O Fraser? James Outram Fraser (J O Fraser) is one of my spiritual heroes and missionary mentors….
A Marriage Made in Heaven? Adoniram Judson – Pt 2
Read Part 1 – The Struggle Following God’s powerful intervention in his life (see previous post) Adoniram Judson surrendered to…
J. O. Fraser – Something That Fraser Never Had – A PACTeam
It is vital that cross-cultural mission moves with the times and takes advantage of modern technology. When I went as…
Maria, The Extraordinary Wife Of Hudson Taylor
Maria Jane Taylor (née Dyer, 1837-1870) was born in Penang, Malaya, the youngest child of pioneer missionary Samuel Dyer and…
James Gilmour’s Unusual Courtship
I wrote last week about James Gilmour and his work in Mongolia. This week is about his courtship (or lack…
Faith in Captivity
Geoffrey T. Bull (1921-1999) had a very unusual missionary career – he only served as a missionary for a few…
James Chalmers – The David Livingstone of New Guinea
It was said of James Chalmers (1841-1901) that his fearlessness won the respect of the cannibals; his compassion, their loyalty…
James Adam – Missionary to China’s Miao People
James Adam was a Scottish missionary who arrived in China in 1887 aged 23 and served there for the next…