Preparing the Missionary to Go

Americans like good food and enjoy a fine meal like everyone else, yet we have fast-food joints on every corner with food aimed at an eight-year-old’s palate. Why is that? If you were waiting for a date and they showed up an hour late with this excuse: “My school friend hit me up for a favor, and I had to help before meeting you.” Would you think poorly of them or praise their moral character? Whatever your answer, why do you think that way? Even in these minor examples, understanding culture is complex, especially when asking the why questions beyond simply observing what people do—answering the why questions is just one problem for the missionary in a long string of complex issues. At MissioSERVE, we say that we prepare the missionary to go. How does that work?

D3 is the problem-solving and training method of MissioSERVE. We discover what we must do, what talents are required, and what problems must be solved. Then, we develop the training, the skills, and the solutions we need and deploy them to discover once again the effects and success of our solutions. It is a cycle. While we often talk about them in order (discover first, develop second, deploy third), we know life is more complex than a simple progression. We constantly discover, develop, and deploy in overlapping cycles of ministry. We equip missionaries to live this way in the amazingly complex world of cross-cultural ministry.

Our Training “Center”

Our Cornerstone, Rock, Fortress, and Refuge is Jesus Christ. Much of our training ensures that Jesus is the center of missionary life. Early on, every missionary in training knows that the true hero of their story and ministry is Jesus Christ and him alone. Through our training on the Spirit-filled life, spiritual warfare, spiritual disciplines, and even culture shock and stress, we strive to keep Jesus Christ at the center.
 
In teaching and Bible training, we stress Biblical theology. Since we often train for the frontier situation, we train missionaries to teach the essentials of the Scriptures that new believers (in a culture without any Biblical tradition) need to thrive and grow. You care for a sprout differently than a sapling, which differs from your care for a healthy tree!

We also teach the missionaries how to do the mission and focus the training on the mission they are being given. Defining the mission with assessable and achievable goals is far better than the general enabling charge many churches give their missionaries, saying, “Go and do good stuff because you are a good person.” When a mission is defined, we can develop their God-given talents and gifts in the missionary and train them in practical skills to carry out the mission. Essentially, we develop within them what God has given and what they need to acquire to achieve the mission that the church sends them. This happens through our training on how to be a missionary and build authentic interdependent relationships of mutual respect and honor between the sending church, missionaries, MissioSERVE, and host culture co-laborers. We also help the missionary acquire the skills needed to observe, interpret, and become a full participant in the host culture where they serve.

When it comes time for deployment, we provide essential services, grant analysis, and problem-solving from collective decades of experience in missions. We nurture, protect, and grow the vital relationship between the sender, missionary, and host culture essential for mission success. From help in problem-solving, accountability, mission focus, missionary care, and communication to the basic practical infrastructure of financing the mission, we at MissioSERVE are here to serve the mission until it succeeds. Sometimes, simple reminders and gentle accountability help a missionary the most. That is why we consider the missionary still in training for the first two years on the field. In theory, knowing what they should do is different than doing it amidst extreme cultural adjustments, intense spiritual warfare, and back-breaking discouragement. Gentle reminders, prayer, exhortation, and encouragement to trust what they have learned and practice what they know can make a huge difference in a missionary’s life. It is often the distinction between a missionary staying for the long haul or coming home early.
 
Will you join us in prayer for the missionaries we train as they face the enormous task ahead? This work is significant and complex, but it has blessed eternal value.