What does it mean to be a MissioSERVE Missionary?

What does it take to be a MissioSERVE missionary? What does it look like on the field? What makes a MissioSERVE missionary distinct? This first article will only scratch the surface of the subject. Future blog posts will explore what I am writing here in more detail. So, if all your questions aren’t answered here, or this post provokes more questions, check back often to the blog to learn more.

What kind of person does it take?

The kind of person who is committed to seeing the Missio Dei carried out worldwide and through cultural barriers. They must have a solid commitment to their local church and to seeing local churches planted in a new culture. God sends a missionary through a local church to the field, and that relationship between a missionary and their local church is vital and legitimizes the whole mission. Churches aim to expand the worship of God by seeing new faithful churches planted and individuals sent by the church make disciples who will start a new church. Without disciples, there can’t be new churches. Successful disciples can’t be stopped from meeting together, loving each other, or worshipping their Savior: the nucleus of every church plant. 

The commitment to the local church and the host culture of the mission poses challenges to any missionary as they will always have two worlds and two ministries to think about and prepare for. Every missionary must minister to their sending church and their host culture for their mission to succeed. This is why a MissioSERVE missionary must be balanced, disciplined to carry out their mission, and willing to think about both ends of the partnerships they are forming from one church to another across linguistic, cultural, tribal, and geographic barriers.

What it looks like on the field:

A missionary on the field must be a constant learner. This is what we call the D3 cycle, and it goes like this: Discovery (what it will take to accomplish the mission), Development (learning the skills or developing the plans needed to overcome the problems), and then Deployment (applying the solutions to the problem). From the time a missionary first comes to MissioSERVE, we are teaching them to Discover, Develop, and Deploy. A willingness to question previous assumptions, learn new things, and be observant are critical to missionary success. 

MissioSERVE is also looking for the kind of person that takes the following Philippians 4:15 to heart: “And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.” (ESV)

Partnerships should be about giving and receiving. Not all partnerships start balanced, but a MissioSERVE missionary desires to see their sending church receive from the field and be gifted a blessing that will transform their local ministry and the other people in the church. MissioSERVE wants to build interdependent partnerships where both parties respect each other and desire to bless one another and spur one another on to more excellent works for the glory of Jesus Christ. MissioSERVE missionaries want to be the means of accomplishing this goal.

So, what kind of missionary do you want to be? Maybe we can help you be that kind of missionary. Let’s talk about it!