The global Church has grown in size and depth over the last several decades and an exciting shift is taking place in cross-cultural missions. God is raising up workers “from everywhere, to everywhere” to go and make disciples to the far corners of the globe. And while many still heed the call from traditional sending countries like the U.S. and Canada, there is also a growing missionary workforce emerging from what is often called the “majority world” or the “Global South” (areas like Latin America, Asia, and Africa). Clearly, God is instilling a heart for “Passionate Service” in His children around the world.
Non-western workers are often uniquely positioned to bring the Gospel into areas that people of western/European descent are not, and God is providing TEAM with increasing opportunities to come alongside and partner with a diverse Kingdom workforce throughout the global Church. For this month’s Prayer Focus, we invite you to pray for global workers “from everywhere, to everywhere” in these six ways:
1. Training – Preparing and equipping global workers from areas with less access to training programs can be a challenge. And yet, preparation is critical for successful cross-cultural service. Some studies show that as many as 50% of all missionaries leave the field within their first decade, many for reasons that may have been prevented.
TEAM partners with local churches and other missiological organizations in various locations around the world to provide effective training for those who are called to serve.
PRAY for workers to find and engage effectively with well-designed training opportunities. Pray that the Lord will continue to help TEAM and others come alongside workers “from everywhere” with effective training, tools, and encouragement for the journey ahead.
2. Language Learning – Many majority world workers are already fluent in at least two languages (their native language plus English, often), and now must learn a third language (or fourth or fifth!). This challenge is multiplied when cross-cultural service involves fluency in some languages that are primarily spoken while others are primarily written.
Language learning can also be a painstakingly slow process, especially when the worker is anxious and excited to get into the field.
PRAY for workers as they acquire new language skills. Pray for endurance and patience as they walk through this part of their journey.
3. Fundraising – For workers in non-western contexts, raising support for their work presents unique challenges. David Puerto, TEAM Mobilization Director in Latin America, shares, “Workers are being sent from places with many socio-economic complexities. And, although the church in the Global South is generous, currency changes and devaluation are complex issues that need to be addressed with new ways of missionary sending.”
Becky, a TEAM worker and mobilizer in the Indo-Malay region agrees. She explains that there is a need “for Global South churches to grow in their understanding that cross-cultural workers are often tasked to raise their own ministry funds and for workers to be able to advocate for ministry funds and not just personal support.”
PRAY for workers as they seek financial support for their ministry service. Pray for churches to prioritize missionary sending and to convey this value to their congregations. Pray for God to be Jehovah Jireh, the Great Provider, for those called to “go.”
God is providing TEAM with increasing opportunities to come alongside and partner with a diverse workforce throughout the global Church.
4. Adjustment for Families – Just as with global workers from the U.S. or Canada, many majority world workers have spouses and children who are also called to live and serve in a new location and culture.
This adjustment can be particularly difficult when majority world workers are first generation believers, and therefore may not have the support of their own parents and extended families. Their commitment to cross-cultural service may mean a profound loss of community and connection.
Sarah, one of TEAM’s global mobilizers, shares, “Most workers coming from the Global South come from collective cultures which means they miss being part of family events which are seen as vital to building on the family relations. This is especially hard as the children of workers are seen as distant or as if they don’t value family relations. As TCK’s (third culture kids), they don’t always connect with the family in the larger context as they are expected to, and this creates a rift in family dynamics.”
PRAY for workers to have wisdom in navigating the values of multiple cultures. Pray for God to provide support systems, educational opportunities, healthcare, and other basic needs for these families as they serve.
5. Peace and Protection despite Persecution – For many majority world workers, the call to missions is a call to true persecution and trials that most western workers will not face. These include being ostracized by their family, removal from community, and physical danger.
At a recent gathering of Indo-Malay believers in the Philippines, workers shared story after story of the persecution they have faced. Many of these difficulties were suffered at the hands of the workers’ own families and friends. But these faithful servants also shared how God protected them, and in several cases how God eventually called those same family members and friends to saving knowledge of Jesus!
PRAY for steadfastness, perseverance, and for safety. Pray that workers from the Global South and majority world will be able to “count it all joy” as we are encouraged to do in the book of James (James 1:2-4).
6. More Workers for the Harvest – The Lord is calling His global Church to fulfill the Great Commission, but Matthew 9:37 is as true as always: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
Becky encourages prayer “for Global South churches to understand God’s heart for the nations and be willing to send their best members cross-culturally. Local churches face challenges and often want to keep gifted workers close to home to serve the local body.”
A related prayer need is for God to raise up workers from a wider variety of vocations in order to meet the practical needs of the communities they will be serving as well as the spiritual needs.
PRAY for cultural barriers to cross-cultural service to be broken down and for hearts and minds to be opened. Pray for God to call workers from a variety of vocations with skills that help them be the hands and feet of Christ.
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