July 2016 - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Should I Go Maverick or Go With a Missions Agency?

If God has called you to be a missionary, you are probably deciding if you will serve alone or go with a missions agency. Consider these four points before you make your decision. Photo by TEAM

Jul 26 2016

There is nothing more exciting than stepping on a plane and going to a country you’ve never visited to have adventures you’ve never had. If God has put a desire in your heart to pursue cross-cultural missions, to make Him known and worshipped in regions where He is unknown, why not not begin your ministry now? Many people would rather go alone and be their own leader than serve with a missions agency. But through my own experience, I have discovered that a missions agency is crucial to success as a missionary. Here’s why: 1. Missions agencies have the expertise….

You don't have to be a graphic designer to design a beautiful missionary newsletter. Apply these 5 tips to create an appealing newsletter your supporters will love to read.

Jul 21 2016

In a previous post, we shared our 10 step process to writing a memorable missionary newsletter. Now, your polished copy deserves a design that’s just as clean and appealing. Thankfully, with email services like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, sending a beautiful missionary newsletter is easier than ever. With those resources in hand, here are my favorite tips for creating a delightful email newsletter. How can they read it, if they can’t read it? As a graphic designer, the biggest problem I’ve noticed with poorly designed email newsletters is that they’re just too much work to read. You might have the…

Staring at a blank screen when you sit down to write your missionary newsletter? Try out these time-tested tips to make updating your supporters a joy.

Jul 19 2016

This is part one of two-part series on missionary newsletters. Read part two, “How to Design a Beautiful Missionary Newsletter,” here. It was the kind of moment every ministry worker on a support trip looks forward to: The woman shared how excited she always got to see my blue newsletter envelope in the mail. Then she took me to the church sanctuary and told her friend, You’ve got to meet Beth. She’s been to Asia and Africa and all over the place! It was great. Except that I’d been to Asia once, my missions organization didn’t send people to Africa…

Following God overseas as a missionary is a decision that affects not only the missionary but also the missionary's parents left behind. It's possible to navigate these difficult conversations while honoring each other and God's calling. Photo by TEAM

Jul 14 2016

I was sitting in a living room with a young man, his parents and another mentoring couple, when I realized the parent-child dynamic is strong and complex, even in adulthood. This young man was feeling called to serve cross-culturally, and there were tears, confusion, and confessions. How do you follow God in your calling and honor your parents, even if they are not on board? As a missions mobilizer, I was curious and anxious as I thought about the strong emotional pull for potential missionaries to be both true to God and respectful and loving to their parents. I set out to…

Stewarding what God gives us is not a chore for our checklist, it’s an opportunity to join God in redeeming the world. Photo by TEAM

Jul 12 2016

A few years back, I heard a story by Greg Matte, pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston, that shook me to the core. He explained that his friend was throwing a surprise party for his wife’s 40th birthday. (For the sake of this story, we will say their names are Eric and Mary.) When Mary arrived at the house, she was shocked at all the friends who came out. Toward the end of the night, everyone went around the circle and said one word that described what Mary meant to them. Eric was the last one to say something,…

When Jennifer Hylton asked God for peace about her future, she got far more than she could have imagined. Photos by TEAM.

Jul 07 2016

When TEAM missionary Jennifer Hylton shares how God called her to France, she gets straight to the point, with no effort to impress: “I felt God speak right to my heart: ‘You have a future in missions.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t even know what that means.’” As a first-generation Christian in her 20s, Hylton didn’t know a single missionary, much less how God would call one. She had been praying for peace about her future, thinking she might go to medical school or relocate, but mission work was nowhere on her list. When she sensed God speaking to…

Steve and Donna Niles have served for 37 years in France, with one constant theme to their work. Photo by TEAM.

Jul 05 2016

Most missionaries can look back at their former lives and see what God used to prepare them for the field. For Steve Niles, it was his father’s cows and life on the farm that prepared him for a life of discipling others and leading by example. “I’m not an intellectual teaching in the Bible school,” Niles said. “I grew up on a farm, and I learned everything hands on. I just like to do that with other people.” Steve’s first mentees were his own sons. As he and his wife, Donna, raised four boys, the couple focused on teaching…

Archive - July 2016

Should I Go Maverick or Go With a Missions Agency?

How to Design a Beautiful Missionary Newsletter in 5 Steps

10 Steps to Writing a Memorable Missionary Newsletter

How to Honor Your Parents When You’re Called to Missions

We Give Because They Can’t Go Without Us

Finding Out What a Future in Missions Means

37 Years of Humble Discipleship for Missionaries in France