7 Ways to Support Missionaries

Brianna Langley • Jul 03, 2017

Imagine you are a new missionary.

Living in a foreign land and adopting a new culture for the sake of the kingdom is a dream — one that you’ve worked toward for years.

However, before too long, feelings of culture shock and isolation begin to set in. Language barriers and foreign social etiquette make you ache for renewed connections with friends and family back home. You may even wonder if you made the right decision in coming.

This scenario is fairly common for those serving abroad and can easily lead to burnout.

That’s why it’s up to us as supporters to make sure missionaries don’t feel alone. Our support of missionaries is vital to the growth of the kingdom.

Here are some commonly overlooked ways you and your home church can support missionaries overseas:

1. Initiate conversation.

Instead of waiting on a monthly or quarterly newsletter from missionaries, be proactive in reaching out to them to catch up or ask how you can pray for their personal and pastoral well-being.

“One of my friends and I have set up an accountability relationship,” says TEAM missionary Jared Riepma. “We Skype several times a month, and that has been a great help to me, as I live in a very isolated area in Indonesia.”

Setting up regular times to video chat or call via MagicJack and other apps is a great way to show missionary friends that you haven’t forgotten them.

2. Always reply to updates.

Imagine you spent hours every month updating people on your life and ministry — and never heard back from anyone. Pretty soon, you’d wonder if anyone cared, much less read your newsletter or prayed for your requests. Unfortunately, missionaries experience this all the time.

Even just a short reply, either by email or snail mail, will remind missionaries that they really do have people backing them.

In your reply notes, tell the missionaries that you are praying for the specific requests they mentioned in their letter, and ask about the happenings or people they wrote about.

3. Offer help to missionaries on home assignment.

One of the easiest times to show missionaries support is when they’re on home assignment , which is a season of updating supporters, like you, and raising additional support.

When missionaries return on home assignment, they often do not have a car to drive or a place to stay. If you are in an area the missionary might pass through, offering to let them borrow an extra car or stay in a spare room can be a huge blessing.

On a smaller scale, you can bless missionaries by babysitting their kids so they can have a date night or taking them out to their favorite American restaurant.

“One pastor’s wife had a special spa day for the missionary ladies and had snacks, did manicures and pedicures, and just talked with us,” says TEAM missionary Denise Carter. “It was a really special time!”

4. Pray intentionally for missionaries.

Nowadays, it’s easy to share prayer requests through international apps. For example, TEAM missionary Beth Chadwick uses an app called Voxer to share prayer concerns with a group of women who are committed to praying for her family.

Intentionally praying for the specifics of an overseas ministry provides missionaries with divine protection from the spiritual warfare they’re bound to experience on the field.

General prayers are great; specific prayers are better. Always be sure to let the missionary know what you’ve been praying for, and don’t be afraid to ask for updates on specific situations. This lets missionaries know they have someone continually presenting them to the Father.

Keep up with our monthly prayer focus for more ideas on how to pray for your missionaries.

5. Give to the supporting missions organization.

While most people know missionaries have a sending church, many don’t realize missionaries usually have a sending organization, such as TEAM , behind them, too. These organizations support missionaries in ways most individuals and churches can’t, including on-the-field counseling, retirement planning, evacuation during emergencies, medical advice and many other essential services.

Missionaries Tim and Tammy Evans shared about a time TEAM helped them carry on despite discouraging obstacles: “We were at an all-time low in our ministry. We were burned out by stress, lack of success and conflict with another couple. After a year and four months on home assignment, conflict resolution and rest, TEAM approved a [large] grant … for our ministry one week before we were supposed to head back to Brazil. We were just amazed.”

Always find out which sending organization your missionary uses, and see how a donation there could enhance your missionary’s impact on the field.

You can strengthen missionaries around the world with a compassionate gift to TEAM. Please give today!

6. Coordinate with missionaries on the field when planning visits.

Short-term mission trips and occasional visits from friends and family go a long way in maintaining deep connections and partnerships with overseas missionaries.

However, this blessing can easily become a struggle if trips aren’t properly planned with the missionary.

Whether you are a church sending a short-term mission team or a friend going for a visit, always be sure to actively coordinate with the missionary in the area as much as possible.

Make sure there are specific projects the missionary needs help with and that you’re coming when they will have the time and energy to host you well.

Also, remember that not every trip has to be about work. Your church may not be able to send a whole team, but funding occasional visits from close friends or family members can be tremendously beneficial and refreshing for someone who’s serving away from home.

7. Don’t forget the kids!

Forgetting the kids is an easy trap to fall into as a supporter. But as a missionary kid myself, I know firsthand how special it is to receive a letter or a care package created especially for you.

“When our kids were small and with us, one church would send Christmas gifts to them each year,” says TEAM missionary David Stoddard. “That was very meaningful.”

Missionary kids often encounter their own sets of cultural dilemmas and struggles with loneliness. Feeling cared for by those they left behind when they moved to the mission field is deeply encouraging and something they will never forget.

Gifts during holiday seasons, like Christmas or Easter, is always a particularly nice surprise for children who are living away from home.

What are your favorite ways to support missionaries you know? If you’re a missionary, what special ways have your supporters shown you they care?


By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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