Anna Price, Author at TEAM Christian Missions Blog

What If My Church Doesn’t Want to Send Me?

Having a sending church is vital to thriving on the mission field. But what happens if your church doesn't want to send you?

May 04 2020

One aspect of going as a missionary through TEAM is that every missionary, from a short-termer to a career missionary, has a sending church. A sending church is the local church where you have served, grown and shared your calling to ministry. It is the group of people who stand with you as you prepare to go. They listen and pray as you face challenges in a new culture, and they surround you with care as you return home. As they prepare to go, some missionaries-to-be find their church ecstatic to see what God will do through their cross-cultural ministry….

A group of people sit together over a meal to discuss their missions strategy

Most churches want to send missionaries around the world. The question is, how do you make it actually happen?

Jan 21 2020

Did you know every single TEAM missionary has a sending church? Whether they are going for two weeks or 20 years, staying here in North America or serving in Southern Africa, we believe so strongly that God has called the church to send missionaries that TEAM has made it our mission to help them do so! Most churches would say they want to be a church that sends her people outside her walls, whether that is across the street or across the globe. But how does a church become a church that sends people? With over 500 sending churches in…

A busy pastor checks his phone to keep up with his work.

Sometimes the busyness of pastor life makes it difficult to engage in missions. Keep reading to see ways you can help give your church a global perspective.

Jul 25 2019

Yes, you want your church to engage in missions. But you also want to get home before 9 p.m. at least one day this week, right? As a pastor, you likely have a long to-do list and are an expert at balancing priorities. As one mentor told me when I first became a children’s pastor, “It’s all about spinning plates, and most weeks, you are deciding which plate is OK to fall and break.” While most pastors would agree they want their church to engage in missions, it’s easy for missions to become an afterthought or goal for after things…

When it comes to missionary care, most of us have good intentions — but how do you make sure those intentions become reality?

Jan 24 2019

Working at TEAM, the number one question I get from local churches is, “How do we take better care of our missionaries?” As a missions agency, TEAM provides proactive care for the ups and downs of missionary life. But most churches understand that they can offer something an agency simply can’t provide. As one missionary shared with me during a training session, “Sometimes you just need someone to make a casserole and eat it at the table with you.” This “casserole care” belongs to the community who has discipled and walked alongside the missionary long before they were sent with…

Discover five easy ways to add cross-cultural ministry elements to your VBS event this year! Photo by TEAM

May 15 2018

Children’s ministers, unite! It’s the time of year where your trunk is full of plastic decorations, inflatable balls and paper cups waiting to become a spaceship craft. That’s right: vacation Bible school is almost here! For many churches, vacation Bible school is one of the biggest events of the year. But this event is not just a great way for your church to engage with your community — it’s also a great way to disciple children about God’s heart for the nations! Now, many of us might be thinking, How am I supposed to add one more thing to our…

Don't journey into missions alone. Check out these 5 questions to ask your sending church and discover ways you can prepare for the mission field! Photo by TEAM

May 08 2018

It’s never too late to include your church in your missions calling — whether you’re just getting started or have been on the field for years. But it can be hard to figure out where to start. That’s the dilemma a reader recently shared on Instagram. So, we decided to share the five questions every missionary (or potential missionary) should ask their sending church. Plus, we have a free resource to help you keep the conversation going. 1. Will you go on this journey with me? William Carey was a British missionary in the 1800s. When he decided to share…

What would it look like for your church to carry out the mission of Acts 1:8, integrating both local and global missions? Photo by TEAM

Jan 25 2018

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 is a common verse in the missions world, used to encourage every Christian to take the Gospel to their Jerusalem (local city), Judea and Samaria (region), and the ends of the earth (world). But with limited time and resources, this mission can seem like more than we can handle. Churches often start asking, “Should we focus on local or global missions?” In answering this question,…

Does your relationship with your church impact your involvement in missions? Keep reading to see how your calling and community are often intertwined. Photo by TEAM

Nov 21 2017

“What does your church say about going to Ghana?” Hmm…. Now that was a question I hadn’t considered before. What did my church have to say about what country I was serving in and what I was doing while there? When someone asked me that question after I returned from a summer mission trip to West Africa, I was a little surprised. It’s not that my church wasn’t involved in sending me. They had financially supported me and told me they were proud of me. But when I stopped and thought about it, I realized I hadn’t taken a moment…

How to Identify Missionaries In Your Church

Whether it be a one-on-one meeting or a church-wide event, begin to develop ways that you can identify missionaries in your church. Photo by TEAM

Jul 11 2017

If I were to give you a one-question test right now, how would your church fare? Here’s the question: Are there people in your church interested in sharing the Gospel cross-culturally? If you are like many churches, your answer might be, “I don’t know.” A commitment to mission work often involves a deeply personal call from the Holy Spirit. But because everyday communities can see how an individual is gifted, church communities have the remarkable opportunity to call out the cross-cultural gifts they see in potential missionaries. What does this actually look like? Here are four ways you can proactively identify and prepare your congregation…

Know a team, friend or loved one returning from a mission trip? Curious to know how it went? Help them process their experience with this list of 15 thoughtful questions to ask after a mission trip.

Jun 22 2017

¡Descargue una traducción al español de esta publicación aquí! “It was life-changing.” “It was amazing.” “It’s hard to put into words.” If you’ve ever asked a short-term missionary about their experience, you’ve probably heard one of these statements in response. Returning short-term missionaries often benefit from processing their experiences. In fact, TEAM recommends each of our short-term missionaries debrief from their trip with both their missions coach and their church community. However, helping someone process a cross-cultural mission trip isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Often, the questions asked are so broad that missionaries struggle to articulate answers without…

Author - Anna Price

What If My Church Doesn’t Want to Send Me?

How to Become a Sending Church

4 Ways Busy Pastors Can Engage in Missions

Creating a Missionary Care Plan

How to Make Missions Part of Your VBS

5 Questions to Ask Your Sending Church

4 Ways to Unite Your Local and Global Missions Strategy

Giving Your Community a Voice in Your Calling

How to Identify Missionaries in Your Church

15 Questions to Ask Someone After a Mission Trip