Why Your Call to Missions Matters + How to Find It

Jessica Hulbert • Apr 01, 2016

I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but when I see a tiny airplane on the cover of a journal, or a canvas that reads “Adventure is Waiting”, my heart starts to swell with longing. I immediately want to be on a plane or adding a stamp to my passport or in the middle of a busy European café, soaking in the sights and sounds.

When you pair a longing for adventure with a desire to share the hope of Jesus Christ with the world, missions seems like the natural next step.

I agree, you may be on to something. But while passion and excitement can be an indicator of a call to missions, it doesn’t always guarantee it.

So how can you discern whether your passion is leading you on the path to cross-cultural ministry work?

Why Does Calling Matter in Missions?

First, I think we need to ask ourselves, “Why does calling matter?” If our passions are leading us toward something good, like missions, discerning calling can seem somewhat irrelevant.

Here’s why making the distinction matters:

While passion often motivates us to do something, it waxes and wanes with time, and without a genuine calling, you’re left with an uncertainty when things get tough. Ultimately, we need to be sure we’re following God’s leading, not just our emotions. So, we let passion be an indicator of something God may be doing in us, but we still take it to him and ask where he is leading first. This helps us surrender our passion and make it about him rather than us.

It may very well be that he is speaking right into that passion. It may also be that he has other plans for us to wait on. Either way, we’ve given ourselves a chance to open our hearts up to the Creator and let him move. And we will not be disappointed in the plans he has for us.

How Do I Discern My Call to Missions?

Calling is a difficult topic to address and would probably take more than a blog post to really unpack it. But, from my own experience, I have found a few key things to be necessary when discerning next steps in my life.

1. Prayer

I don’t know if I’ve found anything more powerful than prayer in the area of discernment. My mind plays too many tricks on me, weaving in doubts and contradictory thoughts. It’s a tangled mess up there! Prayer has a way of cutting through the overgrown branches of my mind and paving a clear path.

Take your passion for missions to God in prayer. He wants to hear the desires of your heart, so let him into your thought process. And as you’re praying, make room for him to speak through his Spirit and scripture. When we set aside our worry and settle our minds, we open our hearts to hear from God. In doing so, we become more sensitive to his voice and his direction.

2. Wise Council

I’ve always been an extrovert who loves being around people. But surrounding myself with people and leaning on those who actually have a voice in my life are two different things. God never intended for us to be alone. Our church community is our godly family who sharpens us toward living better lives with Christ.

As you let people in to your decision making process, they are able to speak into areas you may have never thought of on your own. So, in times of discerning what to do next, your community may be one of the strongest tools you have.

I have had many close friends, mentors and co-workers speak into my life over the years. Their words and challenges have rooted themselves within me, not only bringing life to situations I felt hopeless in, but also reminding me that I’m not alone.

Let others into the process of discerning your call to missions. Talk to your missions pastor or connect with a missions coach at TEAM who will talk to you one-on-one about discovering your calling.

3. Time

This is a rough one. Anyone impatient like me? Go ahead, raise your hand! I won’t judge.

When we want to make a decision, we want to make it quick. Sitting in the unknown is so uncomfortable, and honestly, it’s frustrating! But when I’ve had big decisions to make in my life, sometimes I’ve tried to hurry them along when the process was just as important as the outcome.

Discerning your call to missions doesn’t always take a long time, but sometimes it does — and for our own good! So, if you’re struggling to find answers, give it more time.

In the meantime you can actively wait. Continue being faithful in pursuing God’s heart for your life. Continue talking to people and praying with people. Continue processing what you’ve heard from God and how you’ve seen him move. And let these things develop over time. It will grow you in ways that will only help as you live on the mission field.

Breathe deep, and trust that in the moments of unknown, God knows, and his plan is unfolding in your life even now.

What’s Next?

If you feel like your passion is leading you overseas, I am so excited for you! Consider taking the next step, and go on a short-term mission trip. If you’re still unsure, continue taking next steps in discerning your call to missions. Wherever your journey leads, you’re already on the greatest adventure of your life by walking with him.




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By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
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.
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