How To Choose A Missions Agency

Andy Olsen • May 13, 2014

Technology, accessible travel and global banking have made it easier than ever to pack up and move overseas. So it may seem like an easy choice to go abroad as an independent missionary without being attached to a missions agency.

But while the freedom and flexibility of going it alone can be a benefit for some missionaries, the majority of missionaries find that the positives of journeying with an agency far outweigh any drawbacks .

Whether you’re deciding between missions agencies, considering your church as your “agency,” or contemplating going out on your own, ask yourself these questions as you weigh your options.

1. Who will affirm my calling?

Every missionary’s calling should be discerned in the local church, which TEAM believes is primarily responsible for sending a missionary. But getting an independent second opinion that affirms your calling and your readiness is arguably essential for long-term success on the field.

Likewise, when considering a sending agency, ask if the agency values the local sending church’s assessment of your calling and readiness. It should. Missions agencies are not meant to bypass the church, but to work hand-in-hand with it.

2. Who will lend context and credibility to my ministry?

Few things help missionaries when raising their support like the endorsement of a credible third party. Make sure your agency or sender can offer you that, so your potential supporters do not have to merely take you at your word.

Financial accountability is also a key component of credibility. It should go without saying, but make sure your sender could pass rigorous tests of financial accountability and controls. The best organizations regularly test themselves on this through independent financial audits and in-house reviews.

3. Who will prepare me professionally, culturally, and spiritually?

By itself, a calling to missions does not make someone ready to head to the field. Months — sometimes years — of training in language, culture, Bible, and other skills are usually needed before a missionary is ready to serve effectively in a foreign context. Depending on your situation, lining up all this training could be a lot of work. Be sure your sending agency is up to the task, and beware of cutting corners in your missionary preparation. It might be tempting at first, but in the long run, good preparation is a priceless investment.

4. Who will connect my ministry to something larger?

In a globalized world, global mission is increasingly interconnected. Partnerships with churches and other ministries — both internationally and domestically — are becoming essential to ministry success. We all need help to make these connections. The best sending agencies will have deep resources to help with this. Make sure yours does.

5. Who will help my ministry live beyond me?

Missionaries today tend not to stay in one place as long as they did a generation ago. You may think you’re going to serve in Austria forever (and we hope you do!), but it’s increasingly common for workers to stay in one place for a few years and then move to another field or on to something else.

If there’s even a slight chance that may describe you, consider whether your sender has a strategic presence in your field or a plan to place new workers there, to ensure your ministry will continue even if you’re gone. You probably want to leave the greatest Kingdom legacy you can, and many missions agencies are structured to help that happen.

6. Who will provide logistical support?

Churches have traditionally worked with missions agencies as a way to outsource the administrative tasks they may not feel equipped to tackle. While the best agencies offer so much more, that is still one of the biggest benefits of an agency. Visa logistics, work permits, managing donations legally, relocating overseas, crisis situations and member care — missions agencies are experts in dealing with these things. There are certainly ways to wade through all the red tape yourself, but ask yourself if you really have the time and energy for it.

7. Who is preparing me for ministry 10 years from now?

Church ministry in North America today looks very different than it did a decade ago, and the same goes for global missions. The way we approach ministry overseas is rapidly changing as the global south becomes a growing mission force and multi-national teams emerge as the new norm in many countries. Ask yourself if your sender is prepared not just for global ministry today, but 10 or 20 years from now. Better yet, ask your sending agency.

8. Who will help me when things get tough?

Overseas service is full of exciting and rewarding seasons. But it is guaranteed to have difficult stretches involving high stress, disputes with coworkers or depression. Weathering those storms is so much easier with the help of an experienced and equipped missionary care team.

Member care takes many different forms, but one thing is sure: it requires more than an occasional email with a friend back in North America. It’s easy when you are fresh and optimistic to think you’ll never need member care. But you’ll want to make sure your sending organization has something to offer when you need it most. The best agencies have built-in structures to address problems before they happen.

9. Who is on my team, and will we all get along?

Even the most gifted and spirit-filled missionary cannot do missions alone. We all need people on our team, whether they live next to us or sit in an office a thousand miles away. Make sure the people on your team can work well with your values and ministry vision. How does the team make decisions, and what input will you have into those decisions?

Consider your sender’s theological views and how they align with yours. Also consider your own personality, how you prefer to work, and your family and lifestyle priorities. How do you want to school your children? What standard of living do you hope to maintain on the field? These are important issues to be honest about with yourself and your sender.

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Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024

TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024

Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.