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.

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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