From Home Office to Mission Field: A Lesson in God Dependence

Suzanne Pearson • Feb 14, 2023

Over the next several months of TEAM Ministry Updates, we’ll be sharing stories that highlight each of TEAM’s defining values. Today we’d like to introduce you to the Gooding family. Their journey toward overseas ministry in Japan is marked by the value of “God Dependence.” Here is their story.

Meet the Goodings

In missions organizations like TEAM, it’s quite common for global workers to transition from a ministry post overseas to a position with the organization’s home office. It’s not as common for the opposite to be true. But our God has a wonderful way of revealing His plan in “uncommon” ways, doesn’t He?

For Doug and Becca Gooding, the road less traveled is the one laid out before them. After serving in TEAM’s Finance department in Carol Stream, Illinois for over 7 years, Doug and his family are now headed to Japan as global workers. We sat down with Doug to hear more about how God has called the Goodings to the mission field.


Q: How and when did you first come to TEAM and what was the journey that led you here?

A: We were called to missions 25 years ago at our sending church. As mission majors at Moody Bible Institute, we had the opportunity to go to Japan, and we started raising support to go and serve there. But the Lord closed that door. Then over the last several years, we served on our church’s mission committee team and took short-term mission trips to Haiti, Germany, and Papua.

In 2015, I started working in the TEAM Finance department. Then about a year and a half ago, TEAM asked us to consider moving to Asia. We prayed about it and agreed on Tokyo, Japan as the destination.


Q: Tell us a little bit about your family. What are the Goodings all about?

A: We currently live in the Chicagoland area. We have four amazing kids, Nathan (17), Jonah (16), Tirzah (13), and Sam (11). We have been homeschooling for the last 10 years and we love the flexibility it allows our family to have. Three out of four kids are actively involved in our church youth group and our youngest participates in AWANA. Our family likes board games, hiking, camping, and serving together at church.


Q: So, then you sensed this calling overseas…explain how that happened. Did you and Becca both sense it at once or did one of you wrestle with it at first? What about the kids?

A: We were both called in 1997 (prior to dating), and it was no mystery. The Lord clearly spoke to us in an altar call specifically regarding ministry. We’ve made the kids aware of this calling from the beginning. We’ve said to the kids, “God has called us, therefore you are also called.” Missions are part of our family. We don’t think it was a shock to any of our children when we shared the idea with them.


Doug and Becca Gooding

For Doug and Becca, the calling they felt to Japan is finally coming to fruition after many years.


Q: And so your role in Japan will be kind of a ‘hybrid’ so to speak? You’ll be in the field, but also still filling a staff-type role as a part of TEAM’s Global Services. What will that look like?

A: Hybrid, correct. We’ve officially been appointed and will be commissioned as global workers. We will be involved in ministry in Japan day-to-day, but also focused on serving and working alongside other global workers.

Q: How do you think your background on staff will help you in the field? Or on the flip side, are there challenges that might come because of your background on staff?

A: I think that it may help solve some of the concerns that global workers have with the home office. It also allows me to see things from the global workers’ perspective. I suppose the challenges will be managing different expectations from staff and global workers as I wear two hats.


Q: So let’s talk a little more about that staff/office “hat” that you’ll be wearing in Tokyo. What is the purpose of the TEAM office in Japan? Is it new?

A: The physical office in Japan is not new, nor is it the “hub” of globalization.* Japan is where our family fits in this globalization puzzle. The Japan office has its own role specific to TEAM Japan, managing TEAM’s properties. The office is half “western” and half Japanese. TEAM is adapting by becoming less North American in look, approach, and design. This is not unlike what missionaries have done for centuries! What’s new is partnering with multiple nations to learn from each other and best impact the least reached with the Gospel.


Q: So where are you in the process? What happens next?

A: We’ve completed the application, been appointed and placed, and have gone through all the in-person and online training. The next step is a commissioning service at our church and hopefully, we’ll be departing for Tokyo around the middle of March. Right now, we’re in the middle of transitioning and raising support.


Q: What are each of you most excited about? And the kids?

A: Being obedient to our calling and watching the Lord redeem this opportunity. The kids are just excited that we’re going on a new adventure!


Q: For a lot of people outside the day-to-day work of global missions, it’s hard to understand why there are so many moving parts – home office, field workers, sending churches, national churches worldwide, donors, and supporters. Since you’ve rubbed shoulders with all of these, how would you explain why all these pieces of the puzzle are so crucial?

A: I think it is most important to keep the main goal in mind from Revelation 5:9, seeing disciples raised up from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation in heaven. To that end, there are a lot of threads to the Lord’s tapestry. I think it is most important to understand your gifts and use these for His glory, His Church, and His Gospel. It’s exciting to see the Lord open ongoing connections and people, all with the global desire to send workers well in the harvest field.


Q: As you know, TEAM’s first defining value is God Dependence. How has this journey led you and your family to more fully depend on God?

A: We feel like there’s some opposition with everything we’ve walked through in the last 6 months. But we’ve also walked through a number of “unexplained” incidents that would not normally just happen. This has forced us to consider the calling and remember that the Lord is at the center of it. Of course, we feel ill-equipped (though we’re not actually ill-equipped). But that only further drives us to our knees. It also helps us keep a healthy mental and spiritual perspective. We need to count the cost as a family. We pray about submitting to His plans, which are always greater and better than anything we could think or imagine (I Cor 2:9).


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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