Ministry Before Missions: 5 Reasons to Think Local Before You Go Global

Suzanne Pearson • Jun 23, 2022

For many future missionaries, God’s calling to mission work can create an unnecessary sense of urgency. The desire to GO as soon as possible may cause an emotional decision to pursue cross-cultural missions right away without proper preparation. The result can be culture shock and difficulties adjusting to life on the mission field.

Seasoned missionaries offer great advice to avoid this pitfall: think local before you go global. Taking the time to invest in local ministries that relate to the type of mission work you want to do will go a long way toward preparing you for the field. There are many reasons why gaining experience in ministry while still living at “home” is a great idea. Here are 5 Key Reasons To Think Local before you Go Global.

1. To Gain Skills in a Particular Type of Ministry

Even though TEAM and other reputable mission-sending organizations provide great training, orientation and support before you go overseas, there is nothing like on-the-job experience. So take a look at the type of ministry you are interested in, and then seek out local opportunities that will allow you to learn those skills. For example, if you’re interested in education , teach or volunteer at a local school that is geared toward the age group and demographic of students you want to reach.

TEAM Guatemala global worker, Amie is a great example. Even before she went to college, Amie knew that she wanted to pursue medical missions . But after training as a nurse, Amie didn’t jump right into international missions. Instead, she worked as a nurse in a local homeless shelter. “I began to have some experience in the States that would look similar to the experience that I’m in right now in a clinic that’s in an under-resourced area and having to be creative with care and with supplies.”

2. To Learn How to Interact and Communicate with Diverse People Groups

Probably one of the biggest hurdles many global workers face is how to effectively build relationships with people from other cultures. Thankfully, those communication skills can begin before you ever leave home. Kyle and Shelly, TEAM workers in South Africa , invested in cross-cultural relationships in their Chicago neighborhood before traveling overseas.

“It proved to be really helpful to us because we got to preview the experience of a missionary. When you’re a missionary and you head overseas, you become the fish out of water. You become the one who is in a different land, a different culture,” says Kyle. “So if you want to know what it’s like to be a missionary without ever leaving home, one of the best ways to do it is, make friends with someone from a different culture in your country. When you see their struggles, you’ll understand your struggles when you become a missionary.”

Kit, another TEAM worker in South Africa is involved in college ministry . Before going abroad, Kit worked for four years in the U.S. with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. During this time, he learned how valuable it is to just spend time doing life together with the students. “[Intervarsity] helped me to see the importance of just being with the students. I don’t know if I would have really understood that without the ministry that I did before,” says Kit.



3. To Understand the Values and Struggles of a Particular Culture

Every culture has its own values and struggles, many of which aren’t easy to see at first glance. Often potential missionaries have the misperception that if they know the language of a culture, they understand the culture itself. The worldview and value system of a culture, however, run much deeper. Rubbing shoulders with people from that culture within your own local community helps you gain a richer understanding of the culture’s mindset.

Art and Vicki are church planters in Mexico , but before they moved across the border, they worked for years at a Hispanic church plant near their home in Chicago. Even though Art was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish, he grew up in a mostly non-Hispanic community. Vicki explains how Hispanic ministry in Chicago prepared Art to lead a church plant in Mexico. “He learned about some of the difficulties in Mexico, some of the social problems,” remembers Vicki. “[We learned] the importance of relationships, the idea of ‘we’ instead of ‘I.’ This was a great way that God used the Spanish class and the church to confirm…that this was something we felt passionate about and that we could do.”

Emmanuel Church group

Art and Vicki’s work at Emmanuel Evangelical Church in San José del Cabo, Mexico came after years of local ministry in Chicago.

4. To Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Engaging in local missions before international ministry allows you to find out which parts of ministry come naturally to you and which will require more practice and training. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but often it takes real-life practical experience to home in on what they are.

Amie looks back on her time as a nurse at the homeless shelter as invaluable in that regard. “It was a time where I could see very clearly some of my strengths and weaknesses, and start working on them before going overseas,” says Amie. She also says that those areas of weakness were faith builders as she saw God’s strength at work. “And so when I’m struggling with ministry here…I know that I can look back and see how God has worked in the past and I know that He is faithful and will continue to be at work in the future.”

5. To Grow in Your Walk with the Lord

Probably the most important thing to remember when considering missions work is that we are all, first and foremost, disciples of Jesus , no matter where we are. In order to be effective missionaries, we must first be committed to growing in the wisdom and knowledge of Jesus. Reaching into the lives of other people, right in our own backyard, is critical to our own discipleship and spiritual growth .

Paul, a veteran TEAM worker offers this sage advice: “Gain some ministry experience, become strong in your walk with the Lord, become stable. Then you bring that with you on the field. You’re just going to be more productive. You’re going to be a better servant of the Lord.”

Convinced but not sure how to make it happen? Check out some practical ways to get plugged into cross-cultural ministry without leaving home. Invest now in local ministry, see how God uses you right here at home, and you’ll be ready for global missions before you know it.

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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