missions strategy Archives - Page 2 of 4 - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Can Short-Term Ministry Have a Long-Term Impact? [September Prayer Focus]

As we celebrate 50 years of short-term ministry at TEAM, please ask God to provide more short-term workers for a long-term impact.

Sep 04 2018

Eight years ago, TEAM missionaries in Tokyo leased the site for what would become the SonRise Cafe. The vision was to create a missional coffee shop, where people could feel welcome — and get to hear the Gospel. But the only structure that stood there was a concrete shell. They needed pretty much everything, from floors and ceilings to kitchen cabinets. How would they get it all done? Their time was eaten up by other ministries. And then there was the matter of funds. It was impossible for them to accomplish on their own. That’s when five men from the…

Discover five easy ways to add cross-cultural ministry elements to your VBS event this year! Photo by TEAM

May 15 2018

Children’s ministers, unite! It’s the time of year where your trunk is full of plastic decorations, inflatable balls and paper cups waiting to become a spaceship craft. That’s right: vacation Bible school is almost here! For many churches, vacation Bible school is one of the biggest events of the year. But this event is not just a great way for your church to engage with your community — it’s also a great way to disciple children about God’s heart for the nations! Now, many of us might be thinking, How am I supposed to add one more thing to our…

Don't journey into missions alone. Check out these 5 questions to ask your sending church and discover ways you can prepare for the mission field! Photo by TEAM

May 08 2018

It’s never too late to include your church in your missions calling — whether you’re just getting started or have been on the field for years. But it can be hard to figure out where to start. That’s the dilemma a reader recently shared on Instagram. So, we decided to share the five questions every missionary (or potential missionary) should ask their sending church. Plus, we have a free resource to help you keep the conversation going. 1. Will you go on this journey with me? William Carey was a British missionary in the 1800s. When he decided to share…

Will creating a long-term missions strategy keep you from hearing God's voice? Check out these 3 tips to stay firm but flexible in your church's plan for missions! Photo by TEAM

Mar 13 2018

We’re firm believers that every church should have a long-term strategy for its global missions work — one that provides focus and clarity on where to invest your resources and people. But having a strategy isn’t without its challenges. For example, what happens if your church decides to focus on missions in Asia… and then someone in your church senses a call to go to Kenya? Do you refuse to support them because they don’t fit with the bigger strategy? Or do you toss aside the strategy every time someone comes with a new idea? How do you know if…

What would it look like for your church to carry out the mission of Acts 1:8, integrating both local and global missions? Photo by TEAM

Jan 25 2018

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 is a common verse in the missions world, used to encourage every Christian to take the Gospel to their Jerusalem (local city), Judea and Samaria (region), and the ends of the earth (world). But with limited time and resources, this mission can seem like more than we can handle. Churches often start asking, “Should we focus on local or global missions?” In answering this question,…

How does an "us vs. them" mentality limit our call to missions? Keep reading to find out. Photo by TEAM

Nov 27 2017

In Luke 10, Jesus calls the crowds to “[love] your neighbor as yourself,” prompting a religious leader to ask, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke tells us the lawyer intended the question to “justify himself.” How does the question justify the questioner? By limiting those he was responsible to love. In an earlier post, I shared my belief that, when it comes to mobilizing people toward global missions, we often fail because we tend to wield the law instead of meeting people with the Gospel. The religious ruler of Luke 10 asks a question that naturally rises out of law-based…

When you think about your involvement in missions, are you motivated by the law — by a sense of duty — or by the grace of the Gospel? Photo by TEAM

Oct 26 2017

In our Sending Church Training events, I often lead a session about “embracing spiritual conviction.” Every time I facilitate this session, I knowingly disappoint the attendees. Here’s why. In a room full of church missions leaders, everyone thinks “embracing spiritual conviction” means they’ll learn ways to motivate their congregations toward missions. In that environment, I let everyone down by refusing to talk about behaviors and focusing instead on affections. When it comes to mission motivators, it doesn’t really work to only think about behaviors — what people do — without also thinking about affections — why they do what they…

How to Identify Missionaries In Your Church

Whether it be a one-on-one meeting or a church-wide event, begin to develop ways that you can identify missionaries in your church. Photo by TEAM

Jul 11 2017

If I were to give you a one-question test right now, how would your church fare? Here’s the question: Are there people in your church interested in sharing the Gospel cross-culturally? If you are like many churches, your answer might be, “I don’t know.” A commitment to mission work often involves a deeply personal call from the Holy Spirit. But because everyday communities can see how an individual is gifted, church communities have the remarkable opportunity to call out the cross-cultural gifts they see in potential missionaries. What does this actually look like? Here are four ways you can proactively identify and prepare your congregation…

Missions agencies help assess, prepare and place missionaries, but they don't send them. And this distinction is more than just semantics. Photo by TEAM

Mar 29 2017

It’s common vernacular to call missions agencies like TEAM “sending agencies.” But really, this label is a misnomer. While agencies help assess, prepare and place missionaries, they do not send them. And this distinction isn’t just a matter of semantics. Knowing who sends missionaries is a critical distinction that shapes our understanding of the local church’s critical role in global missions. At TEAM, we say that our purpose is to help churches send missionaries. That may sound simple, but those words are intended to convey an idea that is fundamental to everything we do. We believe the church is the…

The majority of Europeans identify with the Christian faith. So why is there a need for missionaries there? Photo by TEAM.

Jan 25 2017

When you think of mission work, what comes to mind probably isn’t someone in France discussing theology with a neighbor over cappuccinos. But the reality is, Europe critically needs more Christian missionaries to make disciples. There are several reasons we leave Europe off the map when we think of spreading the gospel “to the ends of the earth.” The most glaring one being that the gospel has already been spread there. In the New Testament, we read about the gospel’s early adoption in Europe through Paul’s letters to the church in modern-day Greece, Italy and Turkey. Marble statues, massive cathedrals…

Tag - missions strategy

Can Short-Term Ministry Have a Long-Term Impact? [September Prayer Focus]

How to Make Missions Part of Your VBS

5 Questions to Ask Your Sending Church

Why Limiting Your Missions Strategy Won’t Limit You

4 Ways to Unite Your Local and Global Missions Strategy

Why “Us vs. Them” Won’t Reach a Lost World

Why Guilting People into Missions Ultimately Fails

How to Identify Missionaries in Your Church

Why We Don’t Send Missionaries

Does Europe Need Missionaries?