preparing for missions Archives - Page 3 of 8 - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Does God Care About Your Work?

How do you live out God's missional call as a waiter, salesperson or cubicle-dweller? Is it even possible? Photo by TEAM

Jun 26 2018

For the last couple of hundred years, the western world has viewed life as “sacred vs. secular.” Since the Enlightenment Age, we’ve emphasized God coming to redeem you (personal profession of faith) over God coming to redeem the world (making all things right when He returns). There is a feeling that the work you do from Monday to Saturday is different from what you do on Sunday. This line of thinking subverts the work of individuals in the workplace as “less than” because it’s considered secular work rather than sacred. But the truth is that God created work. In fact,…

Missionaries face so many cultural barriers, have you ever wondered why God even bothers with them? See what one missionary learned during her search for answers. Photo by TEAM

Jun 14 2018

My co-worker and I had everything set to start our mom’s club. The moms were eager, and we’d found a popular American Christian parenting book that’s available in both Chinese and English. But as the weeks went on, I noticed something strange. We enjoyed good fellowship with the moms, but they all seemed to avoid talking about the content of the book — the very thing I’d hoped would lead to deeper spiritual conversation. Finally, I got more pointed with my questions: “In this part, he’s talking about how important it is to cultivate an internal system of self-control…

Why do you really want to go overseas? If you answered with one of these 6 reasons, you might not be ready! Photo by TEAM

May 29 2018

Working for a missions agency, we get to assess, equip and deploy missionaries all over the world. When we assess them, we’re looking at more than skills and gifts; we look at motivations and reasons why someone wants to go overseas. There are plenty of reasons why people go overseas, but not all of them are great reasons. Maybe the intention is pure, and we want to affirm genuine and holy desires. But we also want to steer those desires in ways that truly honor the Lord rather than fulfilling one’s own mission. Some of the most popular reasons people…

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…

How old is too old to be a missionary? Is there really an ideal missionary age? Hear from senior TEAM missionaries about their experiences. Photo by TEAM

Mar 27 2018

Deb Prentice should not be a missionary. She should be doting on grandchildren. She should be finishing her career as a nurse practitioner. She’s just running away from the death of her husband. Well, that’s what people told her anyway. Deb originally thought she would go to the mission field in her 20s, as a newlywed. But then she and her husband had to care for her father-in-law. Then they started a family. Then they had grandkids. When God finally gave her the go-ahead in 2007, Deb was more than ready. But to be fair to her naysayers, moving to…

The Launch Intensive gives you two weeks to explore missions, learn how to explore new cultures and seek God's will on your missionary journey!

Feb 27 2018

What can two weeks in North Africa teach you about engaging with cultures, sharing the Gospel and making a long-term commitment to missions? Probably way more than you’d expect — if those two weeks are part of the Launch Intensive program. We asked three Launch Intensive alumni to share what God did through their experiences and why other aspiring missionaries should check it out. 1. You get to share the Gospel. One of my greatest joys from our time in North Africa was getting to share with our host mom about God’s grace, and about how we do good works…

Read a TEAM missionary's top three spiritual secrets for maintaining physical fitness for off — and on — the mission field.

Jan 11 2018

On my first visit to a southern African country, I started praying that God would send a missionary there. But I knew it couldn’t be me. For starters, I was in terrible physical shape. I was more than 110 pounds overweight and took several medications to mitigate the effects of my obesity. I joked that my blood type was butter! But I also fell far short in education, church leadership, financial readiness and spiritual discipline. How could I go with so little to give? Physical fitness seemed like the least of my worries. It turns out, however, that exercising self-control (a…

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…

Does your relationship with your church impact your involvement in missions? Keep reading to see how your calling and community are often intertwined. Photo by TEAM

Nov 21 2017

“What does your church say about going to Ghana?” Hmm…. Now that was a question I hadn’t considered before. What did my church have to say about what country I was serving in and what I was doing while there? When someone asked me that question after I returned from a summer mission trip to West Africa, I was a little surprised. It’s not that my church wasn’t involved in sending me. They had financially supported me and told me they were proud of me. But when I stopped and thought about it, I realized I hadn’t taken a moment…

Internships by TEAM are designed to help students try out their skills and passions in a global environment and to grow not only professionally, but also spiritually. Photo by TEAM

Sep 28 2017

If you’re a student looking for internship credit, you could spend a summer at a corporate office fetching coffee and making copies — or you could spend it on the other side of the world sharing the Gospel while growing in your field of study! Getting to travel and serve overseas is exciting on its own. The fact that you can do that while also fulfilling internship requirements makes it even better. Internships by TEAM was designed for students who want to try out their skills and passions in an international environment. Here are four ways you will benefit from…

Tag - preparing for missions

Does God Care About Your Work?

Why Does God Use Missionaries?

6 Reasons Why You Should Not Go Overseas

5 Questions to Ask Your Sending Church

7 Secrets to Being a Missionary in Your Golden Years

3 Reasons Why You Should Pack Your Bags for North Africa

How Getting Fit Prepared Me for Missions

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

Giving Your Community a Voice in Your Calling

When School Credit Meets Global Missions