The Best Thing About Being a Missionary

Stephen Langley • Apr 04, 2016

The best part of being a missionary is following God on a journey to bring him glory among the nations, an endeavor that cannot fail. Photo by TEAM in Mozambique.


Today we welcome Stephen Langley, an appointed TEAM missionary to South Africa, to share his thoughts on what motivated him to choose missions as his career.

It may seem presumptuous for a missionary who has not yet left for his assignment to claim to know “the best thing about being a missionary.” But bear with me. I think I’m onto something here, and I invite any of my veteran missionary friends to tell me if I’m wrong.

Last week, I was vacuuming one of the hallways in my church and pondering my family’s future. I had just finished listening to a John Piper sermon on world evangelism. As usual with Piper, I found it at once challenging and inspiring. It got me reflecting on my chosen vocation: missionary.


Being a Missionary is Fail-Proof

The word “missionary” holds so many different meanings for so many different people. For some, it merely means “foreigner.” For others, it means “hero” or “fearless Christian.” Still, others hear the word and think, “colonizing, culture-wrecking, society-meddling, proselytizing dummkopfs.”


For me, “missionary” symbolizes something I’ve always wanted to be and always doubted I could be. Nonetheless, I’ve pursued this career diligently, drawing encouragement from the fact that nearly every missionary I have ever known or read about has likewise doubted his or her ability to serve God in an intercultural context.

“Missionary” means men and women I know personally who have spent decades in another country, giving up every conventional idea of normality and comfort for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It means serving God in a way that forces me to depend upon Him completely, for absolutely everything.

It means going where I think my gifts and passions fit best, knowing it will mean that I never quite fit in anywhere ever again. For many — perhaps someday for those I love and even myself — it means martyrdom.

It means joy, anxiety, passion, fear, excitement, uncertainty and trust.

It means many things. But what struck me on this day with more profundity than ever before is this:


Being a missionary means following God in a vocation in which we cannot possibly fail. That is the best thing about being a missionary.


It is the only job I know of in which you are guaranteed to be absolutely, 100 percent, gloriously successful in your career goals. That is, if your goals are the same as God’s. Herein lies the key: If our goal is God’s goal, then it will be achieved. There is nothing else about which we can be more certain than this resounding scriptural truth: God will accomplish all His purposes!


God’s Goal Can’t Be Missed 

In Isaiah 46:9-10 (NIV), God says, Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”


What are His purposes? Ultimately, He has but one: Nothing less than His own glory, consummated in the receiving of the worship and honor due His name from every tribe, tongue and nation under heaven.

Once again, I have John Piper to thank. It was he who showed me how the Scriptures are absolutely replete with this marvelous truth. He in turn credits C.S. Lewis and Jonathan Edwards for opening his eyes to this core scriptural theme in their monumental works The Weight of Glory and The End for Which God Created the World respectively. I commend their writings, along with Piper’s, to anyone and everyone.

Piper has helpfully compiled a survey of the biblical evidence for this doctrine in this magnificent article. For brevity’s sake, I summarize his work here, and I think you’ll agree: 

The weight of the Bible’s emphasis on this theme is staggering.


  • God chose his people for His glory. (Ephesians 1:4-6, 12, 14)
  • God created us for His glory. (Isaiah 43:6-7)
  • Jesus sought the glory of His Father in all He did. (John 7:18)
  • Jesus told us to do good works so that God gets glory. (Matthew 5:16, 1 Peter 2:12)
  • Jesus warned that not seeking God’s glory makes faith impossible. (John 5:44)
  • Jesus said He answers prayer in order that God would be glorified. (John 14:13)
  • Jesus endured the cross for God’s glory. (John 12:27-28)
  • God gave His Son to vindicate the glory of His righteousness. (Romans 3:25-26)
  • God forgives our sins for His own sake. (Isaiah 43:25, Psalm 25:11)
  • Jesus receives us into His fellowship for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)
  • The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son of God. (John 16:14)
  • God instructs us to do everything for His glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
  • Jesus’ aim for us is that we see and enjoy His glory. (John 17:24)
  • Everything that happens will result in God’s glory. (Romans 11:36)
  • Even God’s wrath serves to make known His glory. (Romans 9:22-23)
  • God’s plan is to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory. (Habakkuk 2:14)


This is what excites me. God has ordained all that was, is and is to come for the purpose of His glory.

Our chosen vocation as missionaries is to tell of the glory of God to all the earth, and God’s intent is to fill all the earth with His glory. And once again, He says, “I will accomplish all my purpose.”


This is job security at its very best. When your goal is God’s goal, you can’t miss it.

This edited post first appeared on the Langley’s ministry blog, A Fire in Our Bones, and can be read here. Since publication, Stephen and his wife Jessica have been serving faithfully with TEAM in southern Africa.


Are you ready to discover if a career in missions is for you? Check out missions opportunities with TEAM today!

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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