7 Creative Ways for Missionaries to Connect with Supporters

Anna Price • Aug 03, 2016

No missionary is sent out on their own; behind each one is a selfless group of churches and individuals who have mentored, prayed and given so the missionary could cross cultural barriers to share the gospel.

Because of the busy nature of ministry life, it can be hard for missionaries to connect with supporters while they serve on the field. Fortunately, with some creativity and a bit of technology, there are many ways you can stay connected with your supporters, even when you are thousands of miles away. Here are some favorites.

1. Display the Names and Faces of Your Support Team.

Look for unique ways to display the names and faces of your supporters where you can see them often.

Dave and Cheryl Jereb , TEAM missionaries in Zimbabwe , have pictures of each of their supporters in a photo album they often flip through. “Not only does it remind us to pray for them on a regular basis,” Cheryl says, “but on the days we struggle, [the album] reminds us we are not alone; we have a team behind us.”

If you can’t get pictures, writing names on a chalkboard or bulletin board can give you these reminders each time you see them.

2. Create a Facebook Group .

Due to privacy concerns, your personal Facebook page generally isn’t the best platform to discuss prayer requests or people in your ministry. A valuable alternative is to create a private Facebook group and invite supporters to join.

There, you can openly share heartfelt prayer requests and specific testimonies from your ministry. One TEAM worker in Mexico uses her Facebook group to galvanize prayer support before she interacts with the women she serves at a shelter. Afterward, she shares in real time how God is answering the prayers of her support team.

For more social media tips for missionaries, click here.

3. Pick up the phone!

If you’re able to while on the field, how special could it be to call one of your supporters and pray with them? This special touch can mean so much to beloved friends who miss hearing your voice regularly.

If it’s cost prohibitive to use an actual phone, Skype and Facebook Messenger both have great calling options available for free. The Jerebs use Facebook Messenger to call a few members of their support team each week. They aim to make phone contact with each supporter several times a year and report that these efforts have allowed them to maintain deep relationships with friends thousands of miles away.

4. Prioritize your newsletter and invite feedback.

We know, we know. The newsletter is often the last thing on your to-do list each month, but it is so important for connecting with the people who care about you and your ministry! Newsletters let your churches and supporters know what you are up to and how they can pray for you.

For inspiration, check out these posts on what to include in your newsletter and how to make it look great.

TIP: Encourage your supporters to write back. It can be discouraging when no one lets you know they’ve read your newsletter. To avoid this, try to think of creative ways to invite feedback from readers, such as asking a question each month (i.e. What are your plans for the summer? What is your favorite food at Thanksgiving? How can we pray for you this month?).

5. Invite your kids into the process.

Why not invite your kids (either your own or, if applicable and appropriate, even kids you work with in your ministry) to draw a picture or write a note to your supporters? Sending that along lets your supporters know the whole family and/or ministry is appreciative of what they are doing to serve the nations.

For more, read this post with actionable ways to involve your kids in missions.

6. Share a piece of your ministry area.

You have unique insight into a culture that might be unfamiliar to your supporters. Give greater context to your ministry by sharing cultural tidbits and artifacts with your partners.

One TEAM missionary to Spain likes to thank her supporters by going down to her local olive oil refinery and picking up bottles to take to North America for those who are praying for and supporting her ministry.

Another missionary lives in Forli, an area of Italy known for its pottery, and often buys handmade ceramic magnets to give to supporters.

Sharing a piece of your culture is a great way to thank your supporters, and can also serve as a reminder for them to pray for the work you are doing on the field.

7. Go old school.

Handwritten notes aren’t just for your grandmother! Taking the time to write out what a supporter means to you and your ministry can be a meaningful gesture for those who are standing behind you and your work.

The above ideas are just a few TEAM missionaries have used to connect with supporters, but there are many more. If you give to or pray for missionaries, what is a way your missionary has blessed you while they were overseas? If you are a missionary, what is one way you like to stay in touch with your supporters? Let us know in the comments below.

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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