Are you wondering how to become a missionary after sensing God’s call? Learn from Jordan on her journey and the Christian missionary training program she picked. Enter Jordan:
“A couple of years ago, I felt a calling from the Lord I had never felt before. After that, becoming a missionary became my top priority in life.”
“I wanted to become a missionary and join Him in bringing the message of His Love in Jesus Christ to the world. Little did I know how Equip [Missionary Training] would change my life and my perspective on how to be a missionary.”
“Up until that point in my relationship with Jesus, I viewed missions in a traditional way. I saw full time missionaries as people who left their home to bring the message of Jesus to those who have never heard it.”
But what Jordan realized is, “The Lord has called us to bring the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, which includes those right down the street.”
Jordan realized there were long term missionary opportunities in the States where she could learn how to become a missionary.
Describing her experience, Jordan shares, “There are thousands of Unreached People Groups in the world. These are people groups where less than 2% of the population has heard and/or received the Gospel. During my time in Equip [Missionary Training], I learned how to be a missionary and pursue effective cross cultural ministry here in New York City.”
How to Become a Missionary
Here’s how to become a missionary: you’ll first need to discern your missionary calling and prayerfully consider people groups you might want to serve with. From there, you’ll find your missionary training program while you begin to raise the funding you will need to do the work God has called you to do. Let’s start by looking at how to discern your missionary calling.
Discern Your Missionary Calling
Is God calling you to make disciples through long term mission work? Do you sense the Holy Spirit calling you to cross cultural ministry?
Great! The next step is to seek out wise counsel from your local church to see if they affirm this calling. Your mentors and pastors can attest to the gifts that God has given you and challenge you in your growth areas.
For example, consider if you’re a gifted teacher for English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, or if evangelism comes easily to you.
Jordan recalls, “I remember someone asking me, ‘Do you share the Gospel with your neighbors?’ It was a pivotal question for me to answer as I considered cross cultural missions. I realized I could never expect to share the Gospel cross culturally if I was not even sharing it at home.”
From there, ask your mentors for resources for further study, and find ways to serve where you can use your gifts and bolster your skills in your local community.
Next, for how to become a missionary, you’ll want to prayerfully consider people groups.
Prayerfully Consider People Groups
Where is God calling you? Whether you are considering global missions or inner city work, you’ll need to determine what people group(s) you’ll minister among.
If you are unsure of your target population, you may want to train to become a missionary in a place with a variety of different people groups.
In her experience, Jordan shares, “Globalization has brought many of these people groups to our front door. For example, many people groups from the Middle East are fleeing dangers in their wartorn countries. This has led them to find asylum in urban settings in the United States and Europe.”
In fact, according to the work of Endangered Language Alliance and NYC, “At least ~700 language varieties from all over the world are used in the New York area.”1 Based on those stats, Jordan says, “New York City is a perfect example… Sharing the Gospel with your neighbor here is quite often a cross cultural experience.”
So begin praying about what Unreached People Groups you might serve. We’ve made a Printable Monthly Prayer Calendar for Unreached People Groups who are in the cities we serve. Would you join us for 28 days of prayer?
From there, you’ll need to begin thinking about fundraising support while you find a missionary training program.
Begin Fundraising
How will God provide for you on the mission field? He will provide financial support through your brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider your friends and family who you can ask to think about sponsoring your work financially, in addition to prayer.
You can also ask for the support of your local church. Be sure to ask about denominational or network support for full time missionaries as well. It is helpful if you prepare a presentation to share with your pastor and other individuals whom you will be asking for support.
While a support letter can sometimes be helpful, the most effective way to fundraise to become a missionary is to ask for sponsorship in 1 on 1 meetings with individuals who have the same heart for the Gospel as you do.
You want to look for a sending organization that won’t put your money to waste. You’ll typically pay 9-15% in operations fees to pay for office support so you can focus on your ministry. At the time of this writing, here at International Project, we only use 10% of funds for office support.
In the same way, you’ll need to find a mission agency that fits your values.
Become a Missionary
Where will you study how to become a missionary? By serving on a team with other missionaries!
You don’t need to go overseas to a place like Africa to get on the ground mission field training. There are missionary work opportunities already happening close to home, especially in urban areas of America.
You’ll want to look for a missionary training program that fits your needs. Could Equip be for you?
At our Equip Missionary Training Program, you’ll spend 10 months working among Unreached People Groups in New York City to evangelize, plant churches, and disciple others.
Jordan shares, “Being on mission with the Lord can look many different ways. A passion for cross cultural ministry brought me to New York City. While I am here, I am learning how to become a missionary and preparing to serve the Lord long term in a cross cultural context.”
In Equip, you’ll get:
- Christ centered mentoring and preparation by seasoned missionaries
- Hands on Discovery Bible Study and other evangelism training resources
- Real life house church and church planting experience from veteran workers
- Philosophy of ministry planning based on field time and on the Scriptures
Surrounded by full time missionaries, you’ll do outreach with diverse ethnic communities with programs like:
- English conversation groups
- Cultural learning activities for international students and adults
- Skill classes like sewing and knitting
- And more!
Plus, you could even have the opportunity at the end of your time to work with short term mission trip teams and train them in evangelism.
We believe that our 10 month Equip Missionary Training provides enough time to fully immerse yourself in the missionary experience. You want extended time on the same team to prepare for the mission field.
While they are a great introductory experience, a semester long or summer internship is not always enough time to work through team conflicts that arise. The great thing about Equip is you get longer experience being on a team and the time to really flesh out your own philosophy of ministry.
How to Become a Missionary with Equip
While finishing up Equip, Jordan shares, “It has been an exciting transition from a rural area to the multicultural setting of New York City this year. It opened up many opportunities to share the love of Jesus cross culturally while learning how to be a missionary.”
She goes on to say, “Equip has allowed me to experience and grow in sharing Jesus with many different people groups from around the world. In my neighborhood alone, I have had the opportunity to share Jesus with Albanians, Pakistanis, Iranians, and Turkish people— just to name a few.”
“There is nothing more exciting than learning how to be a missionary and joining God in what He is doing in this world! Whether by reaching out to your neighbor with the incredible love of Jesus and the Gospel message or serving cross culturally with Unreached People Groups, we are all called into the eternal purpose in the Great Commission. May the Lord use us all to glorify Him and welcome more and more people into the hope of eternal life found in Jesus!”
If you are considering mission work, sign up below to get more information or read more about our Equip Missionary Training Program!
Request Missionary Training Program Info
International Project is a Christian mission organization.
Sources:
1. https://languagemap.nyc/Explore/Language
2. Perlin, Ross, Daniel Kaufman, Mark Turin, Maya Daurio, Sienna Craig, Jason Lampel. 2021. Mapping Urban Linguistic Diversity in New York City: Motives, Methods, Tools, and Outcomes. Language Documentation & Conservation 15: 458-490. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/801399d5-ca36-4fb9-a4d7-8e94a49b23fb
