Choosing a mission
How do you choose one mission to join when there are many great agencies? Do you even need a mission agency? Start by figuring out who you are. What are you passionate about—a particular kind of ministry, a country, a people group? Think about your gifting and what interests you. Your unique experience may also affect your decision. Now that you have narrowed down the options, recognize that mission agencies also have distinct personalities. Here are some questions to ask:
- What is the leadership and organizational structure?
- What is the mission’s stated purpose? Is it accomplishing that? How? Do these goals excite you?
- Is the mission growing?
- How does the mission relate to the churches at home? Does it serve and support the local church?
- How does the mission relate to the churches overseas? How do the missionaries relate to the local believers and leaders? Are they servants or rulers?
- How are finances and support handled? How are support requirements determined?
- Will they train you to raise support?
- Is the mission a good steward of funds? Does the mission publish annual audits?
- For married couples, are both spouses accepted? How does the mission handle families?
- What roles are open for women, married or single?
- How does the mission care for its missionaries? What initial and continuing training is offered?
- Does the mission have a good reputation?
If you feel God is leading you into missions, talk with your pastor, mission professor, and missionaries you know. SEND International may or may not be your first choice but we would be happy to talk with you. We are open to all your questions and we’ll do our best to give you helpful answers. You can read more about how SEND cares for its workers here , or click here to get in contact with a mobilizer in your area.
Additional Posts
"This probably looks impossible, but you serve a God who is greater." These are the words of Abigail Niles, a young woman who followed the Lord to Romania.
March 7, 2025 Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God. But many Muslims won’t be able to keep the fast through the whole 30 days. The reasons and excuses are myriad. Sometimes they will continue to claim to be fasting, but in reality, they are eating behind closed doors. To gain God’s favor, they must fast through the whole month, not just part of it. So, they live with the guilt and shame of not fulfilling the requirements of Islam. What was supposed to help gain their salvation now stands in condemnation. A Feast Within the Fast To complicate matters even more, Persian New Year’s Day is March 20, right in the middle of the fasting month. Persian New Year is one of the most important cultural holidays for most Iranian and Afghans, as well as many others with a Persian background scattered throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. In fact, many people with Persian heritage don’t just celebrate on one day. Their New Year’s celebrations extend over two weeks! How do they reconcile these two weeks of festivities within Ramadan? For Arab Muslims, it is a non-issue. But for the Persian world, it IS a struggle. The hard-core Taliban will try to push people to keep the fast. However, many will lean more towards keeping their more ancient pre-Islamic traditions of New Year’s. I would encourage you to take time to explore with your Muslim neighbors and colleagues why they fast. Then share why Christians fast. Perhaps read Isaiah 58 with them, summarize it, and ask for their thoughts on this passage. One more thing to note during Ramadan is the Night of Power. Each year, during Ramadan, on or about the 27th day of the month, there is a special time called the Night of Power. This year it will happen on or around March 26. Muslims believe the Night of Power is when Mohammad first received the revelations of the Quran from the Angel Gabriel. Prayers offered up by Muslims during Ramadan—especially prayers in a mosque—are believed to be weightier than prayers at any other time. However, prayers on this special Night of Power, prayed in a mosque, are considered infinitely more valuable than any other prayer. Many Muslims will stay up all night praying on the Night of Power to earn extra points with God. There is a small problem in all of this, though—Muslims can’t agree on which night is actually the Night of Power. It is sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, with tradition stating that it is on the 26th or 27th night. There are several resources to help Christians and churches pray for the Muslim world through this month of Ramadan. I would encourage you to connect with some or all of them. Please make others in your church aware of these resources. Perhaps you could even host a special prayer time at your church, utilizing these resources. Ramadan 30-Day Prayer Guide Booklet – This can be purchased as a hard copy or PDF. Prayercast – A wonderful website with many videos on the Muslim world. If you sign up, you can receive daily prayer videos that also work great during a Sunday worship service to help raise awareness of the need for prayer for the Muslim world.
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
